Cruise News

Somewhere in Britain, a fabulously lucky punter is clutching a Euromillions lottery ticket worth £161 million. They have won enough money to make them the 418th richest person in the country, almost as wealthy as David AND Victoria Beckham. With their winnings, they could buy Cristiano Ronaldo. Twice. Or a whole archipelago of holiday islands in the Bahamas and two Boeing 767 jets to fly there. With a fortune earning £10 a minute in interest, they could afford 80 Bugatti Veyron supercars, and the petrol to fuel them. But their new-found riches are not enough to match the amount of [...]

During a session at the UK Cruise Convention earlier this year, the chairman of the discussion drew almost universal derision for asking a representative from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises what facilities their ships had for families, and whether they would consider following MSC's example and offer free places for children. Clever-dick critics - and I count myself among them - were quick to point out that Hapag-Lloyd operates luxury expedition vessels such as Hansaeatic and Columbus, and the ϋber-luxury Europa, the only ship to have consistently earned a five star-plus rating from Douglas Ward's Berlitz Guide to cruising. As Ward puts it [...]

With the death toll in the Volga riverboat sinking expected to rise to 129, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an inquiry and a complete review of passenger shipping. An investigation has been opened into the operating company and the local river authority, and criminal proceedings are being taken against the captains of two ships which passed the capsized vessel without stopping to help. Divers have recovered 71 bodies from the Bulgaria and 58 passengers are still recorded as missing. Many of the victims were children. The Emergency Ministry reports that 79 people were rescued. The vessel, built in 1955 [...]

Has Royal Caribbean Cruises lost its mojo? For years the company has been the most innovative at sea, building the largest cruise ships with the Freedom class, and then going 40 per cent bigger still with Oasis and Allure of the Seas. It introduced full-length Broadway musicals to cruise passengers, with Hairspray, Chicago, and then Saturday Night Fever. Its ships are still the only ones with ice rinks and shopping malls. Innovations on the ships of Celebrity, another branch of the company, range from Apple i-lounges to real grass lawns. But his week Royal has shown that it is prepared [...]