All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Deals do the business for MSC

Italian cruise line MSC - which will have its 1,700-passenger ship Opera ship sailing from Southampton this summer - has seen a boom in UK bookings, which are up 80 per cent on a year ago. But the increase is more likely to be a result of the recent "Four Free Extras" promotion on its Mediterranean itineraries than a rush to sail no-fly cruises to northern Europe. Free flights from Heathrow or Gatwick, free transfers to the ship, free cabin upgrades, and "free" £50 on-board credit formed the package which proved so successful. Giulio Libutti, the company's UK and Ireland [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 11 March 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Cruise ships on tsunami alert

Cruise ships in the Pacific are on tsunami alert after the devastation caused in Japan by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake earlier today, and the Japanese coastguard are reported to be searching for a vessel carrying 80 people which was washed away by the massive wave. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 left Tokyo yesterday (March 10) and is scheduled to berth in Nagasaki tomorrow, so is heading away from the worst-affected areas. A small group of passengers is ashore on an overland excursion to Osaka and a company spokesperson says they are all safe and accounted for. The official @cunardline Twitter feed posted [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 11 March 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|18 Comments

Cruises diverted from troubled ports

Continuing unrest in the Arab world is still causing havoc with cruise ship schedules. Costa Crociere has announced that all visits to Egypt, Tunisia and Israel have been scrapped for the remainder of 2011. The company, which is the biggest cruise operator in Europe, had already said Bahrain would be left out of its Persian Gulf itineraries for the remainder of the season. Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa, based in Dubai until the beginning of next month, will instead spend an extra day in port at Muscat, Oman. The move has been welcomed by Robert McLean, principal of the National [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 10 March 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|3 Comments

Marco and Olly both provide food for thought as P&O re-models ships

It's good news that the transformation of P&O cruise ship Oriana into an adults-only vessel will include the introduction of a new restaurant overseen by Marco Pierre White. But I am disappointed that room has not yet been found for a Glass House wine bar on the lines of the one which Olly Smith launched last year on Azura. Marco's first ocean-going restaurant was the White Room on board the Ventura. His new Ocean Grill concept will debut on Adonia when the ship joins the fleet in May, and will also replace Gary Rhodes's restaurant on Arcadia next January. Ocean [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 9 March 2011|Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Prepare for the biggest party afloat

All seven of P&O's cruise ships will be gathered together in Southampton next year to mark the 175th anniversary of the company's creation. Quite how the UK's busiest cruise port will be able to cope with so many ships and passengers on one day is not clear - January this year saw the first time in decades that six liners were turned round in one day. It will be a bonanza for Southampton's hotels, shops and taxi drivers. There will be something like 14,500 passengers leaving the ships in the morning and a further 14,500 boarding in the afternoon. There's [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-03-08T15:41:38+00:00 8 March 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Death by chocolate on a cruise

Who doesn't love a mystery? Check out the books being read by passengers on their cruise ship sun loungers and a good three-quarters of them will be crime thrillers, whodunnits, and tales of girls with dragon tattoos. And there's a real-life mystery being enacted on Saga Pearl II right now as passengers try to get to the bottom of how one of them ended up with a severe black eye, and another two were put ashore to be flown home from Port Antonio, Jamaica. The real queen of crime writers was, of course, Agatha Christie, who will be the centre [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 5 March 2011|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise News|0 Comments

Too POSH to push for perks?

Cruise loyalty clubs - awarding the equivalent of airlines' frequent flyer miles to their regular customers - can be complex affairs with different tiers of membership and associated privileges which are jealously guarded by members. Discounted fares, early-booking opportunities, exclusive receptions with senior officers, free drinks at sailaway parties; even unlimited internet access and complimentary laundry are among the perks on offer, and woe betide anyone who meddles with them. P&O have taken the brave - or foolhardy - step of announcing a new Peninsular Club which will replace the existing Portunus Club from April next year. Out will go [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 2 March 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Shirley becomes a godmother

Welsh diva Dame Shirley Bassey has achieved a lot in her career of more than 50 years - from recording three Bond movie theme tunes to appearing on stage at Glastonbury in a pair of spangly Wellingtons. But she has never been godmother to a cruise ship . . . until now. The 74-year-old singer will do the honours when P&O take over their latest vessel, the 710-passenger Adonia. The ship, originally Renaissance 8 and since then Minerva II and Royal Princess, will be re-named in Southampton on May 21. P&O boss Carol Marlow has described the vessel as the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-02-27T01:16:27+00:00 27 February 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Millions spent on ship upgrades

It's not just Princess and Celebrity who are spending millions on refurbishing their cruise ships and keeping them up to date. Crystal Serenity (above) was launched only eight years ago, but already it is having a $25 million (£15.5 million) upgrade. The 1,070-passenger vessel, which originally cost $350 million (£215 million) to build at the Chantiers d'Atlantique yard in France, will be going into drydock in Hamburg in May. Within 14 days, a team of 400 technicians and engineers will fit new lighting and carpets throughout the ship. The 531 staterooms and suites will be upgraded with new floor-to-ceiling tufted [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:10+00:00 18 February 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Why Celebrity Cruises will not allow themselves to be Eclipsed by rivals

Luxury cruise line Celebrity is determined to ensure that once a passenger has sailed on one of their ships, they will never want to sail with anyone else. That was the mantra of company president Dan Hanrahan this week, on a brief visit to the UK. Celebrity Eclipse, which is based in Southampton for the summer, has already achieved record business and ratings in the few months since its launch last April. Senior vice-president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo disclosed that the number of future cruise bookings made by British passengers while on board the ship is three times higher than the next [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:10+00:00 18 February 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments