All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Epic wedding for cruise couple

Derek Kahn and Lerah Scott were determined to find a special venue for their wedding. "We wanted to get married somewhere that was more than a beach," says 24-year-old Lerah. The couple found a place that was not only spectacular - they have also created a little bit of history by becoming the first couple to get married on giant cruise ship Norwegian Epic. Lerah, from Georgetown, in Ontario, Canada and Derek, 28, from Kentucky, held their ceremony in the ship's Manhattan Room, the restaurant which is also a venue for the Legends in Concert dinner show. They were married [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 29 September 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

TV skills could win a free family cruise

Fancy yourself as a budding TV presenter? Royal Caribbean is looking for a family of would-be reporters to cover the launch of their newest ship, Allure of the Seas, on a preview cruise in November. The winning family will be flown to Florida and during a four-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale will be given a behind-the-scenes look at the ship's exclusive DreamWorks Experience featuring the How To Train Your Dragon ice show and the Madagascar aqua show, plus character breakfasts, parades and sail-away parties. They will also be given backstage access to Chicago: The Musical. The Reporters at Sea competition [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-09-29T17:41:44+00:00 29 September 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Cruise ship is golf fans’ hotel

After a hard day watching Europe's golfers take on America in the Ryder Cup, some of the most privileged spectators will be spending their evenings relaxing on a luxurious cruise ship. The French-owned Le Diamant has been chartered for the weekend and today berthed in Newport, just five miles from the course at the Celtic Manor Resort. Golf fans have each paid from £3,000 for the cheapest cabins and up to £6,550 for the owners' suite for five nights accommodation on their floating hotel, which carries 226 passengers and 120 crew. The fare included admission the the Ryder Cup matches, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 29 September 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Prinsendam takes a battering

Sunbathing passengers on the cruise ship Prinsendam were taken by surprise last week when a powered paraglider made an emergency landing on the top deck. The ship was docked in Portimao, on the Portuguese Algarve, when a 25-year-old Brazilian man crash-landed his flimsy craft. He suffered a broken leg and was taken to hospital while the maritime police removed his paraglider for inspection. The 837-passenger Prinsendam, smallest ship in the Holland America fleet, has been taking a bit of a battering recently. Towards the end of a round-Britain cruise earlier this month it was hit by a freak wave which [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-09-26T16:09:43+00:00 26 September 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Around the world in 84 days

Remember that joke, voted the funniest of this year's Edinburgh Fringe? ""I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again," quipped Tim Vine. There's another gag in similar vein, about a couple who return from a round-the-world cruise, to be asked "Where are you going next?" The 1,700 or so passengers boarding Oriana in Southampton today could become the butt of both jokes, because they were setting off on a world cruise. In September, I hear you ask. Surely world cruises set off in January and don't return home until April? That's the normal rule, but [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-09-23T19:55:09+00:00 23 September 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

QE2 is on the move again at last

Ever since she arrived in Dubai almost two years ago, the dear old QE2 has languished alongside a cargo quay at Port Rashid, overshadowed by two giant cranes. The picture above was taken when I flew over the former Cunard liner in February this year. Plans to convert the ship into a luxury hotel were put on hold when her new owners had to start counting the dirhams and the dollars as the worldwide recession began to bite. There were reports that the vessel was to be moved to Cape Town to provide accommodation for visitors to this summer's World [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 23 September 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|3 Comments

The price we pay for bargain cruises

The economics of cruise holidays are a fascinating subject for study, and worthy of analysis by greater brains than mine. What we do know - and it's a message that has been hammered out for month after month - is that a cruise is unbeatable value for money. Travel writer and agent Chris Owen, from Orlando, Florida, has examined the subject in his latest blog, comparing the cost of a three-night cruise to the Bahamas with a weekend break in Las Vegas. The cruise, naturally, worked out as the best value, costing 40 per cent less than a stay at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 22 September 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Cruise ship gambler jumps to death

A man who is believed to have lost about £415,000 in a cruise ship casino killed himself by jumping from the vessel into the sea. The gambler, identified by Hong Kong police only as a Mr Xu, and aged 51, had been playing baccarat on board the SuperStar Aquarius. He joined the ship on Saturday for a two-day cruise, and was at the casino tables from after dinner until about 8.00 a.m on Sunday. According to some passengers he had lost HK$5 million. He was then seen wandering around the top deck of the 13-deck ship for about an hour [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 22 September 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Crazy owl at home on cruise ship

We know owls are wise birds, but the creature which tried to stow away on a cruise ship can't have been too clever. The Florida burrowing owl, which normally makes its home in sandy soil - and often invades lawns and football fields - tried to set itself up in the artificial turf of the mini-golf course on Oasis of the Seas. The owl was discovered as the vessel was about to set off from Fort Lauderdale on a week-long cruise to the Caribbean. "She was making it very clear that 'this is my territory,' " said wildlife officer Dave [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:21+00:00 21 September 2010|Cruise Gossip, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cunard’s Royal portrait from the attic

A new portrait of the Queen was unveiled last night, but Her Majesty will not see the painting until October 11, when she names the newest Cunard liner at a ceremony in Southampton. The portrait has been commissioned by Cunard to hang in the Grand Lobby of the ship, Queen Elizabeth. The artist, Isobel Peachey, will reveal her work at the National Portrait Gallery tonight, but the picture will not be put on public display. At 31, Lancashire-born Peachey is the youngest female artist ever to paint the Queen, who is understood to have posed for three sittings over several [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:21+00:00 21 September 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment