Cruise News

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All the latest cruise news from Captain Greybeard, the man in the know. Recipient of the CLIA Contribution to Cruise Media Award in 2017, John Honeywell is the leading cruise expert in the UK with the ear of the industry’s most important leaders and innovators

Queen sails off on a Princess

Putting all thoughts of pesky garden party guests behind her, the Queen is expected to set out on her summer holiday today. Sailing around the west coast of Scotland on board the luxurious cruise ship Hebridean Princess, the biggest nuisance she is likely to encounter will be the notorious midges rather than BNP leader Nick Griffin. Her Majesty, together with Prince Philip, is flying to the island of Lewis and will be embarking in Stornoway this afternoon ready for a 10-night cruise. She chartered the ship, a converted car ferry which now carries up to 49 passengers, for her 80th [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 23 July 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Camilla’s back on board Cunarder

When HRH the Duchess of Cornwall uttered the traditional words "I name this ship . . ." at the christening of Cunard's Queen Victoria (above) there were gasps from the audience as the champagne bottle failed to break. Seen by traditionalists as a sign of bad luck, it sparked countless references to the "Curse of Camilla" whenever the ship was struck by the slightest incident or misfortune. Either Cunard are very forgiving, or have no time for superstition, because Camilla will return to the ship on Monday for the first time since that ceremony in December 2007. Queen Victoria will [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 21 July 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

July troubles for Spirit

What is it with the month of July and Spirit of Adventure, the friendly little cruise ship that has carried me round the Black Sea and through the Gulf of Aden? Twelve months ago the vessel made the headlines thanks to a minor fuel leak that threatened to pollute the waters of Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This week, the ship hit trouble again, and passengers expecting to sail to Iceland on a 14-night cruise scheduled to leave Dover next Wednesday have been told their trip has been cancelled. A spokesman for the ship's operators tells me that one [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 10 July 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Wider canal means bigger ships

When you're designing a cruise ship, there are two factors which limit the size if you want to be able to send it anywhere in the world. First, there's height. The Verrazano Narrows bridge at the entrance to New York harbour is 228 feet above the water. Norwegian Epic just about scraped through to get to her naming ceremony last week, and the shape of the funnel of Cunard's Queen Mary 2 was significantly altered so the ship could use the port - essential for a liner making regular transatlantic crossings. Surprisingly, it's not so much of a problem for [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 8 July 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Cruise amputee won’t give up

It should be flattering that my friends at USA Today and AOL Travel News have followed up a story from today's Mirror, but, to be honest, there is no story. We reported that a passenger who claims he suffered severe burns to his feet while on a cruise aboard Ocean Village, and eventually had a leg amputated, was still fighting for compensation. In fact, 55-year-old Ronnie Dunbar, of Wallsend, abandoned his legal battle two months ago after his legal team withdrew and he went past the two-year time limit to take action. Mr Dunbar, a former soldier, took his wife [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 6 July 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

New hopes for two old girls

Hopes are rising that two grand old ocean liners may find new homes and new lives. QE2, which has languished at a lonely quayside in Dubai (above) since November 2008, was originally bought from Cunard for $100 million and new owners Nakheel prepared lavish designs to convert the liner into a hotel. The economic downturn and the financial crash which hit Dubai put paid to those plans, and a rescue operation to send the ship to Cape Town ended up going nowhere. Now the port of Fremantle, in Western Australia may put in a bid to obtain QE2 in time [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 1 July 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|10 Comments

Cruise clinic in need of attention

Since locking itself away behind a paywall, The Times' website has been launching all sorts of offers and gimmicks to attract readers. I was particularly interested in today's planned travel clinic, during which Cruise Critic editor in chief Carolyn Spencer Brown will be dispensing sage advice and answering questions. The first question should be directed at the online picture editor who selected this illustration to accompany the clinic. OK, it's of a nice bright, white, shiny cruise ship glistening in the sun. Perfect. Well, not exactly perfect. It's just plain wrong. It doesn't take a very close examination to see [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 29 June 2010|Cruise News|3 Comments

Royal visit for Cunard’s QM2

We're still waiting for Cunard (or Buckingham Palace) to confirm the identity of the person who will be naming Queen Elizabeth in October. Everyone knows who it should be, but it could be a few more weeks yet before we know for certain. Her Majesty is on a State Visit to Canada this week, and she will be addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York next Tuesday, so she probably has other things on her mind just now. The Palace Press Office will only announce Royal engagements up to eight weeks in advance, so we could be left [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 29 June 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Watching a World Cup Epic on the high seas

Of all the places to watch England’s World Cup victory over Slovenia earlier this week, one of the most exciting must have been aboard the giant new cruise ship Norwegian Epic. Hundreds of fans sat on ­deckchairs and sun-loungers, sipping ice-cold beer as the sun beat down on the Solent and a helicopter circled overhead taking publicity pictures. Like the England team, the billion-dollar Epic – the most eagerly awaited ship of 2010 – was burdened with huge ­expectations. And just like Rooney & Co, Epic was showing signs of letting us all down. A series of shipyard fires threatened [...]

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:25+00:00 25 June 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Tax cut for Alaska cruises

While talk in the UK has been about tax increases in the coalition government's emergency budget, there's one place in the world where taxes are being reduced - for cruise passengers at least. Legislation to reduce the levy on visitors to Alaska has now become law, although it will be some time before the number of ships visiting the region can return to previous levels. Lines such as Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean sent ships elsewhere in reaction to the $46-a-head tax, and itineraries are already set for 2011. Loss of business as a result of the withdrawal is [...]

By | 2010-06-25T11:55:05+00:00 25 June 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments