Cruise News

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]