All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Safety warning for cruise visitors

Nassau, capital of The Bahamas, has spent millions of dollars dredging its harbour and building new port facilities so it can handle Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. So a recent spate of armed attacks on visiting cruise ship passengers, must have sent a shudder of panic through the local authorities and Oasis's owners, Royal Caribbean. The ship's maiden call on Friday went ahead as planned, but passengers were warned of the risks before going ashore. As Thea Rutherford reports in the Nassau Guardian, the 6,000 passengers were advised to be "mindful of their personal [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:34+00:00 14 December 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Princess ship switches to P&O

Good news today for those passengers regretting the forthcoming departure of adults-only ship Artemis from P&O's fleet. Managing director Carol Marlow has announced the introduction of a new ship in May 2011, a vessel carrying just 710 passengers and suitable for visiting destinations off the beaten track. Well, not exactly a new ship because the vessel, which will be called Adonia, is presently sailing as the Royal Princess, and was originally built in 2001 for the now-defunct Renaissance cruise line. More than 75 per cent of her 355 cabins have balconies and before entering service with P&O the ship will [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 9 December 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

No pirates, so we learn about our alien origins in cosmic dust

We've seen a German warship, a Dutch warship, and a Norwegian warship. Captain Frank Allica says he's been in contact with ships from the Turkish and Chinese navies. There have been warships appearing on the radar that he hasn't been able to identify, but at least we can assume they're on our side. Access to the outside decks has been restricted during the hours of darkness, and we've had to eat inside the Verandah restaurant instead of outside by the pool But as Spirit of Adventure sails for a second day through the security corridor in the Gulf of Aden, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 9 December 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Come on pirates, we’re ready

As Spirit of Adventure sails closer to the Gulf of Aden, the "P"-word (for pirates) - which cruise director Neil Horrocks has been trying to avoid for a week - has finally become an accepted part of conversation. This afternoon, Captain Frank Allica gave a 45-minute talk in the Sirocco Lounge. On most cruises, it would have mostly been about his life in the Australian navy, the times when, as a gunnery officer he fired thousands of five-inch rounds at Viet Cong defences, and of his brushes with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal. A packed audience sat [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-12-07T18:02:14+00:00 7 December 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Micky drives a hard bargain

There are signs of movement at last in the building of new cruise ships. Orders had dried up after the global economy fell off a cliff and shipyards in Italy and Finland have been looking around hungrily for new work to avoid having to lay off their workers. Carnival boss Micky Arison, almost as keen to keep pace with rivals Royal Caribbean as he is to strike a hard bargain, has been the first to blink, announcing a new £475 million ship to be built at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard in Italy. The 130,000-ton vessel, carrying 3,690 passengers, will be a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-12-03T10:23:30+00:00 3 December 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Richard assesses the ‘Wow’ factor

The passengers boarding Oasis of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale probably paid little attention to the tall, softly spoken American standing by the gangway as they entered the ship. But he was watching them closely, and listening to every word they said as they stepped into the Royal Promenade - a shopping mall the length of a football pitch on the biggest cruise ship in the world. For the man in question was Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean, who was anxious to gauge their reaction to the mighty vessel which cost £800 million and has been six [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 25 November 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship drug pair bailed

Two passengers have been arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine into the UK from a cruise ship. Customs officers seized around one-and-a-half kilograms of the drug, with a reported street value of £70,000, from the liner Black Watch. Ben Hartland, 23, from Bletchingley, Surrey, appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court charged with the importation of cocaine, and was bailed to reappear on January 15. A 20-year-old woman arrested with him was released on police bail. In January, three women aged between 19 and 26, and a man aged 41 were jailed after being arrested trying to bring 20kg of cocaine [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 20 November 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Stranded passengers fly from ship to see emperor penguins

The passengers stranded in Antarctic pack ice on board the expedition ship Kapitan Khlebnikov have been flown by helicopter to visit the emperor penguin rookery (above) on Snow Hill Island, which was to be the highlight of their voyage. Wildlife guide Paul Goldstein, who went with them, said today: "I have just enjoyed breakfast with some of the exhibition passengers, still thrilled about their adventures over the past few days. They are safe, a little frustrated that ice and weather conditions have delayed their return, but all philosophical about their late arrival into Ushuaia. "This is an expedition, it's a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:36+00:00 17 November 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Penguin passengers stuck in ice

Eighty British passengers on an adventure cruise to Antarctica are stranded in pack ice which has surrounded their ship. The ice-breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov left the southern Argentinian port of Ushuaia on November 3 and has been stuck near Snow Hill island, off the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic peninsula for four days. Many of the British tourists on board, who have paid up to £10,000 each, booked through the travel company Exodus. Also with them is a three-man BBC crew filming Emperor penguins for the television series The Frozen Planet. The Russian transport ministry says no-one on board is in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-11-16T17:25:29+00:00 16 November 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

New ship joins UK cruise fleet

The UK's All Leisure Group, which already operates specialist cruise ships Discovery, Swan Hellenic's Minerva, and Hebridean Princess is growing its fleet even further, with the purchase of MV Alexander von Humboldt. The ship, previously operated by the Dutch company Club Cruises, was sold at Tilbury by sealed bids. It will undergo an extensive upgrade and re-fit, bringing All Leisure's total spend on the vessel to about £12.5 million, before sailing under her new colours for the first time in summer 2011. Built in Spain in 1990, the ship has been known as Jules Verne, Walrus, and Crown Monarch. At [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-11-16T16:52:36+00:00 16 November 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments