Cruise Ships

Norwegian Breakaway is this week's newest cruise ship - it will be bringing a slice of the Big Apple to Britain on Monday before heading to its home base in New York for a naming ceremony on May 8. Handed over to Norwegian Cruise Line yesterday by builders Meyer-Werft, the ship arrived in Rotterdam this morning. I'll be boarding on Sunday for the overnight crossing to Southampton. The £520 million vessel, which carries 4,000 passengers, has giant images of some of New York's iconic landmarks painted on the hull in a design created by pop artist Peter Max. Among its [...]

All over a cruise ship, there are doors marked "Crew Only." For passengers, they mark forbidden territory. Unless allowed to use a crew stairway during muster drill, we must not cross the threshold into the other world - even if invited by a crew member. Perhaps ESPECIALLY not if invited by a crew member. But yesterday afternoon, as one of a select group of 11 Queen Elizabeth passengers who paid $120 each for the privilege, I spent three hours behind those doors, on a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour. Not before we each signed a fearsome-looking waiver absolving Cunard of any responsibility [...]

Are you intrigued by the introduction of sky-diving and dodgem cars on a cruise ship? Do you wonder how the North Star thrill ride is going to transport passengers 300 feet above the waves? Want to know what the three-deck-high Two70° entertainment room will have to offer? Then wonder no more. This video tour will explain everything. Apologies for the annoying noise throughout. That's Kristin Chenoweth, who has been chosen as the godmother for Quantum of the Seas. She gets a helping hand from IndyCar driver Hélio Castroneves, basketball great Chris Webber, illusionists Penn and Teller, and even Shrek. Royal [...]

Europa 2 promises to be among the grandest cruise ships in the world. The ship,whose 516 passengers will have unprecedented acres of space in which to luxuriate, will be making a brief visit to Southampton next month before joining slightly smaller sister vessel Europa, which consistently scores top marks in the Berlitz Guide - cruising's "Bible." Here's a sneak peek at what Europa 2 has to offer, courtesy of The Luxury Cruise Company.

This was part of my day yesterday, the ceremonial float-out of Regal Princess at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in north-east Italy, with Cruise Critic editor-on-chief Carolyn Spencer Brown as madrina, or godmother. It is a mere seven months since the first blocks for the ship's construction were laid in the dry dock, and there's another year of work to be completed before the ship is ready to take on her first paying passengers. As a Champagne bottle smashed against one end of the hull, the sluices were opened to allow water to reach the other. It will be tomorrow (Thursday) before [...]