Cruise Ships

A few more words about the Celebrity Silhouette launch before we move on . . . Ship launches can quite often be fairly sober affairs - at least until the Champagne bottle smashes, acting as a signal for glasses to be poured for all the guests. And while Celebrity's tradition of inviting breast cancer survivors to be godmothers is admirable, and always guarantees a moving ceremony, it doesn't follow that it's going to produce a laugh a minute. But there were smiles and humour in abundance this weekend, with Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain quipping that he had saved a [...]

Richard Fain relaxes in one of the Lawn Club's Adirondack chairsPicture: Simon Brooke-Webb Celebrity Silhouette is more than just the fourth cruise ship in the Solstice class - which has already done so much to take premium cruising up a gear - it has a host of innovations to set it apart from its older sisters. It seems amazing that Celebrity has launched four of these ships in just over two years and eight months - even CEO Dan Hanrahan seemed surprised when he dropped that factoid into the naming ceremony. The first two, Solstice and Equinox, stuck to an [...]

While Royal Caribbean keep details of their new Project Sunshine cruise ships under wraps, Norwegian are pursuing a policy of releasing details of their own Project Breakaway bit by bit. The latest announcement, made in New York at the launch of Condé Nast Traveller magazine's first issue dedicated to cruising, is a re-branding of the luxury ship-within-a-ship complex containing the best - and most expensive - suites. Out goes the Courtyard, and in comes The Haven. On the newbuilds, to be constructed at the Meyer-Werft yard in Germany, the area will have 42 suites on decks 15 and 16, and [...]

On the day that Oceania's newest cruise ship, Riviera, met the water for the first time at a shipyard in Italy, sister ship Marina was paying her first ever visit to British shores. There were very few Brits among the 1,250 passengers boarding the 65,000-ton vessel in Dover on Friday for a 14-night voyage around the UK and Ireland (and a couple of days in Norway). Most were well-heeled Americans who enjoy the casual country-club style of Oceania cruising - there's no need to dress formally to enjoy some of the finest food at sea. Marina has 10 restaurants, more [...]

What do YOU think is the most exciting feature of new cruise ship Celebrity Silhouette? Come up with the best answer to the question and you could win a chance to join the ship for an exclusive sneak peek before any paying passengers get on board. You'll have to convince me and Cruise Critic's editor-in-chief, Carolyn Spencer-Brown, because we'll be judging the competition. The winner can take a guest on a two-night preview sailing from Rome on July 30. And you only have a few words to describe your favourite innovation, because contest entries must be made via Twitter. The [...]