Cruise Ships

It doesn't come close to the full-on experience, but this time-lapse video shot on Disney Wonder gives a good idea of what it's like to cruise to Alaska . . . in just under two minutes. Click that button in the bottom right-hand corner and watch it full-screen. Shot by Matt Stroshane, it shows the panoramic Vancouver skyline and follows the ship under the Lions Gate Bridge, along Alaska's Inside Passage, around icebergs in the Tracy Arm and to the ports of Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. I hope Hurtigruten will do something similar with the 8,040 minutes of footage which [...]

Disney's newest cruise ship is rapidly taking shape at a shipyard in Germany. And if you have never seen how giant ships are built in the 21st century - Disney Fantasy will be 1,115-feet long and 14 decks high - this short time-lapse video will amaze you. Not only is the 130,000-ton vessel put together from giant blocks each the size of a supermarket, it all happens under cover in a massive construction shed at the Meyer-Werft yard in Papenburg. Lego building has got nothing on this. Fantasy, a sister for new-build Disney Dream which was launched in January, makes [...]

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed an extremely pleasant lunch on board Silversea's ultra-luxury cruise ship Silver Spirit, when it arrived in the UK at the end of a world cruise which had begun in Los Angeles in January. Newest and largest vessel in Silversea's six-strong fleet, Spirit carries a maximum of 540 passengers in sumptuous suites, with some of the finest restaurants afloat including the Relais and Chateau Champagne, and the Asian fusion Seishin. Guests can cook their own steaks on hot rocks at the pool bar, and there's the tantalising Italian La Terrazza trattoria. When they are [...]