Cruise Ships - Page 36 of 57 - Captain Greybeard

Frosty welcome for the three Queens

New York is preparing a chilly welcome for the arrival of the three Cunard Queens later this week. Temperatures are likely to plunge to minus 10 degrees C, and at least a foot of snow is expected to be dumped on the city tomorrow, less than 24 hours before Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth complete their tandem Transatlantic crossing and Queen Mary 2 joins them from the Caribbean. All three are expected to be passing under the Verrazzano Narrows bridge at the entrance to New York harbour by about 6.00 am on Thursday and they will spend a day in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 11 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Disney’s Dream is home at last

It might have been before dawn, but there was no chance of Disney Dream slipping into harbour at Port Canaveral unnoticed this morning. The ship arrived at its new home to be greeted by thousands of fans, a few familiar characters, and a fireworks extravaganza. The 130,000-ton ship has taken a leisurely 16 days to cross the Atlantic since leaving Germany just before Christmas. It stopped briefly at Tenerife, and made an unannounced visit to Disney Cruises' resort of Castaway Cay on New Year's Day - no doubt to check on the millions of dollars of development which has been [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 4 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

A new wave of cruise ships

The relentless rise in the popularity of cruise holidays continues, and the number of UK passengers is expected to rise by another eight per cent in 2011 to a record 1.77 million. The number of people flying to join their ships - in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Alaska, for example - will top the million mark next year, and almost three-quarters of a million will sail from UK ports - maybe even more after what has been a disastrous year for airports, with closures forced by the weather and the Icelandic ash cloud. To meet the demand for cruise [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-03T10:22:00+00:00 3 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

2010: A year of memories

Time for a quick look back at 2010 - and what a year it was. Avoiding Icelandic ash clouds, striking airport workers and snow-blocked runways I have somehow managed to visit five continents by cruise ship. It's been a year of contrasts; I have been deep in the bowels of the biggest cruise ship the world has ever seen, and I spent enchanted hours looking for Scottish wildlife from the wheelhouse of a converted fishing boat. Unforgettable - except that sooner or later the memories fade. So here are a few photographic reminders. JANUARY First trip of the year was [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 31 December 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Air-con fault ends cruise for 100

After a shaky start which prompted passenger complaints and a feature on BBC's consumer programme, Watchdog, Thomson Cruises must have been hoping for better things in 2011 for their newest ship, Thomson Dream. After all, it recently emerged from a dry-dock refit which was intended to cure the problems inherited when the company took over the vessel, formerly the Costa Europa. No such luck. About 100 passengers expecting to fly out to Jamaica today to join the ship for a two-week Caribbean cruise, including visits to Cuba, were told last night their New Year holiday was cancelled. Ironically, a number [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 30 December 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Finishing touches for the Dream

Cruise ship Disney Dream is making her way gently across the Atlantic to Florida, ready for a spectacular naming ceremony in Port Canaveral near the end of January. There are no passengers on board, but it's far from quiet, as the cast, crew and Disney's imagineers prepare the ship for action. As you'll see from the video, there are lots and lots of finishing touches which need to be completed before Mickey Mouse and his friends are ready to welcome their first guests.

By John Honeywell| 2010-12-29T14:51:37+00:00 29 December 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Too hot for a Brazilian cruise

Transport links throughout the UK and much of Europe are crippled by the big freeze. Heathrow and Gatwick struggle to clear their runways, and queues snake round the streets of London as passengers hope to stake their claim to a seat on a Eurostar train to Paris. (I'd love to hear John Heald's take on that, by the way, but I digress). Spare a thought, then, for the unfortunate people who had hoped to be spending their Christmas cruising the South American coast on board MSC Musica. The seven-day voyage, which was due to depart from Rio de Janeiro on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 21 December 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Snowy scenes at sea

Cunard president Peter Shanks joked last week that giant wing mirrors had been fitted to the bridge of Queen Victoria, ready for Inger Olsen, the first woman captain in the company's history. He should have brought a snow plough on board, judging by this picture taken at the weekend during the ship's Christmas Markets cruise to Amsterdam and Zeebrugge. Or perhaps he is planning to turn the Pavilion Pool into an ice skating rink. Fred Olsen's Black Watch led Victoria back into Southampton this morning with inveterate cruise fan Patricia Dempsey on board. She refused to allow the wintry weather [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 20 December 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Recipe for success on Allurodam

Even if I didn't know how to chop an onion properly, making delicious sweet potato soup with chef Molly Brandt on Allure of the Seas has given me a taste for cooking. Especially for cooking in a cruise ship galley. And I think I may have spotted my next opportunity. TV chef Valentine Warner will be hosting a series of demonstrations for passengers on Holland America's Eurodam during a voyage to the Norwegian Fjords and Scottish Highlands later this year. The 12-night cruise leaves from Dover on June 3 and Warner, who spent five years working in London's restaurant kitchens [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 16 December 2010|Cruise Food & Drink, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Disney’s dreaming of a white Xmas

Cruises on board brand new ship Disney Dream will be in the warm waters between Port Canaveral in Florida and the Bahamas. So these pictures of the vessel covered in snow will be a rarity. And unfortunately there's little chance the snow will still be there at Christmas. The 128,000-ton ship leaves Europe later this week, but photographer Kent Phillips caught these winter wonderland shots in Bremerhaven, Germany. There's a unique water-coaster circling the upper decks, but it looks like an ice rink would be more appropriate. Not sure who this character with the distinctive ears could be. Any suggestions?

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:14+00:00 16 December 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments