Cruise Ships

This will be the sight tomorrow when giant cruise ship Allure of the Seas scrapes under the Great Belt Bridge on her way from Finland to Florida. The picture actually shows sister ship Oasis of the Seas on the same journey last year. If you believe the statistics, there is 65 metres (213 feet) clearance between the sea and the highest point of the roadway on the 18km-long bridge between the Danish islands of Zealand and Flynn. And Allure's air draft, or the height from waterline to the top of the funnel, is, er, 65 metres. Being Denmark, this could [...]

Here's a splendid picture - the crew of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth assembled an the aft decks when the ship was sailing from Italy a week before her naming ceremony in Southampton. Everyone is there, from Captain Chris Wells, to the waiters, cabin stewards, laundrymen and engine room grease monkeys. My cut-down version hardly does it justice - you can see a bigger image at Entertainment Director Alastair Greener's blog - scroll down to the bottom of the page. I'm sure it will be a popular souvenir for passengers to take home, but I have just one question (apart from asking [...]

There was all too little time to get a good look at Cunard's new ship, Queen Elizabeth, between boarding after yesterday's naming ceremony and leaving about 15 hours later in order to make way for the 2,000-plus passengers embarking on the Maiden Voyage. Sufficient to get a flavour of the vessel, and the care and attention to detail that has been lavished on its layout and decor, but not enough for a good old root around. The full exploration will have to wait - not for too long, I hope. But what are my first impressions, and how does the [...]

Construction of Oceania's newest cruise ship appears to be proceeding at a leisurely pace. The 65,000-ton Marina - a big sister for the line's existing trio of Insignia, Nautica and Regatta - was originally scheduled to be delivered before the end of this year but was long ago postponed until January. The ship, which will carry 1,250 passengers and increase the line's total capacity by 60 per cent at a stroke, is being built by Fincantieri at its Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa. It took to the sea for the first time last week for trials to test her propulsion [...]

Take a good look at these hands. They are those of Her Majesty the Queen, in the Isobel Peachey portrait commissioned by Cunard to hang in their new liner, Queen Elizabeth, and unveiled this week at the National Portrait Gallery in London. As you might expect, they are immaculately manicured hands, but more importantly they seem calm and serene, and they must have remained so during the three sessions in which the Queen posed for the young artist. Now take a look at Cunard's video of the unveiling. I can't help thinking that Cunard president Peter Shanks and Ms Peachey [...]