Cruise Ships - Page 41 of 57 - Captain Greybeard

Keeping the QE2 legend alive

While the attention of the cruise world is focussed on Norwegian Epic - I'm flying to join her in Rotterdam in the morning - one group of enthusiasts is determined that the once-great liner Queen Elizabeth 2 will not be forgotten. Members of TheQE2Story.com internet forum are planning to sail to the Cunard legend's birthplace on the River Clyde next weekend, aboard the historic paddle steamer Waverley. On Saturday they will be sailing "doon the watter" past the former John Brown shipyard, and on to Tignabruaich. On Sunday they are planning to pay homage at Clydebank's Titan crane, and they [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:25+00:00 20 June 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

First pictures of Epic arrival

Although I will be among the first passengers on board Norwegian Epic when I fly out to the ship in Rotterdam on Monday some people have got there even earlier, and my friend Fran Golden was at the pier this morning to see the 153,000-ton vessel arrive. Fran, who writes for AOL Travel, has posted an early selection of pictures on her own website, Get Away With Fran. Please don't go there to look for any more of her pictures during the weekend - wait until you can see mine next week.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 19 June 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Spoilt for choice at dinner

It's been another glorious day on Azura, with the sun blazing down from a clear blue sky as the ship ploughs through the Baltic at a steady 22 knots, heading from Helsinki to Copenhagen. A mass sale of Russian matryoshka dolls, lacquered boxes and gilt-encrusted eggs got the day under way. There was even a £13,250 Faberge watch which caught the eye of Captain Keith Dowds, but I suspect it will remain on display for a little longer yet. Since then passengers have been filling sunloungers around the open decks and the swimming pools, with some paying £10 for a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 4 June 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

MCA holds ‘unsafe’ cruise ship

Passengers from the cruise ship Vistamar have been transferred to Dublin while the vessel remains impounded in Belfast, undergoing repairs demanded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. A snap inspection revealed several breaches of safety code, including missing and broken fire doors, and inadequate PA systems and emergency lights for lifeboats. The ship, built in 1989, carries 290 passengers and is operated by German company Plantours. It is currently in the middle of a round-Britain cruise and docked in Belfast on Wednesday en route from Invergordon in Scotland. An MCA inspection of the ship in London in 2006 also found [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-06-04T13:21:02+00:00 4 June 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Sailing in . . . to be near Rod

Passengers on board up-market cruise ship Azamara Journey got a perfect view of the O2 dome as they sailed up the Thames to Greenwich yesterday. And last night Edie Bornstein, the cruise line's vice president of sales and marketing, had the best seats in the house to see her hero Rod Stewart perform on stage. The 30,000-ton vessel, carrying 694 passengers, and one of the biggest vessels to negotiate the Thames barrier, has made Greenwich pier its home for two nights. Azamara Journey is mid-way through a 14-night Western Europe cruise which left Barcelona on May 23, and is heading [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 2 June 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Jolly Olly lines them up

He bounds on stage with the energy and enthusiasm of an unweaned Labrador puppy - and the golden hair to match. His subtly-toned pink jacket (if it's possible to have anything subtle in pink) strains to contain his girth and his excitement. TV's Olly Smith has been on board P&O cruise ship Azura for just two nights, but he has packed a week's worth of activities into less than 48 hours. The celebrity wine expert has been training staff - and checking how business is going - in the Glass House restaurant and wine bar which he devised for the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 28 May 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Welcome to the Saga Juniors

Cruising among the Norwegian fjords on board Saga Pearl II in early May has two great advantages over visiting at peak season on one of today's mega-ships. For a start, the 400 passengers on board have not had to fight through crowds to get to the major sights and attractions ashore. We have been the only ship in port at each day's stop. And at just 18,500-tons Pearl is small enough to visit destinations which are off-limits to some of the bigger vessels, and we have been able to go alongside at each port, rather than having to tender ashore. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 11 May 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Look inside Thomson’s newest cruise ship – it’s a Dream

The arrival of the 1,500-passenger Thomson Dream in the Thomson Cruises fleet this week will help to boost the company's total capacity to 254,000 passengers a year. Dream joins Celebration, Destiny, Spirit and Island Escape in providing home-from-home cruises for the British market, packaged with flights from regional airports around the country. The ship, formerly the Costa Europa, came straight from dry-dock in Sicily to rescue 2,800 holidaymakers stranded in Majorca before embarking on its first proper cruise - with some crew members left behind because they were stranded by the ash cloud chaos. But operations swung into top gear [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 1 May 2010|Cruise Deals, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Life’s a Dream for Captain Roy

It was good to get together with Captain Roy Dearman again last night as he sailed Thomson Cruises' new ship, Thomson Dream, out of Barcelona. He has transferred from the Celebration, where I met him in January, and he and the ship have had a torrid time over the last few weeks, culminating in the rescue of 2,800 holidaymakers stranded in Majorca by the shutdown of flights. This week the vessel begins to settle into her new life, carrying 1,500 passengers around the Mediterranean on seven-day cruises from Palma, Majorca (where she is pictured above). I was among a small [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:29+00:00 27 April 2010|Cruise Ships|3 Comments