Captain Greybeard - Page 110 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Cruise passengers face seven-hour ordeal at hands of US immigration

You don't mess with US immigration officials. That was the painful lesson learned by passengers on a P&O cruise ship recently as they travelled through the Land of the Free. On a 10-week Alaska Adventure - a rare round-trip voyage from Southampton - the ship had already called at 10 American ports before it arrived in Los Angeles on May 26. But the one-day visit turned into a nightmare when rigorous security checks took seven hours to complete. Every passenger was fingerprinted on both hands, retina scans were taken, and they were subjected to detailed passport examinations and questioned about [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:05+00:00 7 June 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Where have all the Brits gone?

Cruises around the UK will be the next big thing, the Passenger Shipping Association's Bill Gibbons told me last week. With the price of fuel continuing to be an issue, and the economic situation still putting a squeeze on consumer spending, holidays closer to home are what everyone - from cruise lines to passengers - is looking for, according to his reasoning. I sometimes take Bill's pronouncements with a pinch of salt; after all, last year he was forecasting that Libya was about to become the next cruising hot-spot. Even without the Gaddafi effect, the evidence contradicts his latest prediction. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:05+00:00 6 June 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Copenhagen is closed … again

They'll be picnicking in the parks of Copenhagen today as the people of Denmark celebrate Constitution Day. Pretty much everything else will be closed - shops, museums and tourist attractions all out of bounds for visitors who have arrived, like me, on Holland America's Eurodam, and those on Costa Atlantica, berthed just across from us in the freeport area. And because our ship is not using the usual cruise terminal at Langelinie, it's not quite such an easy stroll to get to the Little Mermaid or to walk further into the city centre for a drink at the bars of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:05+00:00 5 June 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Follow me on Eurodam

Rather than sitting here writing this, I should be packing - although to be honest, I should have done that last night. Because very soon I will be setting off to drive to Dover, where I will be boarding Holland America's Eurodam for an interesting 12-day cruise. First stop Copenhagen, where I am planning to take a tour of Rosenborg Castle, then it's on to Oslo for an overnight stay in port. Kristiansand is next on the itinerary - remind me to check for scratches on the quayside after Oriana's close encounter. Next Thursday I will be listening to the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 3 June 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Top value cruises for £70 a night

Competition is hotting up to fill the dozens of cruise ships sailing in the Mediterranean this summer, and it's good news if you're looking to book. Take these two deals which have just gone on sale; full-board holidays for around £70 a night - which has got to be less than the cost of a B&B, dinner and a night out at the theatre in Blackpool or Brighton. Virgin Holidays Cruises are offering seven nights on board the floating resort that is Norwegian Epic (above) for as little as £499 per person, including return flights from London airports to Barcelona. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 3 June 2011|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

P&O’s Oriana bashes into pier

They'll be taking a close look at Oriana when she arrives back home in Southampton this morning. The P&O cruise ship has a sizeable dent in the stern after bashing into a solid stone quay at her last port of call, Kristiansand in Norway The vessel was leaving harbour at about 5.30 on Wednesday evening when the incident happened. Port Authority operations manager Thomas Granfeldt told news outlet FVN that Oriana was pulling away from the quay when it made contact with a corner of the pier. A water pipe and an optical cable on the quay were damaged and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 3 June 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Rough ride for Silver Spirit

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 [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 2 June 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Coastguards say major safety concerns led to cruise ship detention

Serious breaches of international safety regulations led to the detention of cruise ship MSC Opera in Southampton last week, according to further details released today by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Spokeswoman Rosie Tapping told USA Today's Gene Sloan there were a number of issues which together "led to the conclusion of a major non-conformity." There were concerns that the ship was overloaded and, as a result, fears for its stability. Tapping told me: "Overloading means that the vessel is floating at a deeper draft than it has been approved for in terms of structural strength and stability. Most people [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 1 June 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Skye-high fares for a foodie treat

Food is, without doubt, one of the highlights of almost every cruise, and there are few ships which don't strive to make mealtimes one of the highlights of the day. Now I discover that, not satisfied with the feasts from its own galley, Hebridean Cruises are planning a gastronomic tour of Skye which will feature meals at some of the island's finest restaurants. The five-night voyage on Hebridean Princess will bring a new culinary experience each day, including a visit to the Isle of Skye oyster farm at Loch Harport and a tasting session at the Talisker whisky distillery. Lunches [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 1 June 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

P&O’s £500 million giant will be biggest cruise ship built for Britain

P&O is to have a new cruise ship for the UK - the biggest ever built specifically for the British market. Still to be named, the 141,000-ton vessel will carry 3,611 passengers and is expected to be launched in March 2015. It will be about 22 per cent bigger than the fleet's biggest ships, Azura and Ventura, but will carry only about 16 per cent more passengers. Announcing the project today, managing director Carol Marlow said: " She will offer 'the best of the best,' combining the favourite classic features of Oriana and Aurora, the choice and variety of Azura [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 1 June 2011|Cruise Ships|1 Comment