Captain Greybeard - Page 113 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Stay-at-home Americans give us the best Mediterranean cruise deals yet

There have never been as many cruise ships sailing in European waters as there are this summer. Royal Caribbean have a record 12 of their vessels on this side of the pond to compete with P&O's seven, and the fleets of Cunard, Fred. Olsen, and Thomson. NCL's giant Norwegian Epic is today calling at the Azores and arrives in Barcelona on Wednesday to begin a season of Mediterranean cruises. The expensively-refitted Grand Princess returns to Southampton next Saturday [May 21] and over the next few months will be tying up at Spanish and Italian ports alongside the ships of Costa [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 14 May 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship hits ice in Alaska

A cruise ship carrying almost 2,000 passengers has been damaged by solid ice while visiting Hubbard Glacier in Alaska (above). Holland America Lines' Westerdam was manoeuvring in Yakutat Bay earlier this week. It is not known whether high winds at the time contributed to the incident. A HAL spokesperson said the ship's hull received "a mild indentation" below the waterline. "The hull was not breached and the ship continued on its published itinerary." The ship sailed left Seattle on Saturday for the seven-day voyage, its first visit of the season to Alaska. The US Coast Guard said the damage to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 12 May 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Is it farewell to Lorraine as P&O welcomes its latest cruise ship?

When Dame Shirley Bassey names P&O's newest ship, Adonia, in Southampton next Saturday, she will open a new chapter in the life of a vessel which has already seen several changes in its short life. It may also be the end of a fascinating book for another grand old lady. In June 2007, Lorraine Arzt was godmother when the ship was re-named Royal Princess in Portofino harbour, Italy. She had been living almost permanently on board Princess cruise ships for the whole of the decade. The picture above shows her with Micky Arison (left), chief executive of Carnival Corporation which [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 12 May 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Illegal immigrants smuggled into New York in luxury on Cunard’s QM2

Cunard have long boasted - with some justification - that sailing into New York on board luxurious liner Queen Mary 2 is the best way to arrive in America. It is indeed an unforgettable sight, despite the fact that it's necessary to be up at some unfeasible hour to get the full experience of sailing under the Verazzano Narrows Bridge and past the Statue of Liberty as Manhattan's skyscrapers see the first of the dawn sun. It's certainly a stylish and extremely unusual way for an illegal immigrant to arrive. But when QM2 arrived the harbour recently, five men and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 10 May 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

New-look Grand Princess nearly here

It took 1,400 workers 24 days for the drydock transformation which has rejuvenated cruise ship Grand Princess. Now the 3,100-passenger vessel - minus its distinctive "shopping trolley" handle - is heading back to the UK for another season of cruises from Southampton. A video diary introduced by British cruise director Martyn Moss followed the progress of the refit, including the mammoth 10-hour operation to remove SkyWalkers nightclub. The ship's atrium was rebuilt to create a new Piazza, the casino, shops, wedding chapel and Horizon Court restaurant were completely remodelled and updated, and seven new suites were created. "This drydock has [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 10 May 2011|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

HMS Belfast’s nine-gun salute a treat for visitors to superyacht SeaDream I

To Tower Bridge today, where one of SeaDream's two identical luxury super-yachts was visiting London for the first time. Just arrived in Europe after a transatlantic crossing, and heading for a routine dry dock SeaDream I has been holding open house for travel agents, media and past passengers. There was chance for a quick look around the delightful vessel - which carries 112 passengers cosseted by 95 attentive crew - before a splendid lunch that featured lobster and crab, the tastiest pumpkin soup I have ever experienced, and a succulent plate of sea bass and tuna. There was a surprise [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 10 May 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise numbers add up to success

The 600 travel agents who gathered in Southampton for the fifth annual UK Cruise Convention were no doubt delighted to receive confirmation of their important role in a continually growing business. Brits took a record 1.62 million cruises in 2010, up 6 per cent on the previous year and more than double the number of 10 years ago according to the latest figures issued by the Passenger Shipping Association. And despite cruise lines' efforts to persuade customers to book online, four out of five cruises are booked through High Street agents. Value for money is seen as one of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:08+00:00 8 May 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Who’s ready for the new Adonia?

P&O finally got their hands on their newest ship this week and after a few days' work in a shipyard in the Bahamas, Royal Princess will be transformed into Adonia. Two weeks from today (May 21) Dame Shirley Bassey will crack a bottle of pink English sparkling wine to officially christen the 700-passenger vessel. She will be assisted by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, fresh from his appearance as swashbuckling pirate captain John Avery (above right with Matt Smith) in tonight's episode of Dr Who: The Curse of the Black Spot. Adonia, smallest ship in the P&O fleet and for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:08+00:00 7 May 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

It’s Magic! Carnival Breeze will blow into the Mediterranean next summer

Carnival Cruise Lines' boss Gerry Cahill today confirmed that the 3,690-passenger ship Carnival Breeze will be sailing in the Mediterranean next summer. Breeze is a sister to Carnival Magic, which was launched in Venice at the weekend and is currently sailing on its maiden voyage to Barcelona, from where it will be operating seven, nine and 12-night Mediterranean cruises throughout the summer. In October it will move to its new home in Galveston, Texas. Cahill told me recently that the number of UK passengers booking Carnival cruises has doubled since last year, but he accepts that most of the passengers [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:08+00:00 3 May 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Big discounts needed to persuade US passengers to cruise in Europe

The dozens of US media representatives invited to Venice for the naming of Carnival Magic have been surprisingly quiet since their arrival in Europe. Twenty-four hours after the event, few of them have so far reported on the event - and they don't have a bank holiday as an excuse. USA Today's indefatigable Gene Sloan was among the first to file and Paul Motter has written a lengthy piece for his CruiseMates website. Of the remainder there has been nothing yet to follow up their previews written before the event, although people like Anita Dunham-Potter and Chris Owen were busy [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:08+00:00 2 May 2011|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment