Captain Greybeard - Page 122 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

All ashore that’s going ashore!

When Brilliance of the Seas reaches Abu Dhabi on Saturday morning I will be jumping in a taxi and racing to Yas island to visit the Ferrari World theme park. Next day in Dubai I'll be taking a bus tour of the city and a trip up the Burj Khalifa tower, tallest building in the world. A couple of days ago I was riding in a 4WD LandCruiser on a thrilling dune-bashing expedition in the desert, and for the past few days I have been exploring Muscat, the capital of Oman, courtesy of Panorama Tours (more of whom later). The [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Welcome to our newest cruise port

Britain has a new cruise port - Ilfracombe in north Devon will be welcoming two Holland America vessels this summer. Victorian holidaymakers once flocked to this picturesque town on board pleasure steamers plying the Bristol Channel. This time around, the passengers will be coming aboard from Holland America's Rotterdam and Prinsendam during the ships' round-Britain cruises. Welsoming the news, Harbour Master Lt Cdr Rob Lawson said: "With the Exmoor National Park on our doorstep, and the highest sea cliffs in England rising to meet the moor, the harbour boasts a very dramatic setting. We are delighted that our hard work [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 4 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Getting a bashing in the desert

If I ever had any green credentials, they are likely to take a bashing every bit as severe as the treatment meted out to some desert dunes on my off-road excursion in a 4x4. Ten white LandCruisers left the quayside at Fujairah carrying passengers from Brilliance of the Seas on the $125-a-head tour. The vehicles and their drivers were not local, however; while the ship haqd taken all night to sail from Dubai, they had come by road in about 90 minutes. We left the uninspiring town behind for an hour-long drive through the Hajjar Mountains to the flat plains [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 3 February 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Celebration dodges riots in Egypt

Watching from a comfortable berth on a cruise ship in the Gulf as mass protests seem to be about to usher in world-changing events, it can be difficult to appreciate the enormity of what is happening in Egypt. I am visiting states run by benevolent rulers - whose coffers are filled by the Western demand for oil - who guarantee their futures by providing their grateful subjects with free homes, free education, free healthcare . . . and as I discovered today, petrol at 30p a litre While my ship, Brilliance of the Seas, sails on to Muscat, passengers on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 1 February 2011|Cruise News|2 Comments

Fred’s fares still feeling fuel effect

Fred. Olsen must have been stung by reaction to their individual approach to fuel surcharges, adding a percentage to each passenger's cruise fare rather than charging a fixed amount per day, which is what many other lines have done. How else to explain a press release issued today seeking to "clarify our position"? They have also promised to refund the supplement - in the form of on-board credit - if the benchmark price of Brent Crude oil falls below £45 a barrel - an event as likely as my winning the lottery and waking up next to Gwyneth Paltrow. On [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 1 February 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

So long Sol, thanks for all the kisses

What a sensational two days so far in Dubai ! I spent this afternoon swapping salty kisses with Sol. Not footballer Mr Campbell, nor even South African hotel magnate Mr Kerzner, but one of the dolphins at Atlantis, The Palm. The 1,539-room hotel is a popular choice for Virgin RockStar Service customers en route to cruises departing from Port Rashid - there were dozens on my flight which arrived here on Saturday morning. Efficiently marshalled by greeters at the airport, we were whisked here by coach and taxi to the furthest extremity of the man-made Palm island, and soon set [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 30 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Plenty more join Larry’s Club

Azamara Club Cruises CEO Larry Pimentel had more than the 2012 Olympics on his mind when he was in London this week. Glowing with pride at the way in which the two-ship line has performed since he took charge in summer 2009, he was looking forward to a dramatic increase in the number of passengers from the UK. Although most of the passengers on the boutique ships Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest are from the US, about 15 per cent are Brits. Larry expects that proportion to double within the next two years, with many of them joining cruises for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 28 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Egypt riots disrupt cruise calls

Violent unrest in Egypt has forced Thomson Cruises to cancel shore excursions to Cairo and the Pyramids. Its ship, the Thomson Celebration will - for now at least - continue to call at Safaga and Port Sokhne on the Red Sea Magic cruise which starts and finishes in Sharm el Sheik. But the trips to the Egyptian capital, a two-hour drive away down a new highway, are off because of escalating anti-government protests. That means, in effect, an extra day on board the ship because unless the company makes arrangements to bus passengers to a couple of new hotels near [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-28T18:54:33+00:00 28 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|131 Comments

Rocking all the way to Dubai

In a previous life, almost 40 years ago now, my journalistic efforts were concentrated on music rather than travel, reviewing concerts and records, interviewing stars from David Bowie to Elton John, Noddy Holder to David Essex. I was living the rock star lifestyle for a while; at one stage I very nearly left newspapers to take a job with Island Records, and I watched Richard Branson's empire start to grow from a discount record store to a major music label. I'm about to get that buzz again. Tonight I'll be making the most of Virgin Holidays Rockstar Service, flying to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:11+00:00 28 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Olympic challenge for Azamara

Boutique cruise line Azamara Club Cruises could be sailing both its ships, the Quest and the Journey, into London to provide accommodation for sports fans visiting the London Olympics, according to CEO Larry Pimentel who was in town this week. The company is open to offers for full-boat charters, or could arrange its 2012 itineraries around the Games. They will have to make a decision soon, because the best berths have already been snapped up. Luxury line Silversea will have its 296-passenger Silver Cloud berthed alongside HMS Belfast at Tower Bridge, and the 388-passenger Silver Whisper at Greenwich. Unless the [...]