Captain Greybeard - Page 124 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Godmothers on parade for Disney

They certainly know how to put on a party at Disney - the christening ceremony for the new Disney Dream cruise ship was a match for any of the parades in the Orlando theme parks. There were familiar characters by the score, from Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, through a collection of princesses, to the Incredibles, and a dazzling display of fireworks which lit up the bright Florida morning sky. There were marching bands and Navy bands, and more singers and dancers than at a high school reunion. Amid all the well-rehearsed choreography it even had an apparently unscripted moment [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:12+00:00 20 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Discovering Dreams come true

It's been a day of discovery in Orlando, Florida, in the build-up to the launch of Disney Dream. It all started at breakfast, in the 1900 Park Fare restaurant at the top-of-the-range Grand Floridian Hotel, where we were joined by a frightfully English Alice - who had just emerged blinking into the light from a rabbit hole - and a very strait-laced Mary Poppins (above). At least they were able to talk to the hotel guests; characters like Winnie the Pooh and Tigger could cuddle but not converse. Then we discovered that Disney's famed prowess at regimented organisation can sometimes [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:12+00:00 19 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Follow me to the Disney Dream

I'm in Florida this week, and looking forward to the christening of Disney Dream. Not only will I be at the ceremony in Port Canaveral on Wednesday morning, I'll also be joining the ship for a two-day cruise to the private resort of Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. As if that's not enough, on Tuesday I'll be given a preview of the new Wild Africa Trek at Walt Disney World in Orlando. If I survive the crocodiles and the hippos, I want to be in the front row to see who has the privilege of being fairy godmother to Disney [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:12+00:00 18 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

This is worth a thousand words

The last word for now on that Cunard Royal Rendezvous. And I'll let the picture do the talking. This view of the Statue of Liberty saluting Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth as they sail out of New York harbour, with the Empire State Building lit up in red, is simply stunning. Click on the picture to see a bigger version.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 14 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cunard Commodore drops a clanger

Well, the fireworks for Cunard's Royal Rendezvous in New York were certainly spectacular, as this video from my pal Scott shows. Thousands of people lined the Hudson River to watch the show, despite freezing temperatures, but to get the best view, you had to be one of the passengers. Queen Mary 2 led the way down the Hudson and is now heading for Montevideo as part of a world cruise which will take it to Cape Town, Australia and New Zealand, and then back to the UK via China, Singapore, India and the Suez Canal. Next in line was Queen [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 14 January 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

I saw three ships come sailing in

There will soon be plenty of pictures - and videos - of the celebrations in New York to mark the gathering of Cunard ships Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. In the meantime, here's an impressive shot of the ships arriving this morning. Victoria ied the way under the Verrazano Bridge, with Elizabeth next and the QM2 bringing up the rear. My thanks to Scott, who is fortunate enough to live in an apartment across the Hudson River from the Manhattan piers and was up soon after 4.00 am to record the arrival. He has never been on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 13 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Pirate Adventure in the Indian Ocean

The plucky little cruise ship Spirit of Adventure certainly lives up to its name, shrugging off a suspected encounter with pirates in the Indian Ocean yesterday. Passengers had just sat down to a black tie dinner as the ship sailed from Madagascar towards Zanzibar when they were ordered to leave the restaurant and were locked away in a lounge area which had been designated a safe room. A small speedboat had been spotted off the stern of the 9,500-ton cruise ship, and as crew on the bridge contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Captain Frank Allica ordered full speed ahead [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-13T10:14:22+00:00 13 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Best places to watch the 3 Queens

Jaunted, which describes itself as "the pop culture travel guide for globetrotters, business road dogs, and arm chair travellers," is looking forward to Cunard's Royal Rendezvous in New York tomorrow. Their video (above) shows QE2 leaving Manhattan Piers at the similar get-together three years ago. They have produced a guide to the best places for New Yorkers to watch the event, and they report that the Empire State Building will be lit up in red to mark the occasion. The 2008 event has also taught them a lesson. Back then, QE2 was a little late casting its lines and heading [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 12 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Carnival the new wizards of Oz?

You've got to feel sorry for Australians, haven't you? Their cricket team is getting hit for six by England, and vast areas of a country accustomed to drought and forest fires are currently under water as Queensland is hit by floods of Biblical proportions. At least they've got something to look forward to - Carnival Cruise Line announced today that it is basing a ship in Australia for the first time next year, sailing eight and 12-night cruises to the Pacific islands, and 13-night voyages to New Zealand. The 10-year-old Carnival Spirit, carrying more than 2,000 passengers, is too big [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-12T13:32:37+00:00 12 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Frosty welcome for the three Queens

New York is preparing a chilly welcome for the arrival of the three Cunard Queens later this week. Temperatures are likely to plunge to minus 10 degrees C, and at least a foot of snow is expected to be dumped on the city tomorrow, less than 24 hours before Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth complete their tandem Transatlantic crossing and Queen Mary 2 joins them from the Caribbean. All three are expected to be passing under the Verrazzano Narrows bridge at the entrance to New York harbour by about 6.00 am on Thursday and they will spend a day in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 11 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments