Captain Greybeard - Page 125 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Insignia to become Columbus 2

Oceania Cruises is about to launch its newest ship, Marina, and another 1,250-passenger vessel, Riviera, is under construction in Italy. But it seems like the company's fleet of boutique ships is not going to be expanding as fast as was once thought. It was announced today that the arrival of Riviera next year will coincide with the departure of Insignia (above), one of the three ships currently in the fleet. The 698-passenger vessel, whose identical sisters Regatta and Nautica will remain with Oceania, is to be chartered to German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd for two years The charter is only part [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 10 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Don’t make me sick . . . please

While Britain battles an epidemic of flu, cruise ships around the world are struggling to contain outbreaks of norovirus, commonly known as "winter vomiting disease." Radiance of the Seas delayed its departure from Tampa, Florida at the weekend in order to carry out a deep clean after about 150 passengers were affected on the previous cruise. Some passengers on Queen Mary 2's Christmas cruise in the Caribbean - including former deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott and his wife - reportedly suffered from the virus. Sister ship Queen Victoria, currently crossing the Atlantic, is in a state of red alert, with [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 10 January 2011|Cruise News|1 Comment

Silversea come clean for Kenny

A final word for now on Kenny Dalglish. While Silversea must have been sorry to see him and his wife Marina have to leave their Arabian Gulf cruise early to fly back to the UK, they must be delighted with the publicity the events generated. There can hardly be a newspaper or a football commentator in the land who has not found a way to contrast Dalglish's luxurious time on board Silver Wind with the rude awakening he and his Liverpool team received at Old Trafford yesterday afternoon, giving away a penalty in the first minute and having captain Steven [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 9 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Kenny cruises into Liverpool job

There can't have been many football fans who were shocked this morning when the news finally came through that Liverpool and manager Roy Hodgson were parting company. But one man who appears to have been taken by surprise is Kenny Dalglish, who is taking over the team until the end of the season. The Anfield legend was enjoying a working holiday in the Gulf as a guest host with 290 passengers on board the ultra-luxury cruise ship Silver Wind. He had to pack his bags quickly today in order to jump ship in Bahrain and catch a flight back to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 8 January 2011|Cruise News|0 Comments

Talking straight – are these cruise deals are the best holiday value ever?

In the middle of their January sale - slogan "What you see is what you get" - Royal Caribbean is advertising 11-night cruises to Spain, Portugal and the Canary islands for a bargain price £749. Pretty good deal, isn't it? Sail from Southampton, visit six ports of call and enjoy four sea days taking advantage of all the facilities on board the Independence of the Seas. That means an ice rink, surf simulator, theatre, disco, countless bars, shopping on the Royal Promenade, and a selection of restaurants including a Johnny Rockets burger bar and the Chops Grille steakhouse. All for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 8 January 2011|Cruise Deals|2 Comments

Take a chill pill – cruise to the Arctic

TV explorer Bruce Parry is bringing the Arctic into our living rooms this month with his BBC2 series, and many viewers will no doubt be thinking of taking a trip to the region. But as Parry will demonstrate, it's not only vast - stretching from Siberia, though Lapland, Greenland and Canada to Alaska - it's also very inhospitable. Visit by cruise ship or by expedition vessel, and you can see the spectacular sights and the stunning wildlife in comfort, with a warm bed (and a cold drink) ready for you after a day's exploration. Here are some suggestions: Traditional cruise [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 8 January 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Drug gangs target cruise ships

Cruise ships are being targeted by drug traffickers to smuggle cocaine from South America to Britain and mainland Europe, according to a warning issued by the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the UK Border Agency. They say there is growing evidence that gangs are placing couriers on board ships, and also attempting to corrupt crewmembers, in order to bring in "multi-kilo loads" of drugs. The warning was issued as eight eastern Europeans are to be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court today after being convicted of attempting to bring 35kg of cocaine ashore from MSC Orchestra when it arrived in Dover [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-07T10:46:59+00:00 7 January 2011|Cruise News|5 Comments

Betrayal on the Nile

It can get hot and steamy on a Nile river cruise - but quite how high the temperatures rise I never realised until I saw a copy of this week's Take A Break magazine. Across two pages, and under the headline "Betrayal on the Nile: WHILE MY HUSBAND SLEPT," one woman tells how she sailed close to the wind with a waiter young enough to be her son. Poor old husband Gordon had booked the cruise to mark wife Glenda's 60th birthday and their 40th wedding anniversary, and on excursions in Egypt he bought her a gold necklace, bracelet and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 6 January 2011|Cruise Gossip|3 Comments

Cuba welcomes Thomson passengers

Cuba rolled out the red carpet for Thomson Dream and her 1,500 passengers yesterday on the cruise ship's first call at the capital, Havana. Showgirls in sequinned bikinis and feather head-dresses, a salsa band and dancing schoolchildren were among the welcoming party, and disembarking passengers were handed shots of rum. The visit was a rare event for the Cubans. A US trade embargo prevents American ships from making calls in the Communist state, and other ships have been put off visiting since 2006 when former president Fidel Castro complained that they flooded the island with rubbish, but little income. The [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-06T01:56:49+00:00 6 January 2011|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

P&O friends can win a cruise

The success of Facebook has seen founder Mark Zuckerberg adding Time magazine's "Person of the Year" title to all the other acclamation that has come his way, not to mention a $1.5 billion investment from Goldman Sachs. The popularity - and profitability - of the social network stems as much from its adoption by big business as it does from users sharing their holiday pictures and gossip. And today, P&O Cruises announced a giveaway designed to increase the number of people - currently standing at almost 18,000 - following their Facebook pages. A 20-night cruise for two, from Hong Kong [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 5 January 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments