Captain Greybeard - Page 126 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Falmouth fails to deliver – again

Such is the series of delays that have dogged the development of the Caribbean's newest cruise port, it cannot have come as a surprise that the maiden call has been put back another six weeks. The terminal at Falmouth, Jamaica, should have been opening for business on Friday with the arrival of Navigator of the Seas but after months of development it is still not ready. To add insult to injury, 450 construction workers walked out on strike this week in protest at tax deductions from their year-end bonuses. Nine Royal Caribbean ship calls will be diverted to Ocho Rios [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 4 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Disney’s Dream is home at last

It might have been before dawn, but there was no chance of Disney Dream slipping into harbour at Port Canaveral unnoticed this morning. The ship arrived at its new home to be greeted by thousands of fans, a few familiar characters, and a fireworks extravaganza. The 130,000-ton ship has taken a leisurely 16 days to cross the Atlantic since leaving Germany just before Christmas. It stopped briefly at Tenerife, and made an unannounced visit to Disney Cruises' resort of Castaway Cay on New Year's Day - no doubt to check on the millions of dollars of development which has been [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 4 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Safety fears cancel Antarctic cruise

Up-market tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has cancelled a 15-day Antarctic cruise due to sail tomorrow because repairs and safety tests are being carried out on the chartered ship, Compagnie du Ponant's Le Boreal. It is understood that technicians had detected signs of wear on some parts - although what exactly was affected has not been disclosed. Ponant said that if the vessel had been sailing anywhere else in the world, the work could have been carried out during the cruise, but that this would not have been possible in remote Antarctic waters. Abercrombie & Kent informed passengers of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 3 January 2011|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

A new wave of cruise ships

The relentless rise in the popularity of cruise holidays continues, and the number of UK passengers is expected to rise by another eight per cent in 2011 to a record 1.77 million. The number of people flying to join their ships - in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Alaska, for example - will top the million mark next year, and almost three-quarters of a million will sail from UK ports - maybe even more after what has been a disastrous year for airports, with closures forced by the weather and the Icelandic ash cloud. To meet the demand for cruise [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-01-03T10:22:00+00:00 3 January 2011|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Around the world in a box ship

Cruise ships will be queuing for berths in Southampton next week as they load up with passengers and provisions ready to set out on marathon world voyages. On Wednesday alone no fewer than six ships will be jostling for space - Cunard's Queen Elizabeth making her maiden World Voyage and a tandem transatlantic crossing with sister ship Queen Victoria; Fred Olsen's Balmoral and Black Watch, P&O's Arcadia and the venerable Saga Ruby It will be well into April before some of them return after spending more than 100 days at sea. Sailing by cruise ship is not the only way [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 1 January 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

2010: A year of memories

Time for a quick look back at 2010 - and what a year it was. Avoiding Icelandic ash clouds, striking airport workers and snow-blocked runways I have somehow managed to visit five continents by cruise ship. It's been a year of contrasts; I have been deep in the bowels of the biggest cruise ship the world has ever seen, and I spent enchanted hours looking for Scottish wildlife from the wheelhouse of a converted fishing boat. Unforgettable - except that sooner or later the memories fade. So here are a few photographic reminders. JANUARY First trip of the year was [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 31 December 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Air-con fault ends cruise for 100

After a shaky start which prompted passenger complaints and a feature on BBC's consumer programme, Watchdog, Thomson Cruises must have been hoping for better things in 2011 for their newest ship, Thomson Dream. After all, it recently emerged from a dry-dock refit which was intended to cure the problems inherited when the company took over the vessel, formerly the Costa Europa. No such luck. About 100 passengers expecting to fly out to Jamaica today to join the ship for a two-week Caribbean cruise, including visits to Cuba, were told last night their New Year holiday was cancelled. Ironically, a number [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 30 December 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cruise waiter shot outside club

A waiter from a British cruise ship has been shot during a visit to Philipsburg, on the Caribbean island of St Maarten. Gahadhar Pradhan, who works on P&O's Aurora, was pistol-whipped over the head during an attempted mugging, and then shot in the buttocks. The attack happened in the red light district of Sucker Garden and the victim was walking from Carolina's Bar to the Seaman's Beach Club. One report describes the bars as "adult entertainment clubs" while another says they are brothels. A resident from a nearby apartment block found Pradhan lying on the ground calling for help. She [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-12-30T12:26:57+00:00 30 December 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruise ship re-up for drug dealers

Here's a story that combines two of my greatest obsessions: cruise ships and the best television series ever. OK, The Wire doesn't actually get a mention, but if I say the report involves drugs and Baltimore, you should see where I'm going on this. Three crew members from Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas have been charged with attempting to smuggle heroin and cocaine from the Dominican Republic. Court papers say the men, 35-year-old Gavin Excell and 27-year-old kitchen workers John Swart Garth and Kishurn Neptune, planned to sell the drugs to two women from Virginia who they arranged to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 29 December 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Finishing touches for the Dream

Cruise ship Disney Dream is making her way gently across the Atlantic to Florida, ready for a spectacular naming ceremony in Port Canaveral near the end of January. There are no passengers on board, but it's far from quiet, as the cast, crew and Disney's imagineers prepare the ship for action. As you'll see from the video, there are lots and lots of finishing touches which need to be completed before Mickey Mouse and his friends are ready to welcome their first guests.

By John Honeywell| 2010-12-29T14:51:37+00:00 29 December 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments