Captain Greybeard - Page 131 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Place your bets on a new ship

The idea of having a Press conference during the inaugural voyage of a cruise ship has always seemed rather a futile exercise. The senior executives feel obliged to attend but are determined to give nothing away, and the assembled hacks from around the world have such disparate interests that their questions would be more profitably put in more intimate surroundings. Nevertheless, Richard Fain gathered his top team in the Studio B ice rink on board Allure of the Seas and immediately threw carefully-laid plans into chaos by picking up his stool to bring it nearer the audience, but out of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 26 November 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Central Park grows on me

Before boarding Allure of the Seas this week, I had wondered what life at sea was going to be like staying in a cabin which had no view of the sea. Not an inside cabin with no windows, but a balcony cabin overlooking the ship's Central Park, a peaceful area the length of a football pitch and the width of a three-lane road, home to three restaurants, a cafe, wine bar, and a couple of shops. The main concern was not that I would be deprived of a restful view of the ocean, but that what replaced it would be [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 26 November 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Captain Sarah is ready to perform Royal weddings in mid-Atlantic

There's an opportunity for three couples to share a wedding date with Prince William and Kate Middleton by getting married at sea - they could be saying "I do" in the middle of the Atlantic instead of at the altar in Westminster Abbey. And the wedding would be even more special because it would be carried out by the only female captain in charge of a British cruise ship. Captain Sarah Breton will be at the helm of P&O's Aurora, sailing between Barbados and Madeira on April 29. She is legally able to perform wedding ceremonies at sea, and there [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-11-25T18:44:11+00:00 25 November 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Set the controls for the heart of fun

Apologies to anyone on Allure of the Seas who felt a bit of a jolt this morning, but I have been up on the bridge, driving the ship. Whatever led the top men at Royal Caribbean to think I could be trusted with control of their $1.5 billion baby I don't know. Surely they can't have been taken in by my self-appointed title? Captain Hernan Zini was on hand to make sure I didn't do anything too drastic with his 225,000-ton ship, which is 1,187 feet long and 208 feet wide. If it was possible to take it out of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 24 November 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Royal wedding plans at sea

Cunard have been quick off the mark to announce that passengers on their three ships will be able to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the appropriate surroundings of a Royal Court Theatre. And as the Royal couple tie the know on Friday, April 29 in Westminster Abbey, Cunard will be celebrating with a commemorative dinner menu, and a champagne toast. The Royal Court theatre on flagship Queen Mary 2 seats more than 1,000. If that's not enough, the event will also be screened in Illuminations - the only planetarium at sea - as the ship [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-11-23T13:08:59+00:00 23 November 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Free flights to join your cruise

Why pay for flights when embarking on a cruise? If you sail from the UK, then there's no need to fly to join your ship, but if you don't have time for the voyage to the sun - or you are worried about a stormy crossing of the Bay of Biscay - there are still ways to get aboard without paying for air. Many cruise deals now come with free flights included. Check out some of these offers: Spend 15 nights in the Caribbean sailing on Sea Princess from Barbados to Trinidad, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Tortola, Antigua, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 20 November 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Watch Allure of the Seas on TV

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy The Today show was broadcast on American TV this morning live from Allure of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Watch as hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb explore the ship.

By John Honeywell| 2010-11-19T17:26:51+00:00 19 November 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Rachel takes a spin in the Aqua Duck

We have seen one preview of the Aqua Duck water coaster, the most talked-about feature on the new Disney Dream cruise ship. Just to make sure everything is in perfect working order, cruise director Rachel Quinn took another ride before the vessel left the shipyard last weekend. It must have been a chilly day in Germany, because the lively entertainer, who is originally from Doncaster, got togged up in a wet suit before setting off on the 765ft ride. She won't need that when the ship is sailing on cruises between Port Canaveral in Florida and the Bahamas Disney Dream [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 19 November 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Brits go for luxury option on Allure

British passengers booking cruises on Allure of the Seas are not afraid to splash out on their holidays - most of them are paying at least £30 a night on top of the basic fare in order to travel in a balcony cabin. In fact two-thirds of those flying from the UK to Florida during the next few weeks to join the ship in Fort Lauderdale for week-long cruises to the Caribbean are choosing to travel in cabins with a balcony, or in de luxe and suite staterooms, say Royal Caribbean. The most expensive suites can cost as much as [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 19 November 2010|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Will Falmouth be ready in time?

Following recent reports that cruise ships had cancelled calls at the unfinished new terminal at Falmouth, Jamaica, the island's tourism minister is claiming the facility will be ready to open in January. But Edmund Bartlett's promise, made in an interview with USA Today's Gene Sloan, is far from a confident prediction. "The inclement weather of the last few months has put us back a bit, but the construction work has been going fairly well and we're hoping to have it substantially ready by January." Fingers crossed then. Bartlett says the terminal, designed to accommodate Oasis and Allure of the Seas [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:15+00:00 19 November 2010|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments