Captain Greybeard - Page 138 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Allure is location for new movie

Imagine the scene in the cruise director's office as he ticks off the entertainment options for Allure of the Seas - the soon-to-debut sister ship for Oasis. Big-production West End musical? Check: we've got Chicago. Something special for the kids - and the rest of the family? Check: we've got Shrek, Princess Fiona and Kung Fu Panda. Really cool ice show? Check: more of those DreamWorks characters in How To Train Your Dragon. Comedy club? Check: it's even got a special version of the London Underground map decorating the ceiling. Night club disco? Check. Karaoke bar? Check. Recording studio? Check [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 20 October 2010|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Yeah mon! Jamaica’s new terminal is still not ready to welcome cruise ships

Royal Caribbean have invested a small fortune in developing a new cruise terminal at the port of Falmouth, Jamaica, to be used by their giant ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. They pumped in £75 million to add to the £90 million the port borrowed from HSBC to pay for the project, which should by now be employing 600 people to welcome more than half a million visitors every year. But construction delays meant that by the scheduled date of March this year the terminal was not completed , and itineraries for Oasis were hastily rearranged, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-10-19T18:17:22+00:00 19 October 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Royal Command for Blue Man Group?

I did a double take when I saw this picture in the excellent - and very thorough - introduction to Cunard's Queen Elizabeth written by maritime historian and author Peter Knego. Had The Blue Man Group defected from Norwegian Epic in order to disrupt the genteel ritual of afternoon teas and provide anarchic entertainment by Royal Command in the Queen's Room? The Blue Men are, in fact, Cunard president Peter Shanks (right), actor and Princes' Trust ambassador Sir Ben Kingsley (left) and someone in the middle I have not been able to identify. My eyes were deceived by a trick [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 19 October 2010|Cruise Entertainment|3 Comments

Why Olsen has to charge a premium

The four ships of the Fred Olsen fleet are not the newest, the entertainment on board is not the glitziest. But they do provide a supremely comfortable, thoroughly British cruise experience - and until today, I thought, some of the best value. But I will have to start doing my sums again after hearing what marketing director Nigel Lingard told a group of travel agents at the ABTA Convention in Malta. His company has to charge about 15 per cent more than bigger rivals like P&O and Cunard, and adds enhancements such as the Arts Club lectures in order to [...]

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

Who would talk to a house like this?

Among the passengers enjoying Queen Elizabeth's maiden voyage, broadcasting legend Sir David Frost is having to sing for his supper. He and his wife Lady Carina flew out to join Cunard's newest ship in Cadiz, Spain on Saturday - delaying the ship's departure slightly because their plane was late. Bang on schedule on Monday, the Royal Court theatre (above) was packed for his talk, Interviews I Shall Never Forget. Frost, who led the TV satire boom in the 1960s went on to become a giant of the medium - reaping a world record audience for his interview with disgraced US [...]

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

Cruise ship collides with cargo vessel

Cruise ship Costa Classica has collided with a cargo vessel at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The Shanghai Daily is reporting that the ship suffered a long gash in its side and several passengers were injured. Three have been transferred to hospital ashore. The ship reached its berth safely, but a cruise to Japan, Korea and Hong Kong due to begin today has been cancelled. The accident happened at 4:45am as the ship was heading into port. The other vessel involved was the 86,848-ton Belgian-registered bulk carrier Lowlands Longevity, which was travelling in the same direction. The 1,311 passengers, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 18 October 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Frankly speaking, these cruise articles seem to be rather missing the point

I know dog shouldn't eat dog, but I felt compelled to take issue with a blog posted by one of the UK's leading travel editors this weekend, and attempted to add my comment to his (in my view) misguided thoughts about cruise lines imposing extra charges for speciality restaurants and bottled water. He made what I felt, to be frank, was a totally unfair comparison with RyanAir and even suggested that it was like visiting "Uncle Geoff and Aunty Eileen" and being charged for breakfast or the use of the toilet. Now I don't know what this particular writer's uncle [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 18 October 2010|Cruise Gossip|3 Comments

Third cruise ship is crocked

They do say these things come in threes, so we should have been expecting the news that a THIRD cruise ship has had to cancel a voyage due to propulsion problems. Following the Regent Seven Seas Voyager, which developed a faulty pod, and Celebrity Century, which needs repairs to its rudder, P&O Australia's Pacific Jewel has cancelled an 11-night Pacific Sunsets cruise due to sail from Sydney tomorrow. The ship is currently returning from the south-west Pacific island of New Caledonia at reduced speed. The company had previously announced that a November voyage was to be cancelled in order to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 18 October 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Cruise cancelled for rudder repairs

It can't be much fun for passengers when mishaps or misfortune bring their long-awaited cruise to a premature end. The 1,800 who boarded Celebrity Century in Barcelona on Wednesday looking forward to a 12-night holiday in the Mediterranean now find themselves stranded in Villefranche on the French Riviera. The ship's rudders have been damaged and the cruise has been cancelled so that dry-dock repairs can be carried out - bringing its final European cruise of the season to a premature end. The engineering work should be completed in time for its re-positioning transatlantic crossing to Miami scheduled to depart on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-10-16T00:55:27+00:00 16 October 2010|Cruise News|5 Comments

Queen Elizabeth: The maiden season

Passengers on the maiden voyage of Cunard's new £365 million Queen Victoria will be stepping ashore in Cadiz, south-west Spain this morning. That's if they are not still unpacking - one couple who stayed at a 4-star hotel in Hampshire en route to the ship needed two taxis for the 45-minute journey to the ship - one just for their luggage. Some may be heading off to explore Seville; others will be sampling sherry in Jerez; while there will be a few who, having paid anything from £1,489 to £15,799 for the privilege of being the first to sail on [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 16 October 2010|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments