Captain Greybeard - Page 151 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Who is starting Epic fires?

Big shock when I read this headline on Cruise Critic. Has the billionaire boss of Carnival Cruise Corporation become so worried about the impending launch of Norwegian Epic that he has resorted to dirty tricks? Yet another fire - the third in a few weeks - has been reported on board the new ship in the STX Europe yard at Nantes, in France. Then I realised I was suffering from a temporary bout of dyslexia, and it was not Micky Arison under suspicion, but arson. The latest blaze is said to have broken out in air conditioning plant while yard [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-06-09T23:42:38+00:00 9 June 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Royal teas for the Royalty

I completed my tour of all the dining options on board Azura with an evening in the Verona trattoria. A bustling self-service cafe by day, it is transformed into a waiter-service restaurant at night, offering traditional Italian specialities, and imposing a surcharge only for extravagances such as the stone-cooked steak, which passengers grill to choice at their tables. It was a pleasant experience - made better by the fact that we could enjoy watching the sunset from our window table on Deck 15, rather than being stuck at a mid-restaurant table in the Meridian on Deck 6. All in all, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 8 June 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Azura’s Al has all the drive

Olly Smith's Glass House is undoubtedly one of the hits of Azura, with its eclectic wine list and a tempting selection of sophisticated gastro-pub dishes for lunch and dinner. It is a concept that deserves to be rolled out across the rest of the P&O fleet, and one that should work just as successfully on land. It is also home to one of the ship's best-kept secrets - the multi-talented Al Clinton. He is the Glass House's "wine host", on hand to meet and greet, to advise and encourage adventurous sampling from the bottles on offer, and to hold informative [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 7 June 2010|Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Mermaid keeps them guessing

Even though the the Little Mermaid's holiday in China has been widely reported, there were still lots of disappointed faces in Copenhagen yesterday among hundreds of people turning up at her rock on the sea shore. There were four cruise ships in port; P&O's Azura was joined by MSC Orchestra, Costa Atlantica, and Iberotour's Grand Mistral. That's an awful lot of passengers in town when, because the Danish nation was celebrating Constitution Day, the local populace was picnicking in the parks and almost all the shops were shut. The Little Mermaid would have been the big attraction - if she [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 6 June 2010|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Top cruise deals of the week

Looking for ideas for a sunshine break? Then why not float off on a Mediterranean cruise. Seven nights on Thomson Destiny could be yours for £619, including flights. Sail on June 26 from Palma de Mallorca to Palermo on the island of Sicily, Naples and Olbia in mainland Italy, Toulon in France and Barcelona in Spain before returning to Palma. For more information go to www.cruise118.com or call 0800 280 2614. Or take a 14-night cruise on Ventura, sailing from Southampton on July 3, for £1,429 per person sharing a balcony cabin. Ports of call include: Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno (for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 5 June 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Spoilt for choice at dinner

It's been another glorious day on Azura, with the sun blazing down from a clear blue sky as the ship ploughs through the Baltic at a steady 22 knots, heading from Helsinki to Copenhagen. A mass sale of Russian matryoshka dolls, lacquered boxes and gilt-encrusted eggs got the day under way. There was even a £13,250 Faberge watch which caught the eye of Captain Keith Dowds, but I suspect it will remain on display for a little longer yet. Since then passengers have been filling sunloungers around the open decks and the swimming pools, with some paying £10 for a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 4 June 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

MCA holds ‘unsafe’ cruise ship

Passengers from the cruise ship Vistamar have been transferred to Dublin while the vessel remains impounded in Belfast, undergoing repairs demanded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. A snap inspection revealed several breaches of safety code, including missing and broken fire doors, and inadequate PA systems and emergency lights for lifeboats. The ship, built in 1989, carries 290 passengers and is operated by German company Plantours. It is currently in the middle of a round-Britain cruise and docked in Belfast on Wednesday en route from Invergordon in Scotland. An MCA inspection of the ship in London in 2006 also found [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-06-04T13:21:02+00:00 4 June 2010|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Been there, seen that . . . briefly

There are three million exhibits in St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum and it is impossible to hope to see more than a fraction of them in any visit, let alone a two-and-a-half hour gallop through a few of the galleries. But we achieved an impressive tally during our morning excursion from Azura, aided by a Russian guide who bore a passing resemblance to Fanny Cradock in appearance and temperament. It was all done at break-neck speed, and after taking our fill of Titians and Tintorettos, Raphaels and Michaelangelos, it was onwards and upwards to the modern collection, where Cezanne and Gauguin [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 3 June 2010|Cruise Destinations|1 Comment

Sailing in . . . to be near Rod

Passengers on board up-market cruise ship Azamara Journey got a perfect view of the O2 dome as they sailed up the Thames to Greenwich yesterday. And last night Edie Bornstein, the cruise line's vice president of sales and marketing, had the best seats in the house to see her hero Rod Stewart perform on stage. The 30,000-ton vessel, carrying 694 passengers, and one of the biggest vessels to negotiate the Thames barrier, has made Greenwich pier its home for two nights. Azamara Journey is mid-way through a 14-night Western Europe cruise which left Barcelona on May 23, and is heading [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 2 June 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

The family that sails together . . .

It's a totally selfish view, but I have been delighted to discover that Azura is relatively child-free on this cruise to the Baltic. The few pre-school children on board have enjoyed their afternoon teas with Noddy and Mr Bump, and I guess they have a wealth of staff and activities to keep them entertained in the kids' club. But cruise holidays are becoming increasingly family-friendly. In the P&O fleet Azura's sister-ship, Ventura, has most facilities directed at children and teens, and Oriana and Aurora welcome multi-generation groups. Only Arcadia and Artemis are designated adults-only (and have become popular with teachers, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-31T16:34:26+00:00 31 May 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments