Captain Greybeard - Page 153 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Top cruise deals of the week

As I wrote earlier in the week, cruising continues to grow in popularity as a holiday choice - 1.65 million Brits will be sailing the oceans this year according to figures released this week by the Passenger Shipping Association. People are finally beginning to get the message about the great value offered on board, with fine dining and all entertainment included in the fare on most ships. Sometimes, you even get a chance to rub shoulders with a celeb or three. DJ and king of the jungle Tony Blackburn will be on board Ocean Village for one last time before [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 22 May 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Linley artwork for Cunard ship

David Linley must be a brave man. Not only has he taken on the task of creating a huge decorative panel for the Grand Lobby of Cunard's newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, but he agreed to show off the design for the first time at a reception in his London furniture showroom. As guests mingled last night, surrounded by items which have been hailed as "the antiques of the future," sampling tasty canapes and drinking the finest Champagne, Pinot Grigio and Fleurie, no-one dared put a glass down and leave an unsightly stain on a table with a price tag of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 20 May 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Record year for UK cruise ships

The growing popularity of cruise holidays - forecast to rise another seven per cent in new figures released this week - should come as no surprise to families and couples who have already taken a holiday at sea. The food, facilities, entertainment, and above all, value for money offered on a cruise ship beats almost anything on land, and I am amazed that - despite its rapid and continued expansion - cruising still attracts only one in 10 people booking a package holiday. Speaking at last night's launch of The Cruise Review, at the National Geographic Store in London's Regent [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-18T13:59:57+00:00 18 May 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Bingo! First-time cruise family win upgrade to the Royal Suite

A seven-night cruise from Venice was already the holiday of a lifetime for a British family who had saved for a special treat to celebrate Michael Klopocinski's recovery from a heart attack. And it became even more special when a £15 bingo ticket won them an upgrade to the luxurious Royal Suite, complete with grand piano, two balconies, a whirlpool bath and its own bar. Michael, 59, and his wife Maureen, 54, from Blackburn, Lancashire had saved £1,300 for the cruise on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas, and invited Maureen's father Harry Kinney, 80, and niece Kate Grant, 36, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-18T11:21:38+00:00 18 May 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment

Oasis definitely on the seas

Stranded in the US by the ash cloud flights ban, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher definitely (well, maybe) knew he didn't want to be here now. But how to get himself, wife Nicole Appleton and children back to the UK? He did what celebrities through the decades have done and - following in the footsteps of Rod Stewart, David Bowie, even Elizabeth Taylor and Bing Crosby - he took a Transatlantic voyage by cruise ship. Liam and family booked their passage on the luxury six-star Silver Spirit from New York, and disembarked when the 540-passenger vessel made its maiden call in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-17T10:55:43+00:00 17 May 2010|Cruise Gossip, Cruise News|0 Comments

Top cruise deals to the fjords

Summer will be late in Norway, if the weather during my visit this week is anything to go by. Sailing on board Saga Pearl II (seen above in Eidfjord) we have faced a mixture of weather; enjoying some sunny days and enduring bitterly cold winds and the occasional snow shower. The scenery is still magnificent - as it will be for passengers on a host of cruise ships visiting the fjords during the next few months - and the extra meltwater will make the waterfalls even more spectacular. There is still limited availability on Fred Olsen's Braemar, departing from Dover [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 15 May 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Saga Pearl II on Norwegian TV

Saga Pearl II was the first cruise ship of the summer to arrive in Stavanger last week, and prompted a visit from a local TV crew. And who else should presenter Siri Handeland choose to ask about the vessel and about cruising in Norway than Captain Greybeard himself Her report on the ship is included in these two clips (together with a sections on the local jazz festival and a film review). If your Norwegian is as poor as mine, fast forward to about 5:20 in the first clip, and 2:20 in the second for my contributions.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:28+00:00 14 May 2010|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

All the latest cruise news

Back home after 10 days in the Norwegian fjords, and there's plenty of news to catch up on from the world of cruising. Royal Caribbean have started to crank up the publicity machine for Allure of the Seas, sister ship to the giant Oasis of the Seas, which will debut in Fort Lauderdale in November. Hot on the heels of the announcement that the main production show on board will be Chicago - matching Hairspray: The Musical on Oasis - comes news that Allure's 5,400 passengers will be able to enjoy 3-D movies in the ship's Amber Theatre. The technology [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-14T15:43:05+00:00 14 May 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

Fred takes on Gavin in the galley

The food on my Springtime in Norway cruise on Saga Pearl II has been sensational. Executive chef Gavin Baxter and his brigade have consistently produced superb meals to match anything at sea and superior to most restaurants on land. Dinner menus are usually limited to a choice of three starters, three soups, and three main courses, but each is so tempting it's still difficult to make a choice. At last night's final formal dinner, for example, there was much head scratching before I settled on the haggis (accompanied by a glass of whisky), lobster bisque with Cognac, and a succulent [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-13T08:31:19+00:00 13 May 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Stormy weather? You’re bluffing

The message from the bridge was stark. As Saga Pearl II's passengers relaxed over afternoon tea, Captain David Warden-Owen came on the public address to warn that once we left the shelter of Alesund harbour and headed out into the North Sea, we were in for a rough ride. The icy northerly winds which have been chilling Britain for the past few days were blasting down the Norwegian coastline, whipping up three-metre seas. As we had to be in Bergen by the morning, there was no way of taking shelter or avoiding the conditions. It wasn't quite "batten down the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-05-12T11:27:06+00:00 12 May 2010|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Gossip|0 Comments