Captain Greybeard

When P&O's newest cruise ship left Southampton on Monday for her maiden voyage, passengers settled in for two days at sea before a first call at the Spanish port of Malaga. Today those passengers are spending an unscheduled day on board Azura, after strong winds prevented the 116,000-ton ship from entering the port. Unless they were desperate to set off on an excursion to Granada and the Alhambra, or for a day of celebrity-spotting in Marbella and Puerto Banus (and it's a bit early in the year for that), I expect they are happy to enjoy another afternoon in the [...]

When Norwegian Epic returned from her first sea trials in February, NCL president Roberto Martinoli declared that the ship had "performed above expectations." "All tests were conducted with positive results. She is a beautiful ship with outstanding performance. Now that sea trials are completed, we can concentrate on finishing the ship and showing her to the world in June," he said But while there were no problems with the 153,000-ton vessel's speed and manoeuvrability, it now appears that not everything has been going as well as first thought. One of the six giant diesel engines on board has suffered damage [...]

As Azura leaves Southampton behind and heads for Malaga, the first port of call on her maiden voyage, it’s time to take a considered view of what P&O’s newest ship has to offer, and how it compares with sister ship Ventura. Designed to appeal more to P&O’s traditional customers, the 3,100-passenger Azura promises “classical touches with contemporary style,” whereas Ventura made a big thing about being a family-friendly ship, complete with circus skills classes and a rock school. Structurally, the two ships are almost identical although Azura – which cost £380 million – has what is known as a ducktail [...]

Yachtswoman Emma Pontin (left) has sailed round the world and raced across the Atlantic 15 times in boats at the mercy of the wind and waves, but her next challenge is on board a rather larger vessel. In recognition of her brave fight against breast cancer, Emma has been chosen as godmother for Celebrity Eclipse, the 2,850-passenger cruise ship to be named in Southampton on April 24. Sister ship Celebrity Equinox was named last year by Daily Mirror Pride of Britain award-winner Nina Barough, who founded the Walk the Walk cancer charity foundation, and a Celebrity SunWalk will be held [...]