Captain Greybeard - Page 166 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Carnival’s Magic return to the Med

Carnival cruise director John Heald was pretty excited yesterday - not because he is about to return to work on the Carnival Dream after his Christmas and New Year break at home in Essex, but because he was able to reveal ahead of today's official announcement that the line's newest ship will be sailing the Mediterranean in 2011. The company's withdrawal from Europe was a hot topic when CEO Gerry Cahill faced the Press at the launch of Dream in New York last November. Now, on his blog, Heald has leaked the news that Carnival Magic will be based in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 19 January 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Gossip, Cruise News|0 Comments

Hebridean cruise for The Queen

The Queen must be regretting the day she ever agreed to relinquish the Royal Yacht Britannia. When she wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday in style she chartered the tiny cruise ship Hebridean Princess for a voyage through the western isles. And she must have enjoyed the experience in 2006, because she is taking over the ship again for two weeks this summer. Passengers who had booked cruises departing on July 22 and 29 aboard the 49-passenger ship have been offered alternative sailings - and generous compensation - to accommodate the royal party. Owners All Leisure Group will not confirm [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 18 January 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

The next wave of cruise ships

It’s going to be an Epic year for new cruise ships, with some spectacular launches during 2010. It’s the one area of the holiday industry which is seeing consistent growth, despite the economic downturn. More than 1.55 million Britons took cruise holidays last year, and the number is expected to rise to 1.65 million this year. Bill Gibbons, of the Passenger Shipping Association said: “The all-inclusive nature of cruising and the very high standards of quality, innovation and customer service have made cruises a compelling and mainstream holiday choice. “Significant growth will come about with the introduction of new ships [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 16 January 2010|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Try a taste of life at sea

Never cruised before? Not sure whether a holiday on board ship is for you? Then find out what life at sea is all about on a short taster cruise. Board Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton on April 29 and sail to Cork in south-west Ireland, from where you could take an excursion to the Jameson Irish Whiskey heritage centre, or to Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone and get the gift of the gab. Or just stroll off the ship and follow the Titanic trail around the port of Cobh. Fares for this four-day cruise start at £349 per person [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 16 January 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Cruise ship sails into Haiti bringing aid for quake victims

Cruise ship Independence of the Seas, which is based in the UK during the summer, arrived in Haiti today carrying much-needed relief supplies for victims of Tuesday's earthquake. Two more ships from the Royal Caribbean fleet - Liberty of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas - will deliver more food next week. The company operates a private beach resort at Labadee in the north of the island, a valuable source of revenue for Haiti - much of which is pretty much off-limits to tourists at the best of times. While tens of thousands were killed and even more made [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 15 January 2010|Cruise News|4 Comments

SpongeBob SquarePants (and Dora) meet Captain BaggyPants

OK, it had been a busy morning, but Captain Greybeard should have pulled his trousers up before posing with two of Nickelodeon's biggest stars on stage aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Gem. I met SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer in New York yesterday, at the announcement of a new partnership which will take them and other popular cartoon stars to sea on the Norwegian Jewel from April, and on the soon-to-be-launched Norwegian Epic from July. As popular as SpongeBob and his pals will be - and they will be in demand for character breakfasts for which mum and dad [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 14 January 2010|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News|2 Comments

Marina sets new standards

Look out for a round-up of new cruise ships being launched in 2010 which will be published in the Daily Mirror on Saturday. Once I have pulled that together, it will be time to start thinking about 2011, and I'm already getting excited about Oceania's much-delayed Marina, which should have been among this year's new launches, but which is now scheduled to debut in about 12 months' time. The 1,258-passenger ship will join the three smaller sisters, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, which Oceania took over when the Renaissance cruise line folded in 2001. These three boutique ships can carry a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-01-11T15:41:42+00:00 11 January 2010|Cruise News|0 Comments

This week’s top cruise deals

Plenty of opportunities this week to snap up a good value cruise on a ship returning to Europe after a winter sailing in the sunny Caribbean. Fly to Barbados on March 19 to board P&O's Oceana, and visit St Lucia, St Maarten, Tortola, Antigua and finally Madeira before arriving in Southampton on April 2. The fare of £1,016 per person for two sharing an inside cabin includes flights, all meals and entertainment, and works out at £73 per day. Go to www.pocruises.co.uk or call 0845 3 555 333. Or fly to Barbados on March 12 to join the family-friendly Ventura, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 9 January 2010|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

QE2’s master moves to Seabourn

Cunard aficionados will be disappointed to learn that Captain Ian McNaught (above left), the last master of the QE2, is leaving the fleet to join Yachts of Seabourn. Word leaked out this week on website The QE2 Story, and although Cunard have confirmed it is true, the nearest they have come to making an no official statement is a response on their Facebook fan page, Cunard said: "Yes. Captain McNaught is completing his service with Cunard and will begin service with our sister-company Seabourn at the end of this month. We thank him for his many years of dedicated service [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:33+00:00 8 January 2010|Cruise News|2 Comments

Cruise ships hit by sickness bug

The 1,200 passengers setting out on a world cruise from Dover last night were no doubt happy to be leaving the snow behind, but they could have a few anxious days ahead as they sail towards Madeira, their first port of call. They will be hoping they can escape not only the British weather, but also the outbreaks of norovirus, or winter vomiting bug, and which have troubled the ship several times during 2009. A total of 342 passengers and nine crew were on Fred Olsen's Balmoral hit by the bug during its Christmas cruise, and specialist contractors were brought [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-01-06T16:12:09+00:00 6 January 2010|Cruise News|1 Comment