Captain Greybeard - Page 170 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Richard assesses the ‘Wow’ factor

The passengers boarding Oasis of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale probably paid little attention to the tall, softly spoken American standing by the gangway as they entered the ship. But he was watching them closely, and listening to every word they said as they stepped into the Royal Promenade - a shopping mall the length of a football pitch on the biggest cruise ship in the world. For the man in question was Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean, who was anxious to gauge their reaction to the mighty vessel which cost £800 million and has been six [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 25 November 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Discover a new life at sea

There's more to cruise holidays than visiting exotic locations, soaking up the sun, watching spectacular shows in the theatre, or even bingo and trivia quizzes. You can take up a brand new hobby, or learn more about astronomy, art and antiques; even learn to dance like the contestants on Strictly. Here are a few suggestions for a life-changing experience in the New Year: Creative writing Ever dreamt of writing your memoirs, trying your hand at poetry or creating your own fictional characters? Turn yourself into a writer in 2010 with Swan Hellenic's creative writing workshop onboard The Venetian Republic cruise. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 24 November 2009|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

New Cunard Queen gets her name

The new Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth takes a step nearer completion as the letters of her famous name are welded onto the bow by a shipyard worker in Italy. The 90,400-ton ship, currently under construction at the Fincantieri yard near Trieste, will be floated out of dry dock early in 2010 and will make her maiden voyage in October after a lavish naming ceremony in Southampton. Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said: "It is an honour for any ship to bear the name Queen Elizabeth, and as I saw the famous name being welded to the bow, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 24 November 2009|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Cruise ship publicity: fuelling the flames or smoke and mirrors?

Royal Caribbean must have been delighted that their coup in getting Mail on Sunday travel editor Frank Barrett on board Oasis of the Seas a week before the rest of the British media resulted in three lavish pages in the paper's travel section. The cruise line has been cranking up the publicity machine for the biggest cruise ship in the world and has been rewarded with the headline "S.S. Stupendous." Barrett, not known as a huge fan of cruise holidays, appears to have finally woken up to the facts that many of us realised some time ago - that cruises [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-11-22T10:45:00+00:00 22 November 2009|Cruise Gossip|1 Comment

Darcy dances to Azura debut

Ballerina Darcey Bussell, soon to join the judging panel on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, is to be godmother for the UK's newest cruise ship, Azura, P&O announced today. The £350-million ship, currently being built in Italy, will be named at a ceremony in Southampton on April 10 next year, in front of 1,200 invited guests. Two days later she will depart for her maiden voyage to the Mediterranean, carrying 3,100 passengers. Bussell, 40, was principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet until her retirement in 2006. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in Australia, and recently teamed up [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 22 November 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

This week’s best cruise deals

Ever wanted to go on a world cruise, but could not afford the time or the money? Then how about a segment of one of those grand voyages - such as this week's offer from Fred Olsen's Balmoral, starting at just over £83 per night for a 28-day holiday. Fly from Gatwick on February 5 to join the ship in San Francisco and your first great thrill will be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge as the ship heads for Hawaii to call at the ports of Hilo, Lahaina and Honolulu. Then it's off to Apia in Samoa and Suva [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 21 November 2009|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Cruise ship drug pair bailed

Two passengers have been arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine into the UK from a cruise ship. Customs officers seized around one-and-a-half kilograms of the drug, with a reported street value of £70,000, from the liner Black Watch. Ben Hartland, 23, from Bletchingley, Surrey, appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court charged with the importation of cocaine, and was bailed to reappear on January 15. A 20-year-old woman arrested with him was released on police bail. In January, three women aged between 19 and 26, and a man aged 41 were jailed after being arrested trying to bring 20kg of cocaine [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 20 November 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Peek inside Oasis of the Seas

If you're wondering why there has been so much fuss about Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, which is welcoming its first guests this week, take a look at this cutaway drawing showing the innovative features on board. (Click on it to get a bigger version). Last night Rihanna performed a knock-out concert in the ship's open-air Aqua Theatre, and breakfast TV show Good Morning America was broadcast live from the ship today. I shall be flying to Fort Lauderdale on Monday and will be reporting from the ship from Tuesday, as we take a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 20 November 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Jane joins 7 Oasis godmothers

As the biggest ship in the world, it's no surprise that the Oasis of the Seas will need a total of seven godmothers to perform the naming ceremony in Florida at the end of this month. Or you could just say it's another opportunity for Royal Caribbean to push home the message that their new ship is divided into seven different neighbourhoods. Either way, it's a delight to see that there is one Brit among the seven, though the pleasure is somewhat marred by the fact that the official press release spells her name incorrectly. It's Jane Seymour, guys, not [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:35+00:00 19 November 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Stranded passengers fly from ship to see emperor penguins

The passengers stranded in Antarctic pack ice on board the expedition ship Kapitan Khlebnikov have been flown by helicopter to visit the emperor penguin rookery (above) on Snow Hill Island, which was to be the highlight of their voyage. Wildlife guide Paul Goldstein, who went with them, said today: "I have just enjoyed breakfast with some of the exhibition passengers, still thrilled about their adventures over the past few days. They are safe, a little frustrated that ice and weather conditions have delayed their return, but all philosophical about their late arrival into Ushuaia. "This is an expedition, it's a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:36+00:00 17 November 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments