Captain Greybeard - Page 179 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Disney wishes on a new star

Donald Duck took a trip to Germany today to help lay the keel for Disney's newest ship, the Disney Dream. It's the first of two new family-orientated cruise ships to be built at the Papenburg yard of Meyer-Werft. Here he is helping the captain of the Dream, Tom Forberg, to place a lucky coin under the keel as work began to lift the first of 80 prefabricated blocks into dry-dock. The ship will be completed in 2011 and will be followed a year later by Disney Fantasy. Together they more than double the capacity of the Disney Cruise Lines fleet, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:39+00:00 26 August 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Take a chance on an Epic maiden

Maiden voyages are always popular, but before one is put on sale the cruise line usually knows when it is going to happen and where the ship is going to sail. Norwegian Cruise Lines are taking an interesting step with the launch of their giant new ship, Norwegian Epic, by opening for bookings without knowing either of those things, or even how much they are going to charge. The 4,200-passenger ship, 60 per cent bigger than any other vessel in the fleet, has to get from the shipyard in France to Miami, where it will be based from June 17 [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-08-25T23:30:50+00:00 25 August 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cruise deal of the Century

You've got to feel envious of anyone who has booked a four-night Caribbean cruise on board Celebrity Century next summer. Their plans are going to be changed because the ship is being redeployed to the Mediterranean, but to make up for the inconvenience they are being offered a seven-night cruise on Celebrity Solstice instead. That's got to be one of the best deals yet. The 1,814-passenger Century now joins the Constellation, Equinox and Eclipse sailing European waters in 2010. The ship will leave Miami on May 20 for a 14-night Transatlantic crossing calling at the Azores, Lisbon, Seville and Malaga [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-08-25T22:53:42+00:00 25 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Billion dollar baby takes shape

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain has been back to the Finnish shipyard which is building his new billion dollar baby, Oasis of the Seas, and returned with some impressive pictures of the work going on to complete the biggest cruise ship in the world. The ship, which will carry 5,400 passengers and more, is scheduled to make her debut in Fort Lauderdale at the end of November, and will be sailing regular voyages to the Caribbean, where new piers and terminals are being built to accommodate the giant. So huge is the vessel that without special measures, Richard explains it [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:39+00:00 24 August 2009|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Minerva library speaks volumes

For a vessel which was originally designed as a Russian spy ship, Minerva makes a very comfortable cruise ship. She was in Dover today, saying farewell to the UK until next June, with Swan Hellenic chairman Lord Sterling hosting lunch on board. The little ship, just 12,500 tons and carrying no more than 350 passengers, set off tonight for the Mediterranean, and will be spending four months from mid-November to February cruising from Buenos Aires to Antarctica. She might be small, but the ship has many features which would be the envy of vessels 10 times her size. The library, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:39+00:00 22 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|2 Comments

This week’s top cruise deals

* HERE'S an unusual opportunity, to sail from the UK with Costa. The Italian line has Europe's largest fleet of cruise ships, but they rarely visit these shores. On September 12 the Costa Magica leaves Dover for Cherbourg and then heads to Vigo and Lisbon in Portugal before visiting Cadiz and Malaga in Spain. The cruise ends in Savona, Italy. Fares for the eight-night voyage start at £579pp, cruise-only, for two sharing an inside cabin. Log on to www.costacruises.co.uk or call 0845 351 0552. * SEVEN nights on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the Thomson Destiny available from Cruise118.com from £699. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:40+00:00 21 August 2009|Cruise Deals|1 Comment

Up the creek without any water

London - it's the greatest capital city in the world, right? The streets are paved with gold; there's history and celebrity lurking round every corner, and you're never far from a classy restaurant or a character-filled bar. And Greenwich, home of the National Maritime Museum, with a naval tradition stretching back for centuries. What better place could there be for a cruise ship to moor for a couple of days? Well practically anywhere if you need a splash of fresh water, as my friend Captain Albert Schoonderbeek discovered this week. His ship, Holland America's Prinsendam, was scheduled to arrive in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:40+00:00 21 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|1 Comment

Cruise is a winner for Kara

Kara Tointon has celebrated leaving EastEnders, where she played Dawn Swann, by taking a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas - not with her boyfriend, former co-star Joe Swash, but with her mother. She seems to have been modestly successful in the ship's casino, enjoyed having dinner with the captain, and discovered one of the greatest joys of cruising - a different view each morning. Writing about her holiday on the Virgin Holidays Cruises celebrity blog, she says: "Awake early and we open our curtains to Bermuda. I think that's what excites me most about cruises... waking up [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:40+00:00 20 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Singles cruises to Costa lot less

The high cost of a single supplement has long been a bone of contention for cruise passengers, even more so in recent years as fewer ships are designed to accommodate solo travellers. While the smaller expedition ships and lines such as Fred Olsen and Saga are equipped with single cabins, the newer, bigger ships are all about maximizing the use of space. On many sailings one person occupying a double cabin might have to pay double the fare for couples, especially annoying when cruise holidays are a popular choice for single travellers. That might be about to change. First P&O [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:40+00:00 19 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Cruises are blown off course

The first storms of the 2009 hurricane season are blowing through the Caribbean, disrupting cruise ship schedules. Tropical Storm Ana, downgraded to a tropical depression, soaked Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands over the weekend before heading to the Dominican Republic. Hurricane Bill is forecast to become a Category 3 storm by Wednesday, but is predicted to travel east of the Caribbean cruise destinations before reaching Bermuda next Saturday. Carnival Freedom, with 44 Britons among 3,500 passengers, left Fort Lauderdale on Saturday for an eight-day cruise - first scheduled stop San Juan, Puerto Rico. The itinerary was changed to take [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:40+00:00 17 August 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments