Captain Greybeard - Page 190 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Swine flu fears keep passengers at sea

If you thought swine flu was moving quickly, then it has nothing on the ability of a cruise line executive to change his mind. Yesterday the bosses at Carnival Corporation were adamant that their ships would not be cancelling calls at Mexican ports. Today, the 10,000 or so passengers on those ships found themselves still at sea instead of going ashore, as health officials in America and Europe advised against all non-essential travel to Mexico Carnival Elation stayed out in the Pacific instead of visiting Ensenada on the Mexican Riviera. Carnival Inspiration and Holiday remained in the Caribbean Sea instead [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-28T20:16:01+00:00 28 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

NCL join the rush away from Alaska

The $50-a-head levy on cruise passengers imposed by Alaska has led to another ship being pulled out of the region next year. Norwegian Cruise Lines have joined the exodus led by Princess and Royal Caribbean. Instead of sailing from Vancouver to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, the Norwegian Sun will be sailing from Dover to the Baltic, including one of the world's finest destinations, St Petersburg. But interestingly, at a time when cruise lines like P&O and Royal Caribbean are adding more cruises sailing from the UK, the 1,936-passenger Sun's arrival will mean NCL have less capacity. It replaces the 2,376-capacity [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-28T15:47:36+00:00 28 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|3 Comments

MSC vows not to return to pirate alley

After Saturday's pirate attack on the cruise ship MSC Melody in the Indian Ocean, owners MSC Cruises have decided to keep well away from the area in future. Chief executive Pierfrancesco Vago said: "I will never have a ship there again until the area is secure. The area is not safe. We were in an area that was considered to be safe. MSC will no longer take the risk." The Melody had already taken a diversionary route to take it away from the Somali coast, but was attacked about 650 miles off Africa and 200 miles north of the Seychelles. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 28 April 2009|Cruise News|1 Comment

Cruises to Mexico will go ahead

Cruise lines with ships sailing to ports in Mexico have announced they have no plans to cancel voyages or change itineraries, despite growing concern over the outbreak of swine flu affecting the country. Carnival Corporation say they are "consulting closely" with US public health officials, the World Health Organisation, and the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the situation. "There are currently no reported cases on Carnival ships or in any of the ports we visit in Mexico," said a spokesman. "We do not anticipate that our guests' cruise experience will be impacted by this type of illness and will [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-27T22:48:46+00:00 27 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Swine flu hits cruise companies

The first impact of swine flu on cruising has been to send shares in the two major companies plunging today. On Wall Street Carnival Corporation's shares were down almost 10 per cent to $25.62 while those in Royal Caribbean Cruises fell15 per cent to $2.22. Several Carnival ships call at Mexican ports on their Caribbean cruises from Florida, and the line's newest and biggest ship, the 3,000-passenger Carnival Splendor, started sailing this month on regular voyages down the Pacific coast from Long Beach in California to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas also [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-27T11:50:21+00:00 27 April 2009|Cruise News|3 Comments

Cruise ship under attack from pirates

So much for MSC Melody's attempt to avoid Somali pirates by taking a diversion en route from South Africa to the Suez Canal. The cruise ship, carrying 994 passengers - 493 of them from the UK and Ireland - and 500 crew, came under attack in the Indian Ocean on Saturday night, 200 miles north of the Seychelles and a good 500 miles from Somalia. Shots were exchanged and six men in a small white boat attempted to board the ship, but were repulsed by a private Israeli security force hired by the ship's Italian owners. None of the passengers [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 26 April 2009|Cruise News|2 Comments

Declaration of Independence for the UK

There's a tide in the affairs of cruise ships, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune - to paraphrase Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Each spring, a fleet of them make their way to Europe and spend the summer sailing the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and the Norwegian fjords. Each autumn, when the days shorten and the temperatures drop, those ships turn round and head back to the warm waters of the Caribbean. Next year there's one ship which won't be heading west. Not just any ship either; it's the Independence of the Seas (pictured above in Southampton) which [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 23 April 2009|Cruise News|2 Comments

Sterling guarantee for Hebridean future

The company which owns Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic has bought out Hebridean Cruise Lines, which went bust earlier this month. The All Leisure Group, headed by former P&O chairman Lord Sterling, has paid £1.4m to take over the tiny 49-passenger cruise ship Hebridean Princess and will continue to operate it from Hebridean's head office in Skipton, North Yorkshire, where the 12 remaining staff will now keep their jobs. Hebridean's other ship, the Hebridean Sprit, was sold last month to a private buyer in the Middle East. The Princess, a converted car ferry, is the vessel which the Queen [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 23 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

An audience with the stars on the Spirit

Tony Blackburn is not the only radio DJ taking to the high seas this summer. Mike Read, fellow Radio 1 veteran, and coincidentally another former contestant on TV's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," will be cruising from Newcastle upon Tyne to the Norwegian fjords and North Cape in June. Mike is one of a collection of familiar faces who will be hosting "An Audience With . . . " evenings on board Thomson Spirit throughout the summer. Bouncy gardening expert Charlie Dimmock sails on the Fire and Ice cruise to Iceland, and gold medal sprinter Derek Redmond, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 23 April 2009|Cruise Entertainment|2 Comments

Early delivery for Oasis – shake on it

Work on building the world's biggest cruise ship is racing ahead. Back in December the Finnish shipyard's 2,300 workers pulled a week ahead of the schedule, despite having to work in temperatures as low as 20 below. On a visit to Turku this week, Royal Caribbean's chairman Richard Fain agreed with Martin Landtman, boss of the STX Europe yard, to gain another week on the timetable for Oasis of the Seas. "Martin and I didn't think twice about it - no paperwork. We shook hands on it and no legal document is as ironclad," Richard wrote in his blog. But [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:44+00:00 22 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments