Captain Greybeard

A cruise passenger who has been waiting two years for a transplant was winched off Cunard's Queen Victoria this morning when a kidney became available. A helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall picked her up from the ship 50 miles off The Lizard shortly before 6.00 am. She and her husband were flown to Luton Airport, from where an ambulance rushed her to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Mrs Judy Stockwell had been alerted at four o'clock this morning that a donor kidney had been found, and she had to be at the hospital by 9.00 am. She told the BBC [...]

It's pretty near impossible to fall accidentally from a cruise ship into the sea. When there's a report of a "man overboard," which happens occasionally, the chances are it will have been a deliberate act or the result of stupidity, like the couple last year who were using the rail of their balcony as a sex aid. A 39-year-old man disappeared off the Norwegian Sky this weekend as the ship sailed from Miami towards the Bahamas, and his fall was witnessed by people in his own cabin. A statement from Norwegian Cruise Lines says the 39-year-old man was seen to [...]

I was delighted to read in my local paper of Bill and Elly Clough, who have returned home after their world cruise on board P&O's ill-fated Aurora. For I met them 11 years ago on a world cruise on board Fred Olsen's Black Watch. I joined the ship for a short segment from Hong Kong to Singapore; they were in the cabin next door, and hosting bridge classes for passengers. Their latest voyage was interrupted when the Aurora developed propulsion problems and spent six days in Auckland, New Zealand, awaiting repairs. Mrs Clough, 70, told the Basingstoke Gazette, they were [...]

Forbes Traveler magazine is not the place to look for bargain breaks, so it's no surprise that when they ask a panel of "experts" to nominate the World's Best Cruises, the results lean heavily towards ultra-luxury lines like Crystal and Regent. Not entirely, though, because two cruise lines that you might take your family on for a summer holiday also feature in the list. For best dining then, it's Crystal Cruises, who were also picked for best crew and service, and best excursions, although the consensus of opinion was that no cruise line provided shore trips as good as those [...]

At a time when every other cruise line is trying to improve the service for their best customers - the passengers who have sailed with them most often, and those paying for the best suites - it looked like Royal Caribbean had shot themselves in the foot by announcing they were restricting access to their concierge lounges. These are a popular perk, providing a meeting place for regulars, priority bookings for shore excursions, speciality restaurants and spa treatments, and - best of all for many passengers - free drinks, just like an airport business class lounge. Trouble is, the lounges [...]