Captain Greybeard - Page 192 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Cruise will mark Titanic centenary

Not sure what to make of plans to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with a cruise on board Fred Olsen's Balmoral. The Transatlantic voyage from Southampton in April 2012 will follow in the doomed liner's wake to Cherbourg and Cobh in southern Ireland, before heading west towards America. There will be a special memorial ceremony between 11.40pm on April 14, when the Titanic hit the iceberg, and 2.20am on April 15, exactly 100 years after it sank. Balmoral will then head to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where many of the Titanic victims are buried at the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 15 April 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|2 Comments

Children’s favourites take to the seas

Boom! Boom! Basil Brush is setting sail to provide school holiday entertainment this summer on board the cruise ship Ocean Village. The television fox will join two more furry favourites, Bagpuss and Paddington Bear, in keeping the kids happy while mum and dad party, or relax in the sun. Although given that Brush first appeared on TV in 1963, perhaps it will be the parents at the front of the queue for the shows in the ship's Connexions Bar. Pink and white cat Bagpuss is a regular OV resident, entertaining young passengers with story time performances, and Paddington brings his [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-14T21:30:05+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Your chance to cook with Marco

Marco Pierre White might have Ade Edmondson, Linda Evans, Anthea Turner and Ms Dynamite running scared in Hell's Kitchen, but get him on board a cruise ship and he is the perfect gentleman, as I discovered when he invited me to join him for breakfast on board P&O's Ventura. He was just as happy fulfilling an ambition to call the bingo numbers (above) as he was acting as a witness for a wedding on board, and telling a packed audience in the ship's theatre - who were then sworn to secrecy - that he would be cooking Christmas dinner for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Smoking or non-smoking?

One of the things I enjoy about cruise holidays is that sometimes you never know what you are going to see outside your window when you wake up in the morning. But I'm not sure this is what passengers on the Dawn Princess were expecting when they arrived at Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea this week. This is the view from the ship's bridge-cam of the Mount Tavurvur volcano. The island province of East New Britain was shaken by a minor earthquake three weeks ago, and the volcano has apparently been spouting a plume of ash for some weeks. Sights [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Norwegian Epic takes a bow

What's this, a rusty steel version of Jaws? No, it's the 445-ton bow section of Norwegian Cruise Lines new mega-ship, Epic, being lowered into place at the shipyard in St Nazaire, France. It took 100 workers more than two hours to get it in place and - I hope - considerably longer to make sure the joints were securely welded. The 153,000-ton, 4,200-passenger ship should be finished by next May.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 14 April 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Captain blamed for Explorer sinking

A investigation into the sinking of the expedition cruise ship Explorer in Antarctic waters places the blame squarely on the vessel's captain, who was making his first voyage in the area. The ship's 154 passengers, including 24 Britons, escaped alive in the November 2007 incident, largely thanks to "unusually benign" weather conditions according to the report, which will add to growing international pressure for tighter regulation of Antarctic cruises. Explorer was holed by ice and rapidly began to flood when it entered an ice field at night. Crew attempted to staunch the inflow of freezing cold water with pillows and [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 13 April 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Aurora is back from world cruise

As P&O's Aurora arrived back in Britain today from its world cruise, some passengers were still moaning about missing five of the 32 planned stops during the 93-day voyage. Engine problems affected the vessel when it was sailing from Australia to New Zealand, forcing an extended six-day stay in Auckland for repairs to be carried out. Southampton's Daily Echo reports that passenger Jennifer Dunthorne, who formed an action group during the cruise, said as she arribved at the city's Mayflower Terminal: "There are some really upset people here, it's been a nightmare." If your idea of a nightmare is a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 13 April 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

The best cruise deals on offer

A seven-night cruise on the NCL Norwegian Gem including an outside cabin and flights is available from £829. Leaving Barcelona on May 3, the ship calls at Valletta, Naples/ Pompeii, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno and Cannes before returning to the Catalan capital. There is also a nine-night cruise on board the Costa Mediterranea from £759. Departing from Savona on May 4, the ship calls at Malaga, Cadice, Lisbon, Vigo, Le Havre, Dover and Amsterdam. Visit www.cruise118.com or call 0800 280 2614. -Sail from Vancouver on May 24 on a seven-night cruise from £999. The ship calls at Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-04-11T00:00:00+00:00 11 April 2009|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Hebridean cruise line goes under

The sale of Hebridean Spirit has not been enough to save Hebridean Cruises, and the company has now gone into administration. This year's programme of cruises on board the one surviving ship in the fleet - Hebridean Princess, which the Queen chartered for her 80th birthday holiday - will go ahead while the company seeks a buyer. Spirit is unlikely to re-emerge as a cruise ship under new ownership - she is believed to have been sold for almost £5 million to a Middle Eastern buyer for conversion into a private yacht. Speculation about a potential buyer for Hebridean Princess [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 9 April 2009|Cruise News|1 Comment

The Blog from the Sea of Cortez

The Sea of Cortez is a rich haven for marine wildlife, visited by the largest creature in the world, the blue whale, as well as humpbacks, killer whales, giant manta rays and leatherback turtles. Better known as the Gulf of California these days, the sea lies between Baja California and the Mexican mainland. It was the scene of a 1940 expedition by author John Steinbeck which led to his book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Until now though, it has not been a regular call for cruise ships. That is about to change with the first of three [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:45+00:00 8 April 2009|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments