Captain Greybeard - Page 196 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Hebridean sells its Spirit

Even the richest travellers are not immune to the credit crunch High operating costs and the weakness of sterling have forced Hebridean International Cruises to sell their ship Hebridean Spirit. The vessel will be withdrawn from service before the start of its 2009 cruise season. Customers who have booked cruises on the Spirit are being offered alternative voyages on the company's other ship, the Hebridean Princess. The alternatives are unlikely to be what the passengers had hoped for in the first place. Spirit, which carried 98 passengers, sailed international cruises in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and other exotic destinations. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 19 March 2009|Cruise News|2 Comments

Switched on to the BBC at sea

When I'm on a cruise ship, the TV in my cabin rarely gets switched on, unless I want to check where we're heading, or look at the view from the bridge cam. But if you really can't tear yourself away from the plasma screen on holiday, then I suppose it will be good news that the BBC is adding five channels to the World News channel already available at sea. If you're sailing with Cunard, Fred Olsen, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean International, or Crystal Cruises in the Mediterranean later this month, you'll have 24-hour feeds of BBC [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-03-19T00:40:08+00:00 19 March 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Single cabins – you wanna bet?

P&O were applauded when they announced that they were including single cabins for passengers travelling solo on their new ship, Azura. Now I've realised where they are, I'm not so sure. Looking at the deck plans in the inaugural brochure, released this week, I see that the 12 outside and six inside single cabins are right next to the casino. Which means two things. There's less space for the casino and adjoining Marquis bar than in the equivalent areas on the Ventura. And secondly, those cabins had better be well soundproofed to keep out the noise of the cheering (or [...]

By John Honeywell| 2015-04-12T21:02:48+00:00 19 March 2009|Cruise Ships|2 Comments

Courting the Courtyard passengers

It's been a momentous few days for announcements from cruise companies, probably because it's the SeaTrade convention in Florida this week. Today's big reveal came from Norwegian Cruise Lines, in a press conference which was broadcast live from Miami on the internet. And now we know what's going to be in that big bulge at the forward end of their new mega-liner, Norwegian Epic. It will contain 60 villas and suites, surrounding a private courtyard and pool, and with its own restaurants and lounge area for the exclusive use of guests paying top dollar. The 46 Courtyard Villas each have [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 19 March 2009|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Azura maiden voyage goes on sale

Not to be outdone by their friends at Cunard and the Queen Elizabeth unveiling, P&O have announced the inaugural voyages for their own new cruise ship, Azura, which will go on sale at travel agents on March 30. The maiden voyage is a 16-night Mediterranean cruise leaving Southampton on April 12 next year. Prices start from £1,524 per person including an early-booking discount. The ship will be based in Southampton for the summer, sailing to the Med, the Canaries and the Baltic. After a three-night mini-cruise to Bruges and Le Havre, she crosses the Atlantic in October to spend the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 17 March 2009|Cruise News|1 Comment

Queen Elizabeth: A peek inside

Here are a few more images of Queen Elizabeth's art deco interiors, officially released by Cunard today. The Grand Lobby is three decks high and in the centre of the curving staircase will be a large marquetry mural - one of the features to be revealed in detail at a later date. The Midships Bar, on the lower level of the lobby atrium, takes its name from a bar on the original RMS Queen Elizabeth and will, says Carol Marlow, be the venue for Ivor Novello-style musical evenings around the piano. The Royal Court Theatre, seating 832, is better equipped [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 17 March 2009|Cruise Ships|2 Comments

Queen Elizabeth: The true facts

Amusing to see the Daily Mail saying that the announcement about Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth comes "just a year after the QE2 was taken out of service." The QE2 sailed from Southampton for the last time on November 11 last year, and arrived at her retirement home in Dubai 15 days later. By my reckoning, that makes it less than four months since the order "finished with engines" was given. And the Daily Telegraph, reporting on today's announcement, says the new liner "was built at the Monfalcone shipyard near Trieste." WAS built? Who are they kidding? The shipyard workers haven't [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-03-17T18:24:04+00:00 17 March 2009|Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Queen Elizabeth: Back to a Golden Age

Country house parties by the swimming pool, big band dances in the ballroom, and a bowling green and croquet lawn on the Games Deck - these are some of the attractions which Cunard hopes will re-create the golden age of cruising on board their newest liner, the Queen Elizabeth. The new ship, which will make her maiden voyage in October 2010, has an Art Deco feel throughout, as my early preview illustration showed last week. Cunard's aim, according to president and managing director, Carol Marlow, is to evoke the era of the first RMS Queen Elizabeth, which sailed from 1940 [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 17 March 2009|Cruise News|1 Comment

Norwegian Jade to quit UK

No sooner have I blogged about the growing numbers of Brits joining cruises which sail from UK ports than NCL announce that they will be taking one of their ships away from Southampton next year. Norwegian Jade will be sailing from the UK this summer, and I will be on board at the beginning of June for a cruise round Britain." But in 2010, the ship will be offering seven-night cruises from Barcelona, and the Norwegian Gem will be re-located from Barcelona to Venice. Ex-UK cruises to the Baltic on board Norwegian Jewel will continue to sail from Dover. Norwegian [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:46+00:00 17 March 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News|0 Comments

Record numbers take a cruise

Confirmation of the growing popularity of cruise holidays among Brits comes in the latest figures issued by the Passenger Shipping Association. A record 1,477 million of us took a cruise in 2008, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year, partly due to the introduction of P&O's Ventura, Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, and Fred Olsen's Balmoral. There were 577,000 passengers embarking on cruises in the UK (up 23 per cent), and a further 900,000 choosing to fly to join their ships (up 4 per cent). Speaking at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami, PSA director William [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-03-16T13:28:59+00:00 16 March 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments