Captain Greybeard

Interest rates may have come down to just one per cent today, but nothing the Bank of England does seems to help sterling’s fall in value against the euro and the dollar. Which is not good news if you are planning a foreign holiday this year. But it is possible to travel the world and still use the pound in your pocket – or on your credit card – by sailing on a cruise ship which uses sterling as the on-board currency. If the shipboard account is in dollars or euros, then the cost of all those extras, from drinks [...]

Fresh from performing at President Obama’s inauguration celebrations, James Taylor has a new gig – singing for his supper on a transatlantic crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2. And why not? Ex-wife Carly Simon recorded a DVD of her performances on the liner in 2005. Taylor has a string of concerts scheduled in the UK in June, and has made a deal with Cunard for his whole band to travel on the crossing from New York to Southampton. "It seems like a dream come true. It will probably be a nightmare on the open seas," he told the Independent. "To [...]

At the end of this month I will be flying to Fort Lauderdale to board Eurodam for a week cruising the Caribbean. A week or so later, the left-over shower gel, shampoos and lotions from my bathroom will be helping the Florida homeless. Cruise line Holland America has come to the aid of the city’s Co-operative Feeding Program, a charity which provides a soup kitchen, used clothing and HIV tests for the city’s poor and homeless. The charity was about to close down its showers because it could not afford soap until HAL, which already operates a similar scheme in [...]

Specialist travel agent cruises.co.uk has published a survey revealing which ships are best and worst, according to its customers. The results are based on cruise reviews and ratings provided by passengers – everyone who submits a review to their website receives a copy of the Berlitz cruise guide. Of their one million customers, more than 12,000 have offered their opinions. Cunard comes out on top as the best cruise line, and Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas – one of the three biggest cruise ships in the world, and sailing out of Southampton during the summer – was named as [...]