Captain Greybeard - Page 203 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Bouncing around on Balmoral

I woke up this morning to radio reports of freak weather and winds of up to 120 mph battering France, and my thoughts immediately turned to Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, which I reported earlier this week had been bouncing around in the Bay of Biscay. It looks like there has been no respite for the passengers who have been suffering at the hands of the elements. I spent two days in winds of up to storm force 10 in the Bay, on board Olsen’s Black Watch a few years ago, so I know what they have been going through. Standing in [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 24 January 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|9 Comments

My Love is Like a Saga Rose

Captain Alistair McLundie might be thousands of miles from his home in Dunoon, but that’s not going to stop him celebrating Burns’ Night in style. As the Saga Rose sailed through the Caribbean, passengers and crew formed up on deck for this memorable picture to illustrate their favourite poem, My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose. Capt McLundie will address the haggis at the ship's Burns’ Supper on Sunday, after making their passage through the Panama Canal. You can read his regular and very informative updates on the Saga Rose Captain's Blog.

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 23 January 2009|Cruise Gossip|2 Comments

Big business for Lerwick

The town of Lerwick, in the Shetland Isles, Britain’s most northerly port, has grown from a fishing village to a bustling base for servicing North Sea oil rigs. It is also growing in popularity as a cruise ship destination, and this summer will welcome its 1,000th passenger liner. A total of 45 ship visits are scheduled between May and September and 11 vessels will be making their maiden call. Costa Magica, carrying more than 2,600 passengers, will become the largest ship to sail into the port when it arrives on July 20 for the first of two visits. The record [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-01-23T11:51:09+00:00 23 January 2009|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Pssst . . . wanna buy an iPod?

Last word, for now, on the intrepid Saga Ruby passengers who have been off the beaten track as they sailed down the West African coast on their way to Cape Town. Whether it was due to voodoo, I have not been able to find out, but one of the tour buses broke down during visit to Lome in Togoland. Thanks to help from local villagers and the police, everyone made it back safely to the ship. Well, almost safely, for at the quayside they had to run the gauntlet of eager traders keen to sell everything from local handicrafts to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 22 January 2009|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Safe Passage to India

P&O’s Arcadia was taking no chances when she sailed through the Gulf of Aden this week en route to India. The area has been plagued by Somali pirates, who only last week released a massive oil tanker which had been held hostage since before Christmas. If you want to be safe, there’s nothing better than getting the Royal Navy on your side, and Arcadia was escorted by Type 23 frigate HMS Portland (above), which is armed with Sea Wolf missiles, a 110 mm gun, two 30 mm guns, and four torpedo launchers. The RN even sent a Lynx helicopter over [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 22 January 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Sharp elbows bag the best seats

If the latest research is to be believed, British good manners cost lives when the Titanic went down. Our gentlemen stood back to allow “women and children first

By John Honeywell| 2009-01-21T11:42:41+00:00 21 January 2009|Cruise Gossip|0 Comments

Two injured on Balmoral

Two passengers have been taken to hospital in Spain after being injured when the Fred Olsen cruise ship Balmoral was hit by 50 ft waves in the Bay of Biscay, according to a BBC report. The ship docked in La Coruna on Saturday after two days of rough seas and winds of up to 60 mph. A Fred Olsen spokesperson today confirmed the incident, and said the ship’s itinerary had been amended because of the delays. Calls at Tangier and Lisbon have been abandoned, and the ship, which is due back in Dover on January 27, will instead head from [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 21 January 2009|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|7 Comments

Ruby’s African adventure continues

You would not expect a blogger to accept the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I have to admit that these photographs certainly give more of a flavour of Saga Ruby’s African adventures. Following last week’s call at Freetown, Sierra Leone (above), the ship was at Takoradi, the fourth largest city in Ghana, on Sunday (below). While his passengers went off on an excursion, Captain Philip Rentell paid a quick visit to the town’s market, which he says looks like it has not changed in a hundred years. “Women of all ages were sat by [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 20 January 2009|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Literary luminaries line up

It’s hardly surprising that the author most famous for a book called Fear of Flying would prefer to travel by sea. And that is exactly what Erica Jong will be doing from June 13 when she sails from Southampton to New York on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. She is among a host of literary luminaries lined up to give lectures on this year’s transatlantic crossings – though it’s clear that most of them are aimed at an American audience. Nevertheless, a great opportunity for British passengers to add to their knowledge while relaxing at sea en route to the States. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2009-01-20T11:11:12+00:00 20 January 2009|Cruise News|0 Comments

Sierra Leone Saga to remember

The popular image of a Saga cruise may be one of gin-soaked retired colonels slumbering between hands of bridge, and elderly widows sipping Earl Grey tea while waiting for the next embroidery class. The reality is somewhat different. They might not be in the first flush of youth, but Saga passengers are among the most adventurous at sea. If you find that difficult to believe, then Thursday’s entry from the Saga Ruby’s Captain’s blog should convince you. Capt Philip Rentell describes a day in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Yes, the war-torn West African state a world away from the comforts of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:49+00:00 17 January 2009|Cruise Destinations|2 Comments