Captain Greybeard - Page 207 of 209 - Your expert guide to cruise ships and cruise holidays

Pirates attack cruise ship

While I was admiring Oceania’s Regatta across the harbour in Castries, St Lucia today, her sister ship Nautica was fending off pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to Seatrade Insider. Eight shots were fired from one of two small skiffs which pursued the cruise ship, although the pirates never got closer than 300 metres. None of the shots hit the ship, according to Oceania president Bob Binder. The incident began at 9.28 am local time, and was over within no more than seven minutes, as Nautica, under the command of Capt Jurica Brajcic, took evasive action and powered up [...]

By John Honeywell| 2008-11-30T23:25:15+00:00 30 November 2008|Cruise News|0 Comments

Ventura: Fun in the sun . . . and rain

There was a variety of activities on offer in the sunshine of St Kitts yesterday. Some passengers mingled with those from the Carnival Victory and got no further than the duty free shops and jewellery stores of the cruise terminal. Some walked a little further, to explore the town of Basseterre, which is described in Ventura’s pocket guide as “one of the best remaining examples of a traditional West Indian town. The four main streets – Liverpool Row, Bay Road, Forst Street and Bank Street – all converge on The Circus, with it’s cast iron Georgian clock tower. A short [...]

By John Honeywell| 2008-11-30T23:04:54+00:00 30 November 2008|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Ventura: A quiet day at sea? No chance

It’s the third of the sea days on this cruise around the Caribbean islands. The next few days will see a hectic round of port visits, to St Kitts, St Lucia, St Maarten, Tortola, Dominica and St Vincent, before we arrive back in Barbados. So today’s a final chance to relax, right? Wrong. Every minute of the day, from dawn until after midnight, is packed with activities, from the sunrise stretch on the open deck, to the formal dress black and white dance date in the Tamarind Club. So let’s take a look at how to fill a day at [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:50+00:00 28 November 2008|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Ventura: All White on the night (part 2)

Last night we ate in the White Room, Marco Pierre White’s signature restaurant perched high above the stern of Ventura on deck 17. And an excellent evening it was, worth every penny of the £20 per head cover charge. It’s quite a large restaurant but it appeared almost full, in contrast to East, the other speciality restaurant on board which is not attracting customers in big numbers. We started with a glass of Bellini on the house, and a sun-dried tomato ravioli amuse bouche which was bursting with flavour. I then followed the recommendations Marco had made when we shared [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:50+00:00 27 November 2008|Cruise Gossip, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Ventura: Life’s a beach (or two)

We’ve spent most of the last two days off the ship, but without going too far from it. Yesterday we were at the Carnival Cruises-owned resort in Grand Turk. It’s basically a shopping mall and a beach. So it caters equally for those who want to soak up the sun, or those for whom no port of call is complete without an opportunity to browse for bargains among the jewellery stores, T-shirt boutiques, and a duty-free shop which would not have been out of place at Heathrow airport. Alongside Ventura at the jetty was Carnival Splendor, so the place was [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:50+00:00 27 November 2008|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Ventura’s new sister – Azura

While I was sailing between Antigua and Grand Turk yesterday on board Ventura, P&O bigwigs in London were announcing details of her new sister, Azura. Now being built in Italy, the Azura will be similar in appearance to Ventura, but as forecast, will be less focused on catering for families with young children, so there’s no mention of Noddy or Scalextric this time round. Instead there will be extended spa facilities, including private cabanas in The Retreat, and some treatment rooms with balconies, for massages in the open air. There will be big screen by the Aqua Pool, following Princess [...]

By John Honeywell| 2008-11-26T14:43:25+00:00 26 November 2008|Cruise Ships|7 Comments

Ventura: All out in Antigua

Yesterday was Ventura’s first port of call since leaving Barbados on Saturday evening. The island of Antigua’s national bird, the frigate; a few brown pelicans, and a gaggle of taxi drivers and street traders all turned out to welcome us to St John's, the capital. The town itself did not have a lot to offer, unless you were in desperate need of another T-shirt, a sarong, or a dinner plate sized-steel drum. But there was a selection of excursions from the ship to enjoy Cricket fans could visit the Recreation Ground, where Viv Richards scored the fastest-ever century; the splendid [...]

By John Honeywell| 2008-11-25T16:06:12+00:00 25 November 2008|Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Boudicca’s Barbados bump

More on the Boudicca, which I mentioned seeing in Bridgetown harbour a couple of days ago. What I didn’t realise at the time was that the Fred Olsen ship had stayed there a little longer than planned after a close encounter with a concrete jetty. While moving berths to make way for Ventura, the ship took a chunk out of the quayside, and in return, Barbados took a bite out of Boudicca’s bow. Extra tours were arranged for passengers, while emergency repairs were carried out, and the ship left a day late for Grenada. Further repairs will be made later. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:50+00:00 24 November 2008|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Ventura: All White on the night

The best restaurant on the Ventura is the White Room, and I shall be eating there later this week. As it happens, Marco Pierre White is on board this weekend, paying one of his regular visits to make sure everything is running smoothly. And when Marco is on the ship, he does not just keep himself to himself and his kitchen team. Today he has spent an hour in the Arena Theatre, talking about his life and his career and answering questions from passengers. He spent three hours signing copies of his book, and having his picture taken with everyone [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:50+00:00 23 November 2008|Cruise Gossip|1 Comment

Ventura: in Bridgetown, Barbados

A relaxing day today after yesterday’s early start and the flight from London to the Caribbean. The good thing about flying into Barbados is that there is no need to go through customs and immigration, and baggage checked in at Gatwick is delivered direct to your cabin on board the ship. The bad thing is that if you’re aboard the third of four planes to touch down within a few minutes, then there’s a delay before you can get off the plane and into the transport to the ship. A long delay. We landed at 4.50 in the afternoon, but [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:51+00:00 22 November 2008|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments