Captain Greybeard

/John Honeywell

About John Honeywell

John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.

The world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, is floated out of dry dock

The newest member of Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis class of ships is one step closer to her April 2018 debut. With exterior construction now complete, Symphony of the Seas has been floated out of dry dock at the STX France yard in St Nazaire to begin the next phase of interior construction. Ten months of intensive work remain to be completed before the ship leaves the yard. Symphony will spend her inaugural summer season cruising in the Mediterranean, calling on ports in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Provence, France; Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples, Italy. She will then cross the [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:22+00:00 12 June 2017|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

New-look Pacific Princess is heading for Dover and a season of cruises from the UK

Pacific Princess, the smallest ship in Princess Cruises’ 17-strong fleet, is heading for the UK after completing a multi-million pound renovation. The two-week dry dock in the Grand Bahama shipyard gave the 670-passenger vessel modernised guest areas, four renovated dining venues, 178,000 square feet of new carpet and the Princess livery on her hull. All 336 staterooms now include the line's signature Princess luxury beds and linens, as well as new carpeting, headboards, draperies, lighting and USB ports. Sleeper sofas have been placed in suite staterooms, providing the option for additional berths. The ship’s atrium has been upgraded with a [...]

By | 2017-06-12T16:40:18+00:00 12 June 2017|Cruise News|0 Comments

Old, new, borrowed and mostly NEW – the biggest cruise ship of 2017 is a real wonder

There’s something of the blushing bride about 2017’s newest cruise ship, MSC Meraviglia, which was christened by Sophia Loren last weekend in the French port of Le Havre. At 171,598 tons and capable of carrying a maximum 5,714 passengers in 2,244 cabins it’s the biggest vessel launched in 2017 and becomes the fourth-biggest cruise ship of all time. But it’s not size that matters in this case – it’s the something old, something new, borrowed and blue. Blue in the funnels high up above Deck 19, more than 200 feet above the waves. Old in the names given to the decks, [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:22+00:00 10 June 2017|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Take a look inside Saga’s Spirit of Discovery

Some of London’s finest hotels and restaurants have provided inspiration for the interior design of Spirit of Discovery, the new ship being launched by Saga Cruises in 2019. The luxury boutique vessel, carrying fewer than 1,000 passengers is the first to be purpose built for the line whose previous ships have included hand-me-downs from Cunard (Saga Ruby, Saga Rose) and Hapag-Lloyd (Saga Sapphire). Tantalising glimpses inside the new ship were revealed this week. The Outside Lido (above) has a luxurious seating area allowing passengers to enjoy al fresco dining and breathtaking views throughout their trip. It will also play host [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:22+00:00 1 June 2017|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Princess Cruises and Jane McDonald are both set to return to our TV screens in 2018

EXCLUSIVE: Television’s love affair with cruises and cruising people is blossoming – with two familiar series being readied for a return to our screens next year. Princess Cruises announced tonight [Thursday] that a third six-part series of The Cruise is being filmed on board the 3,560-passenger Royal Princess in the Mediterranean this summer. And if that wasn’t enough, a three-part series is to be shot on board 2,600-passenger Star Princess in Alaska, before the film crew returns to Royal Princess in November for a special three-parter in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, singer and TV presenter Jane McDonald is in the middle [...]

By | 2017-05-25T17:10:12+00:00 25 May 2017|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cirque de Soleil promises feast of sound and passion for its first shows on MSC Meraviglia

Cirque de Soleil’s first residency on a cruise ship is launching with two brand-new productions. The Carousel Lounge on MSC Meraviglia is being purpose-built at a cost of €20 million (£17 million) to stage the shows, complete with the latest in sound and lighting technology and special rigging. VIAGGIO is the story of a passionate and eccentric artist who hears the call of his faceless muse. Mysterious and seductive, she beckons him into the vivid world of imagination to complete his masterpiece – brought o life by electrifying colours and exciting acts. With sound at its heart, SONOR – the second show [...]

By | 2017-05-18T15:01:22+00:00 18 May 2017|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines prepare to take on the rivers of Europe with the good ship Brabant

There’s a new cruise line branching out from the oceans to rivers. Fred Olsen’s new European venture announced today puts them alongside people like Crystal Cruises and those – like Viking and Scenic – who are taking the journey in the opposite direction. Despite its Norwegian heritage, Fred Olsen cruises are as English as a warm country pub on a winter’s day and it is promising that cruises on board the 156-passenger Brabant, will be just as welcoming. Itineraries, from five nights to 25, will operate on the Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle. A total of 30 departures are scheduled [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:22+00:00 17 May 2017|Cruise News|0 Comments

Cunard’s new-look Queen Victoria is taking shape in an Italian dry dock

What happens if you invest £34 million, some large sections of steel and a very big crane into a cruise ship refurbishment? Cunard’s Queen Victoria gets a whole new set of suites and a profile that looks more like her younger sister, Queen Elizabeth. During a four-week dry dock in Palermo, Sicily, Victoria is literally being carved up to enable the addition of a new stern section containing extra cabins and an extended Lido pool deck. Britannia Club accommodation – already a popular feature of sister ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth – is being added, along with a [...]

By | 2017-05-16T15:02:12+00:00 16 May 2017|Cruise News|0 Comments

AmaWaterways ready to challenge Crystal Mozart on the Danube

Crystal Mozart, the largest river cruise vessel in Europe, is about to get some serious competition. Rival luxury operator AmaWaterways is building AmaMagna, which will be the second double-width passenger ship on the Danube. AmaMagna will have 98 standard cabins, most of them larger than 300 square feet. There will be four extra-large suites and one Owner’s Suite. Additional amenities include a heated swimming pool on the sun deck, with whirlpool bath and a swim-up bar, plus a large spa area including a fitness room large enough for group classes. Passenger capacity will be 194 and the ship has several [...]

By | 2017-05-15T16:11:05+00:00 15 May 2017|Cruise News|0 Comments

Thomson welcomes TUI Discovery 2 to fleet

Thomson Cruises’ latest ship, TUI Discovery 2, officially joins the fleet this weekend with a low-key christening ceremony in Malaga. The vessel – formerly Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas and a near-identical sister to last year’s debutante, TUI Discovery (ex-Splendour of the Seas) – has 915 cabins of which 40 per cent have balconies. Cruise fares are all-inclusive as standard. Passengers can make use of an app to manage their onboard accounts and to book spa treatments, shore excursions, and meals in the speciality restaurants. From gourmet cuisine to laid-back street food, families and couples can get the most [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:22+00:00 12 May 2017|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments