Cruise Destinations

Cruise ship tours are, by their very nature, rushed affairs. There's a fixed number of sights to be shepherded around in a short amount of time. There's the obligatory stop for souvenir shopping. And then it's all back to the ship in time for dinner, or departure. That's just how it was in Ho Chi Minh City. So much to see, you would not want to miss Saigon. We had an excellent guide, with a sense of humour and an impeccable command of English. But the schedule gave him limited time in which to whisk his coach-load of Silver Shadow [...]

Like much of modern Singapore, the Marina Bay Cruise Centre (above) is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility. Officially opened just last month, its design is supposed to evoke "cubic waves;" the painted ceilings and the acres of carpet - so new they are still shedding fluff - are the colour of the ocean. The terminal has been built to handle the biggest cruise ships in the world, even though Royal Caribbean has not yet made a decision on whether to deploy its Oasis-class vessels to the region (but watch this space). Transport links to the city centre and Changi airport are [...]

There's no better way to celebrate a birthday than taking a cruise. Which is why I jumped at the chance to join a trip on Fred Olsen's Balmoral last week. It also helped that I had not previously visited any of the destinations on the itinerary. Unseasonably good weather accompanying us all the way . . . until the last couple of days. It was a bit rough during the night as we headed west from Avilés to La Coruña and by the time we came to leave, Captain Robert Bamberg was warning that we would be sailing into the [...]

Royal Caribbean International has confirmed it is to abandon cruises from Dubai after the forthcoming winter season. Serenade of the Seas will cut short its planned sailings this winter from 17 cruises to 11, starting in late January after the ship has undergone a dry-dock revitalisation and upgrade. Serenade is taking over in the region from Brilliance of the Seas (above, at Dubai's Port Rashid), which has operated from Dubai for the last three winters, cruising to Fujairah, Muscat and Abu Dhabi. Royal Caribbean International issued a statement which says: "In past years, we have been proud to take delivery [...]

When it comes to shore excursions, they don't come much classier or more extravagant than those offered by Crystal Cruises. They can arrange to send passengers flying at more than twice the speed of sound in a Russian MiG fighter jet, for example, or cage-diving among great white sharks off the coast of South Africa for the even more intrepid. During next year's Monaco Grand Prix, when Crystal Serenity will be in port for two days, guests won't just be able to watch the race, they can sign up to stroll the pit lane and even party through with the [...]