Cruise Ships

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Dream has these guys on the run

If you have ever missed the boat - got back to the pier and found your cruise ship has left without you - you'll know why the guys in this video are in such a hurry. Not sure how many other ships would allow them to clamber aboard from jetskis though. And just as a matter of interest, are those wave runners now adrift in the Caribbean? Leaving those details said, it's a great way to publicise Thomson Dream's 2014-2015 sailings from Montego Bay. And of course, these are not regular passengers, they are members of 3RUN, the free running [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 25 February 2014|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Discovery diverts for repairs

Another British cruise ship has been taking a battering in the stormy weather. MV Discovery, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, was returning to the UK from a winter lay-up in Greece when it ran into heavy seas. The ship - last of the TV Love Boats - is scheduled to spend a week alongside in Avonmouth in preparation for its summer season of cruises. But instead of heading straight for the Bristol Channel, it put into Falmouth for repairs to a 3-centimetre leak in the hull. A CMV spokesman said today: The vessel was subjected to severe weather conditions [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 21 February 2014|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Could it really be a Valentine’s Day massacre for last of the Love Boats?

Sad to report, on St Valentine's Day of all days, but the last of the Love Boats may soon be no more. Discovery, the former Island Princess, could be following sister ship Pacific Princess to a scrapyard grave. The vessel is owned by All Leisure - the business that has Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises under its umbrella. Facing losses of £14 million for the first three quarters of 2013, the company has announced it is putting Discovery up for sale. Since spring last year, the much-loved ship has been operated in a joint venture with [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 14 February 2014|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|2 Comments

What made Quest and the Sea of Cortez an Azamazing experience

So, I have said a sad farewell to the Azamara Quest after a wonderful 12-day cruise to the Sea of Cortez that will remain long in the memory. Not just for the occasional glimpses of whales and dolphins - I had hoped for more - and not only for the marathon excursion by train to the Mexico's amazing Copper Canyon, which I wrote about a few days ago. After the initial disappointments of Mazatlan and La Paz, we visited some lovely ports of call. Loreto - where Quest spent two days - is a real gem, and Cabo San Lucas [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:27+00:00 12 February 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Electric christening for Getaway

Fresh from a two-day guest appearance in the UK and a starring role as a floating hotel at Super Bowl XLVIII, Norwegian Getaway took centre stage for a christening ceremony in her homeport of Miami. The ship's outdoor theatre and nightclub, Spice H2O, was transformed into the Magic City Lounge for the occasion, with the Miami skyline in the background. The Miami Dolphins' cheerleaders were joint godmothers - following the example set when the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes christened sister ship Norwegian Breakaway in New York last year. They were preceded onto the stage by the cast of the [...]

By | 2014-02-09T18:51:28+00:00 9 February 2014|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

World’s biggest cruise ship to sail in Europe – Royal’s Allure for the Med

The biggest cruise ship in the world will be making Europe its home for the first time during summer 2015. Allure of the Seas, allegedly two inches longer than sister ship Oasis of the Seas, will be operating seven-night cruises in the Mediterranean from May until October. It also coincides with the deployment of brand-new ship Anthem of the Seas from Southampton, starting in spring next year. Long-anticipated - ever since Allure was launched in 2010 Royal Caribbean bosses have refused to rule out deployment outside American waters - the move follows a brief season of European cruises for Oasis [...]

By | 2015-04-10T14:23:52+00:00 5 February 2014|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Seabourn signs new ship deal

It was back in October that luxury cruise line Seabourn announced it would be building a new ship. Today the contract was signed for its construction by Fincantieri in Italy. Based on the design of Seabourn Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest, the new vessel will have an extra deck and will carry an extra 150 passengers - a 30 per cent increase. Gross tonnage will be 40,350 - 26 per cent more than its sisters. The new capacity will almost replace that lost with the sale of Seabourn's smallest ships to Windstar. Pride leaves the fleet in April, while Legend and [...]

By | 2014-01-22T02:13:39+00:00 22 January 2014|Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Will Ruby shine on in Rangoon?

Mystery surrounds the fate of cruise ship retiree Saga Ruby, which arrived in Gibraltar today. The last passenger vessel to have been built on the Tyne, she has reached the age - in shipping terms - at which she should have been expecting a telegram from The Queen, according to Saga Shipping MD Robin Shaw. Ruby, launched in 1972, returned to Southampton on Friday after a farewell cruise that did not go entirely to plan. A generator failure forced the Captain to cancel the entire Caribbean itinerary and instead the passengers spent Christmas in the Mediterranean - taking a 40 [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 13 January 2014|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Happy birthday, Queen Mary 2

It's a significant anniversary this week for Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2, celebrating her 10th birthday. There won't be much of a party when the ship returns to Southampton on Friday - that's being saved until May. But it would be unfair to let the event go unmarked, so here's a compelling collection of facts, figures and statistics. Since her spectacular naming by Her Majesty The Queen on January 8, 2004, Queen Mary 2 has undertaken a total of 419 voyages including more than 200 Transatlantic crossings. Cunard maintain she is the world's largest, longest, tallest, widest and most expensive [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 7 January 2014|Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Take a look inside Bright-annia

Brighter, lighter and whiter - that's what the design for Britannia is looking like in this latest video peep inside the planning process, released today by P&O Cruises. A world away from the traditional look of some of the company's older ships and much different from the Royal Princess which shares the same hull design, it is more like the modern elegance to which Celebrity's Solstice-class ships have staked their claim. It's fascinating to see what hotel design specialists Richmond are bringing to the ship, from the soaring spaces of the central atrium, to the more intimate cabin bathrooms. Perhaps [...]

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:28+00:00 17 December 2013|Cruise Ships|0 Comments