Related Articles
All Travel Ideas
Thursday 20th November: John Sargeant goes cruising in the Caribbean; A few close calls in the English Channel
Strictly Gone Cruising
JOHN SARGEANT will recover from the pressure of Strictly Come Dancing by going on a Caribbean cruise next week.
He will be on the P&O ship Oriana for a fortnight, cruising from Barbados to the Panama Canal.
P&O’s head of brand marketing, Philip Price, said: “We are delighted to have John travelling with us and look forward to his after-dinner speech.
“John has an illustrious career and is sure to entertain our passengers with his tales. No doubt he will also reflect on his time on the Strictly dance floor and maybe even give a few tips on perfecting the tango.”
John is travelling on Oceana’s 15 night Panama and Latin America cruise departing from Barbados on Friday 28th November and calling in Mayreau, Grenada, Margarita Island, Curacao, Colon, Puntarenas, Puerto Quetzal and Acapulco. Prices start from £1,820.
→ Book a P&O Cruise holiday
Starboard Schma-board
IF you’ve ever tried to cross the road in Rome you’ll know that Italian drivers like to cut things a little close as they nip in and out of traffic.
It seems some of them are the same when they're behind the wheel of a cruise ship, too.
I was puzzled earlier this week when the UK Coast Guard issued a “notice to mariners” which urges captains to watch where they're going.
It tells them to travel at safe speeds, use their radars, keep a good lookout ... all basic, obvious stuff which surely needs no reminder.
Then yesterday, a report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch was quietly published – and the penny dropped.
Back in May, the COSTA ATLANTICA was in the Strait of Dover, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, when she turned across the path of a 59,000-ton car carrier, the GRAND NEPTUNE.
There is a “drive on the right” traffic system, which the Costa Atlantica needed to cross to head north to Harwich.
She cut between the MSC SERENA and a car carrier, the GRAND NEPTUNE, both heading south.
The Grand Neptune’s radar alarm sounded when computers calculated the ships were getting too close to each other.
Her pilot radioed Dover Coast Guard and said: “He (the Costa Atlantica) is on a collision course with me! He should pass around my stern!”
With just three minutes to spare before the ships were going to be just 263 yards apart – less than the length of the Costa Atlantica – the pilot radioed to the cruise ship: “You are the give way vessel. Now I am going hard-a-starboard sir. Hard-a-starboard!”
Grand Neptune did a 360˚ turn to the right, and as a result the ships stayed a mile apart.
If the Costa Atlantica had waited, she could have turned behind the Grand Neptune and ahead of the next southbound ship, the SEABOURN PRIDE, which had a much bigger gap.
In September last year the Costa Atlantica – with a different Italian captain – cut up a slower tanker while overtaking in the English Channel, closing to 436 yards.
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
Return Celebration
18th Noverber 2008
THOMSON CELEBRATION goes back to work on Friday, after a month off having her bottom polished.
She has been in Falmouth, having a refurbishment both above and below the waterline.
Up top she has new carpets, 20 redesigned suites and a redesigned Horizon Bar.
Below, her hull has been stripped and repainted, creating better fuel efficiency.
And I promise, that’s the last time I’m going to use any puns about slippery bottoms on cruise ships. Honest.
Her winter season features cruises from £461 (£799 if you add a week’s stay in Tenerife), calling at Gran Canaria, La Palma, Madeira, Agadir in Morocco and Lanzarote, including flights from Luton or Bournemouth.
→ Book a cruise on the Thomson Celebration
That Sinking Feeling
DODGY charts have been blamed for last year’s sinking of the SEA DIAMOND cruise ship in the bay at Santorini.
Nearly 1,600 people were evacuated from the Louis Cruise Lines ship, but two French tourists – a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter – were presumed drowned.
New surveys by the Greek Navy have confirmed that official charts of the bay were inaccurate.
The reef struck by Sea Diamond is 131 metres from the coastline at Athenios, not the 57 metres shown on the map. It is also only 3.5 metres below the surface, not 18 metres.
A spokesman for Louis said: “These official findings confirm the owners’ position that based on the official chart which was in force at the time of the accident, the course that Sea Diamond was following towards her mooring position was passing over safe depths.”
Captain Yiannis Marinos and five other officers – including, bizarrely, the chief cabin steward and chief housekeeper – were charged with negligence. The charges are now likely to be dropped.
But Louis were fined €1.17million for causing pollution, after 300 gallons of fuel leaked from the ship.
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
Carry on Doctor
EVERY cruise ship must have a doctor – but the COSTA CONCORDIA will soon have access to medics from one of the top hospitals in Europe.
A “telemedicine” project will give doctors at Genoa's Galliera Hospital a broadband TV link into the ship’s sick bay.
A Costa spokesman said: “The new service will be able to ensure diagnosis and consultation at a distance in relation to first aid, toxicology, cardiology, radiology, dermatology and ophthalmology.”
→ Book a Costa Cruises holiday
Oasis onto the Water
17th November 2008
I’M off to Finland tomorrow to make sure that OASIS OF THE SEAS, the biggest cruise ship ever built, will actually float.
The 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger ship will touch water for the first time when the dock in which she is being built is flooded.
With any luck, I’ll get to turn the wheel to fill the dock, as I did last year when INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS was floated out.
I love my souvenir picture of that event so much that I use it on my business cards!
Oasis of the Seas still has a year of construction to go at STX Europe (the new name for Aker Yards) at Turku.
When she starts cruising, next December, she will have two captains on board for her inaugural season.
The regular skipper will be Captain Tor Olsen, most recently in command of MARINER OF THE SEAS.
But for the first season Captain Bill Wright, who has a desk job as Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of marine operations, will also be on the bridge.
Capt Wright told me a few weeks ago: “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Two captains ... but surely the ship can only have one master. I wonder which of them will be giving the orders.
Both are fine mariners, but wouldn’t it have been nice if Royal Caribbean had taken the bold step of putting their only female master, Captain Karin Stahre-Janson of the MONARCH OF THE SEAS, in charge.
Maybe they’ll give her a shot at the next Genesis-class ship, ALLURE OF THE SEAS, due to be launched in August 2010.
Watch out for my video diaries from the Oasis of the Seas float out later this week.
→ Book a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas
Far East Flavour
TWO cruise lines are heading to Vietnam and the Far East next year.
Voyages of Discovery and Crystal Cruises have both announced itineraries for South East Asia.
DISCOVERY, with popular former ISLAND STAR Captain John Brocklehurst at the wheel, will make her first voyage to the Far East with destinations including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Hong Kong.
The ship has previously spent the winter in Antarctica, but many regulars have now “been there, done that”.
She will sail 15 to 20-day cruises.
Getting the ship there will take 65 days – fares for the voyage, beginning in November, start from around £7,000.
One worry – the journey currently includes a stopover in Kenya, which is a little too close to the pirate-infested waters of Somalia for my liking.
The six-star CRYSTAL SYMPHONY will be calling at four top golf courses in Thailand and Vietnam.
The ship’s 11-night run from Hong Kong to Singapore in April will have excursions to the Vietnam Golf & Country Club in Ho Chi Minh City, the Burapha Golf Club and Laem Chabang International Country Club in Bangkok and the Montgomerie Links at Da Nang, Vietnam.
Fares are from £4,261 with golf excursions from around £200.
Brilliant Ports of Call
ANOTHER new hotspot is on the radar of BRILLIANCE OF THE SEAS.
The British-run Royal Caribbean ship will be sailing out of Dubai at the beginning of 2010.
The itinerary will include a call at Oman’s capital Muscat, and maiden ports of call at Mina Sulman, Bahrain, and Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Cruising Speed
TWO six-star cruise ships have just had multi-million pound makeovers.
CRYSTAL SERENITY – which I cruised on a few weeks ago – sails for Miami on Friday after having a refurb which reduces the number of passengers slightly.
Twelve cabins have been converted into eight spacious penthouses, and the Crystal Cove in the atrium has been redesigned with a new layout and a round bar.
The casino has new machines, and the Stardust Lounge has been refurbished.
QUEEN MARY 2 is on her way to New York after a more technical refit.
Her four Rolls-Royce propulsion pods (most podded ships have only three, but Queen Mary 2 needs the power to cross the North Atlantic) have been overhauled, and 35,000 litres of “slippery” paint have been applied to the hull to reduce friction.
I bet she’s flying along!
P&O Changes for the Better
17th November 2008
THE P&O flagship VENTURA is having some tweaks to make it easier to find a sun lounger – and a meal.
The changes were announced immediately after rivals Celebrity announced they will be basing their third Solstice-class ship, CELEBRITY ECLIPSE, in Southampton in 2010.
P&O have already said their next ship, AZURA, also due out in 2010, will be more tranquil than family-focussed Ventura.
With the demise of Ocean Village and Island Cruises, it’s all showing that the British cruise business is drifting up-market.
While Ventura’s first season has been a success, P&O managing director Nigel Esdale confirms: “We have had some challenges in marrying the differing needs and expectations of a new audience with those who have travelled with us many times before.”
The part-introduction of optional Freedom Dining has been chaotic, with passengers having to book a table at 8am the previous day.
New software – and extra tables – should eliminate that problem, he said.
Entertainment scheduling will be staggered to reduce demand at peak times. (Er, isn’t that something the cruise director should have thought of months ago?)
The buffets are being improved to lure more passengers away from the main restaurants. One, the Beach House, will become an additional informal dining venue with waiter service.
Part of the area used by the Cirque Ventura bungee trampolines will become a sun lounger deck.
But best of all, cabin balconies will lose their ludicrously big tables and get recliners instead.
Nigel says: “This will have the added advantage of helping to alleviate the high demand for loungers on the open deck, which we experienced during the summer school holidays.”
→ Book a P&O cruise
Celebrity Sunshine
SOUTHAMPTON based cruises on the CELEBRITY ECLIPSE in 2010 will go on sale in March.
The ship will sail itineraries from Southampton to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
CELEBRITY SOLSTICE, which was named in Fort Lauderdale last week, will be in Europe next summer, cruising out of Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.
In August she will be joined by CELEBRITY EQUINOX, after she is named in Southampton.
I had to fly out of Miami just before the naming ceremony aboard Celebrity Solstice last week, so I missed Professor Sharon Smith, 62, smashing champagne on the ship’s funnel.
But I did have two days looking around the stunning vessel.
→ Book a Celebrity Cruises holiday
Princess at the Pictures
RUBY PRINCESS may be the last new Princess ship for a while, but the cruise line is spending big money adding “Movies Under The Stars” screens to seven more vessels.
The three-year programme will see the 300-square-foot screens installed on GOLDEN PRINCESS next May, followed by DAWN, CORAL, SUN, ISLAND, DIAMOND and SAPPHIRE PRINCESS.
They were introduced on CARIBBEAN PRINCESS in 2004, and have been copied by other cruise lines including Carnival and MSC.
They have a 69,000-watt sound system, and are bright enough to be seen clearly even under a brilliant Caribbean sun.
In the evenings, there is free popcorn too.
You can see the one on Ruby Princess in my video report from the ship’s naming ceremony the other week.
→ Book a Princess Cruises holiday
Aboard the Celebrity Solstice
13th - 15th November 2008
Editor's Note: Steve is currently attending the naming ceremony of the Celebrity Solstice in Florida, from where he is sending back daily video diary reports.
→ Book a Cruise on the Celebrity Solstice
12th November 2008
Steve takes to the skies
WHILE everyone was shedding tears over the QE2's farewell from Southampton - and puzzling about how she got briefly stuck on a sandbank that's been there for decades - I was stuck on the M25.
It was the only bad bit of a long but otherwise hassle-free journey to Miami for the naming of the CELEBRITY SOLSTICE.
I was on the Solstice a few weeks ago when she sailed out of the shipyard in Germany, and I can't wait to see the finished product. See my Celebrity Solstice Video Diaries for more information.
The flights are with Virgin Atlantic - and although I'm travelling in economy I managed to have a look in the Upper Class lounge at Heathrow.
They do massages, facials ... and a decent breakfast!
It's just short of a ten-hour flight to Miami, and thank goodness there were dozens of films to choose from.
I watched Mamma Mia, the new Batman film The Dark Knight, Cameron Diaz's comedy What Happens In Vegas and best of all, the outrageously incorrect comedy You Don't Mess With The Zohan.
Immigration at Miami was spectacularly quick. There was no queue and nine minutes after stepping off the plane I was outside.
Before joining the ship I'm having a night in one of the hotels used by Celebrity for their pre-cruise stays, the Conrad.
It's right in the heart of Miami, the rooms are enormous, and the restaurant is excellent.
And it's so nice to have a good night's sleep instead of rushing straight to the ship.
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
11th November 2008
WHILE all eyes are on Southampton today for the farewell of the QE2, our cruise expert Steve Read is flying to Miami for a few days to cover the naming ceremony of CELEBRITY SOLSTICE. Check back here for his reports...
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
Farewell QE2
10 November 2008
A MILLION poppy petals will cascade over the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 tomorrow before the ship – the most famous ocean liner in the world – sails away from Britain for the last time.
They will fall from a vintage Tiger Moth aircraft at 11am on the 11th of the 11th ... the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day,
Later an RAF Harrier will hover close to the ship’s stern and dip its nose in salute.
The QE2 served as a troop ship during the Falklands War in 1982.
The Duke of Edinburgh will be onboard for the ship’s last day in Southampton, her home port for the last 40 years.
The ship will leave her berth in the city’s Eastern Docks at 7.15pm, holding at Mayflower Park for a firework display and a speech by Captain Ian McNaught which will be shown on a giant screen.
Her final voyage – with a 39-foot “paying-off” pennant flying – is to Dubai, where she is to become a floating hotel.
Cabins for the farewell journey sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale.In the last few months passengers have had to go through security scanners as they get off the ship, to catch souvenir hunters.
The QE2’s only permanent resident passenger, 89-year-old Bea Muller, will be moving to the QUEEN MARY 2.
She will also travel on the QUEEN VICTORIA from time to time.
Cunard president Carol Marlow told me: “Mrs Muller has been a valued guest for many years and we are gratified that she remains so pleased with the Cunard experience that she is planning to take voyages on both Queen Victoria and our flagship, Queen Mary 2.”
Bea will leave the ship – her home for more than nine years – in Dubai and have a short holiday with one of her sons in the United States before moving into a cabin on QM2.
Captain McNaught will move to the Queen Victoria in March after a short stint at the helm of P&O’s ARTEMIS.
→ Book a Cunard cruise holiday
Ruby Princess: A bit of a gem
THE naming ceremony and mini-cruise on RUBY PRINCESS was excellent – I hope you enjoyed the videos.
Today I’m on dry land, before flying back out to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow for the naming of CELEBRITY SOLSTICE.
I’ll be staying in one of the Miami hotels used by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity for many British cruisers, the Conrad, so I’ll be filming that too.
It means I won't be in Southampton for tomorrow’s farewell to the QE2 – my colleagues over on Sky News will be covering that for you.
→ Book a holiday on the Ruby Princess
Naming the Ruby Princess
7th November 2008
EVERYONE wore red and love was in the air as RUBY PRINCESS was named in an elaborate ceremony yesterday.
Even the Gavin MacLeod, captain of telly’s original Love Boat series, was there.
The 113,000-ton ship – on the outside, similar to P&O’s VENTURA, on the inside very different – was christened by a couple who married after meeting on an American reality TV show, Trista and Ryan Sutter.
A shower of red confetti shot into the air as a champagne bottle was smashed by the main pool.
And while the ceremony, at Fort Lauderdale’s cruise terminal in Florida, was aimed squarely at the Americans it was a largely British event.
Flame-haired British opera singer Philippa Healey sang the US national anthem, before cruise director James Lay (British) introduced Captain Tony Yeomans (British).
Even the compulsory lifeboat drill announcement was delivered by a British voice which sounded uncannily like a cross between Tom Baker and Donald Sinden.
We’re now sailing in circles just off Miami, with a shipload of travel agents who were giving the casino – and the buffets – a pasting last night.
My cabin – D515 – is almost identical to the one I had on Ventura earlier this year.
The biggest difference is out on the balcony. Instead of a whopping dining table taking up all the room, I have a couple of sun loungers, two other chairs and a little table.
It’s two chairs too many really, but the cabin can sleep four if the sofa bed is pulled out.
Similarities include a shortage of drawer space (on QUEEN VICTORIA they have fitted extra ones under the bed).
There wasn’t much time to go exploring inside the ship yesterday, but I did get a good look around the open deck and at the super-luxurious Sanctuary area.
It costs about $15 to use this elegant, quiet area for half a day – more if you want a side-by-side massage with your travelling companion!
→ Book a holiday on the Ruby Princess
Fancy a
Ruby?
6th November 2008
I'M in the sumptuous Eden Roc hotel in Miami, before tomorrow's naming of the latest Princess ship, RUBY PRINCESS.
All by myself.
The other cruise hacks flew here on Tuesday, but I had a funeral to attend - for my partner Suzanne's mother, Mary, a lovely, funny lady.
By the time I reached the hotel the others were away at a basketball game, the Miami Heat (owned by Carnival cruise boss Micky Arison) v Philadelphia.
Tomorrow I'll send a video report from the ship, but for now - sat at the bar with my Blackberry and a gin & tonic - I thought I'd say a bit about my journey.
I couldn't get a direct flight, so I flew on American Airlines from Heathrow to Miami via JFK airport in New York.
If you've followed my travels before, you'll know that I have sometimes had a go at the brusque US officials whose paths you're bound to cross.
I take it all back.
At JFK the immigration and customs officers were - like in Miami a couple of weeks ago - perfectly polite and welcoming.
Going through security again to get the connecting flight was similarly painless. Irritating, of course, but quick.
But my goodness, it's a long day. Eight hours to New York and another three to Miami.
All I want to do is sleep. I can't, because the others will be piling in soon from the match and it would be rude not to join them for a drink or three!
If you're doing a Caribbean cruise, always try to arrive a day early and have a pre-cruise night in a hotel.
It will give your body time to adjust to the time difference.
Right now it's 11pm in Miami. But my brain's still working on UK time and thinks it's 4am.
And the others have just staggered in...
The ship will be named by Trista and Ryan Sutter, still married five years after being introduced on a reality TV show.
Onboard tonight, as we sail into the Caribbean on a two-night cruise to nowhere, there will be a mass "renewal of vows" ceremony.
→ Book a holiday on the Ruby Princess
4th November 2008
Steve is on route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in order to board the Ruby Princess for his next cruising journey - it's a hard life.
Check back in the next few days for Steve's video diary from Florida.
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
3rd November 2008
End of the line at Liverpool
THOMSON have abandoned plans to base one of their ships in Liverpool - because instead of using the city's brand new cruise terminal they would have to tie up at a scrapyard.
The THOMSON CELEBRATION would have been the city's first "resident" cruise ship for 50 years.
It would have brought in about £4.5million a year in port fees and other services as the 1,300-passenger ship ran 30 cruises a year out of the new Cruise Liner Terminal.
But it does not have customs and baggage handling facilities needed for "turnaround days" when passengers join and leave the ship.
Instead, Thomson were told to use the Langton Dock, surrounded by container cranes and with a view over the biggest scrapyard in Europe.
Thomson tried using it twice, before cancelling the whole programme.
Boss David Selby said: "The trial was held on the basis that interested parties would be able to allow Thomson Cruises to operate out of the new Cruise Liner Terminal.
"Some assurances were given that an agreement could be reached, particularly from Liverpool's Capital of Culture 2008 team.
"However, in the end these interested parties were ultimately unable to reach an agreement.
"Thomson Cruises felt that it would not be able to offer the quality of service its customers have come to expect if obliged to sail out of Langton Dock."
A Liverpool city council spokesman said: "The cruise liner terminal has been built with public money for ports of call ships only - it does not have customs or immigration facilities."
→ Book a Cruise on the Thomson Celebration
Welcome to the seas
IT'S a busy couple of weeks ahead, with two big hellos and one tearful farewell ... and lots of lovely air miles for me!
RUBY PRINCESS, the latest "Grand-class" ship for Princess Cruises, will be officially named in Fort Lauderdale this week.
CELEBRITY SOLSTICE has her launch party the following week.
In between, we'll be saying goodbye to the QE2 when she leaves Southampton for the last time on Tuesday 11th November 2008.
→ Book a Cruise Holiday
One less option for those who 'Don't Do Cruises'
29th October 2008
THE casual cruise line Ocean Village is being scrapped.
Their two ships, whose slogan was “cruises for people who don’t do cruises”, are being moved Down Under.
The first, OCEAN VILLAGE TWO, will go after next year’s summer season. She will be followed by the original OCEAN VILLAGE ship in 2010.
It is a second blow in a month for lovers of informal cruising without set dining arrangements and dress codes, following the news that Island Cruises is also being closed down.
Ocean Village is part of the huge Carnival corporation, who admitted today that the brand does not show as much potential for growth as their others like P&O, Cunard and Princess.
Both Ocean Village ships will transfer to the P&O Cruises Australia brand – OV2 in time for Christmas 2009 and OV a year later.
David Dingle, chief executive of Carnival UK, said: “In reviewing the most effective deployment of our ships, we have recognised the major growth potential in the Australian market and the profit opportunity which awaits.
“Clearly it is disappointing to wind down our Ocean Village operation which has been superbly created and delivered by an excellent management team, but we must recognise the need to maximise profit performance from our assets.
“Ocean Village has done much to change the face of British cruising, and all our UK brands have benefited from this.
“The arrival of new ships for P&O Cruises and Cunard in 2010 and the continuing development of Princess Cruises in Britain will ensure that Carnival UK continues its growth despite the redeployment of the Ocean Village vessels.”
In a message to passengers, Ocean Village’s managing director Nick Lighton said: “The profile of Ocean Village is very similar to that of P&O Cruises Australia and the Australian market is a very buoyant one with great growth potential.
“Our ships will operate as normal until they eventually leave for Australia and everyone on board and on shore will remain fully committed to ensuring that you enjoy a great value, relaxing and enjoyable holiday with Ocean Village.
“If you have already booked for the Caribbean for winter 2010, we will be in touch with you directly or through your travel agent to advise you of the changes to your holiday.”
He said the crews may be able to move with the ships to Australia, or be found other jobs within Carnival.
“The welfare of our ships’ crew is a top priority,” he said.
“We greatly value our staff and the key role they play in the enjoyment of your time on board and they in turn remain fully committed to giving you a wonderful holiday.”
Ocean Village will operate a single ship in the Caribbean in Winter 2009-10 and the previously published programme will be adjusted, with existing bookings amended accordingly. A European programme will be operated in 2010.
If you are booked on an Ocean Village cruise after next Autumn and need advice, my colleagues over at Virgin Holidays Cruises on 0871 781 9903 will be happy to help.
Carnival’s two main British brands – P&O and Cunard – are both getting new ships in 2010, with the 3,100-passenger AZURA and the 2,100-passenger QUEEN ELIZABETH.
But they are still considerably different from the freestyle cruising offered by Ocean and Island which was squarely aimed at first-time cruisers. P&O’s VENTURA is the nearest match.
Today’s news means four ships dedicated to British passengers will disappear by 2010 – Ocean Village, Ocean Village 2, ISLAND STAR and the Fred Olsen ship BLACK PRINCE.
ISLAND ESCAPE is to become part of the Thomson Cruises fleet.
When Ocean Village Two arrives in Australia she will be based in Brisbane and renamed PACIFIC JEWEL.
The original Ocean Village will also be renamed, and will be based in Auckland.
PACIFIC SUN, currently based in Brisbane, will be moved to Fremantle, near Perth.
→ Book and Ocean Village cruise before they go
Windy Weirdness
WHAT a difference a day (or two) makes.
Holland America Line’s new EURODAM docked at Grand Turk on Monday in what British captain Jonathan Mercer described as “picture perfect” weather.
It was the first call at Grand Turk for both the captain and the ship.
Capt Mercer says: “I had heard all sorts of stories about the docking procedure at the pier – how wind and current play a pivotal role on the approach. Now it was time to put it into action.
Captain Jonathan Mercer accepts a port plaque from Theo Forbes, marine operations manager for the Grand Turk Cruise Center.
“I had deliberately adjusted our arrival off the pier so that it coincided with just before sunrise, it was obvious that this was not the type of place that one wanted to dock, for the first time at least, in darkness.
“The docking went well. The wind was kind to us and the wait for some daylight proved to be a good decision. We have little space between the pier itself and the reefs either side, so being able to see it all was invaluable.”
That all meant that Capt Mercer was able to hold the traditional exchange of gifts whenever a ship visits a new port. The commemorative plaques are on display near the ship’s lobby.
But by Wednesday, when smaller sister ship VEENDAM was due to call at Grand Turk, the weather had turned and a frontal system was heading in.
Captain Albert Schoonderbeek says: “The Veendam approached the pier from the south west and we observed winds of around 25 to 30 knots; that is gale force.
Captain Albert Schoonderbeek
“While we approached the dock the wind only became stronger and stronger – and when I was as close as four ship lengths off the dock, the anemometer indicated 32 knots of true winds.
“That is a good enough reason to turn around quickly and get to safer, open waters.
“At the same time the ever increasing winds whipped up the waves and a swell started to run along the dock. That meant that even if we had been able to dock, the Veendam would have been bouncing along the pier all day. That would not have been safe either.
“I could only make one decision – cancel the call and spend the day at sea. Thus we set course for Half Moon Cay...”
→ Book a Holland America cruise
Surcharges not so crude
NCL is the latest cruise line to scrap fuel surcharges, now that oil prices are falling.
But, inevitably, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
If you’re going on an NCL cruise in 2009, or if you’ve already booked your 2010 cruise, there is a complicated formula to think through.
Ready for it?
“The criteria for refund will be determined on a quarterly basis. Should the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel be below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.”
There is a tiny loophole. If you’re planning on cruising with NCL in 2010, don’t book it until after November 10 – then the supplement, up to around £8 a day, will not apply.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival have announced similarly complex arrangements to end surcharges across their cruise brands. The biggest difference seems to be that Carnival’s refunds kick in when oil drops to $70 a barrel, unlike NCL and Royal Caribbean's $65 target.
I wouldn’t worry about it. If the price of oil goes up again, the deal’s off anyway.
→ Book a cruise holiday
Rosey Retriement
ANOTHER much-loved British ship looks destined to join the QE2 as a floating hotel in Dubai.
SAGA ROSE will sail on her farewell voyage next October, and my spies tell me she will be heading to the United Arab Emirates afterwards.
That’s where QE2 will be going in a couple of weeks time.
Both ships are being retired because they won't meet tough new safety regulations which come into force in 2010.
Apparently the buyers of Saga Rose will give the ship her original Cunard name, SAGAFJORD, and set her up as a rival hotel to the QE2.
I hope she meets a nicer fate than the QE2, whose distinctive red funnel will be removed and plonked on the quayside, cabins will be ripped out and refurbished to modern hotel standards, and whose deck space will have a load of extra suites.
→ Book a cruise holiday
The Queen has new drawers
29th October 2008
ALL cabins on the QUEEN VICTORIA have at last been fitted with extra drawers, under the beds and in the bedside cabinets.
When the Cunard liner was launched last December, everyone – including me – loved the luxurious cabins, until we realised there was hardly anywhere to put your bits and bobs.
It took almost a year for designers to come up with a solution – not just what to do, but how to do it without disturbing the passengers.
They have added 3,722 drawers in the bedside cabinets, and 2,016 under the beds. A team of 11 carpenters did the work, over the course of three cruises.
A PAIR of the real Queen Victoria’s drawers – handmade, open-crotch and embroidered with the initials VR – sold for £6,000 at an auction earlier this year.
→ Book a cruise on the Queen Victoria
Tango in the Caribbean
MY love of cruising began with a trip on the SUNBIRD. I did six cruises on her, five of them in the Caribbean, when she was sailing for Airtours back in 2000.
On one of the trips, I even learned how to tango!
Now sailing as the THOMSON DESTINY, she is heading back to the Caribbean for the winter – based at La Romana in the Dominican Republic.
Two-week cruises from £1,379 feature calls at Grenada, Dominica, Antigua, St Maarten, Tortola, St Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe and St Kitts.
To book a cruise on the Thomson Destiny, call my colleagues at Virgin Holidays Cruises on 0871 781 9903.
