Was it the Costa Concordia effect or are P&O passengers well behaved anyway? Whichever, you could have heard a pin drop during the muster drill for new passengers joining Adonia.
It made a change from the usual chit-chat that goes on during these safety drills.
However we were still advised, on hearing the emergency signal, to go back to our cabins to get our lifejackets, which has always struck me as crazy.
A safety review sparked by the Costa Concordia accident now demands cruise lines hold the muster before the ship sails, even if it inconveniences passengers.
Surely the requirement for passengers to go back to their cabins in an emergency has got to be next.
I’m on my way to Buenos Aires in Argentina to join Adonia, the baby of the P&O Cruises’ fleet, for a cruise around the bottom of South America.
Over the next two weeks I’ll be cruising south along the coast of Argentina, heading east for a day in the Falklands and then returning to South America to sail around Cape Horn, through the Chilean fjords and north to Valparaiso, where I disembark for a flight home from Santiago.
Buenos Aires aside, it seems I will be getting my chills while on wildlife excursions and on deck admiring the Chilean glaciers. A quick check on the internet yesterday showed the temperature in the Falklands and Punta Arenas is six degrees – colder than here in the UK although it is their summer.
It meant a quick change in my packing plans, with gloves and the thick coat Voyages of Discovery gave me when I cruised with them to Antarctica replacing shorts and summer trousers.
As a sun lover, I am very glad not to be doing this cruise in their winter, although no doubt the chilly weather suits the penguins I’m hoping to see in the Falklands – where I’ll also be keeping a look out for Prince William – and in Ushuaia, where I am joining a catamaran cruise through the Beagle Channel.
Otherwise I will be visiting wildlife and going hiking, and also spending time relaxing on the ship as there are several days at sea.
Did I say relaxing? I’ve got a pile of work to do and, internet willing, I’ll also be posting blogs about the trip so remember to keep in touch.
Thomson Dream, the ship that caused Thomson Cruises so many problems that the line ended up being torn apart on BBC TV’s Watchdog programme, has come up trumps in Cruise Critic’s passenger awards.
As well as being named best mid-size ship by British cruisers, the 1,506-passenger vessel took top honours in the best cabin, entertainment, service and shore excursions categories.
British passengers voted Celebrity Equinox best overall large ship with Seabourn Odyssey best overall small ship. Disney Dream was named best for families.
You can see all the results by clicking here. They make interesting reading, if only for the total absence of P&O Cruises, which calls itself Britain’s favourite cruise line, and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which sells almost exclusively in the UK.
Cruise Critic says the awards are handed out on the basis of ratings provided by cruisers.
Viking River Cruises’ new voyages on the Douro in Portugal are filling fast even though they only went on sale on Monday.
More proof that river cruising is going through the roof!
Viking makes its Douro debut next year, offering a nine-night itinerary that combines two nights in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, with a seven-night cruise sailing roundtrip from Porto to Barca d’Alva in Spain, for excursions to Salamanca.
The cruises are on the 124-passenger Viking Douro, which is owned and operated by Portuguese company Douro Azul and is sailing this year for Uniworld River Cruises under the name Douro Spirit.
Uniworld tells me they are building a vessel to replace the Douro Spirit. They’ve promised to send me details of the new build so I’ll let you know more when I hear anything.
The Douro Spirit, soon to be Viking Douro, has 59 cabins with French balconies and three junior suites. There’s a pool and jacuzzi on the sun deck.
Viking’s first Douro cruise is on March 22 2013, when prices start from £1,695 per person (the cheapest cabins have already sold out) including flights and transfers, full-board on the cruise, bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Lisbon, shore excursions, and wine beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner.
Some 697,000 Britons cruised the Mediterranean in 2010, according to the Passenger Shipping Association, the cruise industry’s trade body, making the region our undisputed favourite destination for a holiday at sea.
And no wonder. It’s on our doorstep, it has history, culture, some of the world’s greatest cities and sandy beaches – and cruises in the Med allow you to see it all and much more besides. And if that is not enough, bear in mind the weather in summer is glorious.
With this summer’s Med season almost upon us, here’s my top 10 reasons for taking a cruise in the region.
1. Mediterranean cruises offer the ultimate city break, allowing you to visit lots of places on one holiday without the hassle of packing and unpacking as you go. On one cruise you might visit Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Porto and Lisbon, on another Venice, Dubrovnik, on another Athens and Istanbul. The choice is endless.
2. It’s easy to get there. There are flights of course, but the increasingly popular way is to take a cruise from a UK port and avoid airport delays and airline baggage allowances. Set sail from Southampton and you’ll be in Lisbon, Malaga or Gibraltar in just two days, Barcelona in three.
3. There are so many itineraries to choose from. You can cruise for one week or two, visit premier-league cities or lesser-known towns, or go island-hopping around Greece. Western Mediterranean itineraries focus on Italy, France and Spain and its islands; choose the Eastern Med to visit Croatia, Venice, Montenegro, Istanbul and Corfu.
4. With everything from Greek and Roman remains to world-class museums, a cruise around the Mediterranean is a historian’s dream. There’s the Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum and Vatican in Rome; the ruins of Pompeii, the city destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD; Olympia, visited from the port of Katakolon, where the first Olympic Games were held. Barcelona is famous for Gaudi’s architecture; Florence is a treasure trove with the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell’Accademia housing Michelangelo’s David.
5. Don’t worry! There’s more to the Med than museums! Pisa’s leaning tower is great fun, as are the human statues along La Ramla in Barcelona. Taormina, reached from Messina, invites you to stroll, shop and stop for coffee and yummy ice-cream. Santorini is delightful. Take a cable car to Fira, the blue-and-white capital, or hike up the volcano. Elsewhere there are beaches, biking and hiking tours, water parks and winery visits and so much more. 6. More than 25 cruise lines have vessels in the Mediterranean this summer, offering everything from luxurious yachts to ships designated adult-only and resort-style family-friendly vessels packed with kids and teen clubs, pools and lots of places to eat and drink.
7. The weather in the Mediterranean is glorious. Warm in spring and autumn, hot, hot, hot in July and August, so come prepared with sun lotion and light clothing. A few cruise lines sail in the Med in winter – it’s a perfect time for sightseeing as the crowds have gone home, but it can be cold and wet.
8. Some of the best cuisine in the world comes from the Mediterranean and you can taste it all on a cruise around the region. There’s tapas in Spain, pizzas and pasta in Italy, seafood and cheese in France, pitta bread, hummus and yoghurt-based dips in Greece. Their meats are tasty, their salads delicious and boy, do they know how to make good ice cream. And of course you have to try the local wines as well, especially in France and Italy.
9. Euros might not be having a bad press at the moment popular, but they’re brilliant for tourists as you can visit France, Spain, Italy and Greece and not have to worry about changing currency. Even countries outside the euro-zone such as Turkey and Croatia are happy to take them, making life so easy.
10. To visit Gibraltar. OK, it isn’t on my must-see list either, but this British enclave on the Spanish border is hugely popular on no-fly cruises from the UK as you can stock up on duty-free alcohol and cigarettes before coming back to Britain. You’ll find M&S, Next, Mango and other familiar brands on Main Street. Oh and while you’re there you could go dolphin watching, see the Barbary Apes or take a tour inside the famous Rock.
Balcony giveaways are like London buses. You wait ages for one cruise line to do it and then another comes along with the same offer.
On Wednesday I told you that starting today, Cunard is selling balconies for the price of an inside cabin this weekend so it’s only fair to mention P&O Cruises is offering free balcony upgrades.
They are available on selected cruises from Southampton between April and September on Aurora, Azura, Oceana and Ventura from today until Monday February 13.
Check out the website for more details.
Cunard’s New Zealand-born Commodore Christopher Rynd celebrated his first trip Down Under at the helm of Queen Mary 2 since being appointed the line’s most senior captain by posing on the ship’s funnel (he’s that speck of white on the right) as it arrived in Fremantle, Australia, as part of its 108-night world voyage. The ship is circumnavigating Australia before returning to Southampton via the Suez Canal on April 27.
For four days only starting this Friday, February 10, you can book a balcony cabin on one of Cunard’s ships for the price of an inside room.
Their balcony bonanza is available on Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, and although it applies only to selected sailings between April and September 2012 there’s a wide choice of itineraries – to the Norwegian fjords, the Baltic, Iberia and the Mediterranean.
Prices start from £399 for a balcony cabin on a three-night mini-cruise from Southampton on Queen Victoria on May 5.
A balcony cabin on a one-week cruise to the Norwegian fjords, also from Southampton, on August 7 and 17 costs from £799 per person.
Check out the website for more details. But hurry. The offer ends next Monday, February 13.
Regular CRUISE readers will recall my cruise tour visiting Jordan, Egypt, the Lebanon and Cyprus with Voyages to Antiquity at the end of last year.
I visited the Lost City of Petra (right), this year celebrating 200 years since it was “found” and stood on the spot on Mount Nebo in Jordan where Moses is said to have looked across to the Promised Land (Israel).
I toured the Temple of Karnak and Valley of the Kings in Luxor in Egypt, wandered around Beirut in the Lebanon, and took an excursion to the ancient Phoenician city of Baalbek, also in Lebanon – a fascinating place – and tucked into the scrummy Jordanian mezze they served for lunch on the way back to the ship.
It was an amazing cruise, for the sights, the experience and the company. Here’s my six top reasons for selecting Voyages to Antiquity.
1. For a cultural fix. Voyages to Antiquity is all about learning, whether on the excursions, which are included in the price, or during the onboard lectures, which they schedule after dinner or on sea days. As we visited Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon so we had experts in Egyptian and Middle East history. On cruises this year the lecture line-up includes historians, language experts, writers and archaeologists.
2. For the food and service. I was impressed with both. Drinks in the bar were served fast, the crew was generous with the free wine at dinner and the food was good. They even conjured up some off-menu Indian dishes for my table one night. My favourite was the Tapas on the Terrace. Tasty tapas outside on a warm evening in port in Sharm el Sheikh. Perfect.
3. For the cabin. My deluxe balcony cabin was spacious, clean and comfortable and came with unlimited free bottled water, a bottle of Champagne, a fridge stocked with soft drinks, a bath and shower, and Molten Brown toiletries in the bathroom.
Because I had a balcony cabin, I also had a red spot on my cruise card, denoting my group for excursions. The Red Spot was always called first to disembark when the tour coaches were ready to start loading. If all goes according to plan – and sometimes it did – you can be off fast and there’s less hanging around.
4. For the free excursions. It is brilliant to have these included in the cruise price so you don’t have to skip places of interest because you’re worried about the cost – especially as most passengers chose this cruise line for the itinerary. When I visited Syria with Voyages to Antiquity in 2010, we were put up in hotels in Palmyra, about four hours’ drive from the port. This time we had an overnight in Luxor (I woke to see these hot-air balloons over the West Bank) so we could visit the key sights there. Again, it was all included in the cruise price.
5. For the QuietVox equipment. These are brilliant gadgets – used also by the best river cruise companies – that use a combination of earphones and microphones and allow you to hear what the guides are saying without having to elbow your way to the front of the group. Every cruise line should have them.
6. For the included gratuities. Like most Brits, I dislike tipping – worrying about giving the right amount, knowing when to give it, ensuring I have enough cash at the end of the cruise, knowing what currency to use. Endless problems. So it’s great to have tips included in the price.
Voyages to Antiquity was launched in 2010 originally to sail only in the Eastern Mediterranean during spring, summer and autumn.
However, this year, they are also offering cruises to France and Spain, and come November their ship, the 378-passenger Aegean Odyssey, heads east for a debut winter season in Asia. Follow this link to the website and look because there are some fabulous itineraries.
The corks will be popping on Saga Sapphire in November, when Captain David Warden-Owen celebrates 50 years at sea.
As master of the ship, which joins the Saga Cruises’ fleet in March, Captain Warden-Owen won’t be able to partake in much of the fizzy stuff, but at least passengers can have a non-stop party in his honour as drinks are included in the price on the cruise his anniversary falls on – a 31-night voyage from Southampton to the Caribbean and back on November 17.
David Warden-Owen started his sea-going career as a cadet with Shaw Savill Line and worked his way up the ranks to Staff Captain with Cunard on the QE2.
He joined Saga in 1997 and was captain of the dearly-departed Saga Rose. I met him two years ago when he was captain on Saga Pearl II on a fabulous cruise in the Baltic.
And now he gets to be at the helm of Saga Sapphire.
The ship, once German line Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa (they sold it and now have another called Europa), is currently having a multi-million-pound makeover that will add a whole load of new stuff including balcony cabins, an Asian speciality restaurant and outdoor Beach Club where you can watch films and munch on fish and chips.
Horst Pint, Saga’s hotel director, is in Palermo, Sicily, where the refit is underway; you can see his blog and videos by clicking here.
I’ve marked March 23 in my diary to go and have a look-see in Southampton before it sets off on its maiden cruise in Saga colours on March 26.
I can’t wait.
