This is a guest post about Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas by my dad, maritime historian and owner of Cobwebs Ocean Liner Memorabilia – Peter Boyd-Smith. Dad has been on over 100 cruises over the years, as a passenger and guest lecturer. Both Mum and Dad have sailed on
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Top attractions close to Southampton cruise port
As some of my readers will know, I am a Southampton native and know the city and its surrounding areas very well. In a previous post, I covered things to do, places to stay and eating out in Southampton. In this post I wanted to highlight some of the great attractions
Read moreCruise ship review: P&O Cruises Ventura post 2018 refit
P&O Cruises’ mighty Ventura is special to me for a number of reasons. She was the first cruise ship I ever worked on back in 2009, and I spent much of 2015 and 2016 cruising on her for long periods with my husband. It’s safe to say that she, alongside
Read moreAn officer’s world cruise diary: Part 4
Join P&O Cruises Port Presenter Sam Whiteside as he shares the fourth instalment of his Arcadia world cruise diary. On Thursday 19thApril 2018, Arcadia arrived back in Southampton after her 99 Day Western Circumnavigation of the world. In total the ship covered 33,940 nautical miles, visiting 30 ports in 22
Read moreCruise ship review: Braemar, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
A few months ago I was fortunate enough to have a look around the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ship Balmoral. I was impressed by the ship and keen to learn more about the rest of the fleet. When the opportunity arose to visit another Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ship –
Read moreMy memories of the QE2, Dubai’s newest 5-star hotel
The Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner (or QE2 as she is fondly known) is to open as a floating hotel in Dubai, after a major refurbishment. QE2 first arrived in Dubai in 2008 but plans to turn her into a hotel ground to a halt, until now. An invitation only soft
Read moreOfficer Q&A: Behind the scenes of a cruise ship Shore Excursions team
Some of you may already know this, but I spent three years working on board P&O Cruises ships in the Shore Excursions Department (2009-2012). In my opinion it was one of the best jobs on board, partly because you got to go ashore and experience the ports on a daily
Read moreCruising with a family on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas
This is a guest post by James Allen a thirty-something Senior Naval Engineer from Bath, who cruises regularly with his wife and two young children. James and his family have sailed on board Harmony of the Seas, their first Royal Caribbean experience. He has kindly shared his thoughts on the
Read moreAn officer’s world cruise diary: Part 3
Join P&O Cruises Port Presenter Sam Whiteside as he shares the third instalment of his world cruise diary, written on board Arcadia. Tuesday 13th February 2018 – Pago Pago, American Samoa In the 4 days sailing from Hawaii towards American Samoa, Cyclone Gita had formed in the South Pacific and
Read moreA cruise travel guide to Malta
One of the things I love most about cruising is the opportunity to visit a new port every few days. I really enjoy hopping ashore, jumping on a tour or exploring a place independently. But sometimes I want to spend longer than one day in a port, which was the
Read moreA beginner’s guide to Marella Cruises
This is a guest post by cruise and travel bloggers Paul and Carole from Paul and Carole Love to Travel. You can find more links to their website and social media channels, at the end of this post. We have now cruised 13 times and 2 out of our last
Read moreOfficer Q&A: Getting to know an expedition cruise ship Captain
For my latest ‘Meet the Officer’ interview, I had a chat with Aaron Wood – Captain with expedition cruise company Lindblad Expeditions. Both Mr Cruise Blogger and I sailed with Aaron during his time working on P&O Cruises and Cunard ships. I was really keen to find out more about
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