The white continent: Hurtigruten’s MS Fram’s voyage to Antarctica

Chinstrap penguin on Half Moon Island

Emily Payne en route to Antarctica on icebergs, defecating penguins and Drake Passage Disasters: Part 1 It’s almost impossible not to empathise with the smugness of  Roald Amundsen as you finally spot an iceberg on the horizon, after two days at sea in hazardous conditions. We’ve only gone and got to Antarctica. And while Amundsen’s self-satisfaction stemmed from beating Scott to be the first the South Pole, I can imagine what some of those … [Read more...]

Cruise Wedding Experience

Cruise Wedding

Lisa and Steve Hatfull from Redditch celebrated their wedding day aboard P&O’s Oriana on a 30-night transatlantic cruise to the USA and the Caribbean. … [Read more...]

“Day two onboard my first gay cruise!”

Gary Buchanan Gay Cruise

Gary Buchanan reveals the second installment of his blog, retelling the time aboard his first gay cruise. … [Read more...]

Costa Concordia: “Safety is the number one priority”

Yesterday's press conference to discuss safety issues following the Costa Concordia accident

I attended a press conference yesterday set up to answer some of the questions being asked in the wake of the Costa Concordia accident. … [Read more...]

No long-term impact on cruise

Editor Adam Coulter speaking on Al Jazeera TV about the Costa Concordia accident

I've been doing the rounds of radio and TV (that's me on Al Jazeera TV on Monday) in the last few days, asking my views on the Costa Concordia accident and whether it will have a long-term impact on people's desire to cruise. Obviously only time will tell and I don't have a crystal ball, but my gut instinct is that long-term it won't. Initial reports indicate people are not cancelling future cruises and are continuing to make bookings. Clearly … [Read more...]

Gary Buchanan: “My first gay cruise”

Gay Cruise

Gary Buchanan is ready for parties, pecs and pink outfits as he sets sail on his first gay cruise with RSVP Vacations. Here's the first installment of his fantastic blog! … [Read more...]

Cruising still one of the safest forms of transport

costa-concordia-captain

Cruise International Editor Adam Coulter gives his view of the Costa Concordia accident The Costa Concordia accident has shone a bright spotlight on cruising, but the incident ought to be taken into context. Cruising is still one of the safest forms of transport: 1.7m Brits took a cruise last year. Worldwide this figure is 21m people. There are 0.3 deaths at sea per billion passenger kilometers, compared to 2.8/billion by road. And of the … [Read more...]

100 Years of the Titanic

Titanic 100 year anniversary

Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. The jaw-dropping size of the ship, the opulent style of the interior and, of course, the catastrophe that occurred just four days into the maiden voyage when it collided with an iceberg and more than 1,500 passengers died. In the greatest literary tragedies, it is the very traits that are most admirable in the hero that bring about his downfall. And it’s this same tragic irony that makes the story … [Read more...]

Food, glorious food

Rhine---Basel-to-Speyer-080

Cruise International’s deputy editor, Jessica Tooze, is on her first cruise. She is sailing down the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam with Uniworld On the sun deck of Uniworld's latest vessel, the SS Antoinette, people are basking in the 16-degree warmth, sipping iced tea and enjoying the view. Remarkably, it’s early November and we’re docked at Kehl in Germany, so the unseasonably warm weather is a pleasant surprise. As a first-time cruiser, … [Read more...]

The Nicaragua Canal

IMG_4006

Adam Coulter reports from Nicaragua, which is becoming increasingly popular for cruisers keen to experience Central America how it once was It's the final day of my Central America trip and I'm at Costa Rica Airport waiting for a flight to Spain, which has already been delayed by an hour. I've already taken two flights today, from Managua to El Salvador, and from El Salvador to here, so just two to go and I'll be back in the UK. This … [Read more...]