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QE2 gets a paint job but loses her identity The Legendary QE2 was transferred into Dubai’s dry docks last month where a number of routine marine surveys to confirm her compliance with international standards and specifications were conducted. Full story Benefits cheat caught after boasts of luxury cruise on the web A benefits cheat, Jonathan McGrory, who conned nearly £20,000 in rent and council tax was caught after boasting about his champagne lifestyle on the social networking website Facebook. Full story Cruise death may change Scots law The tragic death of a Glasgow student who drowned while on a holiday cruise could bring about a change in the law of Scotland. Full story Cruise the Med without leaving your own home SUN-seeking pensioners have been enjoying a cruise around the Mediterranean – without even leaving Hartlepool Full story Disabled couple's cruise row A disabled couple from Hemsworth are considering legal action after a global cruise operator banned them from travelling alone. Full story £6000: That's what you call an expensive shore excursion! In an industry first, Crystal Cruises is offering just six intrepid holiday travelers a new two-day excursion to the windiest, coldest and least populated continent on the planet. Full story Disappointment for Devon as Azamara skips Dartmouth HURRICANE Bill has scuppered a visit which would have seen the biggest cruise ship ever to drop anchor at Dartmouth show up with 700 money-spinning visitors. Full story Comedy Club Concept to Debut on New 130,000-Ton Carnival Dream Comedians to Perform Six Shows on Four Nights During Every Seven-Day Cruise Full story Disney Cruise Line Creating More Magic at Castaway Cay Pixie dusting Disney’s private island to provide more family fun, interactive play areas, upscale luxury and even greater convenience for guests Full story Cruise Visitor falls off rocks A statement released by NCL said the man and his wife were walking on rocks by the shore on Great Stirrup Cay in a remote part of the island when he fell into the water Full story MSC Cruises uses infrared cameras to nab flu carriers The Italian cruise line MSC Cruises is ultra serious about keeping the H1N1 swine flu virus off its ships. Full story Disney starts construction of new ships Construction of the Disney Dream, the first of two new Disney Cruise Line ships, has begun at a shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, with plans for the 1,240-stateroom vessel to begin service from Port Canaveral in 2011, the cruise line announced Wednesday. Full story Experience the Winter Olympics with NCL NCL is offering a number of options, including a four-night cruise-only package from Los Angeles with a one-day stop in Victoria. Full story Celebrity Century is returning to the Med Celebrity Cruises will redeploy Celebrity Century to the Mediterranean next summer. Full story Oasis of the seas: Watch the lastest video of her! See how a specialised set of controls let the crew maneuver Oasis of the Seas with finesse and precision for a smooth ride. Full story Cruise ships alter course due to Hurricane Jimena Hurricane Jimena is angling toward Cabo San Lucas and will drench Baja California with rain. Full story That's a big plug! Princess Ships Start Plugging into Shore Power at Port of Vancouver Full story Wine expert Olly Smith to host web-tastic tasting sessions with P&O TV wine expert Olly Smith is to host four online wine tasting sessions to celebrate his latest venture, The Glass House, on board the newest P&O Cruises superliner, Azura. Full story NCL Announce Waiting List for Norwegian Epic Norwegian Cruise Line have now announced it is offering guests the opportunity to book a waiting list reservation on Norwegian Epic’s first transatlantic cruise. Full story Click here to view more NEWS!

Cruise Q's: do you know the answer?

Q: Oceana: Is she really THAT bad? By first timer, york on 31st Aug 2009 Subject: P&O Cruises/Oceana having just read some reviews on this website about p&o oceana getting rather shabby and meals not upto standard i am now wondering if i have done the right thing by booking a cruise on this ship,can anyone out there reasure me please,thanks... Answer Q: Ventura/Caribbean: What should I budget for? By pearson, oldham on 31st Aug 2009 Subject: P&O Cruises/Ventura/Caribbean my husband and i are going on a caribbean cruise in decemeber, for 15 nights, sailing on the p&o ventura.we are unsure of how much to budget for, and need a little help with it please? how much will we need roughly for the both of us for 15 nights? if anyone else has been on this cruise it'd be great to know how much we should take.i don't know if we will be doing any excursions as we don't know what excursions there are! also, we won't be drinking much alcohol during the day, mainly in the evenings where it'll just be one or two drinks. we are full board so the food's paid for, we just have to pay for drinks/tipping etc. a rough estimate would be lovely, i know you can't give me an exact amount as we don't know what (if any) extras we'll be having, although i do know we want to dine in the white room just the once... Answer Q: Tangiers: Is it safe to tour on your own? By mcadam, belfast on 31st Aug 2009 Subject: Thomson Cruises/Thomson Destiny I am going on Moorish delights on 17 sept. Could anyone tell me if it is ok to make our own tour of Tangier or would we be safer going on ships tours (which we don't normally do ). We had a bad experience in Morrocco last time (Casablanca). I would appreciate any advice. Thank you. Answer Are you going on a cruise? Do you have any questions? Ask your fellow cruisers! There's a wealth of cruising out there ready to be discovered - by you! Click here to ask a question Q: Queen Victoria: What are the shops like? By Davis, Market Harborough on 31st Aug 2009 Subject: Cunard Cruises/Queen Victoria/Mini Cruises Am going on the mini cruise on 20th October. Am wondering what are the shops on board Victoria like? Are they offering perfume and drinks at reduce prices. I found this was available when I did a mini cruise on QE2. I got some fbtastic bargains. Many thanks Audrey Answer Q: We pre-pay tips - how much should we tip on top? By Porter, Shipley on 31st Aug 2009 Subject: Royal Caribbean Cruises/Independence Of The Seas/Mediterranean We prefer to pay our gratuities in advance as we don't feel comfortable with personal tipping. However it would seem that extra tipping for an attentive waiter or room service etc is expected. We don't want to feel embarrassed by a steward obviously expecting a tip so can anyone tell me how much it should be per time. We are expecting to use room service a lot. I had hoped that prepaying tips would solve this problem but it would seem that using this method just means paying twice. Also can we pay them in Euro's or pounds. One other thing, does everyone wear full evening dress on formal nights?Answer

Cruise Reviews

We were thoroughly spoilt! SEABOURN / Seabourn Spirit / Adriatic By O'Connor, Leigh-on-Sea on 1st Sep 2009 ...The thing that I had worried about was that the other passengers might have been rather too “upper crust” for us, mere mortals, and that we would have problems socialising with them. I needn’t have worried; apart from one passenger, who never failed to work her wealth and the fame of her family...Read more Independence of the Seas...Never again! ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES / Jewel of the Seas / Baltic By atkins, tamworth on 23rd Aug 2009 ...All Iwanted was a stress free holiday and to get what I paid for, but I didn't get this and by the sounds of it a lot of other people didn't get a stress free holiday either. I would also like to say to the people who think these problems are just part of a cruise...It's not!... Read more Queen Mary 2 Good or Bad CUNARD CRUISES / Queen Mary 2 / Transatlantic By Constable, Newcastle upon Tyne on 31st Aug 2009 ...when we booked QM2 we had a suspicion that this cruise may not totally be our thing, I think the give away was when we reviewed the precruise documentation and noted that military medals could be worn on the formal night... Read more An affordable way to see Norway! P&O CRUISES / Oriana / Norwegian Fjords By kunzli, london on 31st Aug 2009 ..As we collected our “cruise cards” we were mysteriously photographed. It became clearer later in the trip, that this was the first of very very many pictures being taken by the onboard photographers. ... Read more Have you been on a Cruise? Write your review today & get a FREE Berlitz Guide to Cruising! click here You get what you pay for MSC CRUISES / MSC Lirica / Mini Cruises By callan/brake, ashford on 31st Aug 2009 ... I think most of the people got very fed up with how rude most of the italian people on the ship was,we would be waiting for a lift and people would nearly knock the kids out the way so they got in the lift even though we was waiting way before them.... Read more Thomson Baltic Capitals fabulous 2 week cruise THOMSON CRUISES / Thomson Spirit / Baltic By Webster, Goole on 29th Aug 2009 ...The comedian, Elvis impersonator and 2 guest speakers - Peter Sallis (Last of the Summer Wine) and Maggie Streader (one of the Vernon Girls) were all excellent"...Read more Good but lots of extra costs NCL CRUISES / Norwegian Gem / Mediterranean By Arrowsmith, Santon, Isle of Man on 31st Aug 2009 ...we found many of the bar staff to be miserable and you felt you were putting them out. We thought this may be because we didnt drink a lot of alchohol and had the soda drinks pass (you pay a daily rate for unlimited soda - plus 17.5% GRATUITY) - perhaps they were on commissison!... Read more Excellent relaxing holiday FRED. OLSEN CRUISES / Boudicca / Mediterranean By Harrison, Hexham on 31st Aug 2009 ...I wasn't sure what to expect with the formal dining. However we loved it and also got on very well with the people we shared the table with. Sadly the downside to all the wonderful food is that I put on half a stone... Read more Hello Campers, Hi-De-Hi PRINCESS CRUISES / Grand Princess / Mediterranean By Carson, Stowmarket on 30th Aug 2009 ...Yes there were plenty of activities on board, but the quality of most of them made 'Hi De Hi' appear upmarket. Every time we heard the public address chimes I was waiting for "Hello Campers, Hi De Hi"...Read more Click here to read MORE reviews!

Cruise Photos

Hello Campers, Hi De Hi Princess Cruises - Grand Princess - Mediterranean Album created by: Carson, Stowmarket 4 Images Cabin from hell Island Cruises - Island Escape - Mediterranean Album created by: dicko, stoke on trent 2 Images Games on balmoral Fred. Olsen Cruises - Balmoral - Baltic Album created by: russell, folkestone 10 Images Vision of The Seas Norweigan Fjords 5 night cruise Royal Caribbean Cruises - Vision of the Seas - Norwegian Fjords Album created by: Hughes, Farnham 10 Images Why not add your own photos? Show everyone what a good time you've had! It's easy to upload your own cruise photos to our photos galleries. click here to find out how Pendyrus choir balmoral Fred. Olsen Cruises - Balmoral - Baltic Album created by: russell, folkestone 9 Images Alaska 2009 Regent Cruises - Seven Seas Mariner - Alaska Album created by: Sewell, Coventry 8 Images Regent mariner Regent Cruises - Seven Seas Mariner - Alaska Album created by: Sewell, Coventry 1 Image Queen Victoria Mediterranean Cunard Cruises - Queen Victoria - Mediterranean Album created by: Mugridge, Ellesmere Port 13 Images Queen Mary 2 - Gallic Getaway - July 2009 - by Grant Thomas Cunard Cruises - Queen Mary 2 - Northern Europe Album created by: Grant Thomas, Emsworth 104 Images Silversea Silver Wind Silversea - Silver Wind - Mediterranean Album created by: Dixon, Harborne 2 Images The ship Celebrity Cruises - Constellation - Caribbean Album created by: smart, Solihull 1 Image Click here to view MORE photos!

Cruise Forums - latest discussions...

Dream cruise ends in tragedy By Liz, Harrogate/Neil Down "...I think we would all be surprised if we were told the real fatality figures during a cruise year.There is a certain preponderance of the "greys" compared to the "tousle-heads" so the likelihood of keeling over whilst over-indulging has got to be fairly high. Having said all that, just like the meanings of some words in the onboard announcements, I don’t want to know the answer. .Neil" Read more/discuss Send in the Clones! By Malcolm Oliver, Essex "...Do members not feel that it is a little sad that ship designs are now crossing brands. For example: Azura and Ventura are Princess 'Grand Class' ships, Arcadia, Queen Victoria, the new Queen Elizabeth (and many more) are 'Vista Class' ships. " Read discussion/add comment Do you prepare? By Neil Down "...As far as cruising is concerned I suppose that I am a bit of an anorak. I have list of things "To Do" from the time that I decide on a cruise and a calendar to show various important times and deadlines, a list of things which I am going to pack, one for me a one for Ida, near the time I have a conversion rate for each different currency I am likely to use, notes of addresses, insurance details, passport copies etc. and a general itinerary and a fact sheet(s) for each of the ports of call generally showing what we hope to do in each place, a printed painting of the ship and cards with my address and a smaller version of the ship to hand out to people I spend time with. I just wondered, am I alone in this or are there other fastidious anoraks out there?..." Read discussion/add comment So what's better.. By Malcolm Oliver, Essex "...2x 7 night cruises per year or 1x 14 night per year? (Hypothetically pretending that money is not an issue)..." Read discussion/add comment Join today - it's free! Share stories, ask questions, meet other cruisers on the same sailing as you, maybe arrange to share a tour and SAVE MONEY! Click here to register

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