Passengers fly home as Boudicca remains in Tenerife for repairs

UPDATE: Thursday January 29
Passengers from Fred Olsen’s Boudicca are being flown home from Tenerife today. The company had hoped it could carry out repairs to engines and electrical cables during an extended two-night stay in Santa Cruz, but instead decided to terminate the voyage. The 784 passengers will receive a full refund of their fare, and a 50 per cent discount on their next booking. The ship is expected to be repaired in time to be back in Southampton on February 7, ready for a 14-night trip to the Canaries again.


Cruise ship Boudicca is expected to spend two days in Tenerife while repairs are carried out to the electrical cabling two main engines damaged in a fire in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A visit to Arrecife, on the island of Lanzarote, was cancelled following the blaze, which occurred as the 880-passenger ship was sailing along the Moroccan Coast during an 18-night Cape Verde and the Canaries cruise.

Passenger services were restored shortly after the fire - which was contained within the engine room - although some cabins and public areas were without power for a while. 

A Fred Olsen Cruise Lines spokeswoman said that once Boudicca has reached Tenerife this evening, she will stay for two days for the work to be carried out. Guests will then be notified of the revised itinerary for the remainder of the voyage. Managing director Mike Rodwell and a customer service team from the company’s head office in Ipswich were flying to Tenerife to greet the passengers and address any concerns.

There were no injuries to any of Boudicca’s 784 guests and 356 crew members, and - denying reports on the BBC and in national newspapers -  the ship’s Master confirmed that at no point were guests asked to don their lifejackets and gather at the muster stations.

The company added: “Fred. Olsen would like to thank all its customers for their wishes of support and they are delighted to report future bookings were unaffected yesterday, demonstrating the loyalty of its guests, with one, currently on board Boudicca, actually booking their next holiday for March 2016.”

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Voyages to Antiquity's new itineraries in 2015

Voyages to Antiquity's new itineraries in 2015 bring together the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. These voyages combine hotel stays, overnights on board and shore excursions. A circumnavigation of the Aegean departing 28 April 2015 has 11 included tours, 2 nights hotel in Istanbul, from £2,345pp. The highlights of Morocco are combined with Madeira and the Canary Islands. on a cruise departing 6 November 201, with 11 included tours, 1 night hotel in Marrakesh, from £2,395pp

Book by 30 November to save up to £1,200 per cabin.

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How Princess Cruises made themselves the consummate hosts

DAY THREE of our guest blog from CruiseMiss Danielle Fear, from her recent Canary Islands cruise from Southampton, aboard Emerald Princess (above)

One thing I noticed on Emerald Princess was how fast the crew managed to get passengers off the ship in port. Rather than sit at a stationary computer, the security staff had portable scanners that were clearly pin-point accurate as not once did I see them having to call a passenger back.

A huge queue that wrapped itself around the atrium several times was dispersed within mere minutes. It was a breath of fresh air given the size of the vessel and the number of passengers  on board.

Boarding again after a day ashore was not quite as fast, which is to be expected because of security checks, but at least getting off in the first place was far from a stressful experience. I was very impressed.

My time with Princess Cruises was certainly something special and I would recommend you give one of the Princesses a try for your next cruise – they were indeed the consummate host.

My cabin steward on Emerald Princess was the best I have ever had on any cruise ship in more than 20 sailings. Nothing was too much trouble for him and several times he really did go above and beyond, and without me or my travelling companion having to utter a word. Now that is what you call good service.

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Late offers from Thomson Cruises

Western Mediterranean – Under £450

ThomsonCruises offers a seven night Spanish Sensations cruise on Thomson Dream from £434 per person (saving £690 per couple).This cruise departs from Malaga and visits Barcelona, Toulon, Palma (above), Valencia and Cartagena. Based on two adults sharing a deck 6 or 7 inside cabin on a full-board basis, this cruise departs 13 November from Gatwick and Luton airports. Price includes return flights, transfers, port taxes, tips and service charges. 

Canary Islands & Morocco – Under £600

Thomson Cruises offers a seven night Canarian Flavours cruise on Thomson Majesty from £554 per person (saving £730 per couple).This cruise departs from Santa Cruz, and visits Las Palmas, Valle Gran Rey, Funchal, Arrecife, and Puerto del Rosario. Based on two adults sharing a deck 3 or 4 inside plus cabin on a full-board basis, this cruise departs 14 November  from Gatwick airport. Price includes return flights, transfers, port taxes, tips and service charges. 

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Pizzas the size of a small country and the best steaks ever - all together on board Emerald Princess

Steak selection in the Crown Grill on Emerald Princess

Day Two of our guest blog by CruiseMiss Danielle Fear. Today she turns her attention to the food on board Emerald Princess

Food is a big deal with Princess Cruises, that was evident within just a few minutes of stepping aboard and wandering through the buffet, and I visited the Pizzeria several times during the cruise. The Pepperoni was by far my favourite and the slices were HUGE, but I did make the mistake on day one of asking for a “Margarita pizza” and wondered why the chef looked at me oddly, I then leaned over the counter and realised that an entire pizza was in fact the size of a small country – his reaction was truly warranted! 

I can also highly recommend the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s, both of which incur an additional charge of $25 per person, but they are worth every single cent! 

The Crown Grill was superb and the choice of meat and seafood was second to none – the lobster looked delicious, although in the end I opted for a 12-ounce New York strip steak. It was cooked perfectly and was incredibly juicy; the vegetables to accompany it were also very good (I could have easily eaten more of the creamed spinach) and dessert was a filling affair. 

Sabatini’s offers a wonderful selection of Italian dishes and during my visit I tried calamari for the first time and I finally got my lobster, which was cooked three ways. I have to say that although both restaurants were very good indeed, Crown Grill was my favourite and I wish now that I had visited more than once.

TOMORROW: Coming and going the Princess way.

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Spend Christmas at sea on a Saga cruise

Forget the cold winter and the cooking over Christmas and the New Year on a sunshine Saga cruise. There are still a few cabins available on Saga Sapphire or Saga Pearl II.

Christmas in the Canaries

Have yourself a merry little Christmas on Saga Sapphire’s (above) 20-night Christmas in the Canaries cruise. This special sailing includes a chance to spend the night in Marrakech and watch the fireworks over Madeira on New Year’s Eve.
Cruise on the chic and friendly Saga Sapphire from Southampton on 21 December with further ports of call including four of the Canary Islands, Agadir, Casablanca, Lisbon and Gibraltar.  Price from £3,699

A Mediterranean Christmas

Saga Pearl II will be sailing into the sunshine on a Mediterranean Christmas cruise which will give passengers time to explore the glorious historic cities of Rome, Nice, Florence and Barcelona, as well as the contrasting islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily.
Christmas Day will be spent at sea so passengers can get into the full Christmas spirit and on Boxing Day Saga Pearl II will sail in to Almeria, just the place to walk off the excesses!

A highlight of this festive 23-night cruise will be the spectacular fireworks over the harbour in  Valletta, in Malta, on New Year’s Eve. Price from £4,099, departing Southampton on 21 December

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It's the little touches that make a big difference on CruiseMiss's Emerald Princess voyage to the Canaries

Sunset seen from Emerald Princess's top deck

Enjoy the first part of a guest blog from World of Cruising contributor Danielle Fear, aka CruiseMiss, who has just cruised from Southampton to the Canaries on board Emerald Princess

I embarked my first voyage with Princess Cruises aboard the stunning Emerald Princess. Our itinerary lined us up for 12 days sailing from Southampton to Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and finally, Vigo. It was a great excuse to head off for some last minute sunshine, although we did get our fair share of torrential rain too.

My first impressions of Emerald Princess were very good. Her atrium was absolutely stunning and led off in numerous directions, calling at several different public spaces including the International Café, Wine and Tapas Bar, Crooner’s Lounge, Boutiques, Reception and a pretty impressive Casino and Cigar Lounge.

The outer decks were ideal, lots of space and lots of sun loungers. I particularly liked the fact that for every pair of sun loungers there was a table, so you would have two beds, then a table, then two beds and so on. Perfect use of the space in my opinion and it was echoed across the entire ship.

Other public areas included Skywalkers, Lotus Spa and The Sanctuary, Wheelhouse Pub, Crown Grill, Sabatini’s, Explorer’s Lounge and of course a whole aft deck on which you could leave the kids! Music to every parent’s ears, I am sure!

I am a big fan of the small touches and Princess Cruises are full of them. Every passenger received a lightweight branded Princess bag – ideal for the beach - and I also had added benefits of being an Elite member of the Princess Cruises Captain’s Circle (my points were transferred across from P&O Cruises). Having experienced the Elite benefits first hand, I have to say Princess Cruises offer one of the BEST loyalty programmes at sea! Complimentary internet minutes, complimentary laundry services, canapés on formal evenings, complimentary wine tasting, and one free mini-bar set up, priority embarkation and a dedicated lounge for disembarkation - these were just some of the benefits available to me!

To extend on my mention of small touches, I also liked the free popcorn which was available even to passengers not watching the movie on the big screen over the pool. The sandwiches and cakes in the International Café on deck 5 were all free of charge as were the tapas plates in the Wine Bar – both being features many other cruise lines charge for.

The drinks measures were also larger than they are on some other cruise ships (had to squeeze the important bit in there!) and I was NEVER charged extra for a “splash” of Diet Coke with my Southern Comfort. As I said, the little things can often make the biggest difference and in this case, they certainly did.

TOMORROW: Danielle turns her attention to the food on board Emerald Princess

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Broadway Travel has no-fly cruises departing from Bristol and Southampton.

                             One of the joys of Lisbon is discovering its unusual shops and pavements. 

Broadway Travel has no-fly cruises departing from Bristol and Southampton this month.

£379pp – Nine Night Full Board Canary Islands, Madeira & Lisbon (above) Cruise
with Cruise & Maritime, Departs Bristol Avonmouth on 21 October 2014.
Prices based on two sharing. Plus pre Cruise transfers available from London Victoria to Bristol for just £29pp and post cruise transfers from London Heathrow to Bristol for £29pp.

£399pp – Six Night October Half Term Full Board Cruise with P&O
Europe, France & Spain: Six nights aboard the Azura exploring France and Spain from £399 per person with a new flash sale offer for a family of four for less than £1600.

Departing from Southampton on the 25 October 2014. Prices based on two adults standard inside cabins on a full board basis.

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Anthem of the Seas inaugural season all-inclusive offer

Amongst the innovations on offer with Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas are robot bartenders, a wrist band for opening cabin doors and paying bar bills, and an app that lets you monitor your baggage from check-in to the cabin - as well as the fastest internet connection at sea. All this plus sky-diving, dodgem cars, and the North Star observation pod.

You can sample all of this when Anthem sails from Southampton in 2015.  Joining Anthem of the Seas in its inaugural season will let you take advantage of the company’s current all-inclusive holiday offer. Guests who book on select 2015 voyages can enjoy gratuities and select (wine up to £5) or soda drinks packages included into the price of their holiday.

A 13-night Sunshine in the Canaries cruise is priced from £1,549 per person (based on two people sharing an interior stateroom). Price includes gratuities, a select or soda drinks package per person and a 13-night cruise departing from Southampton and calling at Vigo , Madeira, Tenerife, Lisbon (Above) and Bilbao before returning to Southampton.

Price is based on 11 October 2015 departure; Royal Caribbean International’s All-Inclusive offer ends 30 September 2014.

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