Cruise Lines

If Celebrity can come up with the word Solsticize to describe the way some features from its acclaimed new Solstice-class ships are being put on its older vessels, I make no apology for using "Cunardifies" to describe changes MSC Cruises is making for its Yacht Club passengers.

These are the folk with deep pockets who pay extra to be in a private suite complex - the Yacht Club - away from the hoi-poloi.

The feature is on MSC Fantasia and MSC Spendida and will be on the new MSC Fantastica, launching in 2012.

From this month, not only can the "Yachties" relax by their own pool, away from the masses, and enjoy free drinks in their private bar, but they are also to be given exclusive access to the ships' speciality restaurants - L'Etoile on MSC Fantasia and L'Olivo on MSC Splendida.

All much the same as the way Princess Grills and Queens Grills passengers on Cunard's ships get their own exclusive eponymous dining rooms.

Where Cunard operates a bizarre hybrid system whereby Grills passengers are allocated a table for the duration of their cruise but can eat when they want, MSC Yacht Club passengers will enjoy open seating, dining when and with whom they want.

It's an interesting move, great for the Yacht Club folk but dramatically cutting down choice for the rest of the passengers.

And this in a day and age when cruise lines are trying to add more speciality restaurants, not only to give passengers more choice but also because they have a cover charge so are nice little earners.

Thomson Cruises has decided to axe its cruises to Cuba in 2012 - before this winter's Cuba cruises have even started.

Thomson Dream, which joined the fleet in April from Costa Cruises, is sailing 14-night cruises between Barbados and Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados and Cuba and Jamaica this winter that have two or three days in Havana.

However, although the Cuba itineraries have sold well and give Thomson an edge because US cruise lines can't visit the island, they are being dropped after just one season.

It's all to do with the high cost of flying into three different islands, Thomson's Ian Corbett told me, and also the fact they are pulling Thomson Destiny out of the Caribbean next winter so they have to offer seven and 14-night cruises on Dream as well as two-week cruise-and-stay holidays.

So for 2012 Dream will be based in Barbados, offering seven-night cruises that can be put back to back for a two-week voyage. There will be maiden calls at Costa Rica and Venezuela. Prices start from £999 per person including flights and transfers.

So if it's not in the Caribbean, what's happening to Thomson Destiny, I asked.

Corbett said it's under wraps for a few more weeks but reminded me Thomson also owns Island Cruises. So is it joining Island, I wondered. That's been hinted at before.

But no. Seems that was just a red herring as Corbett confirmed Destiny was definitely not joining Island.

But clearly something interesting is happening.

Watch this space.

One after another, the cruise lines have put big screens on their ships, added more speciality dining restaurants, vied to have the softest mattresses and best-ever bed linen and towels.

And now the latest craze is to offer exclusive own-label booze.

In fact Disney's new Disney Dream, which I was lucky enough to visit this weekend, will have two own labels.

A just-for-Disney Cuvee Prestige Champagne, Pink, made by France's Taittinger, will be sold in Pink, which, not surprisingly, is the Champagne Bar.

By the way, it's one of my favourite places on the ship - one of four bars and nightclubs in the adult-only District - with pink bubbles going up the wall, each with a silhouette of a pink elephant inside (remember Dumbo?) and a sculpture behind the bar made from 350 pieces of hand-blown Murano glass that resembles the Champagne shower you get when you open a glass of bubbly.

We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the as-yet unfinished interior of the ship - or indeed taste the bubbly, which they expect will cost $75 a bottle - but trust me, that sculpture is fantastic.

Then in the neighbouring 687 bar, named after Disney Dream's yard number, which is for adults only after 9pm, they've got their own US-made beer, also called 687 (obviously a lot of thought went into choosing names for these drinks!).

Just a few weeks ago Carnival Cruise Lines revealed an unhealthy obsession with frogs when it announced not only it was putting a pub on Carnival Magic (it's the first pub on any Carnival ship), to be called RedFrog, but that it would be serving a Carnival-beer exclusive, called ThirstyFrog Red.

Is own-brand alcohol a good idea or another money-making idea? Tell me what you think below.

Royal Caribbean International had a great night out at the British Travel Awards ceremony in Battersea last night, where it was named Best Family Cruise Line.

It continues a fantastic run of success for the cruise line, which was named both Cruise Line of the Year (more than 75,000 passengers annually) and Travel Company of the Year (over 100,000 passengers annually) at the TTG travel awards in October.

The TTG awards are based on travel agents' votes, whereas the BTA ones are voted for by the British public.

I was lucky enough to be on the winners' table for the TTG awards - Royal also won Sales Team of the Year while sister cruise line Celebrity Cruises walked off with Cruise Line of the Year (under 75,000 passengers annually) so it seemed as if Jo Rzymowska, their associate v-p and general manager UK and Ireland, was never off the stage.

And I'm delighted to say I picked the winners' table again last night (OK, so they invited me!), as this time I was with Voyages of Discovery, which was named Best Niche Cruise Line.

The folk from P&O Cruises were at a nearby table and no doubt delighted that P&O was named Best Luxury Cruise Line and Best Mainstream Cruise Line.

Viking River Cruises walked off with Best River Cruise Line.

You'd better get in fast if you want one of the 10,000 flights Royal Caribbean International is giving away with bookings for Mediterranean cruises next summer.

In theory the offer runs until December 20, but latest news is that they are already starting to run out.

Prices start from £644 per person for a seven-night cruise from Palma on Grandeur of the Seas in May.

Call 0844 493 2061 or visit the website for book.

At a recent travel agents' Cruise Forum in Malta, Nigel Lingard, marketing director of Fred Olsen, the cruise line that does more for Zimmer frames than any other company, said they are "being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century".

Then he was talking about ticket wallets. He might just as easily have been talking about the latest Fred news - that they have put wi-fi on their ships.

It's now on Black Watch, Braemar and Balmoral in limited hot spots and will be available on Boudicca from January 2011 - presumably it's being added when the ship goes for a refit early in the new year.

They are moving the gym to deck 10 and putting 17 new inside cabins where the fitness centre is. They are also replacing the last open lifeboats.

In another internet first for Fred, you can now buy packages instead of paying by the minute, as has always been the case.

I think it's great. There's nothing worse than trying to post words of wisdom on my blog from the fixed computer terminals while seeing a clock tick up the pounds in the corner of the screen. And that's when the internet deigns to work. I have it on good authority that the wi-fi is much better.

I admit I am a less excited to read that those everyday farming folk from Radio 4 will be taking to the high seas on a couple of Fred cruises next year.

It's nothing personal.

Well actually it is. Not only do I share a surname with the programme, but my mother was called Peggy Archer. You try growing up with that lot!

On next year's Archers-themed cruises, cast members will be on board to chat with passengers and perform a mock show.

One is a 10-night voyages on Balmoral on April 23, sailing from Southampton to the Mediterranean, priced from £1,014 per person.

The other is on Black Watch, 13 nights sailing from Dover to Lisbon and back on September 12, from £1,392 per person.

Which favourite TV or radio characters would you like to meet on a cruise? Post your thoughts below.

MSC Cruises has just changed the name of its next new ship for the third time.

It was planned to be MSC Favolosa, but then arch Italian rival Costa Cruises nicked the name for its next new ship. So Favolosa became Fantastica.

Then MSC's serial godmother Sophia Loren by chance mentioned to her good friend Gianluigi Aponte, who just happens to own MSC Cruises, how she dreamed of having a ship named after her.

The nice thing about owning a cruise line is that you can do what you want. So Aponte promptly changed the name again. Not to MSC Sophia, as you might expect, or even MSC Loren, but to MSC Divina.

The logic, as explained in the press release, is that "a divine experience gives you memories that will last forever".

Given they have now welded two coins bearing the new name to the ship's keel, I think MSC Divina is here to stay. I certainly hope so, as it's not easy remembering all these name changes.

The ship, which is being built at the STX Europe shipyard in St Nazaire, France, that spawned Norwegian Epic, is MSC's third Fantasia-class vessel, but will have 100 more cabins than its sisters MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida - a total 1,739, giving room for 3,502 passengers based on double occupancy.

It will be christened in Marseilles in May 2012.

Bets are now open on who the godmother will be but I'm giving short odds!

South Pacific-based cruise line Paul Gauguin is offering up to $1,000 per couple onboard credit on all cruises between January and June 2011 if booked by November 30.

The credit can be spent on spa treatments, shore excursions or in the onboard boutique.

The $1,000 credit is available on the 14-night Marquesas, Tuamotus & The Society Islands cruises. On all other cruises, you'll get $500 per couple.

Paul Gauguin is also offering free or two-for-one flight deals between Los Angeles and the cruise embarkation point on all voyages next year.

Call 020 7434 0089 or visit the website for more details.

Norwegian Cruise Line's next two ships will have single cabins, continuing a soloist strategy started on Norwegian Epic.

I emailed a question about singles during a webinar when the new ships were announced but it got lost among the far more sensible ones that went along the lines of, "Where will they be sailing".

This before the ink on the order with Meyer Werft, the shipyard in Germany where they will be built, was even dry!

But in an interview with Travel Weekly US, Kevin Sheehan, NCL's CEO, has confirmed they will have single cabins.

"We will also have the solo cabins. That's a strategy that makes sense. [Singles are] an underserved group of people, and our brand meets that need. We care about that group of travelers."

I also got the impression from Sheehan that Epic's much-lauded - by NCL, that is - New Wave cabins with separate toilet and shower cubicles might face the kosh.

"It [Epic] is a fantastic ship, but we have some learnings and will build on that knowledge ... That [the separate toilet and shower] falls into the learnings category."

It's a day for celebration for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who has just been named cruise ambassador  of the year in Cruise Critic's UK cruise industry awards.

And all because she named a ship and went on a cruise this year.

I'm already 50% in with a chance for 2011!

It's an eclectic mix of awards, which includes some British cruise lines, which makes sense, and quite a few American ones, which doesn't. It does say UK awards after all.

Unless these are supposed to simply represent what the British like best in terms of cruising. But if that is the case, judging by online reviews and recent award ceremonies, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Fred Olsen and Thomson would have stolen the show. And Swan Hellenic might have got a mention as well.

I had to smile when I saw Kirkwall, which I suspect most people can't even find on a map, won best UK port of call, and again when I read the Golden Lions on Cunard ships were named best pubs at sea.

The Golden Lion on Queen Elizabeth got my vote for being my least-favourite room on the ship. No atmosphere, an over-loud and not very good piano player and not a cigarette burn or beer stain to be seen!

Here's the full list Cruise Critic's 2010 winners.

Best for First Timers - Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas
Best for Honeymoons - P&O Cruises
Best for Healthy Cruising - Celebrity's Solstice-class 
Best for Cruising with Kids - P&O Cruises' Ventura
Best for Kid-Free Cruising - Saga Cruises
Best for Seeing the World - Fred. Olsen
Best for Nonstop Fun - NCL's Norwegian Epic  
Best for Adventure - Spirit of Adventure
Best for Luxury - Seabourn
Best for River Cruising - Viking River
Best Budget-Friendly Cruises - Thomson Cruises
Best for Dining - Celebrity's Solstice-class
Best Pub at Sea - Cunard's Golden Lion
Best Entertainment at Sea - Blue Man Group, NCL's Norwegian Epic
Best for Aspiring Chefs - Holland America's Culinary Arts Center Program
Best for Lectures at Sea - Voyages of Discovery 
Best for Acquiring a New Skill - Crystal Cruises
Best New Ship - Cunard's Queen Elizabeth
Best U.K. Port of Call - Kirkwall, Orkney
Best U.K. Departure Port - Southampton Port

Special Cruise Industry Award: Best Cruise Ambassador - Queen Elizabeth II

Which cruise lines would have got your votes? Tell us your thoughts below.

Carnival Splendor is being tugged back to San Diego in California after being adrift without power off Mexico since Monday.

The Carnival Cruise Lines' ship, which was launched by Myleene Klass in a gala ceremony in Dover in 2008, was less than 24 hours into a Mexican Riviera cruise from Long Beach with 4,400 passengers and crew on board when a fire in the engine room cut all power.

No one was hurt, but the stricken vessel was cast adrift in the Pacific with no air conditioning or hot water, and no mobile phone or internet service. All these services are still out but Carnival said toilets are now operating in most cabins and some children activities and entertainment is being provided.

As the old adage goes, the show must go on.

As they are short of food - presumably there is plenty on board but it can't be properly refrigerated or cooked if there is no power - the US Navy and Mexican Navy have reportedly been dropping supplies of canned crab meat and spam by helicoptor.

Not quite what you expect to eat on a cruise, but it's better than nothing.

Plan A was to have the ship towed to the Mexican city of Ensenada, but they have now switched to Plan B and are having it tugged to San Diego, from where passengers can fly home. It's due to arrive late Thursday.

Only one tug has reached the ship so far but Carnival said more are on the way. They also said if progress is too slow, they'll revert to plan A and go to Ensenada after all.

Passengers on the stricken vessel are to receive a full refund, their flight costs home and a free future cruise to the value of this one.

The following cruise, due to depart on November 14 has been cancelled. Those passengers will also receive a full refund and their flight costs, plus a 25% discount off a future cruise.

One of the questions I was going to ask Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, when I'm on Allure of the Seas in a couple of weeks was whether they would be adding features from the new ship to other vessels in the fleet.

Never mind waiting to be on Allure, I already know the answer.

In a refit next year, Radiance of the Seas is to be made more Alluring, with a new Brazilian steakhouse and Mexican-themed Rita's Cantina, two new dining outlets making their debut on Royal's new big ship.

The ship is also getting a new Italian restaurant, Giovanni's Table, a Park Café deli-style diner, a Chef's Table, which is an exclusive dining experience for a handful of people, and a nursery for babes and toddlers.

All these things debuted on Oasis of the Seas when it launched last year.

There's no indication where the new Italian and churrascuria dining outlets will be but my guess is they are replacing the ship's Chops Grill and Portofino speciality restaurants. Not sure where they could put the Mexican though - maybe in a section of the Windjammer self-service.

With no new ships on the order books, Royal is clearly turning its attention to upgrading existing tonnage.

* The cabins on Radiance of the Seas are also to be with fitted flat-screen TVs in all cabins (have to say I am surprised they are not already), there'll be a new Diamond Lounge for Crown and Anchor loyalty members and wi-fi throughout the ship.

* Splendour of the Seas is to get two new speciality restaurants (presumably the churrascuria and Giovanni's Table), the babes and toddlers nursery, flat-screen TVs in the cabins, the Diamond Lounge and wi-fi throughout the ship. They will also be adding more balcony cabins and refreshing the Windjammer self-service.

* On Oasis of the Seas, the Mondo Café in the Royal Promenade is to make way for a Starbucks, which makes debuting at sea on Allure of the Seas.

On sea as on land, the coffee giant is taking over!

If you've not been lucky enough to secure a berth on Balmoral's sold-out Titanic Memorial cruise, fear not, because more "in memory" holidays are emerging from the woodwork to mark the 100th anniversary of the fateful day in 1912 that the "unsinkable" ship hit an iceberg and sank.

Saga Cruises has a 10-night Titanic Remembered voyage from Southampton up the east coast of the UK on Saga Pearl II departing April 12 2012.

It includes calls at Belfast, where the ill-fated ship was built, Cherbourg, where the Titanic picked up extra passengers, and Cobh, then called Queenstown, the last port visited before Titanic headed off across the Atlantic bound for New York.

They'll be serving meals based on the Titanic's first-class dining menu, have on-board talks about the ship and a memorial service, presumably in the early hours of April 15 1912 to mark the moment the ship went down.

UK holiday firm Superbreak is getting in on the sinking ship act with two-night Titanic-themed short breaks in Belfast, priced from £183 per person.

You'll visit the home of Thomas Andrews, who designed the ship, the Harland & Wolff Drawing Office where Titanic's plans were drawn, and the Titanic & Olympic's Slipways.

Superbreak also has a one-night break in London priced from £56.50 per person that includes entrance to the new Titanic Exhibition at the O2 that runs until May 1 2011.

You'll be able to touch an iceberg to see how cold it was on that fateful night (but honestly you could just put your hand in a fridge to find out). You'll also get a White Star boarding pass with a real passenger's name and at the end can check if you live or die.

How cheery.

Starting today, and for the next five days, servicemen past and present can get a 50% discount if they book a summer 2011 voyage in the Mediterranean with MSC Cruises.

Giulio Libutti, their UK managing director, told me why he had decided to launch this offer, which is exclusive to the UK and is timed to coincide with Armistice Day.

"This is our opportunity to do something for servicemen in the UK, in recognition of what they do for us. MSC is an Italian company, but a lot of British people work for us here in the UK, so it was also our chance to underline our strong ties with this country.

"I expected there to be a lot of interest, but I was surprised how fast news of the offer spread. Well before today we have had calls from servicemen asking to preregister.

"I was also surprised at the strong reaction it caused [posts to Cruise.co.uk asked why it took an Italian cruise line to offer discounts for British servicemen] because I thought British cruise lines would offer something like Carnival Cruise Lines' discount programme for the military.

"The offer is subject to availability but we have a lot of ships, and a lot of big ships, in the Mediterranean in summer so I don't see a problem with capacity."

The 50% discount applies to the cruise portion of the holiday only and is available to servicemen past and present who are registered with the MoD and have a valid service number and to everyone sharing the same cabin, regardless of occupation. The offer runs until November 15.

For more details or to book call 0844 561 7412 or visit the website.

Thirteen days after leaving Finland, the world's newest, biggest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, has arrived in Fort Lauderdale, in Florida.

This monster weighs in at 225,282 tonnes, holds 6,200 passengers when full and would dwarf the One Canada Square building at London's Canary Wharf if stood upright.

I've been keeping an eye on Captain Hernan Zini's daily reports from the bridge on the Allure website and they've had a great crossing, managing to avoid Hurricane Tomas and open all the venues en route as planned.

The last was the Dog House, serving sausages from around the world. Captain Zini revealed he is always being thrown in the dog house by his wife but admitted this is one he will be happy to spend time in.

I'm right with you Captain. It'll be my first stop when I go on board in just over a week. Or maybe that'll be Rita's Cantina. Or both. But I have to leave room for the churrascuria. I'm determined to try that.

Now Allure has arrived in warmer climes, it's time for the landscapers to move in and get Central Park planted up - they've got about 12,000 real plants to bed - and then the pre-inaugural activities start.

The naming ceremony is on November 28 - they are not revealing the godmother until the ceremony starts - and the first revenue cruise, a four-night mini-voyage, departs on December 1.

Isn't life strange? One minute cruise ships are handing over food and water to the people of St Lucia whose homes were ravaged by Hurricane Tomas.

The next, the US Navy is handing out food to a cruise ship - Carnival Splendor - stranded in the Pacific due to an engine fire.

Holland America Line's Noordam, which called at St Lucia this week, donated 45,000 gallons of drinking water, 15,000 pounds of chicken, beef, rice, sugar, oil and vegetables and more, and over $3,300 that had been donated by passengers.

Holland America, coincidentally a sister cruise line to Carnival - also invited 19 orphans on board to eat cookies and pizza, swim in the pool and learn how to make fajitas.

The day before, P&O Cruises' Oceana was in St Lucia - the first ship to arrive after the hurricane swept through - and donated two pallets of mineral water, biscuits, mattresses and furniture.

Given the severe devastation to the island's agriculture and crops, it'll be some time before St Lucia can claim a happy ending but hopefully things can start to get better.

Happily that's not the case for the Carnival Splendor, which arrived in San Diego on Thursday afternoon under tug power.

The passengers are now on their way home, which must be a relief given the conditions on board described by eyewitness David Zembrano.

He said the folk in inside cabins had to keep their doors open all the time - even at night - to get some air and light, while those with rooms on the lowest deck had to trudge up to the public toilets on deck three because theirs didn't work.

He also revealed that 30 pieces of luggage were dropped into the water before the ship sailed, leaving many people with no change of clothes. An unlucky cruise or what?

Now the passengers are off, their main hardship is having to adapt to living in a world where every meal is not a Spam sandwich. I wish them luck!

Ever wondered what Swan Hellenic's discovery-style cruising is all about?

Wonder no more. The cruise line has produced this video of life on their one ship, Minerva.

It opens with an announcement by Paul Carter, their cruise director, who has been at sea for 24 years and is also the voice behind a series of podcasts that give a taste of what you can expect on many of Swan's cruises.

Not just the highlights, but his thoughts about the places you'll visit.

Why not check them out here?

It's being reported as news (even by TW, which needs to keep a closer eye on this blog!), but Cruise Lines followers read that SeaDream Yacht Club will be cruising up the Amazon in 2012 here two months ago.

However, I do have more details now.

It all happens in February and March 2012, when SeaDream II, one of the line's two 112-passenger yachts, sails a 20-night cruise from Barbados to Iquitos in Peru (February 13), followed by another 20-night cruise from Iquitos to Barbados (March 4).

There'll be a chance to go flightseeing in Manaus, have champagne and caviar on the sand at Alter do Chao beach in Brazil, and see local tribes, wildlife, museums and markets.

Prices start from an eye-watering $12,919 per person, excluding flights, so if this appeals you'd better start saving now.

Just days after a hefty tome entitled France/Norway by John Maxtone-Graham appeared in the post (I'm not sure who sent it, but whoever it was, and in case they are reading this, thank you) I see the man himself is to be guest lecturer on several Princess cruises next year.

Maxtone-Graham, for those not in the know, is a cruise ship historian and popular guest lecturer so if you're on one of the voyages where he's speaking and you want to hear him, get there early as it'll be standing room only.

He'll be on the following sailings:

* January 26-March 9 - three 14-night Cape Horn Route cruises on Star Princess between Santiago and Rio de Janeiro.
 
* March 9-24 - 15-day Brazilian Adventure on Star Princess sailing from Rio de Janeiro to Fort Lauderdale.
 
* May 7-22 - 15-day transatlantic crossing on Crown Princess from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton.
 
* July 2-20 - 18-day Land of the Midnight Sun cruise on Ocean Princess sailing roundtrip from Dover to the northern coast of Norway and Russia.
 
* July 20-August 7 - 18-day Top of the World cruise on Ocean Princess sailing from Dover to New York.
 
* August 7-25 -- 18-day Fire and Ice Explorer cruise on Ocean Princess from New York to Dover by way of the place where the Titanic sank.
 
* October 19-November 6 - 18-day transatlantic crossing on Ruby Princess from Venice to Fort Lauderdale.

Phew. Ever get the feeling you are in the wrong job?

Celebrity Infinity, the next Celebrity Cruises' ship due to be Solsticized, is to get even more features from the much-admired Solstice-class ships than originally planned.

The standard Solsticization includes upgraded furniture and furnishings in the cabins and suites, and modern new colours and furnishings in the public areas.

It also includes adding a Tuscan Grille steakhouse, a creperie, an ice-topped Martini Bar, a café and Gelateria, and wine bar with serve-yourself-by-the-glass machines.

But they are going beyond that with Celebrity Infinity, the second Millennium-class ship to be Solsticized.

The ship is also to get AquaClass spa cabins and suites, which come with extra amenities including more lotions and potions in the bathroom, a Mediterranean-themed Blu dining room for exclusive use by AquaClass passengers and an iLounge where passengers can play with - and buy - Apple computers and gadgets.

They are adding new balconies to the Celebrity Suites and finding space for more inside and oceanview cabins.

Infinity goes into dry-dock for its the upgrade at the end of next year - bookings for the new-look ship open next week, on Monday November 22.

Then it'll be the turn of Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Millennium to be updated, in January and April 2012 respectively. And they will also get the additional new features.

Poor old Celebrity Constellation, the fourth Millennium-class sister, was Solsticized this year, but only got the standard upgrade.

Will it now go back and have the upgraded upgrade? I'll let you know when I find out.

For the first time, Royal Caribbean International's behemoths, sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, came face to face last weekend - or should that be port to starboard.

It'll probably be the last time they meet because although they both are based at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and sail seven-night alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, they depart on different days.

Probably a good thing for the port given each ship weighs 225,282 tons and carries almost 6,300 passengers each when full.

That means between them, they'll be carrying 12,600 passengers a week, or just over 655,000 cruisers a year.

Scary or what?

Carnival Splendor, the Spam ship that was disabled by a fire last week and had to be towed to San Diego for passengers to disembark, will remain out of service for repairs until January 16 2011.

(And yes I know Carnival said none of the passengers on Splendor had been served Spam, but why spoil a good epithet by the facts).

Anyone who was booked on Splendor's cancelled cruises will receive a full refund of their cruise and air fares, plus a 25% discount off a future Carnival cruise.

That's fair, but not much consolation for those looking forward to their Christmas cruise.

But all is not lost, because although the Big Day is only just around the corner I'm still getting news of availability.

Yachts of Seabourn (0845 0700 500) has room on its Christmas and New Year Sojourn, on the 450-passenger Seabourn Sojourn, departing Fort Lauderdale on December 20.

The 16-day cruise is to Los Angeles by way of Cartagena in Colombia, Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica, Huatulco in Mexico and San Diego, and prices start from £5,199 per person including flights, all drinks and gratuities.

Cruise and Maritime Voyages (0845 833 9798) has a half-price offer on its 35-night Caribbean Christmas cruise on Marco Polo, sailing from Tilbury on December 6. The new price is £1,749 per person cruise-only for an oceanview cabin, saving £1,750 per person.

CMV has also cut the price of single cabins on the same Christmas cruise. Prices now start from £2,799 per person. The cruise line says they won't guarantee romance for soloists but they promise singles who cruise with them won't feel all alone during the festive season.

French cruise line Compagnie du Ponant (0808 234 3802) has a 12-night cruise on Le Diamant from December 16-28, sailing from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, and spending Christmas day in Nha Trang in Vietnam. Prices start from £1,555 per person cruise-only.

Alternatively, Ponant has a seven-night Amazon cruise roundtrip from Martinique December 20-27 on Le Levant that spends Christmas day in Port of Spain in Trinidad. Prices from £1,930 per person cruise-only.

Heard the one about the British passenger who tried to claim £2,000 from a cruise line because he said he had to take a couple of dresses belonging to his companion to the dry-cleaners after they were damaged during their cruise.

Apparently the receipts he provided looked a little - how can I put it - fake. So a budding Hercule Poirot from the cruise line donned Homburg and moustache and went in search of the addresses at the top of the receipts.
 
Turns out there's a conference centre where the dry cleaning shop should be, while the dress shop doesn't exist.
 
A true story, which is why I'm not giving away any names.

If he wants to try any more scams, might I suggest he gets a little more a-dress sense!

If I remember the official history correctly, Ocean Village couldn't make flycruising in the Mediterranean pay because of the cost of the flight so Carnival UK packed the two OV ships off Down Under to make more money with P&O Cruises Australia.

So now P&O Cruises, part of Carnival UK, is offering free flights to passengers who book one of the line's debut 2011 Med flycruises on Adonia this month.

Make sense of that.

No doubt P&O's hand has been forced by Royal Caribbean International, which is giving away 10,000 flights on its Mediterranean flycruises.

But in case you think the contagion will spread to all the cruise lines, I have bad news. The folk from Carnival Cruise Lines, who I met on Monday, said they have no plans to give away flights on their Med cruises.

Carnival's new 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic will be sailing from Barcelona next summer, marking the line's return to the Med after a two-year absence.

Adonia's move to P&O in May 2011 is yet another reincarnation for the ship, which started life as R8 for Renaissance Cruises, became Minerva II for Swan Hellenic and is currently Princess Cruises' Royal Princess.

It replaces Artemis, which coincidentally also sailed for Princess Cruises as Royal Princess, even taking the Artemis vessel's P&O mantle of adult-only ship.

In that, Adonia joins Arcadia, which has been adult-only since its launch, and, from November 30 2011, Oriana, which will be designated no-kids from that date.

P&O says it's because Adonia (710 passengers) is smaller than Artemis (1,196 passengers), so they need extra adult-only capacity. Families booked on Oriana after November 2011 can pick an alternative cruises or have their money back.

No, I'm not suggesting Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot at sea - although it's possible and certainly would be different.

But three days after they revealed they are to marry next year, I'm still waiting for the first cruise line to announce they will be showing the event live on big screens on their ships.

The world goes mad over a royal wedding, so this is the best excuse ever for people not to book a cruise - especially as the date has not been set. Which is just what cruise lines will want to avoid.

Just as with the football World Cup earlier this year, I'm sure once one announces they will screen it, the rest will follow.

But who will be first? It should be Cunard given its royal connections, but my money is on Royal Caribbean International. After all, its Voyager, Freedom, Oasis ships already have ready-made "streets" for the post-wedding party.

Would you book a cruise over the Royal Wedding date? Let us know your thoughts below.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is offering savings of up to £400 per booking in a Captains' Collection brochure featuring 52 2011 no-fly cruises.

The collection includes everything from two or three-day mini-cruises to 16-night voyages.

A 14-night golf-themed cruise from Dover to Iberia on Braemar on May 14 costs from £1,199 per person. A two-week golf and antiques-themed Baltic cruise on Balmoral from Southampton on May 13 costs from £1,359 per person.

Captains' Collection prices are valid until February 28 2011. Call 01473 742424 or visit the website for more details.

After a week of rumours, Saga has confirmed what everyone already knew. They have bought Bleu de France from Croisieres de France - or more correctly from Royal Caribbean Cruises, which owns CDF.

Susan Hooper, chief executive of Saga - clearly relieved that she could finally talk about the new ship - told me her former boss, Richard Fain, RCC's chairman, called to thank her once the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed.

No wonder. RCC says the sale generated additional liquidity of $55 million (£35 million). OK, a drop in the ocean when you consider how much they have just spent building Allure of the Seas, but every little helps, as Tesco would say.

Until next November, Bleu de France will be chartered to CDF. It will then go for a complete refit before it starts sailing in its new colours in March 2012.

In an interesting aside, Mark Tre at Cyber Cruises writes that Saga originally wanted to buy this ship a decade ago, when it belonged to Hapag Lloyd and was called Europa. However, Hapag Lloyd didn't want to risk losing passengers to Saga so they sold the ship to Malaysia-based Star Cruises instead.

Bet they're not very happy Saga has finally go their ship, but it just shows, everything comes to those who wait.

But back to Bleu de Saga.

Hooper tells me the casino and kids' club will go as, strangely, neither appeals to Saga Cruises' over-50's passengers, and they are cutting capacity from the maximum 1,158 passengers now to 700.

Deciding to do all that is the easy bit. The more difficult decision is a) what to call the vessel and b) what offer in terms of on-board product. In particular, do they offer fixed dining as on Saga Ruby or open seating as on Saga Pearl II?

Saga's older cruisers might prefer the former but they are a dying breed - in more ways than one. So while they need to keep past passengers happy, the cruise line also needs to persuade folk in their 50s who, we are told are the new 40s, to bury their prejudices and try Saga.

But apart from the few 50s I know who are the new 60s, they mostly favour the more flexible arrangements.

The dilemma doesn't end there. Suppose they opt for fixed dining on Bleu de Saga (probably not the name they'll go for!), do they then position Saga Pearl II, now in a minority, as a young person's Saga. Saga Lite maybe?

Still somewhere on the drawing board, Hooper tells me, is plan A for Astoria, as Saga Pearl II was called before being snapped up by Saga - namely that it joins Spirit of Adventure as Quest for Adventure.

With the open seating and younger décor, the ship would feel right at home.

I'm on my way to Miami for a pre-launch cruise on Royal Caribbean International's new behemoth, the 225,282-ton, 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas.

Having written such a lot about Allure, and spent the same Thanksgiving week last year on sister ship Oasis of the Seas, that I feel I know it already.

But I don't really. Not until I've had a chance to be on board and experience all that it has to offer for myself.

I'm especially looking forward to trying out Rita's Cantina, the new Mexican diner and having a snack from the Dog House. And I'm keeping everything crossed that I get to eat in the new Samba Grill churrascaria, where they carve all sorts of meats on skewers at the table.

It's sounds great fun, but more importantly it's impossible for me to know if these new dining venues are as good as Royal says they are - and I suspect they may be a bit biased - unless I try them.

I'm less enthusiastic about having one of the balcony cabins that overlooks Central Park. Not because I like to spend hours looking at the sea, but I fear it won't be very private as folk in cabins on the other side of the park can look into my room.

However, I'm keeping an open mind and just hoping that either a) they won't have very good eye sight or b) they will have better things to do than look at me getting changed. On a ship like Allure, with so much to do, I would certainly hope the latter is true.

If nothing else, the cabin will be an experience, like eating in the churrascaria, and one I look forward to being able to write about.

Internet willing, I will be posting regular blogs, so remember to keep dropping by.

Royal Caribbean has discovered more people will book a Mediterranean cruise if they get a free flight into the bargain.

So they have decided to give away even more flights, adding another 2,000, worth £500,000, to the 10,000 already on offer. To qualify for the free flights, cruises must be booked and confirmed on the same day by December 20 2010.

I admit I am struggling with the logic a little. If there is such huge demand for these cruises, why give away the flights and wreck your profts? If, on the other hand, Royal can only drum up business by giving away flights, was it such a good idea to decide to have a record 11 ships in the Med next summer?

Flights are being given away on selected cruises on sister ships Navigator, Adventure and Voyager of the Seas, sailing from Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, Malaga and Venice respectively, as well as Grandeur of the Seas, which has seven-night debut cruises from Palma de Mallorca.

P&O Cruises has already launched its own selected free flights offer for its debut flycruises next autumn on Adonia.

Will they now up the ante as well? Or maybe other cruise lines will read that it has done wonders for Royal Caribbean's sales and join the giveaway.

Carnival Cruise Lines have said they won't but want my advice? Watch this space.

I said Cunard, with its Royal links, should be the first to announce it will be showing the Royal Wedding at sea and I'm delighted to say they have taken my advice.

Cunard will be showing Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot on April 29 2011, on big screens in the theatres on Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.

And if there's not enough space in the theatre on Queen Mary 2, which will be somewhere between New York and Southampton at the time, it will also be screened in the Planetarium and the lecture room, Illuminations.

Dinner that evening on all the ships will feature a commemorative menu and champagne toast (but they have neglected to mention if they are providing the bubbly free of charge).

So that's one cruise line down. Who will be the next? My money is still on Royal Caribbean International, although I reckon it'll be a close run thing with oh-so British P&O Cruises.

Or at least it should be.

I was intending to make the Dog House, serving hotdogs from around the world, my first stop as soon as I embarked Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas, but like all good plans, it changed.

I ended up having lunch in Rita's Cantina, the new Mexican diner on the Boardwalk, mainly because Katie, who is here to try to make sure the British media behave, had been patiently waiting to grab us a table for 30 minutes.

When news came that she had secured one, myself and four other journalist mates raced there thinking if it was that busy, we might not get another chance. Only to find that while she did have a table, half the others were empty anyway.

My initial reaction was that they were struggling to cope with serving even a half-empty house, an impression heightened by the time it took for our order to be taken and the food to arrive.

Thank goodness they didn't try to do the song-and-dance routine I saw them practicing on this video, or I'd have still been there instead of writing this blog.

In fairness, it's a new team of waiters, working in a new restaurant, so of course it will take time for things to come together. I just hope they manage it in time for the first revenue sailing on December 1.

Happily everything was worth waiting for. The Patron Perfect Margaritas were good and while the food could have been hotter - my fajitas definitely lacked the promised sizzle - it was tasty, and served with plenty of spicy sauces to give it extra zing.

It costs an extra $7.95 per person, excluding drinks, to eat at Rita's and I reckon as long as you go with plenty of patience, it's a price worth paying.

I predicted it would be a race between P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean International as to which cruise line would be next to announce they will screen that wedding.

It seems P&O Cruises has won (maybe because Royal has other things on its mind right now, like the inaugural celebrations of its new behemoth Allure of the Seas).

The Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, on April 29 next year, will be screened on all P&O's ships, even Ventura, which will be in Southampton for a turnaround. There'll be a special Royal sailaway party, with flag waving and champagne.

Much the same as ever then, except maybe P&O will pay for the bubbly.

On Aurora, which will be in the Atlantic, en route to Madeira, one couple will be vying for attention as they are married by the ship's captain. Talk about unlucky on their choice of date. Hopefully their friends and family are not staunch royalists.

Here's where the other ships will be:

Arcadia: ending a transit of the Panama Canal and heading towards Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Azura: In Palma de Mallorca.

Oceana: En route to Southampton from Gibraltar.
 
Oriana: In Palma de Mallorca.

In Qsine, the speciality restaurant on Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Eclipse, you order your food on an iPad. And now the same touch-screen technology has moved in at Vintages, the classy wine bar on Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas.

It's all clever stuff. They link an iPad to your on-board account as you arrive and away you go. There are 47 different wines to choose from, listed with notes from the winemakers, on-board sommeliers or both, so it saves having to train wine waiters, and you can have a glass, or half or whole bottle.

Your order goes through to your waiter's PDA and he or she serves the wine to the table - see, they can't manage without people completely, or at least not yet.

If you fancy some tapas-style nibbles, you also order them with the iPad. The one I saw wasn't fully set up on the food side but it showed three "packages", made up of things like salami, olives, garlic bread and prawns, that cost from $8 to $13.

The cheapest wine, by the way, is a very reasonable $28 a bottle, but they didn't tell me the most expensive (unlike on a paper menu I couldn't just scan the price list to find out!).

Frank Weber, in charge of food and beverages on Allure of the Seas, told me phase two of the iPad revolution will be to have a "wine assistant" who will suggest wines based on what you fancy, be it a dry red or a fruity white.

And then the long-term plan is to roll-out the iPads to other Royal Caribbean ships once they have had a chance to see it works.

Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, has given me a strong hint that DreamWorks' characters will be featuring on Independence of the Seas, the Royal ship that sails year-round from Southampton.

Eventually.

Shrek, Princess Fiona and friends are debuting on Allure of the Seas right now through a tie-up between Royal Caribbean and DreamWorks, and they will be on Oasis of the Seas and Indie's sisters Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas from early next year.

Liberty is also getting the musical Saturday Night Fever, starting in April, iPod docks in the cabins, a Cupcake Cupboard  and a nursery for babies and toddlers. Freedom is getting the nursery. Both are getting touch-screen screens, first seen on Oasis of the Seas, that help passengers find their way around the ships.

And what is Independence getting? Nada.

Goldstein tells me it's partly because they are concentrating on making sure Indie's year-round cruises from Southampton, starting this winter, are a success, but also because the ship is only two and a half years old and not due to go into dry dock until 2013.

But then he conceeded they don't need a dry dock to add the DreamWorks characters.

"I think DreamWorks will appeal to the British so I would not rule it out. We value the DreamWorks' relationship and are looking where we can take it. I suspect we will make some decisions [about Independence] next year."

I reckon that means DreamWorks for Indie. Remember you read it here first.

If you like meat, you'll love the Samba Grill, the Brazilian steakhouse, or churrascaria, that has debuted on Royal Caribbean International's new Allure of the Seas.

Gauchos, well waiters dressed like gauchos (South American cowboys, if you're wondering), come around to the table with meat on huge skewers and carve pieces off for you.

Once you switch on the green light, service starts. And it's fast. I hadn't even managed to pick up my knife and fork to try the first bits of beef before a second gaucho appeared, brandishing a different cut of beef. And then another gaucho came with chicken wrapped in bacon.

It was time to switch on the red light to show we were taking a break. But as soon as we had cleared what was on out plates, we went to green again.

So then came sausages, lamb, a top up of fries and fried plantains. There are nine different meats but I'm afraid we gave up at that point.

The food was very tasty and well worth the $25 per person cover charge (but I'm not convinced many veggies will take up the $15 option given this is such a meat fest), but they seriously need to do something about the atmosphere. Or rather lack of it.

I had expected a live band, South American rhythms and colourful dancers. What we got was one scantilly-clad young lady who managed to keep smiling while the rest of us - and the place was less than half-full - managed a rather embarassed applause every now and then.

It has to get better if it's going to succeed.

I was so tempted to have another go at surfing on the FlowRider on Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas. But note I say "again". I decided making a fool of myself doing it once - on Freedom of the Seas - was quite enough.

And there was also the rock climbing wall. I did it on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic when it was in Southampton in June. But as I am frightened of heights I decided not to chance it again.

So what did I do instead? Go on the zip wire of course, strung nine decks above the Boardwalk. Just the thing if you're bad with heights. But as I had managed to do it on Oasis of the Seas, I reckoned I could do it again.

The big problem is getting to the edge to launch yourself. It was all done in slow motion with me looking dead ahead and having to feel my way with my feet. And then I was off.

It was all over in a jiffy but I felt dead proud of myself afterwards.

Five and a half hours after walking through my front door, returning bleary-eyed after my few days on Allure of the Seas in Florida, I was heading back to Heathrow, this time to fly to Beirut.

I'm staying in a hotel Saturday night and then joining Voyages to Antiquity's one ship, the 378-passenger Aegean Odyssey. Allure holds 6,300. Talk about little and large.

I have a day in Lebanon, where I'll be going to the ancient Phoenician city of Baalbek, and three days in Syria, where I'll be visiting Krak des Chevaliers, the Crusader castle, and the city of Palmyra. Unusually, we stay overnight in Palmyra, returning to the ship the next day.

Aegean Odyssey is an old ship but new to Voyages to Antiquity, which only launched in May this year.

They stripped down the vessel, rebuilt it with less capacity and now offer cruises that are all about discovery and learning, with included excursions and on-board lectures.

Internet willing, I'll be blogging from the ship to explain what exactly that means, and how it works. So don't forget to stay in touch.

P&O Cruises is launching its start-of-year Wave discounts a month early, on December 1, hoping people will start thinking holiday and cruise as the snow starts to fall.

I suspect they could be right. I certainly am!

But over in the other corner, Royal Caribbean International has different ideas. Dominic Paul, their UK boss, tells me they will be advertising heavily during the Wave period but discounts are out.

"We will be advertising prices as they are and as the ships fill, the prices will go up. There is confusion in the market and it doesn't do us any favours to have offers all the time. The product is so good we shouldn't have to sell on price."

I agree, but what message does their free flights offer send? Surely that only adds to the confusion?

Back at P&O, you can get discounts of up to £2,500 per couple and nearly £1,000 per couple on-board spending money by booking a selection of cruises between December 1 2010 and January 31 2011.

The big attraction in Lebanon, apart from Beirut, the capital, which I only caught a glimpse of during my overnight there, is Baalbek, which I visited on my first day on Voyages to Antiquity.

The city was founded originally by the Phoenicians in the 2nd century BC, rebuilt by the Greeks and then again by the Romans. Of course. They were everywhere.

The site, in the Bekaa Valley, is amazing. There are three temples, dedicated to Jupiter, Bacchus and Venus. Tony, our guide, explained that when they moved in, the Romans told the locals that the Roman gods were the same as theirs, just with different names.

So where the Phoenicians had Baal, the Romans had Jupiter, where the Phoenicians had Astarte, the Romans had Venus. It fell down a bit with Bacchus. Tony admitted they never found a Phoenician equivalent of Rome's wine-loving god.

But the really clever thing about being so flexible on the god front was that the locals happily worked for the Romans, helping to build their new temples.

The ones dedicated to Jupiter and Venus are in ruins although there is plenty to see, including these six columns, which have withstood Christians, Mamelukes and earthquakes to remain as they were back in Roman times.

The real stunner is the Temple of Bacchus, top, said to be the best-preserved Roman temple in the world because you can still see parts of the stone ceiling in situ in the portico.

The whole complex took three centuries to build; the Jupiter temple alone took 100 years. "What did the Romans have that we don't," Tony asked. Not slaves, as someone answered, but time. How true. We get annoyed if something takes a couple of years to build.

The place was all the more amazing when you consider they had to move huge pieces of rock by manpower alone. We saw one of the stones, still in the quarry and met Abdul Nabi al-Afi, who has devoted his life since leaving the Lebanese army to stopping the locals using the site as a rubbish dump.

He even set up a garbage collection service to try to stop them dropping their litter on the stone ("they told me I'm a fool," he told a local paper).

Judging by the mess along the sie of the roads, it's like trying to hold back the tide. In Syria the next day, Antoine, our guide constantly told us how fertile the land we were driving through was. Well it was good at growing plastic bags and water bottles, but I didn't see much else.

Back in Lebanon, Tony tried to reassure us as we drove back to the ship with news that they have recently introduced radars to stop drivers speeding. They tried it with policemen first, but found they could be bought off. So two weeks ago they started with hidden cameras.

Problem is, he added, the speed limits in some areas are "illogical" (as in too slow). Sound familiar? And then he reassured us with a joke about a Lebanese man who drove into a wall.

Did I say joke? Having seen the driving, I suspect it could be based on fact.

I have often mentioned the guides, good or otherwise, I have had on ships' excursions, but never the coach drivers.

Let me put that right here, and mention Mohammed, the driver of the orange coach during our overnight stay in Tartous, Syria.

Orange? Voyages to Antiquity allocates passengers to colour groups depending on their cabin location. As I am on deck eight, at the top of the ship - and I'll post my thoughts later about their ship Aegean Odyssey and the Crac, as Antoine, our guide, called it - I am in the orange group.

Mohammed's problems started when we were making the final ascent to the Crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers, only to find the road was closed.

"It's fine, there is another way," Antoine explained. Fine for him, but poor Mohammed had to get the coach through the narrow streets of the village below the castle. Residents had to move cars and at one point he nearly took out one wing mirror.

Clearly the Crusaders did not think things through when they built this castle, one of the country's top tourist attractions, in such an inaccessible place!

But Mohammed did it, only to have to make a near 90-degree turn to get around the back of the castle and park the coach. Probably easy on most roads, but this was on a steep hill and on a road just over a car wide, so he had to inch to and fro.

And all the while passing locals nipped down the sides, with all of a paper-width between their cars and the coach.

The castle visit over, we were driving another 250km to Palmyra. Except the main road was shut in the direction we wanted to go.

No problem. The fearless Mohammed drove us up the slip road, heading towards oncoming cars, so he coulddo a u-turn and get on the road going in the opposite direction to the one we wanted. Potentially we were talking going down a motorway the wrong way. Not at all scary.

But all went according to plan. Sort of. Mohammed came off at the next exit, drove a few metres and then came upon the coach in front doing a three-point turn. That road was shut too.

So we went back to the highway, this time heading in the right direction, took a left, right and drove up a goat track for what seemed miles, until we were able to rejoin the main road.

I do love the driving in Syria. If they want to overtake, they just sound the horn and go, even if there is something coming in the other direction. And then they wonder why there are so many accidents.

The drive to Palmyra was long, almost three ours after all the detours, through the desert-like Syrian plain. On the way Antoine talked endlessly about the politics of Syria and the history of Palmyra. It reminded me of a line from Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie:

He talked for 45 minutes [except it was a lot longer!] and no one understood a word he said.

More on what I did understand later.

Starting today, December 1, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is abandoning brown envelopes and putting a daily gratuity on every passengers' cruise account.

Fred says it's in response to suggestions from guests, but I suspect it's more to do with getting the non-tipping Brits to cough up gratuities.

After all, it's more embarrassing to go to the reception desk and say you want the charge taken off than just to "avoid" bringing the brown envelope to dinner.

Fred also says the change brings it in line with many other major cruise lines, which is true. If they are pitching themselves against P&O Cruises. But apart from the fact they both target Brits, comparing P&O and Fred is like comparing chalk and cheese.

How much better to pitch against Saga or Voyages of Discovery, which include gratuities in the cruise price.

Fred Olsen will be adding £4 per person per day to cruise accounts, to be divided equally between the cabin stewardesses and restaurant waiters, reducing to £3 a day on world cruises or voyages around South America.