I've been lucky enough to secure another ship visit. This time I will be visiting Transocean Tours' 20,606 gross tonne Astor. Joining me for the visit will be our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey. We will be visiting the ship on Monday, 15 August 2016 whilst she is berthed at the cruise terminal at Harwich International Port.
Some of you might also know Astor from her cruises with Cruise & Maritime Voyages, who are operating the ship during Winter 2016 and Spring 2017 on cruises from London, Tilbury and Australia.
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It’s now not long at all until we set off on our next cruise. On 28 September 2016 we will be setting sail from Southampton on our first ever cruise with MSC Cruises on board one of their largest ships, MSC Splendida.
Having booked the cruise well over a year before departure we’ve been very excited ever since. This will be the first time that either myself or Gavin have cruised with MSC Cruises, so we’re not entirely sure what to expect. I have previously visited two of their smaller ships, MSC Magnifica and MSC Lirica. Cruise Cotterill is delighted to be sponsoring a charity event taking place on Saturday, 24 September 2016, which will raise vital funds for the Sea Cadets in association with Plymouth Cruise Liner Volunteers. The gala charity event will be themed around the former Cunard ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, which ended her career in 2008. The event will take place at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth. There are a limited number of tickets for the event available so make sure you book yours as soon as possible! I am especially producing a small scale drawing of Queen Elizabeth 2 to be auctioned at the event to raise money for the Sea Cadets. The auction also includes other items including an original piece of memorabilia from the ship itself! For more information about the event or to book tickets please see below...
Our next cruise is just around the corner! Next week on 13 July 2016, Gavin and I will be boarding Cunard Line's magnificent flagship, Queen Mary 2 in Southampton for our 4 night voyage. Queen Mary 2 recently underwent a major refurbishment in Hamburg, Germany costing approximately £90 million. In total over one million man hours went into the 25 day project, which saw over 55,200 square meters of new carpets laid and over 15,000 litres of paint was applied to the liner's hull. The most noticeable change is the addition of 30 Britannia Club staterooms on Deck 13. Five Britannia Inside staterooms were also added. On Deck 2 the Empire Casino was shrunk to make room for nine Britannia Oceanview Single staterooms and six of these new staterooms were also installed on Deck 3L. In the Grand Lobby the two glass elevators have been removed making the area much more spacious. On Deck 7, the former underused Winter Garden has been transformed into the new Carinthia Lounge. The Queens Grill and Princess Grill restaurants have been completely redesigned. The Kings Court buffet has also been thoroughly redesigned and like her fleet mates Queen Mary 2 now offers guests The Verandah restaurant, which is located on Deck 8. Your four legged friends might be pleased to know that 10 additional dog kennels have been installed and there's even a lamp post from Liverpool and fire hydrant from New York on the deck to make your dog feel at home, apparently! So as I'm sure you can imagine we're really looking forward to getting on board and seeing all the new changes. Our 4 night voyage departs Southampton and will take us to Hamburg, Germany and back. We will have two sea days, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the ship and relax on board. Many of you have asked if I will be producing a new drawing and as some of you might have already seen I'm currently working hard to complete a brand new drawing of the remastered Queen Mary 2. The drawing includes the new Deck 13 staterooms. I hope to have the opportunity to present it to the Captain during our voyage.
Next year the much loved Astoria, formerly known as Azores, will be leaving the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet. Launched in 1946, she's the oldest cruise ship still in service. I have been keen to book a cruise on Astoria for a little while, but when I heard she was leaving I just had to go ahead and get booked. In 2017 Astoria will offer a range of cruises from London, Tilbury, ranging from a 2 night mini cruise to 14 night cruises to the Northern Lights. Gavin and I are booked on a 3 night cruise which departs on 09 March 2017 and is the first cruise in the farewell season. On our 3 night cruise we will visit Amsterdam and Antwerp, which Gavin and I have now visited quite a few times in recent years, but we love both cities and are very much looking forward to returning. Although neither myself or Gavin have not yet cruised on Astoria we did visit her as Azores whilst she was still operated by Portuscale Cruises, just before she joined Cruise & Maritime Voyages. Our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey from Cruise Capital has cruised on her twice, so we know what's in store. Astoria is by far not the most impressive and certainly not the largest ship, in fact she will be the smallest Gavin and I have yet cruised on. However, we want to experience this classic ocean liner, as this might be the last chance we will get. I'm sure we will have a very enjoyable cruise experience nevertheless and we're confidence Cruise & Maritime Voyages will take good care of us again. Maybe we'll see you on board too? Happy Cruising!
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Julie Peasgood, after being invited to feature as a guest on her TV programme the 'Bloggers Guide to Cruising' for the recently launched TV Cruise Channel. The interview took place at a studio in York, which is a few hundred miles away from where we are located in Colchester. Nevertheless it was well worth the trip! On the morning of the interview I was given some questions to look over and asked if I would like to add or remove any. I was more than happy with the questions which had been prepared for the interview. Before long it was then time to head downstairs to the recording studio, where I was interviewed by Julie. I was a little worried at first about the cameras and people watching but I actually rather enjoyed it in the end and completely forgot the cameras were even there! You will be able to watch the programme by tuning into TV Cruise Channel, Sky Channel 261 on Monday 04 July at 5:30pm. But if you can't wait until then or won't be free to tune in then you can preview the interview anytime on YouTube. I hope you all enjoy watching!
I write this blog just before I head to Southampton for an overnight stay, ahead of our latest ship visit planned tomorrow, 27 June 2016. I’m very excited to be visiting P&O Cruises’ Britannia, along with our Non-Executive Director, Gavin. This will be the first time either of us have stepped aboard! We’re keen to book a cruise on her sometime so asked P&O Cruises if it would be possible to have a look round, but more importantly we also wanted to review the ship to tell you all more about Britannia. During our time on board we will be taken the bridge where I hope to present my drawing to the Captain. We also hope to see as much of the ship as possible to share with you. Do look out for updates on our social media pages and our complete ship visit review in the coming weeks.
Until recently Viking was only known for river cruising but 2015 saw the launch of the first ocean ship for Viking Cruises, Viking Star, followed by Viking Sea which was recently christened in London. It was a shame I couldn't be there to witness the christening and see the ship but I'm thrilled to be visiting Viking Sea during her inaugural visit to Harwich International Port on 19 June 2016. I'll be joined aboard by our Non-Executive Director, Gavin and our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan who are both equally as excited as I am. Viking Cruises' ocean ships are far from the biggest or most innovative cruise ships in the world but instead offer something a little more intimate and relaxed with their all inclusive hassle free cruise experience. Both Viking Star and Viking Sea seem so spacious, bright and fresh looking so I can't wait to get aboard. Whilst on board we will also be meeting with the Captain on the bridge, where I will be presenting my drawing, which I'm currently working hard to finish right now! Keep a look out on our social media pages for photos and posts from our visit and of course don't miss our complete ship visit review in the coming weeks.
I might be a little biased but Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines really are one of the friendliest cruise lines and their staff on shore and crew on board their ships are always so helpful! Since my first ship visit with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on board Black Watch in August 2010, I've now had the pleasure of either visiting or sailing aboard all four ships in the fleet. (I've sailed on 3 of the 4, just Black Watch to tick off my list!) On 21 May 2016 we'll be saying hello to our friends at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines again as they've so kindly agreed to allow us to step aboard Braemar in Southampton for a ship visit and to also hopefully see my drawing displayed aboard too, which I presented on my first cruise with them in April 2015. Our cruise on Braemar was only a short 2 night trip from Harwich to Amsterdam and back, so it will be wonderful to see the ship again. I'll be joined aboard by our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment who joined me on the cruise in April. Our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey will also be tagging along and this will be his first time aboard Braemar so naturally he's really looking forward to stepping aboard. Make sure you keep your eyes out for our comprehensive and detailed ship visit review upon our return, complete with plenty of photos. Until next time... happy cruising!
After many hours of hard work, I've now completed my drawing of the new world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International's Harmony of the Seas. I'm really proud of it so hope that you like it! The brand new 227,000 tonne cruise ship arrived in Southampton earlier this morning for the very first time. Unfortunately I couldn't be there in person as I was busy finishing my drawing but can't wait to step aboard on Sunday and set sail on our 4 night cruise. I'm looking forward to meeting so many of you too. Whilst on board I hope to have the chance to meet with the Captain to present my drawing to him. Harmony of the Seas will be the 75th ship which my drawings have been presented or displayed aboard. You can view more photos of the drawing in our A-Z drawing gallery. Below are just a few questions and answers about the drawing. Should you have another question please don't be shy and ask away! Question: How large is the drawing?Answer: Like the giant ship itself my drawing is on a huge scale too. It's nearly 7 feet long and 19 inches tall! Question: How long did it take to draw?Answer: I started work on the drawing on 29 April and finished it on 17 May. In total I would estimate I spent around 50 hours drawing and colouring the ship. Question: Where is the drawing going?Answer: The drawing will be presented to Captain Gus Andersson during our 4 night cruise on board. Question: Can I get a drawing of Harmony of the Seas?sAnswer: Like all my drawing, this is a unique one-off as I do not produce prints of my artwork. However should you be interested in a drawing of Harmony of the Seas, you can complete our get a quote form for more information or contact us directly.
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Harry CotterillHarry Cotterill set up his blog when he was just 16-years old, making him one of the youngest cruise bloggers in the world. In later years he became known across the world for his amazing talent of drawing cruise ships! Blog Archive
December 2023
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