This year is really flying by... Back in March (Nearly 2 months ago now!) I spent 9 nights on board Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' flagship, Balmoral along with our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment. We were originally booked on board for 7 nights, but extended our time on board by booking the mini cruise which followed. During our 7 night cruise, whilst docked in Hamburg, Germany, Gavin and I were invited to the bridge to meet with the Captain and present my drawing. The Chief Officer met us in reception shortly after 10:00 and escorted us to the bridge, where Captain Lars Juel Kjeldsen and the Hotel Director greeted us. The Captain and Hotel Director seemed very impressed with the drawing and pointed out that it was the first time Balmoral had been depicted in Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' new livery, the grey hull with red stripe. They promised to find a place on board to display the drawing and mentioned that there was a suitably sized space in the midship passenger stairwell. As we left the bridge I was a little cheeky and asked the Chief Officer if there was anyway I could have a ship model in return for my drawing. For the majority of my drawings which I present, I am presented with a gift in exchange for the drawing. So I asked if it was possible to have one of the ship models, as I have one of Black Watch and Boudicca. (I didn't get one of Braemar). The Chief Officer said he would see what he could do and that it shouldn't be a problem. On the last night of the 7 night cruise, the Hotel Director presented him with a ship model after the Captain's Farewell Cocktail party. So it was worth asking. I believe you don't get far in life without asking and being a little cheeky from time to time. If you're on board Balmoral at some point, keep a look out for my drawing as you explore the ship. Maybe even send us a photo!
0 Comments
On May 22nd 2016, the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International's 227,000 tonne Harmony of the Seas will depart Southampton on her maiden voyage. I'm lucky enough to be on board for the 4 night cruise and will be joined by our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment and our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey from Cruise Capital. This will be my first cruise with Royal Caribbean International as well as Gavin's. Our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan however has cruised aboard a number of their ships in the past. I really can't wait to experience first hand what Royal Caribbean International has to offer and what better way to do so than on their newest and largest ship! The 4 night cruise departs Southampton on 22 May 2016. The following day we will be spent at sea, before calling into Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We will have another day at sea on the return to Southampton, hopefully giving us plenty of time to explore the ship and try out just some of the almost endless features and amenities on board. Of course first on on our to-do list has to be the 10 deck high Ultimate Abyss slide. I'm also keen to try out the three water slides and the zip-line over Boardwalk. Perhaps I won't be so keen when I'm up there looking down! There's so much more on offer, such as the ice-skating, rock climbing, the traditional carousel in Boardwalk at the aft of the ship, not to mention the beautiful Central Park, featuring over 12,000 plants and trees. I just hope we can find enough time to do at least some of what we want to during our 4 nights on board. Of course upon our return we will be reporting back our thought on the brand new giant cruise ship. You'll be able to follow along with our cruise on our social media outlets too. Make sure you read our cruise review and take a look at our photos too once they are live on our website. I look forward to seeing some of you on board Harmony of the Seas. For those of you who are not on board, perhaps we will meet on another cruise someday. Bon Voyage!...
On 27 April 2016, the latest addition to the AIDA's fleet, AIDAprima is due to arrive into Southampton for the very first time, having sailed all the way from Japan where she was constructed. I am lucky enough to have been given permission from AIDA to be one of the first ever visitors to step aboard the brand new ship. Joining me on board for the ship visit will be our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment and our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey from Cruise Capital. The three of us are understandably very excited and can't wait to step aboard. At 124,700 tonnes, AIDAprima is not only AIDA's newest ship but she's also their largest, with a striking new design, including her somewhat differently shaped bow. For those of you who follow my drawings closely, you will be aware that I have been working on a drawing of AIDAprima. During the ship visit this will be presented on board, although at the time of writing it is not clear if the Captain himself will be free to accept it. Stay tuned for further updates on our social media pages and make sure you check out our ship visit review following our time on board. Until next time, happy cruising!
On April 11, I will be one of the very first people to explore Royal Caribbean International’s latest smart-ship, Ovation of the Seas. As part of this special overnight night launch event in Southampton, ahead of the naming ceremony in China, myself and various other journalists and travel agents will get to see how the ship has been adapted to cater for Chinese travellers, as well as trying out all the fun activities onboard, including having a drink served by robots in the Bionic Bar; soaring to new heights on North Star; experiencing skydiving on a cruise ship; and watching a spectacular show in Two70. During the overnight event, while the ship is docked alongside City Cruise Terminal in Southampton, Royal Caribbean International has provided me with a complimentary Balcony stateroom for the night, with furnishing designed by celebrity fashion expert Genevieve Gorder. I’m really looking forward to touring the latest ship in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class and I am particularly looking forward to trying out the bumper cars in the SeaPlex, which I missed out on due to long lines during my three-night cruise on board Anthem of the Seas
Having just returned from my fourteenth cruise, I just got off the phone from my travel agent after booking my eighteenth. I've booked myself and our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment on the maiden voyage of Cruise & Maritime Voyages new flagship, Columbus, departing London, Tilbury in June 2017. Soon to be the new flagship of the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet, the ship was originally launched in 1989 and has been operated by a number of different cruise lines since, including P&O Cruises, Ocean Village and most recently P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Pearl. The 63,786 GTR ship was extensively refurbished in August 2015 and will be upgraded further in April 2017 before joining the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet. The 3 night cruise which we are booked on departs the ship's home port, Tilbury, on 11 June 2016. Our two ports of call are Amsterdam and Antwerp, which both Gavin and I have been to a number of times on our recent cruises. We're looking forward to return to the two beautiful European cities and are very excited to be booked on the maiden voyage of Columbus! Perhaps we might see you aboard?...
On 25 March 2016, Gavin and I will be re-boarding Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' Balmoral, having just disembarked from the cruise before. We first embark Balmoral in Southampton on 18 March 2016 for the first cruise, the 7 cruise, before arriving back in Southampton on 25 March.
We are both really looking forward to our first ever and rather last minute back-to-back cruise and spending an extra 2 nights on board! Our port of call, Boulogne-sur-Mer in France will also be a new experience. On 21 March 2016, I'll be reunited with Cruise & Maritime Voyages' Azores, albeit under the new name Astoria. In fact I'll be on the first sailing under the new name. I previously sailed on board the ship in August 2015 for a short 2 night repositioning cruise from Liverpool to Bristol, which also included a short visit to Dublin. I enjoyed the 2 nights, but despite my short time on board, I had already began to get bored, therefore I am a little apprehensive about spending 7 nights on the ship, but luckily this itinerary is port intensive and only includes one sea day. Cruise Itinerary
This 'Scottish Isles & Emerald Isle' itinerary will set sail from Bristol Avonmouth visiting various Scottish and Irish ports. On this cruise, I'll be visiting two new places - Stornoway and Greenock - and while I may have been to the other ports before, I am still very much enjoying the chance to return, especially to the picturesque Tobermory. Launched in 1946, Astoria is officially the oldest cruise ship still in passenger service. At just over 12,000 GT, the ship is more like a private yacht, than a cruise ship.
On 18 March 2016 I will be boarding Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' 43,537 GT Balmoral in Southampton. Joining me on board will be our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment. This will be our third cruise with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, but at 7 nights will also be our longest cruise yet. As many of you will know from our previous cruises, we generally tend to do shorter cruises. This will be Gavin's first time on board Balmoral, where as I have previously visited the ship so know what to expect a little more. The ship was originally built in 1988 as Crown Odyssey but has since sailed with a number of different cruise lines. In 2008 Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines brought the ship and re-named her Balmoral. The ship was extensively refurbished and was also lengthen by 30 meters. She is by no means the largest or most impressive cruise ship afloat, but is a more traditionally styled, medium sized cruise ship, carrying a maximum of around 1,350 passengers. Cruise Itinerary
This 7 night cruise offers a slightly different and interesting itinerary. Entitled 'River, Canals & City Overnight' the cruise will take us to some of Europe's finest cities, visiting three beautiful countries: Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Two of the three ports of call are also overnight stays, meaning we will have plenty of time in port and to go ashore and explore. We've got one sea day, but there's also plenty of time cruising the scenic canals and rivers as we sail into and out of port, particularly Amsterdam as we cruise along the busy North Sea Canal. I am really very excited about this cruise, especially as it will be my longest yet, but both Gavin and I are thrilled to be cruising with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines again, which in my opinion is one of the friendliest cruise lines. As always upon our return we will be posting a full cruise review and photos, but you will also be able to follow along on our Facebook and Twitter pages too whilst we are aboard! Bon Voyage!
During our 4 night cruise last week aboard P&O Cruises' Ventura, I had the opportunity to briefly meet with the Master, Captain Simon Terry. We met shortly after 16:00 during our day at sea on route to Amsterdam. After chatting at reception, I asked if I could present my drawing one deck up, at the top of Ventura's beautiful atrium on Deck 7. The Captain seem impressed as I unveiled the drawing and took the time to have a small number of photographs taken. Ventura was the 73rd ship which my drawings have now been presented on board. The Captain did not say if he intends to display the drawing, but hopefully the drawing well looked after either way. My first cruise of 2016 has almost arrived! Today we leave for Southampton where we will be staying overnight, before Gavin and I will board P&O Cruises' Ventura on 15 February 2016. This will be our second cruise with P&O Cruises, having spent 2 nights aboard the newer Azura in April 2013. On this occasion however we will be on board for 4 nights. Following our departure from Southampton we will spend the next day at sea, before arriving in beautiful city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands via the busy North Sea Canal. Next on our itinerary is busy port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, which I have been to once before but Gavin has not. We are both really looking forwarding to enjoying a cruise with P&O Cruises again. In recent years we've been on quite a few cruises together, but many have been on smaller, older ships, so we are excited to be boarding a much larger newer ship again.
As ever, whilst on board I hope to get the opportunity to meet the Captain and present my brand new drawing of Ventura. It will be a little strange being back aboard Ventura, as she was the second ship I ever stepped foot aboard all the way back in April 2008 when I was just 14 years old. How time flies! Upon our return we will be sure to post lots of photos and a complete cruise review on our website. Our Facebook and Twitter pages will be working as normal whilst we are away and we might even post and tweet from the ship should we get time. Bon Voyage... |
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
|