Richard's Cruise Ramble

Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to experience the Azamara Quest for a couple of nights. I boarded in Southampton on Saturday afternoon and dis-embarked in Amsterdam on Monday lunchtime. Although I already had a good knowledge on the Azamara brand I hadn't had the first…

This Saturday I will be heading down to Southampton to spend a couple of nights on-board the Azamara Quest. I am really excited about this as I have not been on an Azamara ship before and will be good to experience it for myself as I book them quite a…

  Regent Seven Seas, the six star ultra luxury cruise line have just announced that H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco will be the god mother of their 4th ship, the new Seven Seas Explorer. There will be a ceremony held in Monte Carlo on the 13th July which will include…

Carnival Cruise lines have just announced that they will be increasing their on-board gratuities charge from $12 to $12.95 a person for passengers staying in a standard stateroom. This news comes not too long after Royal Caribbean have announced a increase in standard gratuity charges from $12.95 a day to…

I am a big fan of Oceania Cruises, the 5 star plus American style luxury cruise company. I think that they offer great value for money and sit nicely in-between regular cruise company's and the 6 star ultra-luxury brands. One thing that I have heard from returning passengers of mine…

Twice a year there are inspections of ships by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On the 1st March this year the P&O was inspected and unfortunately failed the checks as it scored 82 out of 100. The score needed to pass is 85 so she was close, I…

It's that time of year again, P&O cruise launches are always the most frantic and memorable that I can remember. The embargo on information was lifted at 8am this morning and people are pre-registering already to get the best launch deals and cabins. The P&O cruise launch is always that…

Cruisers who book a long way in advance can sometimes worry about missing out if a better deal comes along on their cruise further down the line, it seems that Royal Caribbean have come up with a way of counter acting this with the launch of the 2017 cruises. The…

Royal Caribbean's chairman and CEO Richard Fain has announced that their three brands, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises will no longer have prices discounted within 30 days of sailing. The exceptions to this rule will be three and four night sailings. This policy is meant to ensure…

  Passengers of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises will no doubt be rejoicing at the change of tipping policy. It has now been confirmed that passengers will not have to pre-pay their gratuities if they wish to take the flexible dining option. I am really pleased to hear this as…