Sam's Sea Stories

You may have thought pirate attacks to be the stuff of legend, but two cruise lines have instituted preparation plans in case modern day pirates try to board one of the luxury ships. According to cruiseradio.net, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of The Seas and Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess have developed exercises to…

There are often reports of Norovirus breakouts on cruise ships, usually, first thoughts turn to the hygiene and cleanliness on board and the way the ship is managed. This, of course, is a factor in such cases as is the fact that thousands of people descending on one place form…

An alleged drug smuggling operation onboard a cruise ship was dismantled recently after police found a stash of cocaine hidden in bowls and crisp packets. The National Crime Agency (NCA), which has been described as the U.K.'s equivalent to the FBI, announced the arrests today. Law enforcement officials said six men…

On cruises let's face it, it happens. Consenting adults, drinks packages and sunshine can sometimes lead to, how can I put this.....'shenanigans'. There is one cruise company who have launched a sailing which actively promotes said 'shenanigans'. Ever felt the need on a cruise to 'experiment and enhance your sexual freedom…

Princess Cruises have announced a number of celebrity guest speakers on their Spring/Summer Sapphire Princess itineraries sailing from Southampton in 2019. I'm not talking vacuous pop culture celebrities either, I'm sure these guests have a few stories to tell! Take a look at the full list below. Actress Linda Gray (Sue Ellen in…

Following on from my recent post regarding Cunard Line now offering drinks packages on board, P&O Cruises have decided to follow suit. The last of the major players to do so and following a trial on board selected sailings last year P&O have given their guests the choice of booking…

With the majority of cruise lines now offering differing 'Inclusive Drinks' packages, it appears, of the major players,  only P&O Cruises and Cunard Line are yet to fall into line with the rest. Well, you can now tick one more of that list as Cunard Line has recently announced it…

One of the most frequent questions I get asked when trying to arrange the right cruise for my clients is regarding dress codes. Some are still under the impression that all cruise lines are overly formal and likewise some believe certain cruise lines have let standards slip when it comes…

We all know how important it is to have adequate travel insurance in place, not only for when we go on holiday, but also from the time of booking as this can cover monies paid in the unfortunate event of cancellation. I did wonder how many people book standard travel…

Well, it's that time of year again, honestly, I don't know where the time goes these days, surely a sign of me getting old! I'm taking a much needed short break for Christmas to spend some quality time with my family. My son turned 10 last week and my daughter…