Sam's Sea Stories

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has agreed to pay £280,000 to 130 passengers who fell ill on one of its cruise ships. The cruise operator agreed to the group settlement after holidaymakers suffered gastric illnesses on the the Boudicca between October 2009 and May 2010. Passengers' symptoms included diarrhoea, vomiting and…

Not so much of a rant this week, just wanted to let you know that if you were thinking about taking a cruise but were a little daunted at the prospect of choosing the right one, don't worry help is at hand. With so many different destinations, ships, facilities and…

Just a quick one this week but following on from my 'There is no escape' blog about how many cruise lines are now offering itineraries which take in major sporting events, and some offering the opportunity to watch football on board - I had to highlight the near perfect combination…

For those of you whose 'better halves' drive you crazy with their addiction to watching sport on TV, you'll be extremely dismayed to know that you can no longer escape, it's over for you. Your summer holiday....the best way of getting away from it all. Relaxing, winding down and escaping…

I read an article recently about private islands, specifically those only accessible by cruise ship and I found myself thinking about the worth or merit of such places in the context of 'travel'. While you may think private island hideaways are only the playgrounds of Russian oligarchs, multi-billionaire businessmen and…

Celebrity Cruises have recently announced they will be introducing the new 'Suite Class' experience across the majority of their fleet from April 2015.  The idea is to 'provide discerning guests who desire the very best in modern luxury to be able to fully indulge themselves in Celebrity Cruises’ new ‘Suite…

Modern cruise ships now routinely showcase ever more mind boggling technical innovations on a massive scale, while continually pushing the boundaries of what we thought even possible at sea. So when I read an article about the new Costa Cruises app, while not ground breaking in itself, I felt such…

We are aware these days that life on board cruise ships has evolved so much in recent times, with many ships now offering technological advances and innovations which quite simply have to be seen to be believed. There are however those people who still believe shuffleboard and napkin folding to…

And so it goes again, I'm unable to avoid reports of a breaking news story so important it had to be aired immediately and without hesitation, a story so earth shatteringly mind blowing ABC News and NBC News both carried the story in the USA, a story so relevant and…

In light of recent unfortunate reports of passengers falling to their deaths from cruise ships, and following on from my 'Inebriation of the Seas' blogs ,  I read this article in the Daily Mail which quite frankly made my blood boil. 'Extremely intoxicated' woman plunges 100 feet into the sea and…