Nautical Neil's Life on the Ocean Wave

Celebrity have announced that their new ships, Silhouette and Reflection (out in 2012) will arrive with more amenities. While most of the changes will debut with the 122,000-ton Silhouette, Reflection will boast an additional meter in width and an increase of 4,000 gross tons. That will allow for additional cabins…

Well it is that time of year again.  The silly season is upon us. Now I am very excited as I have just booked flights to visit my best friend in San Fransisco over the Holiday season. I am flying soon and will not be back until 4th January. Hopefully I…

It has been reported that a Royal Caribbean ship Monarch of the Seas has rescued six Cuban's who were on a make shift raft. The raft was spotted whilst The Monarch was sailing back from Royal Caribbeans private island Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Five men and one Woman were…

First time cruising can be a little daunting, especially when you are not sure of which cruise line to go on.  I have heard of many people who are lead by the destinations rather than the cruise line.  Now if you want to go to certain destinations then do your…

Celebrity have announced that they have themed cruises for 2011.  The themes include glass blowing, health and wellness, speciallity chefs and winemakers.These cruises are on specific dates on Eclipse, Sillouette, Solstice, Equinox, Mercury Summit and Century.Now I have worked on Celebrity and I have seen ice carving, cooking demonstrations, fruit…

After a very enjoyable 2 night mini cruise on the P&O Aurora cruising from Southampton, I'd thought I'd let you know the nitty gritty about the ship. Embarkation was very smooth.  We had to queue for a while going through security but that cannot be helped.  Onboard the bars were…

After a long flight from Birmingham via Newark I landed in Las Vegas.  Taxi ride from the airport to the Mirage was about $30. Even with jetlag I wanted to have a walk along the strip. As this was the first time I have been to Las Vegas for 15…

I am off to Vegas on Friday for 5 days.  I am staying in the Mirage Hotel. I am not cruising I am flying there.  The last time I visited Vegas was 15 years ago so I am looking forward to seeing what has changed. I have been told that…

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Travel Convention in Valetta in Malta for 3 daysThe conference consisted of various sessions about best company practice.  In the cruise section of the conference, leading members of Royal Caribbean and the CCS group (Princess, Cunard and P&O) were discussing how…

Ok this is an interesting one.  If you book a cruise sailing in 2011 or 2012 and there is a fuel surcharge on the booking, how does the cruise line know how much to charge?With the fluctuating price of oil and the goings on in the country's who are 'oil rich' how…