A Quantum Leap.

The big cruise news in the coming weeks is going to be the unveiling of royal Caribbeans Quantum of the seas. Royal have done a great job keeping things under-wraps about their new ship. since it was announced and open for bookings there are still many UN-answered questions. Namely "more to come" I don't know how royal can hide key features from the booking public, if I was booking myself on the Quantum I would want to know if the cabin...

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Have a free tour of the largest cruise ship in the world - on me !

Now that got your attention !! Royal Caribbean have teamed up with the people who made Google street view to create an online tour of the worlds biggest cruise ship, the Allure of the seas. From the comfort of your computer you can cruise the Caribbean and look around the most inovative ship afloat. there's not even a dress code - fee free to wander round in your pants (nobody will notice) Take a look for yourself  Captain Cookson's...

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The WOW Factor.

Afternoon all, Thought I'd have a brief blog about the WOW factor. There's been so many exiting features added to cruise ships, all jostling for your attention. every cruise line wants that spectacular feature to entice people to book with them. A jaw dropper on the front page of the brochure which you'll remember all the time you look at cruises. I've had people looking at booking a cruise based on. "I want the cruise with the surfing,...

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MSC reveals plans for two newbuilds

Good afternoon all. Some very exiting news today from MSC cruises (unusual). They have signed a letter of intention to construct 2 new ships code-named "project seaside" These two new ships will be out in 2017 & 18 - with options for more. The ships seem to be very ambitious ship for MSC, and I can see this could be a very interesting design of ship for them. Italian shipyard Fincantieri has been given the task of building these two...

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Cruises on TV

Well that was a busy week ! sorry I've been away for a while but things have been busy on the day job. But I can't neglect the blogging world for long. Today's ramblings..... Cruising on TV. Hot on the heels of ITV's announcement that the Royal princess will be featured as part of a 4 part documentary this summer. Coming soon.... but will it be Realistic (or any good) I started hoping that this would be a realistic documentary about modern...

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Obstructed view from your cabin, is it really that bad??

One of the recurring problems on new Mega-ships is the quantity of Obstructed view cabins on board. As cruise lines search for more profit  Cabins are being squeezed in - regardless of the quality of the view. Don't Miss-understand me there is nothing more than frustrating than paying good money for a excellent cabin & finding a cleaning gantry in front of you. A superior cabin with a less than superior view! What I'm looking at is...

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2015 is going to be a BIG year.

2015 is really shaping up to be a MASSIVE year in Southampton. After the recession allot of the cruise lines are now investing in new ships to cater for the rising demand in cruises.There are allot of new ships sailing in 2015 - most are heading to Southampton. We've got P&O's New Britannia - Arriving March 2015 - 3600 passenger the (near identical) Royal Princess Arrives in May - 3600 passenger. Royal Caribbean's Anthem...

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Which Cruise-line is for me?

Doing this job one of the most common questions I get asked is "which cruise line should I go with" so I thought it was time to put pen to paper (electronically) and give my honest views. I'll go in alphabetical order (so there is no order of preference) +Azamara Club Cruises + Small ship cruising, lovely sized ships, lots for your money, small ports of call that other ships cant do. - Regional (non London) flights can be very messy,...

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When is the right time to book?

A question I'm asked constantly is when is the right time to book my cruise. Should you book now, or wait until a couple of weeks before. to be absolutely honest I don't know, but I can give you some advice. Case for booking early. 1) Pick of the cabins - the cabin you want / where you want 2) Early booking discounts / free drinks / money off / on-board credit 3) The pick of the route - chose any itinerary you want  from the 1000's on offer 4) Pick your date - tied to work / childcare, you can have the date you want. Case against booking...

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That's a new way to dock.

Its not a cruise ship. Its a ferry arriving at a scrap yard in Turkey. (arriving dramatically) #cruise #abitoffun #interesting ...

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Hot dogs - yes please.

Cant wait to have a nice cold beer, a dog from the dog house truck & watch the world go by. Coming soon on Anthem & Quantum of the seas. ...

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Curious Cabins

Right let’s get blogging. Throughout my years (not too many!) of selling cruises I've always been impressed with the unusual cabins on offer. I'm talking about getting more for your money & trusting the sales person's knowledge to get you something spectacular at a bargain price. Something like Celebrity Millennium class's sweet 16 balconies. You pay the rock bottom price of an obstructed view stateroom - but get a bigger balcony than...

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FIRST POST !!

Welcome to my blog. If you can see this it means I've managed to get it working. as the title suggests I'm Captain Cookson and i'll be talking cruises here. ...

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