As we approach the end of 2014, I wanted to share with you our cruise highlights from the past year. I've been fortunate enough to embark on 8 cruises this year, as well as 3 ship visits. I've said bon voyage to Royal Caribbean Fans and East Yorkshire and said welcome aboard to Cruise Capital and Southampton.
January
On 14th January, I welcomed Norwegian Getaway into the freezing, but sunny Southampton. Later that day, I would embark on her maiden voyage from Southampton on a 1-night cruise to nowhere.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
January
On 14th January, I welcomed Norwegian Getaway into the freezing, but sunny Southampton. Later that day, I would embark on her maiden voyage from Southampton on a 1-night cruise to nowhere.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
February
Exactly 1 month since Norwegian Getaway, I embarked on my second cruise of the year. On 14th February I cruised the Canary Islands for 7-nights on Thomson Celebration from Tenerife. Despite spending 3 of the 7 days in Gran Canaria due to bad storms, we still managed to see some beautiful ports, including La Gomera, one of the less touristic islands which larger ships can not call into.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
Exactly 1 month since Norwegian Getaway, I embarked on my second cruise of the year. On 14th February I cruised the Canary Islands for 7-nights on Thomson Celebration from Tenerife. Despite spending 3 of the 7 days in Gran Canaria due to bad storms, we still managed to see some beautiful ports, including La Gomera, one of the less touristic islands which larger ships can not call into.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
After I returned home from Thomson Celebration, I started to develop Cruise Capital. At the time it mainly displayed my cruise photos, information about the different cruise lines and a few news articles each month.
March
In March, I enjoyed a 10-night British Isles cruise on board Cruise & Maritime Voyage's Discovery. It was one of the smallest vessels that I have ever sailed on, but it was a very warm and friendly ship. Cruising out of Hull was a novel experience for me, living just 30 minutes away. It was also pleasant exploring the UK by ship.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
In March, I enjoyed a 10-night British Isles cruise on board Cruise & Maritime Voyage's Discovery. It was one of the smallest vessels that I have ever sailed on, but it was a very warm and friendly ship. Cruising out of Hull was a novel experience for me, living just 30 minutes away. It was also pleasant exploring the UK by ship.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
April
In April, I was approached to take part in a research report conducted by Blueshift Research, analysing the cruise industry. I talked about cruise line capacity, the growing popularity of river cruising and many more interesting topics. You can view the report here, with my views starting on page 29.
Also in April, I returned to P&O Cruises Oceana, after cruising on her back in 2012 to Norway. This time I was exploring Spain and France on a 7 night cruise.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
In April, I was approached to take part in a research report conducted by Blueshift Research, analysing the cruise industry. I talked about cruise line capacity, the growing popularity of river cruising and many more interesting topics. You can view the report here, with my views starting on page 29.
Also in April, I returned to P&O Cruises Oceana, after cruising on her back in 2012 to Norway. This time I was exploring Spain and France on a 7 night cruise.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
May
In May, I cruised on Azura for a short 4-night cruise to Zeebrugge and Guernsey. The main reason why we booked this cruise was because legendary singer, Alfie Boe would be performing a special concert on board.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
In May, I cruised on Azura for a short 4-night cruise to Zeebrugge and Guernsey. The main reason why we booked this cruise was because legendary singer, Alfie Boe would be performing a special concert on board.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
June
In June, I once again returned to Azura. This was my third time on board the vessel, after previously spending 17-nights sailing around the Mediterranean in July 2013. This time I was spending 14-nights sailing to the not-so-warm Baltics, or so I thought! The weather was amazingly hot, and compared to the weather the UK was having at the same time, I was glad I was cruising! I found it fascinating visiting St Petertsburg in Russia. Copenhagen in Denmark was delightfully sunny, a shocking contrast to when I last visited on board Balmoral in December 2013! I thoroughly enjoyed Warnemunde in Germany.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
In June, I once again returned to Azura. This was my third time on board the vessel, after previously spending 17-nights sailing around the Mediterranean in July 2013. This time I was spending 14-nights sailing to the not-so-warm Baltics, or so I thought! The weather was amazingly hot, and compared to the weather the UK was having at the same time, I was glad I was cruising! I found it fascinating visiting St Petertsburg in Russia. Copenhagen in Denmark was delightfully sunny, a shocking contrast to when I last visited on board Balmoral in December 2013! I thoroughly enjoyed Warnemunde in Germany.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
July
On 26th July, I visited Brilliance of the Seas in Harwich with Harry Cotterill and Gavin Pamment from Dream Designs Colchester. We spent the afternoon touring the ship, had lunch on board and even visited the bridge!
On 26th July, I visited Brilliance of the Seas in Harwich with Harry Cotterill and Gavin Pamment from Dream Designs Colchester. We spent the afternoon touring the ship, had lunch on board and even visited the bridge!
August
In August, I set sail once again for a 14-night cruise to Spain on board Independence of the Seas. My very first cruise was on board this ship in May 2009. It was a short 4-nights to Cobh in Ireland, but it got me hooked! This cruise would be my fourth time on board the incredible ship and I was glad I could cruise on her one final time before she heads across the pond, where she will stay for the foreseeable future.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
In August, I set sail once again for a 14-night cruise to Spain on board Independence of the Seas. My very first cruise was on board this ship in May 2009. It was a short 4-nights to Cobh in Ireland, but it got me hooked! This cruise would be my fourth time on board the incredible ship and I was glad I could cruise on her one final time before she heads across the pond, where she will stay for the foreseeable future.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
September
In September, I moved down to Southampton ready to start at Solent University. This was when I started to focus on Cruise Capital. Being in the UK's premier cruise port, I began heading to the docks daily to capture the ships departing, where I then uploaded them onto the site. I also started regular cruise news updates. The day I moved to Southampton, MSC Opera and MSC Magnifica were in the port, which is a rather rare occurrence to have two MSC ship in together.
In September, I moved down to Southampton ready to start at Solent University. This was when I started to focus on Cruise Capital. Being in the UK's premier cruise port, I began heading to the docks daily to capture the ships departing, where I then uploaded them onto the site. I also started regular cruise news updates. The day I moved to Southampton, MSC Opera and MSC Magnifica were in the port, which is a rather rare occurrence to have two MSC ship in together.
October
On October 15th, the world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, arrived into Southampton for the very first time. I met up with my friends Daniel Gosling and Anthony Marshall and caught the ferry over to Hythe Marina ready to watch her sail into the port shortly before 10am. We had a fantastic view as Oasis approached the port. She had a tugboat firing water into the air, saluting the ship as it arrived. It was a wonderful experience, to see the mega-ship once again, after cruising on her back in January 2010. Oasis of the Seas dwarfed all the other ships in that day, which were, Azura, MSC Magnifica and Saga Sapphire, which I would be visiting later in the day!
On October 15th, the world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, arrived into Southampton for the very first time. I met up with my friends Daniel Gosling and Anthony Marshall and caught the ferry over to Hythe Marina ready to watch her sail into the port shortly before 10am. We had a fantastic view as Oasis approached the port. She had a tugboat firing water into the air, saluting the ship as it arrived. It was a wonderful experience, to see the mega-ship once again, after cruising on her back in January 2010. Oasis of the Seas dwarfed all the other ships in that day, which were, Azura, MSC Magnifica and Saga Sapphire, which I would be visiting later in the day!
To commemorate the arrival of the largest passenger ship, Harry from Dream Designs Colchester, had drawn a very detailed drawing of Oasis of the Seas, which I helped him present in front of awe-inspired onlookers in Mayflower Park.
Shortly after, I jumped into a taxi with Harry and Gavin and boarded Saga Sapphire which we had arranged to tour. You usually have to be over 50 to cruise with Saga, so it was interesting to experience what a Saga cruise offers its guests. The ship was surprisingly modern and all the crew were friendly and remembered guests who had sailed with them before.
We took the opportunity to see Harry's drawing of Saga Ruby, proudly displayed on board.
After visiting Saga Sapphire, the day still wasn't over! I headed to Mayflower Park shortly before midnight, ready to watch Oasis of the Seas depart. Even at midnight, Oasis drew in a huge crowd. It was an incredible, yet eerie sight watching Oasis of the Seas silently emerge out of the fog and sail into the distance.
Also in October, I saw the maiden arrival of Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Quantum of the Seas. She was on her way from the shipyard to New York and called into Southampton for a few days for a special media preview cruise. She arrived on the 29th and finally headed for New York on 2nd November.
November
November started off by saying goodbye to the much-loved Independence of the Seas. She sailed out of Southampton for the final time on 1st November and plenty of people came out to wave goodbye.
November started off by saying goodbye to the much-loved Independence of the Seas. She sailed out of Southampton for the final time on 1st November and plenty of people came out to wave goodbye.
The day after we said goodbye to another two vessels who wouldn't be returning, Quantum of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas. Adventure made a rare berth at the Queen Elizabeth II terminal, as Quantum was docking in City. I made a rare decision to watch the ships dock at 4am in the pouring rain, but I knew I wouldn't get to see this again anytime soon!
December
On the 8th December, I arranged to visit Saga Holiday's other vessel, Saga Pearl II. She was a quaint little ship, but her bigger sister had a lot more wow factors.
On the 8th December, I arranged to visit Saga Holiday's other vessel, Saga Pearl II. She was a quaint little ship, but her bigger sister had a lot more wow factors.
On 12th December, A wonderful firework display was held for Queen Mary 2's departure.
I managed to squeeze one final cruise into 2014. I sailed on board Cunard's Queen Elizabeth on 16th December for a short 3-night cruise to Zeebrugge. The ship was lovely and had a unique blend between modern day expectations and traditional ocean liner sophistication.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
VIEW MORE PICTURES HERE.
Well, it's been a fantastic year of cruising highlights for me and I can't wait for what 2015 holds. We already have three cruises booked for next year and plenty of surprises still to come!
I hope you've had a wonderful 2014 and I wish you all an amazing 2015. Thank you for supporting Cruise Capital!
Jordan Bailey,
Cruise Capital.
I hope you've had a wonderful 2014 and I wish you all an amazing 2015. Thank you for supporting Cruise Capital!
Jordan Bailey,
Cruise Capital.