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An evening with P&O Cruises' new brand ambassador Gary Barlow

An evening with P&O Cruises’ new brand ambassador Gary Barlow

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I’ve had a super secret save the date in my diary for weeks now - an invitation to a very special evening with P&O Cruises, and yesterday we finally got to head to the beautiful LSO St Luke’s in London - a stunning old Hawksmoor church - to find out what all this cloak and dagger stuff was all about. The big reveal turned out to be an evening with P&O Cruises’ new brand ambassador Gary Barlow, someone that I think is a brilliant fit for P&O Cruises. And what a night it was!

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Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

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Naming ceremony of Saga Spirit of Discovery

The naming ceremony of Saga Spirit of Discovery

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Well, what a gorgeous day we had on Friday! You might have seen that I was in Dover for Cruise International to cover the naming ceremony of Saga’s beautiful new boutique cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery (read all about it here), and I thought you might be interested to find out what happens during these ship christenings, so I grabbed my camera and nabbed you a few behind the scenes photos of the frankly beautiful party and naming ceremony of Saga Spirit of Discovery. Here goes, then!

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Which cruise is right for you

Which cruise is right for you?

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As an award winning *cough* cruise writer and blogger and after spending many years of hard work and dedication trying out a huge variety of different cruise holidays (I do the research so you don’t have to - you’re welcome), I’d say I’m as qualified as anyone to give a bit of a rundown on the huge variety of cruises, as well as giving you a few tips about choosing your ideal cruise holiday. As I pointed out in my guide for first time cruisers, there really is a cruise for everyone - you just need to find the one for you. This depends mostly on the cruise line you choose and the kind of itinerary that you plump for. To be honest, researching a cruise holiday can be a bit overwhelming, with so much information available online and with so many cruise travel agents all with their own advice to give, so I thought I’d take a bit of time to break it all down for you, so you can see which cruise is right for you.

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Independence of the Seas' multi-million pound makeover

Independence of the Seas’ multi-million dollar makeover

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Many, many moons ago, back when my children occasionally did anything I asked and I was a fully fledged ‘mummy blogger’, I was really proud to be asked by Royal Caribbean Cruises to be an Official Family Ambassador or ‘Royal Mum’. It was a fab time and I really enjoyed my role: as part of my ambassadorship, I wrote about family cruising on the Royal Caribbean blog as well as in newspapers like The Times, and was lucky enough, along with my lovely fellow Royal Mums, to experience wonderful trips like a Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, and a family cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. Another wonderful memory was when we all got together at Southampton for a sunny day on board Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. I’ve always been hugely proud of my long-running association with Royal Caribbean: I love the quality of the brand, the wonderful people who have a genuine love and enthusiasm for creating incredible experiences, and all their beautiful, innovative ships, so when Mr E and I were invited along to experience the shakedown cruise following Independence of the Seas’ multi-million dollar makeover, we were all over it. Here’s how we got on.

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Open for business - cruising the Caribbean after Irma and Maria

Open for business - cruising the Caribbean after Irma and Maria

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Last September, we were on the first Virgin Atlantic flight out to Orlando following the airport’s reopening after Hurricane Irma. We met people from the Florida Keys and Miami who had left their homes and belongings behind and been evacuated north to the resort hotels of Orlando. The next morning we walked the empty streets of Universal Orlando Resort, and stepped onto rides with no queues. I remember chatting to our Uber driver, a Puerto Rican who, at the time, was worried about his friends and family at home as the second hurricane, Maria, powered towards the island. It was a sobering time. Fast forward six months, and I’m boarding a flight from Miami to Puerto Rico to join Viking Cruises’ Viking Sea in San Juan for the first leg of Viking’s West Indies Explorer itinerary, sailing from San Juan on a roughly south easterly track that will take us down to our final port, Barbados. I’m curious to know how cruising the Caribbean after Irma and Maria will be, and wondering if, frankly, we’ll be unwelcome guests, strutting around demanding drinks and ice creams while people rebuild their homes and businesses.

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Grand Cayman - my perfect destination for Plan a Cruise Month

Grand Cayman: my perfect destination for Plan a Cruise Month

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October is a super exciting month in the cruise industry. It’s when everyone who loves to cruise comes together to celebrate Plan a Cruise Month: a whole month devoted to everything to do with cruising and the perfect time of year for you to plan your own cruise - especially as there are loads of fantastic offers and incentives available throughout the whole month. This year, the theme of Plan a Cruise Month is ‘destinations’, and I thought I’d tell you about Grand Cayman, one of my very favourite cruise destinations, by having a reminisce of my own lovely trip there, on assignment for Cruise International with Charlie.

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Team Wiggo and the Celebrity Eclipse

A family cruise on Celebrity Eclipse

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So I’ve had an absolutely MAD bout of travelling and can’t wait to update you on all the exciting things we’ve been up to. Firstly, we’ve just returned from a lovely two week family cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Cruises’ beautiful Solstice class cruise ship, where we sailed from Southampton and visited Gibraltar, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. It was our first time as a family on a Celebrity Cruise (Mr E and I did a wine cruise on Celebrity Infinity a while ago) and we did wonder what it would be like to spend two weeks in a relatively small stateroom as a family (as it turned out, we were treated to extra room, which was fab). Here’s how we got on:

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What to expect on your first cruise

What to expect on your first cruise

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So, you’re about to set off on your first proper adventure at sea? Exciting! Cruising can seem like a strange and foreign world, and many first-time cruisers will be wondering all sorts of things: how they’ll spend all that time on board/whether they’ll get bored/lost//fat/feel sick/spend loads of money/whatever. Rest assured that cruise ships today are better equipped than ever before, with exciting activities, delicious food and top notch tipples right at your fingertips. In order to give you more of an insight into what you can expect from your time at sea, here’s my slightly tongue in cheek rundown of what to expect on your first cruise, particularly your first 48 hours at sea.

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Eric Lanlard's afternoon tea on board Britannia

On board P & O Britannia with Food Hero Eric Lanlard

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In the last part of our P & O Britannia foodie cruise diary (see part one and part two here), it’s all about the gorgeous Eric Lanlard. Erica and I specifically chose the cruise because Eric was due to be on board. All the Food Heroes spend some time on the ship on various cruises, and it’s a chance for guests to book different masterclasses and hosted dinners with them.

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Small plates in The Glass House on board P & O Cruises Britannia

A foodie cruise on board P & O Britannia - part two

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So, catching up with part one of our foodie cruise on board P & O Britannia, then, having eaten ourselves silly, discovered La Rochelle and L’Il de Ré, done a bit more eating, a bit of dancing and had a busy day in Bilbao, we decided to have a chilled out evening in The Glass House, the brainchild of Food Hero and frankly adorable wine expert, Olly Smith.

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P & O Cruises’ new ship Britannia, and a chat with Food Hero Eric Lanlard

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So last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the gala celebrations on board P & O Cruises’ gorgeous new flagship, the £500 million super-liner, Britannia. The ship is breathtaking. From the Union Flag on her bow, to the stunning three floor atrium featuring the most incredible chandelier you’ve ever seen, she’s a modern miracle.

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Wednesday motivation: shortlisted in the CLIA Cruise Journalism Awards

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So last night, I was invited to join the great and the good of the cruise industry at Ham Yard Hotel for the CLIA UK & Ireland Cruise Journalism Awards. The CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) is the main hub of the cruise industry in the UK and Ireland, bringing together cruise lines and travel agents, and basically promoting cruising to the wider population.

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Dining options on board Quantum of the Seas

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So last time I told you all about Quantum’s incredible technology. It really has transformed nearly every aspect of the guest experience, from super speedy check in and luggage tracing, right down to the dining. Guests can reserve at iQ stations, by the new app, by phone or in person and with 18 restaurants and 14 bars to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Table staff take orders on a tablet, keeping them where customers need them most, in the restaurant, and this technology will track you no matter where you eat, so if you love a glass of champagne while you order, or if you have any specific dietary requirements, this will all be logged and the information will be available to each restaurant when you arrive.

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