A Year in Review
January
In January 2022 The City of Key West banned larger Cruise ships to protect the environment . Only smaller cruise ships with less than 1300 people onboard were allowed to dock. Two of the Ships allowed in January 2022 were Azamara Quest & Seven Seas Spendor.
Since March 2022 Larger ships have been allowed to return to the city.
February
Cathy Hooper was instrumental in creating the “Princess Cruisemaster Club” one of the first loyaly schemes for cruisers. Kenneth Barton Remember the kindness shown to him by Cathy when he was a passenger travelling on ss. Canberra.
March
This incident led to a rethinking of the passenger lifeboat drill. Previously the lifeboat drill was held on the second day of the cruise, normally at sea. Cruise ships now hold the drill before the ship leaves port on the first day. Some days after the fire The Colonel interviewed Capt. Bradford for the ships TV channel Ch4.
April
The crew on Azamara are Azamazing as l discovered when I travelled to Spain on Azamara Pursuit. In 2007 she was purchased by Princess Cruises and sailed as “ Royal Princess” she was later transferred to P&O Cruises in 2011 and was renamed “ Adonia” In 2018 she was sold to Azamara and became “Azamara Pursuit”
May
Tulips from Amsterdam as Fred Olsen’s Bolette travelled to The Netherlands to visit the magnificent bulb fields of Keukenhof
June
Does Size Matter as the World’s largest container ship “Evergreen “Ever Ace” arrived in The United Kingdom for the first time this year.
You may remember that “Evergreen – Ever Given” had earlier blocked the Suez canal for 106 days
July
By the light of the “Silver Moon” One of Silversea’s newest ships cruises to the Baltic. Originally scheduled for 3 days in St Petersburg. Putin scuppered her plans and instead she visited other interesting Baltic Ports.
August
Cunard Princess - renamed Rhapsody and finally Golden Iris before she was scrapped this year.
She survived for 45 years, outliving nearly all of her contemporaries, and now joins others at the breakers' yards.
Sister ships Cunard Princess and Countess
September
Sadly as we say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II this year we remember
“The Royal Yacht Britannia”
who gave so much pleasure to
our late Queen.
October
This year as I rode the the wooden train from Palma to Soller I was reminded that The official inauguration of the train took place on April 16th 1912 The very same day tragedy struck the world when “The Titanic” sank on her maiden voyage.
November
In 1975 the beautiful “Island Princess” visited Puerto Vallarta in Mexico for the first time.
This year I revisited Puerto Vallarta for the first time since leaving Island Princess and discovered how the port had changed in 47 years.
December
Oriana was where I spent my first year at sea as a assistant purser.
This year I was delighted to meet up with one of my first ship mates Gill Angrave.
I WISH YOU ALL
A HAPPY and HEALTHY 2023
DON'T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR
SEADOG STORIES WITH ME
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