Liverpool icons: From left, restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, British Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thomson, Spice Girl, DJ and author Melanie C and music and cultural legend Jayne Casey (Picture: Chris Ison) Five Liverpool icons are about to name new Cunard ship Queen Anne on behalf of the city, which will be the official godparent. Spice Girl and author Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey and British Olympian heptathlon athlete ..read more

Andrea Bocelli will star in Queen Anne’s naming (Picture: Cunard) Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will close the naming ceremony for new Cunard ship Queen Anne in Liverpool, it has been announced. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and performers from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts will also take part in the event hosted by musician Matt Willis and his wife, TV presenter Emma Willis on June 3. The official godparent who will smash a bottle of champagne against the hull of Cunard’s 249th ship has still not been revealed. Red Dwarf actor Craig Charles will DJ a funk and soul set ..read more

Setting sail: Queen Anne (Picture: Chris Ison/Cunard) With more than 180 years of history behind it, Cunard faces a difficult balancing act with a new ship – how to manage the balance of tradition with an appeal to a new generation of cruisers. Loyal customers of this very British brand are fiercely protective of its heritage and quick to detect a slip in standards. But on a short overnight visit to Queen Anne – the latest member of the fleet and the 249th ship to sail with the line – I thought Cunard has just about got it right. The iconic funnel (Picture: Dave Monk) The exterior is based on ..read more

Hannah savours the moment after naming the ship (Picture: Dave Monk) Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham paid tribute to her 107-year-old Royal Navy hero grandad as she christened a cruise ship in Barcelona. Harry Waddingham survived the sinking of two ships during World War II – in 1940 HMS Wakeful was struck by a German torpedo as it was picking up soldiers from Dunkirk and a year later HMS Juno was bombed by five Italian aircraft. At the naming ceremony of new Princess Cruises ship Sun Princess on Tuesday, Hannah told guests: ‘As much as theatre ripples through my bloodstream, I have the stron ..read more

The age of cruising is falling (Picture: Shutterstock) The average age of a cruise passenger has fallen to 46, new figures reveal – with millennials and Gen Z fuelling a record 31.7million holidays afloat. Thirty-six per cent of people on ships are now under 40, with millennials (aged 28 to 43) and Gen Z (12 to 27) making up roughly a third of customers each, according to the State Of The Industry Report by the Cruise Lines International Association. The ratio of over-60s has fallen to 17 per cent, the report claims. More than a quarter – 27 per cent – of passengers over the past two years hav ..read more

Naming: Matt and Emma Willis will host the naming of Queen Anne in Liverpool (Pictures: Chris Ison/Shutterstock) Busted musician Matt Willis and his TV presenter wife Emma are to host the naming of new Cunard ship Queen Anne in Liverpool on June 3 – but who will conduct the christening is yet to be revealed. The celebrity pair will be at the centre of the star-studded ceremony in the city which is the spiritual home of the historic cruise line. Crowds are expected to line the Mersey waterfront to see Queen Anne arrive shortly after sunrise to a special salute during a 14-night ‘lap of honour ..read more

Icon of the Seas: World’s biggest cruise ship has sailed into controversy (Picture: Royal Caribbean) Icon of the Seas – the world’s largest cruise ship – has certainly made a big impression. It’s also stirred up a wave of criticism for using liquefied natural gas, which environmentalists claim can cause ‘methane slip’, potentially leaking harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. LNG was hailed as a major step forward on the road to net-zero emissions, which the cruise industry has pledged to reach by 2050, because it cuts carbon dioxide output by 20 per cent and almost eliminates sulphur ..read more

Getting older: Radiance of the Seas (Picture: Royal Caribbean) A new class of smaller Royal Caribbean ships will be ‘amazing, really fantastic’ if they get the go-ahead, the line’s president Michael Bayley said today. In a press conference on Icon of the Seas – the world’s biggest cruise ship – he answered my question about up a reply he posted on Facebook saying that Royal was working on a new class of smaller vessels. Sitting alongside Royal Caribbean Group president Jason Liberty, Mr Bayley joked: ‘Damn that Facebook! I’m always getting myself into trouble.’ Plans: Mr Bayley, left, alongsid ..read more

Arrived at last: Anne and Rob at Mount Fuji (Picture: Anne and Rob England) Guest post by Anne and Rob England What’s the position on repositioning cruises? Well, as ever when it comes to holidays on the high seas, it’s very much down to individual experience and preference. But while such cruises can be good value, it’s important to think carefully about what’s on offer before you decide, because they can be very different from the usual type of cruise. A repositioning cruise happens when a ship is switching to a new home port (usually for the next season); cruise lines sell these journeys be ..read more

Heading east: Celestyal Journey (Picture: Celestyal) Greece-based line Celestyal is to start offering cruises in the Middle East from November, senior executives announced today. New addition Celestyal Journey will be based in Doha, Qatar, and sail to Bahrain, Dubai, Khasab in Oman, Abu Dhabi and the island of Sir Bani Yas. The seven-night ‘Desert Daze’ cruises will start from as little as £469pp, excluding flights. The line is also introducing a second newcomer, Celestyal Discovery, to the fleet in 2024 as part of a drive to attract new customers. ‘We had to grow our business outside the Gree ..read more