NEWCASTLE’S PORT OF TYNE TO HOST THIRTY-NINE CRUISE VISITS IN 2016

Always a welcome sight at Port of Tyne, the Marco Polo will be back to the port in 2016

2016 will see Newcastle’s Port of Tyne hosting some thirty nine cruise ship calls between April and September, including some of the most illustrious names in the cruising firmament.

Cruise and Maritime’s flagship, Magellan inaugurates the 2016 cruise season on April 2nd, with the first of five round trip sailings to Norway and the Baltic capitals, before she returns to Tilbury on an overnight sailing on May 20th.

Later in the year, her fleet mate- the veteran Marco Polo- returns to operate two cruises- a Baltic itinerary, and a round trip to Iceland and Greenland.

Long established in northern waters, Fred. Olsen introduces it’s flagship, the gorgeous Balmoral, to the Tyne for the first time in 2016. The ship will operate the largest single round trip deployment from Port of Tyne in 2016. Beginning in May, she will offer some eleven sailings to Norway, round Britain, and even down to the Mediterranean, ranging from five to fifteen nights in length.

2016 will also see the return of some platinum chip prestige vessels on cruise visits, with the sublime Crystal Symphony returning to Port of Tyne on July 7th in the course of a North Sea voyage.

Also back is Regent Seven Seas’ ultra luxury Seven Seas Voyager on both June 8th and August 16th, while Oceania’s highly styled Nautica and Marina also make guest appearances.

Most likely to draw multi generation attention will be the first ever visits by Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Magic will visit the port twice in June; once during the course of a round Britain circuit, and again during a follow on Baltic cruise.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Kongingsdam on August 16th is a real coup for the port. The new Holland America Line flagship will be in ‘town’ on the same day as Seven Seas Voyager. And her slightly smaller sister ship- the Zuiderdam- will also be on the Tyne on July 2nd.

All in all, a busy and prestigious roster of cruise ship tonnage will be showcased at Newcastle/Port of Tyne in 2016. Stay tuned for any updates, or see the complete list (with arrival times and departures) at; http://www.portoftyne.co.uk

 

Thanks to Lisa Donohoe at Port of Tyne for supplying the arrivals list for the Tyneside 2016 season

 

MARCO POLO TO THE BALTIC- DEPARTURE FROM NEWCASTLE

Sailing day; it still leaves me with that ‘kid-on-Christmas-Day’ feeling….

Add in the fact that I’m sailing on one of my favourite ships-the magnificent Marco Polo, celebrating her 50th anniversary this year-and you’ll perhaps understand why my adrenaline was running like tap water as we pulled up at the North Shields passenger terminal.

Originally designed to service the overnight ferries sailing to and from Amsterdam, the terminal- used for Newcastle/Port Of Tyne sailings- doubles up for cruise use on seasonal summer sailings from the Tyne. And, for someone used to making the long treks down to Southampton, Dover and Harwich to board a ship, the sheer ease and convenience of being able to rock up at my local home port never fails to amaze me.

Check in was arranged deck by deck and, though the ship had sold out (Capacity 800, adults only), the boarding process took exactly twenty five minutes. That’s from entering the terminal to walking into the warm, Balinese themed lobby of the Marco Polo. Pretty damned good, that.

Though she is as pretty as a postcard, the Marco Polo remains refreshingly intimate. More comfortable than luxurious, the feeling of boarding her is akin to sagging gratefully into a pair of favourite, comfortable slippers. There’s a feeling of gentle, contented ease that comes from being cocooned in something that is at once instantly welcoming, and yet wonderfully familiar. On both counts, the Marco Polo hits the bullseye.

A thorough but relatively short lifeboat drill follows, by which time my luggage is already outside my room. I have time enough to check out the daily programme, before being pathetically overcome by the need for that first, invariable ‘bon voyage’ drink.

Almost inevitably, I take this on the gorgeous, curved terrace that frames the outside of Scott’s Bar, overlooking the stern. Sat back on cafe chair, feet braced against the deck railings- the classic Marco Polo cruising stance- I tip my vodka and cranberry briefly in the direction of ‘Rudy’, the statue of Rudolf Nureyev that forms a focal point on the aft lido deck. Rudy and I have become well acquainted over the course of three decades.

This contented little reverie is gently shaken by a muted trembling that passes through the deck rails; one that always sends a shiver of delight running up my spine. I glance to port and, to my sheer, infantile joy, the Port Of Tyne terminal is already falling away like a fading souffle. The gangway is gone, as are the ropes. Those last, little tenuous links with reality are no longer needed.

Poised and perfect as a swan, the Marco Polo gives a first, tentative surge forward. Her whistle roars out a stately triple salute to the Tyne as a squadron of gluttonous, over fed gulls shriek, scream and swoop in her wake like so many demented dive bombers. People on house balconies lining the stately, steel grey river look over and wave as this fantastic floating time machine surges majestically past them, almost close enough to touch. Another vodka and cranberry appears at my elbow. I can’t help but smile.

Now out, past Tyneside’s historic breakwater, following in the wakes of the Mauretania, the QE2, and many other famous legends of yesteryear. Out of the Tyne, on a ship still writing chapters in her own, imperishable legend. One we are sharing, even as we savour it.

The North Sea welcomes us with benign skies, and sparkling sunlight dancing on languid, lapping waves that seem to speed the lady on her way. A stately, gentle roll begins to assert itself; the immutable overture to our voyage up ahead. Feet back up on the railings, I sit staring at the clouds, drifting by in the sky like fleets of ghostly galleons.

A sense of freedom dances in the ether around me. It clinks the ice cubes together in my glass as if in celebration. At least, that’s how it seems right at that moment.

And so, we are off. It begins again….

Sunlit aft terraces on the Marco Polo- ‘Rudy’ is centre stage

BALMORAL COMES TO THE TYNE FOR 2016

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has just announced that it’s flagship, the 1,350 passenger, 43,000 ton Balmoral, will come north to operate a series of eleven cruises from Newcastle between May and August of 2016.

The ship, originally built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg as the Crown Odyssey back in 1988, is the largest vessel in the current, four ship FOCL fleet, and will take the place currently occupied by fleet mate Boudicca, originally the fabled Royal Viking Sky.

The addition of the ship will increase the seasonal summer numbers sailing from Newcastle by an estimated forty five per cent. Ironically, it might also see Balmoral reunited from time to time with her former Orient Lines’ fleetmate, Marco Polo, which now sails for the rival Cruise And Maritime Voyages from the Tyne in summer.

The programme for Balmoral commences on May 21st, with a five night Norwegian fjords cruise. Standing out among the mostly Scandinavian itineraries is a rather attractive, eleven night cruise that showcases the best of Spain, Portugal and Guernsey.

Rightly famed for her beautiful, Art Deco styling and wide amount of open outdoor decks, Balmoral is an elegant, supremely comfortable vessel, decorated with great style, and features the excellent levels of service and cuisine for which the Fred. Olsen brand is well known in the cruising fraternity.

Her arrival in northern parts definintely ratchets up the increasing high profile of Newcastle/Port of Tyne as an ideal departure point, especially for the highlights of Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland.

An interesting development, for sure. As ever, stay tuned.

Balmoral is Tyneside bound for summer 2016

SHINING ON THE TYNE- CRYSTAL AND REGENT TO VISIT NEWCASTLE IN AUGUST

In what amounts ot a double shot of elegant, exclusive luxury, the port of Newcastle will for the first time play host to two ultra luxury cruise ships in August within the space of a week. This is a huge coup for the port that could set a possible trend for future, upscale arrivals in the region.

First, we have Regent Seven Seas’ classy Seven Seas Voyager. The 50,000 ton, 700 guest all suite ship will dock at North Shields for the day on Wednesday, August 19th.

One week later, it will be the turn of the sublime Crystal Symphony, slated for an 1100 arrival at North Shields on Wednesday 26th, and departing at 1900 that same evening.

The Tyne is no stranger to great luxury ships; as well as being a seasonal home base for the ships of Cruise And Maritime and Fred. Olsen, the port has been graced by such star attractions as the QE2, Silver Cloud, Westerdam and MSC Magnifica among others in recent times.

While this should hardly be surprising when considering the sheer glut of scenic overkill that the region is famed for, not to mention it’s world renowned hospitality, the arrival of these two highly styled, very exclusive vessels one after another cannot help but raise the region’s profile on the international cruise circuit.

For the locals, it will be a matter of great pride to welcome these two superb vessels and their guests to the Tyne. Stay tuned for further details.

Magnificnet Durham Cathedral; one of many regional masterpieces on offer to cruise passengers visiting the Tyne

2014 CRUISE SCHEDULE FROM THE TYNE

Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch in the Kiel Canal

Newcastle’s Port Of Tyne lists no less than twenty one round  trip departures over the summer of 2014, featuring ships from three different lines, between May and October. With Thomson Cruises pulling out of ex- UK cruising for 2015 at least, this might be something of a high water mark for the northern port.

That line is offering nine sailings from Port Of Tyne, with the 33,000 ton Thomson Spirit. Beginning with the first round trip departure from the port on May 27th, she will be making three twelve to fifteen night cruises to the highlights of the Baltic, as well as a twelve night cruise to the top of the North Cape, and a special, fifteen night cruise out to Iceland and the Arctic.

There is also a trio of seven night cruises over to the spectacular fjords of Western Norway. The season closes out with a three night mini cruise on August 23rd, which repositions the ship to Harwich.

Cruise And Maritime is also returning to sailings from the Tyne, with the 22,000 ton veteran Marco Polo making five sailings, beginning with a six night cruise to Western Norway that leaves on June 9th. A further, seven night itinerary that also sails to Norway on 27th June is bracketed by a twelve night Baltic Capitals cruise, departing from the Tyne on June 15th, and a fourteen night adventure to the North Cape of Norway that sails on July 4th.

Helsinki’s Lutheran Cathedral is a staple of the summertime Baltic cruise

Marco Polo rounds off her Tyneside season with an eleven night, Round Britain cruise that sails on July 18th. This cruise ends at London Tilbury.

Last but not least, northern mainstay Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines returns to the Tyne with the 28,000 ton Black Watch. The former Royal Viking Line flagship is serving up seven round trip departures, kicking off with a fifteen night foray to the North Cape on June 28th.

This is followed by a one off, seven night cruise to Western Norway on July 13th, and an eleven night swing out to Iceland on July 20th.

After a brief break, the Black Watch returns to the Tyne on September 14th to make a fourteen night Baltic Capitals cruise, followed by an eleven night cruise down to the sunny highlights of Northern Spain on September 28th. A penultimate, ten night departure on October 9th goes to some of the highlights of Scandinavia.

Final departure of the year is a fifteen night, Canary Islands sailing on October 19th, before Black Watch closes the Port Of Tyne cruise season with her departure from North Shields on November 3rd.

The summertime Baltic sunsets are truly phenomenal

Between them, the total of twenty one sailings carried out by these three ships are anticipated to carry a total of 21,000 passengers from the only major port of embarkation in North East England. While a relatively small total compared to the flagship ports on the south coast, it has to be kept in mind that the season from the Tyne is a lot shorter than for most other ports on the mainland UK.

Future trends are hard to see, for although both Fred. Olsen and Cruise And Maritime will be back on the Tyne in 2015, the abrupt departure of Thomson Cruises creates something of a void. With a passenger capacity of around 1,250, the Thomson Spirit offers half as many berths again as her rivals, and she also offered the largest number of sailings. It has to be hoped that her absence in 2015 is only a temporary blip.

CRUISES TO THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND

Durham has a magnificent setting

North East England’s amazing cities, historic sites and stunning, sweeping coastline is receiving more cruise ship visitors year on year. And, when you look at the wealth of attractions encompassed within such a welcoming, relatively compact area, it’s hardly surprising that the really savvy, forward thinking lines are already visiting and, in some cases, even basing ships on Tyneside during the long, light days of summer.

History in it’s most classical sense is on display in dignified, dramatic Durham, the third oldest university city in the United Kingdom, and also the site of a truly stunning Norman castle and cathedral, dating from the year 1086, that sits overlooking the meandering sweep of the River Wear. Granted UNESCO World Heritage Status, this remarkable brace of Romanesque revelations constitute the most completely intact constructions of their kind anywhere in Northern Europe.

All cruises to date arrive at North Shields/Port Of Tyne, the gateway to the region. Not far away is Newcastle, a swaggering, graceful city garlanded with some stunning Georgian architecture, and an amazing span of bridges that vault the steel grey Tyne itself. This alone makes for one of the most heart stopping and dramatic photo opportunities in the world. Not too far away is the stand alone Angel Of The North, initially controversial, but now as much a symbol of the region as the famous Tyne Bridge itself.

Intrigued by Harry Potter? Just north of Newcastle is stately, patrician Alnwick, with the castle and formal gardens that were used as sets for the world famous film series. And the local White Swan Hotel also contains many of the first class fittings and fixtures from the Olympic, the almost identical twin sister ship of the Titanic. It’s a wonderful setting for afternoon tea, or just a look around.

The keep of famous Durham Castle

That same coastline of Northumbria is famed for some amazing, honey coloured beaches, crowned by ancient ruined castles clinging to stunning headlands, where the play of light across sea and landscape is truly breathtaking. This is the area around Lindisfarne, a storied and stoic outcrop steeped in lore, legend, and memories of Saint Cuthbert.

Moving south from Durham, you have cities such as Stockton, quite literally the birthplace of modern rail travel, and historic Hartlepool, with its preserved old naval quarter that plays home to the HMS Trincomalee, an outstanding example of a Nelson era, fully restored ship of the line. Sunderland has beautiful, covered winter gardens, with a riot of gorgeous fauna displays, and swathes of sturdy old Victorian architecture right throughout the city centre.

When you combine all of this with world class shopping and dining, and add in the natural warmth and friendliness of the local population, the wonder surely is that more cruise ships do not have Port Of Tyne on their schedules. As time passes, expect that to change dramatically.

And, if you want to actually cruise from here to the convenient, absolutely spellbinding scenery of Norway and Scandinavia, both Cruise And Maritime and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have ships that sail, round trip, from the Tyne during the summer. A great opportunity, then, to combine a fantastic cruise adventures with the warmth and beauty of North East England.

BLACK WATCH; BUCKING THE BIG SHIP TREND

Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch in the Kiel Canal

At 41 years of age, the Black Watch is one of the oldest and smallest cruise ships in the current UK cruise market. She has no rock climbing wall or ice rink. Dinner is still served in two fixed seatings. Entertainment is low key, end-of-the-pier stuff, and definitely best suited to an older passenger demographic.

In short, she is everything that the new, state of the art, amenity laden ships are not. And yet, despite sailing against a growing armada of these monolithic new floating resorts, the veteran Black Watch is more than holding her own. Since 1996, she has become a much loved, perennial favourite among generations of cruise passengers, many of whom would not even dream of sailing on any other ship.

How has this come to pass, when the ship seems to buck every contemporary trend in existence?

Firstly, there is the uniquely intimate atmosphere that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has created on board. What was already a classic design was skilfully upgraded to Olsen’s traditional, Scottish accented style and decor. Combined with a warmly welcoming, service oriented Filipino crew, it was a winning formula from the start.

And the intimate scale of the ship actually works for her largely older, less mobile clientele. Black Watch was built long and lean, with a beautiful clipper bow and excellent seakeeping qualities. And the fact that she looks like a throwback to the supposed ‘golden age’ of ocean liners does not hurt. In fact, with her funnel cowl and gracefully stepped aft decks, she resembles nothing so much as a pocket version of the much lamented Queen Elizabeth 2. 

Aft pool deck on the Black Watch

Her open decks are solid teak, traditional, and expansive for her 28,000 tons, and they come with a nice smattering of swimming pools, hot tubs, sun loungers and casual, outdoor eateries. The fish and chips served at the upper deck Marquee Bar and Grill are legendary.

In fact, food, and the quality of it, is one of the great strengths of the Black Watch as a ship, as indeed it is right across the Fred. Olsen fleet. Menus are largely geared to British tastes, with some evocative Scandinavian and European twists.  It is hugely enjoyable, well served, and savoured in very pleasant surroundings that are designed to soothe, rather than stun.

Originally built as the Royal Viking Star in 1972, Black Watch was the start up ship for the legendary Royal Viking Line. A mid section was added in 1981 to bring her up to her present configuration. From her inception, she was built to be able to access the smaller, more intimate ports around the world that makes cruising such an appealing holiday choice.

This has enabled Fred. Olsen to compile some very appealing and innovative itineraries for this voluptuous, veteran lady of the seas. And, with itineraries ranging from a weekend Christmas shopping break, right through to complete, three month circumnavigations of the globe, the Black Watch offers a range of options to suit all tastes and styles.

Another factor that appeals to passengers is the fact that the prices- both for the cruise itself, and for services charged on board- are very realistic, and represent excellent value. Fred. Olsen was also very astute in putting a good number of affordable single cabins into both Black Watch, and the rest of her fleet mates. People understand and appreciate value when they see it.

Black Watch can take you just as easily to Antwerp, or across the Atlantic

Above all, people value what they see as the standards of continuity enshrined in the Fred. Olsen experience; it’s the equivalent of a comfort blanket for many. But the line has actually relaxed some of the old dress codes of late, in a small, but not insignificant nod towards a potentially younger clientele.

Moving both Black Watch and her equally doughty twin sister, Boudicca (the former Royal Viking Sky) around the UK to a number of seasonal home cruise ports, such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Belfast and Rosyth, has also helped in keeping them full. Taking the ships to what amounts to people’s home ports is a move that has been since emulated by others.

It is exactly the success of the Fred. Olsen formula that has led to the establishment of the similarly styled Cruise and Maritime Voyages, a gradually expanding operator that clearly has taken a bead on the Olsen operating model. This is a welcome addition, and also a testament to the continued success of ships like the Black Watch in bucking the trend toward ever larger, less personal ships.

It is to be fervently hoped that cruise passengers- and the travel community in particular- continue to cherish and support ships like the beautiful Black Watch, as well as her fleet mates and her potential rivals. There is room in the market for all of them.

CRUISE AND MARITIME- SMALL BUT SWEET

Cruise and Maritime can show you the beauty of Ibiza

Cruise and Maritime is a relative newcomer to the UK cruising scene, but in a few short years it has managed to acquire a trio of smaller, extremely comfortable ‘ladies of the sea’ of a certain vintage, Marketed successfully to a clientele that is naturally averse to the current generation of glittering, Vegas- style mega ships, it also offers a summertime series of sailing from different home ports around the country. As with their rival, Fred. Olsen, this has proved to be a winning formula.

There is a lot of flexibility in the company schedules, from overnight repositioning cruises to gargantuan, thirty two night round trip cruises to the Caribbean and back. And, with this winter season’s charter of the small, beautifully styled Astor, Cruise and Maritime now offers the welcome option to sail to and from Australia and South Africa over the winter months; a real boon for those averse to airports and flying in general.

The company’s trio of swells consists of the aforementioned Astor, a stylish lady of 21,000 tons with a graceful, swept back funnel and some gorgeous tiered decks at the stern. Discovery is the former Island Princess, also around 20,000 tons. With light, airy interiors and a sliding glass roof over her central lido pool, she is ideal for cruises in northern waters in the long summer nights.

Perhaps best known is the Marco Polo, a wonderful, typically styled liner, suffused in bow to stern art deco, and blessed with a wonderful series of cascading, upper deck terraces at the stern. A similar size to her fleetmates, her capacity of around 800 passengers is also on a par with the other two ships. And, like them, she offers a uniformity of product across the board.

Visit Honfleur on a Cruise and Maritime city break

Common to all three of the Cruise and Maritime ships is a warm, intimate atmosphere, and food, service and entertainment geared towards a predominantly older, UK market. There are very few balcony cabins on any of the ships, and extra tariff restaurants are a complete no-no here.

What you do get is a good value, solid product that will take you to some fascinating places, at a genuinely good price point. The exception is the single cabins, which are typically twice the rate of a double, and something the company needs to address in light of aggressive discounting by rivals.

Both Discovery and Marco Polo shift bases around the country during the summer, sailing from ports such as Bristol, Edinburgh, Harwich and Newcastle, as well as the main, year round base of Tilbury. The Essex port has a dedicated coach connection from London Victoria for all sailings, and is also easily reached  by rail from anywhere in the UK via London’s Fenchurch Street station.

Cruise and Maritime is a real alternative to the mega ships of Cunard and P&O. The ships are charming and evocative, well run, and offer a whole raft of optional itineraries. You can even spend the evening on board Marco Polo pierside in Tilbury, and enjoy drinks, dinner and a floorshow on board. This is a great way to get the ‘feel’ of the ship without going overboard on the finances.

Shell Beach, Saint Barts. Go there with Cruise and Maritime’s winter escape

I particularly recommend some of the short, two to five day short cruises offered by Marco Polo, many of which are ideal for visiting some of Northern Europe’s more appealing Christmas markets, such as Antwerp and Ghent. These are also ideal pick me ups, and they also offer the opportunity to see and discover some new and very attractive cities at a good price point. Add in the attractions of a secure, largely all inclusive environment, and the value becomes obvious.

Best of all, there’s also no worries on the amount of personal luggage you can bring back with you, so you can shop to your heart’s- and your wallet’s- content. Enjoy.

TRACING TITANIC- WHAT YOU CAN SEE IN THE UK TODAY…

Launching of the Titanic; the Olympic, just out of sight here, was handed over to White Star on the same day

Though the ship herself has been homeported for more than a century in the dark, silent murk at the bottom of the Atlantic, there are still tangible links between the Titanic and the country and people that gave birth to her. Whether you’re talking in terms of the numerous memorials to the disaster, or the actual hardware used to build her in the first place, a surprising amount remains scattered around the fringes of the United Kingdom to this day. The trick is to know where to look, and also to know what you’re looking for.

Starting at the very beginning, in Belfast there is a huge amount to see. Titanic and her identical earlier twin sister, Olympic, took shape here over four years, from 1908 to 1912. You can still see the vast sloping concrete ramp that the two ships were built on, side by side. Today, their outlines are etched into the slip on the exact spot where each ship grew up and was launched from.

In fact, most of the former Harland and Wolff shipyard has mutated into a kind of theme park (Titanicland?) devoted to the story of the ship’s construction. Even more monolithic is the vast, new Titanic Belfast museum, a five story, interactive masterpiece that tells the story of the Titanic from the unique standpoint of her birthplace.

Here is where you’ll also find the petrified, preserved, pretty little Nomadic, the tender originally built for ferrying first class passengers out to the Olympic and Titanic at Cherbourg. Nomadic is worth the journey to Belfast on her own; an evocative little time capsule. Stand on the same spot where the Astors and the Strausses stood, as they stared at the floodlit bulk of the Titanic, waiting for them in the bay of Cherbourg, and feel the hairs on your neck stand on end. Very highly recommended.

Memorial to the Titanic engineers. Southampton

If Belfast was the birthplace of Titanic, then Southampton was very much her home port. The famous Ocean Dock was originally known as the White Star Dock, and was especially built for Olympic and Titanic. The bollards that Titanic was tied to are still there to this day, and very easy to visit.

More than two thirds of the crew were Southampton men and women, and the disaster hit home here like a hydrogen bomb. On one street alone, thirty families lost a male relative on the Titanic. The massive Engineer’s Memorial, dedicated in East Park in 1914, is one of the most poignant and evocative Titanic memorials anywhere, and it’s right in the heart of the city.

Newly opened is the Southampton Sea City maritime museum, a two story complex given over to the city’s heyday as Europe’s main ocean liner port. Inevitably, the story of the Titanic occupies a full floor. It’s told in a very personal style from the point of view of the locals who crewed, survived or died in the disaster, and the reminiscences of the relatives that were left behind. Hugely evocative, it is very much Titanic central. You can’t get any closer or more intimate to their story than here.

Over in Southern Ireland, the town of Cobh was the last port of call for the westbound Titanic. She anchored here for a couple of hours just before noon on Thursday, Aprll 11th 1912, to embark just over a hundred Irish emigrants, bound for America. The wooden pier where they boarded the tenders that took them out to the Titanic is still there to this day. There’s also a town centre memorial to the victims, and also another to those lost on the Lusitania, the famous Cunarder torpedoed just outside the harbour during the Great War.

The Nomadic at Cherbourg

In 1935, the Olympic arrived on Tyneside for scrapping, and many of her original, elegant first class features found their way into the local White Swan Hotel, in Alnwick. These included a portion of the famous Grand Staircase. as well as the panelling from the smoking room, a ceiling, some mirrors, and a number of leaded glass windows. These have been installed into a so called ‘Olympic Suite’ and, taken as a whole, they offer a unique insight into just how ornate the identical Titanic was internally.

The hotel is around half an hour’s drive from Newcastle and, if you happen to be in the region, it is definitely well worth a visit.

FERRY NICE- NEW START UP SERVICE FROM NEWCASTLE TO NORWAY (Updated)

The stunning beauty of Western Norway

After months of rumours and stop-start negotiations, start up company Norwegian Seaways has finally announced the oft bruited resumption of a direct ferry service between Newcastle and Western Norway. This will be the first such direct link between the UK and Norway since the 2008 demise of the Bergen Line.

The route, scheduled for two weekly round trips from North Shields to both Bergen and Stavanger, is tentatively scheduled to start from the Tyne on April 14th next year.The trips, which will also be sold as mini cruises, will be of about three days’ duration each.

However, the firm date, as announced in Stavanger last week by Peter Iles, chairman of Norwegian Seaways, has been apparently greeted with astonishment by his own board, according to a Norwegian newspaper. They seem to have concerns that the ship- believed to be a ferry acquired from the Mediterranean- might not be ready for that early start date.

In any event, this seems a relatively minor storm in a teacup. The vessel in question is said to be around 27,000 tons, and with a length of around two hundred metres. With the intention of capturing both the business and holiday market, the as yet unnamed ship will boast a full service spa, several bars and restaurants, a casino and a disco. Cabin configurations are as yet unknown.

She will also be fully stabilised. That’s a key requirement for the often mercurial North Sea, and especially important as the ship is expected to sail year round. A move is afoot to promote Norway as a potentially viable ski-ing destination during the winter. The fact that a ship would have a far more generous baggage allowance than any budget or scheduled flight could be a key marketing advantage for the projected new service.

Street scene in Stavanger

Western Norway has huge potential as a ski destination, with runs at least comparable, if not far superior, to those of winter France, Italy and Switzerland. It’s unclear yet what the car carrying capacity of the ship will be, though obviously there will be a full trailer and lorry carrying operation on the ship.

The service should also have considerable appeal as a cruise/ferry option. Both Bergen and Stavanger are extremely attractive ports in their own right, especially in the long Nordic summer nights. It is to be hoped that the new company will also offer a cruise-and-stay option, both for passengers from the UK, and those embarking in Norway to visit the Newcastle/Durham region.

This is definitely one to keep an eye on for 2014. As always, my advice is to stay tuned.

UPDATE: The vessel in question is said to be the Zeus Palace, originally built in 2001. In her current configuration, the ship has some 500 staterooms for around 1300 passengers, and a capacity for some 1,000 cars. She is currently sailing for Italy’s Grimaldi Lines in the Mediterranean.

Another update: A second company source has just said that the company has not purchased any vessel, and that the service might not start in 2014 at all. Bit of a dog’s breakfast……