THE SCOTTISH ADVENTURES OF A CRUISE SHIP ADDICT

I always love Southampton. For some people, therapy is a massage or a glass of wine. For me, it's going down to Mayflower Park to see what tonnage (ships) is in. From getting close up and personal with a ship in the city cruise terminal, to seeing the tugs in operation, and watching the cruise ships set sail like massive ghosts gliding effortlessly across the water. My other favourite place is on the approach to Southampton, along the dual-carriageway. As you drive onto one of the bridges, the ships in port pop up like giant balloons, then disappear as you drive off the bridge.  (Courtesy of cruise timetables.com) Another place to spot cruise ships is at Hythe, where you can walk out onto the Pier and see ships in the QE2 terminal. When Evie was a baby, we went there our to visit two of my favourite ships - QE2 and P&O's Victoria (ex-Kungsholm, Sea Princess, Mona Lisa, Scholarship). Both were docked at the QE2 terminal and they were gorgeous together.

Picture: QE2 and Brilliance of the Seas, October 2008, Copyright: Campbell McCutcheon Lots of my 'rivet counter' friends (the liner equivalent to Trainspotters) argue that cruise ships are second class compared to ocean liners of the past. At one point, many years ago, I would have whole-heartedly agreed with them. I thought nothing could compare to ocean liners - these cruise ships were inferior. Modern cruise ships look like floating blocks of flats! However, having travelled on a few of the modern day cruise ships, I find myself thinking that actually they are comparable. Ocean liners served their purpose - working ships, getting people from A to B when there was no alternative form of travel; however, cruise ships serve their purpose - as a floating holiday resort. In the beginning, ocean liners carried a few passengers, but mostly the mail. As numbers of passengers increased, they adapted. They fulfilled the needs of their audience, i.e. passengers. To attract th...

The 1st International Cruise Conference took place on 26/27 September 2008 at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremerhaven, Germany. I presented a paper at the conference on 'establishing the need of a standardised rating system for cruise ships' - part of my undergraduate dissertation at University. I was a bit overawed, as the speakers either had PhDs or worked in the cruise industry. But what I lacked in experience and academia, I hoped I made up for in enthusiasm about the cruising. As a passionate cruise traveller and cruise ship lecturer, I come across people who are so confused by the variety of different cruise lines and ships that they do not know which one to pick. I'm hoping my little piece of research might just highlight the need for a proper rating system which is easily understood and accessible. Other speakers at the conference included Brian Johnson, Director of Fleet Training and Employee Relations at Princess Cruises, who spoke fascinatingly on ...