logo
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Supercruising: Life At Sea: Want to keep the taxman off the kids' inheritance? Blow it all on a cruise...

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Supercruising: Life At Sea: Want to keep the taxman off the kids' inheritance? Blow it all on a cruise...

Daily Mail​8 hours ago
Pam and Barry from Lincoln are aboard a cruise ship and they're going SKI-ing. This doesn't involve fake snow or steep slopes, though broken bones are still a risk.
SKI-ing is an acronym: Spending the Kids' Inheritance. It's one of those catchphrases beloved of the Boomer generation, like 'On an adventure before dementia', providing justification for an expensive holiday.
Heading for Madeira in one of the MS Nieuw Statendam's 1,339 cabins, on Supercruising: Life At Sea, Barry insisted he and his wife had their children's permission to blow their nest egg: 'They've all said, "It's your money, Mum and Dad, you go and spend it".'
He might have added that it's better to enjoy it now than wait for the taxman to steal it.
You could still come home in a plaster cast from a SKI-ing trip, as Pam and Barry realised when they took a sleigh ride on one of Madeira's carros de cesto.
These wooden sleds career down the mile-long hill above the island's capital, Funchal, steered by carreiros - men in white trousers and straw boaters, who look like gondoliers, except in Venice you're less likely to crash into a wall at high speed.
Barry and Pam's son enjoying horseback riding while on holiday
Petrolheads of the night
F1 is dominating the schedules. After the Sky portrait of Damon Hill, BBC4 aired the remainder of its Alain Prost documentary.
But neither Hill nor Prost contributed to the profile that followed of their ex-boss Frank Williams.
No love lost there.
To make the prospect even more dangerous, the sleds have to dodge cars and other traffic.
Your real risk, though, is being caught in the crossfire of a gunfight. In 2017, the head of the carreiros, Norberto Gouveia, was shot several times in the head following an argument at the top of the sled run. This fact was not mentioned in the documentary, and I bet the Madeira tourist board don't put it in their brochures either.
The absence of crime and violence in Supercruising is one of its attractions. This show, narrated by Nick Brimble, is not much more than an hour-long ad for holidays on the high seas, but that does make a welcome change from the nightly bodycam footage of police battering down drug dealers' doors and paramedics treating teenagers for stab wounds.
For Rich Fontaine, the chief security officer of the Nieuw Statendam, the only lawlessness he has to deal with involves prohibited electrical items such as travel kettles. Passengers try to smuggle them aboard, to brew a cuppa in the cabin.
'We'd rather take it now than have to go into their cabin and take it once the fire has started,' Rich said piously.
Since flame grills are also forbidden, one highlight of a Caribbean cruise is an island stop-off for a beach barbecue. The MS Rotterdam, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, called in at the idyllic Half Moon Bay in the Bahamas, where passengers tucked into 1,800 burgers and 600 hotdogs.
Back on the ship, they managed to munch their way through three-quarters of a ton of lobsters. At that rate, the adventure won't end in dementia — indigestion will kill them first.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ryanair makes major change to baggage rules – here's how it could affect you
Ryanair makes major change to baggage rules – here's how it could affect you

Daily Mail​

time24 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Ryanair makes major change to baggage rules – here's how it could affect you

Ryanair is planning to increase the size of its free 'personal bag' allowance. The budget carrier currently allows passengers to take a small under the seat bag, or 'personal bag' for free. Under present rules, the bag can measure 40x20x25cm. However, Ryanair is now set to increase its free bag limit by 20 per cent with holidaymakers soon able to take a bag measuring 40x30x20cm instead. The news comes as the EU brings in new rules which require airlines to allow passengers to bring free bags measuring 40x30x15cm. Ryanair has said that the bigger allowance will come into effect in the next few weeks after its bag measuring devices are adjusted to reflect the new size limits. The free bag will still need to weigh under 10kg and fit under the seat in front. Ryanair's new bag allowance will still be less generous than on easyJet, where passengers can currently bring free under the seat bags measuring 45x36x20cm. The EU has been working to simplify luggage rules for passengers by bringing in a minimum free allowance across all airlines. These new rules apply to every airline based in the EU, including Ryanair and easyJet. Ryanair's strict luggage size limits have caught many travellers out over the years, with passengers forced to pay a fee if they bring an oversized bag. A passenger previously told MailOnline that she will never fly with Ryanair again after the bargain airline charged her £62 for an oversized bag. Kay, a 32-year-old from London, says she was 'made to feel targeted' by the airline. The passenger was flying from Dublin to London Stansted when the incident occurred. Kay's cabin suitcase was 'slightly out of line' when it was placed in the bag's checker, as the wheel extended over the airline's marker. She was made to pay the airline's standard €75/£62 oversized baggage fee to board the flight. And another passenger was stung with a fee for bringing a water bottle that didn't fit inside her bag. Meanwhile, a 63-year-old grandmother recently claimed she was singled out to pay £75 for an oversized bag by Ryanair while 'young' and 'good-looking' passengers were allowed through. And a violinist claimed she was treated like a 'piece of garbage' by airline staff when they told her her instrument case was 1cm too long to take on the plane. Passengers can check the current requirements on Ryanair's website. The airline is likely to check the size of bags at the departure gate.

'You became one of my closest friends in football'
'You became one of my closest friends in football'

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

'You became one of my closest friends in football'

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. On Instagram, Kelleher wrote:Can't believe I'm writing this right now, and I'm finding it hard to put into words.I'm absolutely devastated by this my thoughts and condolences are with Rute and their three beautiful kids and Diogo and Andre's was such a pleasure to get to know you over these years and to share some special memories on the pitch and even more so off became one of my closest friends in football. We bonded over all things sports, watching any football match we could find - often your brother Andre's game on your iPad.I was surprised a lad from Portugal loved sports such as darts, snooker and horse racing so much, and some of my best memories were having a laugh watching them with were such a fun, genuine, normal down to earth and loving family man and you were always very competitive. I'm gonna miss our pre-match programme quiz.I feel so blessed and grateful to have seen you on your happiest day, the day of your wedding, and to be able to share in that day with you was special. I'll never forget were deeply loved by everyone at the club, the city and all over the gonna hurt for a long time and I'm gonna miss you so much but I feel so lucky to have got know you and have such a good friendLove you Diogo Jota - A Tribute on iPlayer

Airline with UK flights increases free hand luggage allowance in rare move
Airline with UK flights increases free hand luggage allowance in rare move

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Airline with UK flights increases free hand luggage allowance in rare move

AN airline with flights to and from the UK has increased its cabin luggage allowance to what is being dubbed as "class-leading" dimensions. Aurigny - Guernsey's airline - has increased its baggage allowance from 55cm x 36cm x 20cm to 55cm x 40cm x23cm, which Aurigny has said is about 22 per cent more space than its nearest competitor. 3 3 Travellers are allowed to bring one small personal item, such as a laptop bag or handbag, as well. This takes the total combined weight of carry-on baggage to 10kg. Aurigny Airlines - which connects the Channel Islands - introduced the change following customer feedback. The new size restrictions are for flights from Guernsey to the UK and Europe and are included in an entry fare. According to the BBC, head of ground operations and deputy chief operating officer at Aurigny, Dave Cox, said: "We're proud to offer a class-leading cabin baggage allowance at a time when many other airlines are becoming increasingly restrictive and under the spotlight for this issue. "We understand that people's personal items and belongings matter. "Whether it's a laptop, medication, or just the things that make you feel at home, you shouldn't have to fight for space to bring them." In comparison, easyJet allows a free small bag measuring 45cm x 36cm x 20cm and passengers can then purchase a cabin bag that can measure up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. Then for Ryanair, passengers can have a free small bag measuring 40cm x 20cm x 25cm and can also purchase a cabin bag, which can measure up to 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Aurigny's main competitors, which include Loganair, Eastern Airways, Blue Islands and Aer Lingus, all offer less baggage allowance. I tested the viral £17.99 Amazon underseat cabin bag to see how many outfits I could fit in Loganair offers a six-kilogram cabin bag and a handbag, Both Aer Lingus and Eastern Airways offer just a cabin bag up to seven kilograms. And then, Blue Islands offers just a cabin bag too, but up to 10kg. The budget carrier currently allows travellers to have a free bag measuring 40cm x 25cm x 20cm into the cabin. But now, new rules will change this to 40cm x 30cm x 15cm. The new rules are expected to be rolled out later this month. Plus, five great hacks to master hand luggage packing and save serious cash on plane tickets. 3

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store