after a taster of summer for many of you over the past few days, changes are afoot. the unusually warm weather we have had of late is due to thisjet weather we have had of late is due to this jet stream buckle to the north of us, helping to drag air up all the way from iberia. for the week ahead, it is an atlantic ketch strea m week ahead, it is an atlantic ketch stream that charges in, and during the second half of the week we are into the slightly colder air. the week ahead, back to normal basically. spring weather as you would expect, some nicer bits but there will be some hefty downpours, and when those showers, long it will feel cooler than it has done of late. a cooler night to come to light, evening storms crossed east anglia clear, and then a few showers across parts of scotland and northern ireland. mosley will be dry, clearest conditions to the south and east and a much cooler night and we have been used to, all of sunshine to the south and east. sunny spells in the west to begin with but cloudy amounts increasing for all of us, sliding into western scotland, outbreaks of rain, and it

will turn across western england and wales fairly cloudy and damp towards the end of the day. temperatures down on what we have been but with some sunny down on what we have been but with some sunny spell still out, 15 to 18 degrees, eastern scotland and england still pleasant enough. as we finish the day, our breaks of rain and drizzle will spread across most parts of the uk, or linking to this weather system but just parts of the uk, or linking to this weather system butjust notice how this trailing front will linger across southern counties, and sophie tuesday, a cloudy day across the south with some brighter spells developing for a time before it clouds over again later, as a wave ofa clouds over again later, as a wave of a weather front brings more outbreaks of rain. then to northern ireland and scotland and even the far north of england, a north—south split, 12 to 1a in the north, still potentially with some brighter skies up potentially with some brighter skies up to 17 in the south. but that last regs of mild air is pushed away, as we go through into the middle part of the week. and all of us will be ina much of the week. and all of us will be in a much fresher air mass, and it is typical april shower day on

wednesday, start with the sunshine, showers and the west developed quite widely, some of those heavy with hailand widely, some of those heavy with hail and thunder and some fairly gusty winds as well. temperatures 11 to 15 degrees, and the same for thursday and friday as well, showers most frequent and heaviest of the north and west, fewer showers and a bit drier in the south and east. this is bbc news, our latest headlines. four british people have died and 12 have been injured in a coach crash in saudi arabia. the accident happened as the group left mecca as part of an umra pilgrimage. 70—year—old raj begum hussain from blackburn was among those killed — her family have paid tribute. social media companies are threatened with new laws by the health secretary, if they don't do more to protect children online. he's accused them of "turning a blind eye" to the problems arising from social media use. in sir mo farah finishes third in the men's london marathon in a british record time, as runners face the hottest

conditions in the race's history. water shortages were reported on some parts of the route. now on bbc news, the travel show. coming up on this week's show: i'm all at sea on board the world's biggest cruise ship, meeting the man who has to feed up to 9,000 people every night. no pressure? absolutely not, no. no pressure at all. and i find out why it it pays to be cool and collected up on the bridge. first, we try and keep it as calm as possible, and not so exciting. simon is here with advice on the best way to backpack through south america. horn blows ..and, we take a trip back in time aboard china's last surviving steam train. we start this week at sea,

where holidays afloat are enjoying a boom right now. thanks in part to a fleet of megaships that has been built and designed specifically to attract a new generation of younger, fun—loving cruisers. behind me is the biggest of them all, the symphony of the seas. she makes her maiden voyage this month, and i am going tojump aboard for a sneak preview. the scale of this ship is truly vast. she can carry close to 9,000 passengers and crew. she is longer than four football pitches laid end to end, weighs over 220,000 tonnes, and she has a staggering 18 decks and 23 swimming pools. constructed at shipyards in france at a cost of over $1.5 billion,

symphony of the seas is the biggest passenger cruise ship ever built. but does that make it the best? at this point i have a bit of a confession to make. this is not my first cruise, in fact i'm a bit of a fan. so i am keen to see how this one measures up. i am jumping on board a special two—night cruise between the spanish ports of malaga and barcelona, along with a big group of travel journalists and industry experts, to explore the ship before she welcomes her first paying passengers. and although there is a party atmosphere on board, the crew know this is an important event if the ship is going to make waves around the world. these corridors go on forever, which is not surprising because there are almost 3000 rooms on this ship. so finding your own room can be a bit of a challenge. this is mine, i think, 592.

it is quite spacious, actually! and not a bad view. most rooms here in the ship are a pretty standard size, although you will pay extra for a balcony and sea view, and if you really want to push the boat out, there is a whole range of upscale suites with a suitably enormous price tag to match. but it's the seemingly endlessly array of dining options, entertainment and attractions on board which really sets the ship apart. this is the fourth ship in the class, it's called the oasis class, we introduced the first one back in 2010, and they arejust huge hits. the demand for these kinds of vacation experiences is growing, they are very popular. we have a metric that measures customer satisfaction, and these ships literally knock it out of the park. tonight's special sailing is due to get under way around 9pm,

and before we slip anchor, the party atmosphere is already kicking in. i am at the bionic bar where there is no human bartending staff, but we do have two robots, rockem and shockem, who will make my drink for me. i have found a lovely sounding drink which is the bionic bahama mama, and all i need to do is just press this button and the robots will go to work. so, off we go. now, i think is going to be the shaking bit... there we go! hey! laughs. a little bit of spillage, some dripping, he is a bit messy, this robot bartender. and here we go! the finished product. look at this! my drink.

thank you, shockem! well, we are setting off. soon the lights of malaga there will disappear into the distance. next stop, barcelona. the following morning it's up early to try some of those on—board attractions, aimed at making this ship as family friendly as possible. first stop, the abyss. at 100 feet it is the longest tubular slide at sea, and sends you plummeting a full ten decks in as many seconds. woohoo! the zipline is 82 feet long and it

goes from deck 16 down to deck 15. on a good day we put through hundreds of people, and of course it is available for all ages, but you have to be a minimum of six and you have to be 52 inches. over the past ten years, the cruise industry has undergone something of a revolution, as it tries to move away from its traditional stuffy image and appeal more to younger holiday—makers and families. gone are the days are when some slot machines and fizzy drinks were expected to keep the kids happy. and, if all that activity builds up your appetite, then there's 22 restaurants, cafes and bars on board, some of them open around the clock. all operated under the watchful eye of gary thomas. i guess you have to provide a really wide array of food to people

who will have very different tastes? absolutely, of course, and that is where my knowledge comes in, we do have fixed restaurants, we have mexican themed, seafood themed restaurants. but in the public buffet areas is where i have lots of freedom. everything i do is about the guest demographics, and i have all this information prior to the voyages, so i can adjust a lot of what we do based on the guests we carry. you have been a chef on land for a long time, and now you are on sea. what are some of the challenges you face when you are out at sea? if you run out of food at sea, there is no running down the road. you have to get it right all the time. you have to anticipate what is going to happen on board. many, many cruises in advance, i have to order up my food, so if i miss a particular item, a popular item, i go from the most popular man on the ship to very quickly the most unpopular. it is not hard to see why this formula of all—inclusive fun,

food and sun on a gigantic scale is proving increasingly popular. but some people aren't as delighted to see this mammoth new style of ship take to the seas. with cruise ships growing bigger and bigger it is not surprising that concerns are being raised about the environmental impact they are having. firstly, there is the issue of pollution. it is said that the maritime grade diesel that many cruise ships use causes far more emissions than the fuel used back on dry land. the cruise industry says it is doing what it can to capture and filter these emissions, but campaigners claim they could do more. and there is also the criticism of the huge amount of waste that some of these floating resorts create. waste, landfill on a fleet of ships, is close to zero. and often i am asked a question, well, these ships are so big and there is a lot of waste and everything, i often liken a ship of this size to a small village or town, and i would challenge any small village or town

to put their environmental footprint up against a ship of this size. and what about the social and cultural impact of a ship this large turning up at possibly a quite small port? again, we are a community, we're taking people on vacation, they have happy times, and you have to have dialogue and communication with all destinations. when we are encountering a destination that says hang on, guys, we think the ship is too big, let's talk about it and understand what that is, is there a way of solving it, or should wejust avoid that destination? we are looking for win—wins, we want people to be happy, we live in our communities, we don't want to cause people any concerns, and we work very hard to try and achieve that. late last year, local protesters in venice turned up in force to say they had had enough of visiting cruise ships. they tried to block the city's port with a floating blockade to draw attention to the strain mass tourism is putting on venice's already

fragile architecture and infrastructure. these cruise ships are six times taller than the tallest house in venice. please, jump in a gondola, jump in a venetian boat, that are small, that are respectful of the scale of the city, come in a small boat, and don't come with these monsters that really are destroying our city. and, although venice is not currently on this cruise ships itinerary, some protesters on the spanish island of majorca are not happy that she will be regularly visiting their capital palma. there is no doubt that for some people cruising is a great way to see the world. travelling in comfort as you tick off multiple destinations over the course of a week or two. by 2020 it is estimated that almost 27 million of us per year will decide to holiday this way. so expect to see more of these super ships take to the seas

over the coming years. but let's hope that through dialogue and maybe more regulation, everyone stays happy, not just the holiday—makers. still to come on the travel show: coming up, i head to the bridge to meet the man who captains this colossal cruise ship. we try to keep it as calm as possible, and not so exciting. and, we travel to china, to chug back in time on board their last remaining scheduled steam train. so, see you after the break. well, i am on the bridge of the world's largest cruise ship, and here i have captain rob, who is in charge of this whole ship. hopefully you can show me

through the bells and whistles here on the bridge. sure, sure, with pleasure. i would think the bridge of a ship as big as this would be bustling with activity, but it seems very calm and not too many people up here. what are these guys doing? well, first we try to keep it as calm as possible, and not so exciting. first 0fficer anton is driving the ship right now. assisting him is second 0fficer dario. together they are navigating the ship at the moment. here we have displayed in front of us many different systems. from propulsion systems to navigation systems, including the radar, electronic charts, and all of them monitoring various aspects. you will see our three pods, and right now we are turning 75 rpm on all three of them. they are pointed forward because they pull, they pull the ship along, even though

they are at the stern where traditional rudders would be. at 75 rpm we are making 15 knots. that is actually 111.9 through the water, which is quite good. we have the wind with us. and you can see whitecaps out there. but if you look to the next screen you will see we only have about seven knots of wind across the deck. we can be pointed this way but actually going this way, because of the current and wind that is always moving the ship around. we are not connected rigidly to the earth, we are sliding along through the sea. same with the speed overwater and speed overg round, they are generally different as well, for the same reasons. everything around them and above them serves a purpose. some more than others. some are just light dimmers. some are communication. searchlight control. ship's whistle. all of the above, it is all there. it might all look similar, but it is quite different. welcome to the slice of the show

that tackles your questions about getting the best out of travel. coming up, seeing america in two weeks? first, though, cruise passengers may be delighted to learn that india's e—visa scheme is now allowed for arrival by sea as well as air. you can sail into the ports of mumbai, goa, cochin, mangalore or chennai. next, geraldine hardy in kuala lumpur has this question. divide your trip into three segments. first, the east coast heritage trail. start in boston, the birthplace of independence, and end

up in washington, dc, calling at new york city and philadelphia. all of those places are connected by fast trains. then, take a four—hour flight across the midwest and the prairies to the mile—high city of denver, with a wonderful view of the rockies. step aboard the californian zephyr train, ending up in san francisco as the sun sets on the golden gate. then go by train, plane or automobile south along the pacific coast to los angeles, a wonderful sprawl with highlights that include venice beach, santa monica and of course hollywood. finally, nina in london has a friend backpacking through south america. check the latest foreign office advice for any particular hazards

and devour guidebooks. my personal highlights include lake titicaca, divided by bolivia and peru, the ancient inca capital cuzco, the amazon, and if you can possibly manage it, a river trip from iquitos in peru, downstream to leticia in colombia. by an open—jaw ticket into la paz and out of cartagena, and get plenty of american currency. the us dollar is king in latin america. whether you are going budget backpacking or wanting to live the high life, the bbc‘s travel show is here to help. so email:... from me, simon calder, the global guru, bye for now, and see you next time.

to finish this week we've got the first in a series of films from china — a country that has undergone massive change over recent decades as it moves to modernise. but, if you know where to look, some glimpses of the past remain, and we've headed to the sichuan province to take a step back in time. well, that's all we've got time for for on this week's show. but do join us next week, when henry heads to australia to meet the people behind the world—famous royal flying doctor service as they celebrate an important anniversary. what a remarkable bit of kit you've got here. and we head back to china to discover a novel way of skiing which is claimed to be an 8,000 years old. that's next week. but in the meantime, don't forget you can catch up with us when we're out on the road or at sea in real—time by signing up to our social media feeds, where you can also share your travel stories with the world. but now, from me and the rest

of the travel show team here, somewhere in the mediterranean, it's goodbye. good evening. after a taste of summer, changes are third. the unusually warm weather was due to thisjet unusually warm weather was due to this jet stream helping to drag the airfrom iberia. an atlanticjet strea m airfrom iberia. an atlanticjet stream charges in and during the second half of the week we are on the northern flank into the slightly colder air. the week ahead is back to normal. spring weather, nicer

bits but also hefty downpour as and when the showers come, it will feel cooler. a cooler night tonight, the evening storms in east anglia clear and the showers continue across parts of scotla nd showers continue across parts of scotland and northern ireland, mostly dry and clear later in the south and east and a cooler night, all others into single figures to start the monday morning commute. fresher than what we are used to, lots of sunshine to the south and east. sunny spells to begin with. cloud increasing in the afternoon. 0utbreaks cloud increasing in the afternoon. outbreaks of rain in scotland and it is set to turn in england and wales, cloudy and damp. temperatures in the

east down on what we have. between 15 and 18 degrees. pleasant enough. 0utbreaks 15 and 18 degrees. pleasant enough. outbreaks of rain and drizzle will spread across the uk linked into this weather system, but notice how this weather system, but notice how this trailing front will linger in the south and four tuesday, cloudy day in the south with a brighter spells developing for a time before it clouds over later as the weather front pushes in bringing more outbreaks of rain. northern ireland and scotland and the four —— far north of england, heavy showers developing through the day and north south split, 12—14 in the north, brighter skies up to 17 in the south. the last dregs of mild air is pushed away as we move into the middle part of the week and all of us middle part of the week and all of us will be in much fresher air and a typical april shower day on wednesday. the showers will develop wylie, some hail and plunder and gusty winds as well, temperatures between 11 and 15 degrees. those values as well for thursday and friday. fewer showers, values as well for thursday and friday. fewershowers, drier in values as well for thursday and friday. fewer showers, drier in the south and east. this is bbc world news today. our top stories... a suicide attack at an election

centre in the afghan capital, kabul. 57 people are killed and more than a hundred wounded. translation: look at this, this is a voting card drowned in blood. who would come to vote? as he prepares to head to the us, president macron of france calls on donald trump not to scrap the iran nuclear deal. thousands of anti—government protesters in the armenian capital, after their leader was arrested by riot police. it was an attack aimed directly at efforts