Boudicca dining advice please.

Other than a short cruise in Alaska we are now venturing on a bigger cruise to the northern lights. We are not so keen on the idea of dressing up or formal nights and just wondering what the options are, if wishing not to dine in the main dining halls on those evenings - if any. We like to have a drink in the bars etc and are not as anti social as we may sound!

Having never been on the Boudicca, I don't know what it's called, but there will be a self service cafe where you can dine any evening and you don't have to get too dressed up.

There are still table clothes and cutlery laid out but you help yourself as opposed to being served by a waiter.

There will also be a waiter who will serve you wine if you want it.

I hope that helps.

Susan

Cheers and thank you.

Have travelled on Boudicca several times and yes, there is the cafe/restaurant where you do not need to dress up. The formal nights are not evening dresses or very formal. I just use evening trousers and a shiny top and many do the same.

Oh that is good to know and thank you for reassurance too!

I would disagree with rosirpea. I was on the Boudicca in October and many people were turned away from the dining rooms on Formal Evenings as they were not appropriately dressed. For men: a shirt, tie and jacket was compulsorily, the tie did not need to be a bow tie. For women: it was long dress, cocktail dress or dressy trousers/skirt and smart top.

As already mentioned the cafe (which served the same food but self service) did not have a dress code.

Enjoy you cruise

We were on Boudicca earlier this month to the Northern Lights, an excellent cruise. However there were three formal nights, but the dress code was never enforced. The table next to ours in the main dining room had people in shirt sleeves with no jackets or ties on all three occasions. Also the service was probably the worst that we have ever had on any of our 35 cruises during the past ten years, so bad in fact that this is the first time ever that I have not increased the tip to our table waiters (there is an automatic gratuity added to your final account, I normally give a personal tip in addition to this)

We were so fed up with the poor service that we ate in the "Secret Garden" for several meals, here although it is self service, the waiters were very helpful and friendly. Another strange thing on Boudicca is the washy that passengers at breakfast tend to sit alone, although there are tables for 4 or 6 persons all the tables for two are taken first by just one person. Not very friendly. On all other ships that we have been on groups of people sit at the larger tables and have a good natter. I know some people prefer their own company but not normally the majority.

Comparisons of different cruise lines and ships.

We are often asked which is our favourite cruise ship or cruise company. This is a very difficult question to answer as all have good points and there are also some things that are not to our liking.

Although we have fond memories of earlier ships I will only compare those that are in service today that we have experienced over the past ten years. This list will cover thirty four cruises on twelve different ships belonging to five separate companies. Cruises vary from ten days to more than three months in length to most parts of the World.

The most important aspects of any cruise fall into six main categories:

1. Cabin

2. Food

3. Crew

4. On board facilities

5. Entertainment

6. Itinerary

I will try to mention what, in my opinion, are the best and least favourite in each category. Some points will be very minor but can make a difference to ones enjoyment, especially on longer cruises.

1. The cabin, here we have a choice of many different grades. Some people prefer a balcony and others inside cabins. We tend to chop and change depending on the cruise and time of year. There is no point in having a balcony for a winter cruise to the Arctic but the opposite is true if you are going to the Caribbean or the Norwegian Fjords in the Summer. However this is only the first consideration. We have found that the best cabins are those on the Celebrity ships as these have almost everything that one could wish for, they are above average size with comfortable beds and a well proportioned bathroom, as well as interactive TV with an unbelievable selection of music and films.

We have never had a really BAD cabin but fixed head showers on Oceana (P&O), very small cabins and lack of storage space on Queen Victoria (Cunard), poor layout of furniture on Arcadia (P&O), and bad smells percolating from the crew galley on deck three on Boudicca (Fred Olsen) were all a disappointment. Also on several ships the cabins that are situated just below open decks and the Promenade decks can be very noisy due to deck chairs and tables being moved around early in the mornings.

Coat hangers can be very annoying especially the ones with the fixed tops. The best hangers are on Fred Olsen as these are white plastic and can be used for drying shirts etc. when hung in the bathroom. On the subject of bathrooms P & O provide by far the best soap, shampoo and conditioner whereas F.O. only supply a dispenser of gel.

2. Food is excellent on all cruise ships and the only way not to enjoy the food is to make the wrong choice. However presentation can be below expectations. P & O is the only company that has "silver service" as standard except perhaps Cunard in Princess class (we do not have experience of this). The other companies serve plated meals putting all vegetables on your plate whether you want them or not causing no end of waste.

The Buffets on most ships serve a good selection and choice of dishes however the layout and service can be appalling especially on Cunard and larger ships belonging to most companies. The very best buffet service is on Boudicca followed closely by Adonia.

There is limited choice with room service on all ships but what is on offer is generally good, mostly this is free of charge but some items are put on ones account on some ships. E.g. Hot chocolate is free on P & O but charged for on Fred Olsen.

3. The crew can have a huge bearing on the enjoyment of a cruise.

By far the best crew are those working on P & O, they are mostly From India and the Phillipines and give the impression that they enjoy looking after you. This is not true on ships that employ East European crew who, although they do the job efficiently enough, do not want to go that extra mile to make your holiday that bit better. They also tend to bicker amongst themselves about who should do what, this is especially noticeable on Cunard ships where, when asking a question one is told that " it's not my job I'm a butler, you will have to find a cabin steward" instead of " I will find someone to help you sir".

4. Facilities on board are very similar on all ships, but limited on some.

Tea and coffee making equipment is in all cabins on P & O, Fred Olsen and one or two others but very rare on most ships.

There is no cinema on Boudicca and only a very basic room on Arcadia that has around thirty seats.

I do not like a casino but most ships have them except for Adonia and Boudicca (just two gaming tables).

Several smaller ships do not have theatres but do have night club style lounges.

Other things that are common to almost all ships are a Spa, swimming pools, gym, golf nets and tennis courts. There are other sporting facilities on larger ships such as rock climbing, fencing, surfing etc., etc.

Every ship has a dance floor catering for ballroom, line dancing and even Zumba.

5. Entertainment can be very hit and miss.

The resident singers and dancers usually put on excellent West End style shows, often far better than the guest solo artists who are sometimes very good but more often third rate and past their sell-by date. This is especially true of the comedians and magicians, one in particular is still performing the identical act that we took our 50 year old Daughter to see when she was nine years old.

Classical recitals are normally very good on all ships with some wonderful pianists, flautists and classical guitar players giving outstanding performances, but I do not recommend P & O "Music festivals at sea", we have been on two of these cruises and the performances have been very third rate, introduced by Henry Kelly and enough to put one off of classical music for life.

6. The Itinerary can be very important and should be looked at very carefully. Taking into account the time of year (in the countries being visited), the size of the ship i.e. Smaller ships may be able to go alongside whereas a large ship will often be at anchor some way offshore when the ships lifeboats (tenders) will be used which can be difficult for any passengers with restricted movement. Also small ships can go to places that large ships cannot reach, such as inland waterways, the Amazon river, Corinth or Kiel canals as well as many others.

One should try to discover the length of time that the ship will be in each port and also the day of the week as this can make a big difference as to whether shops and museums etc. will be open, e.g. We visited Gran Canaria five times before we were able to go into the fantastic Science museum which is just opposite the dock gate.

Other things that should be taken into account are dress code, most ships have some formal evenings but there are normally certain parts of the ship that are exempt e.g. The buffet and theatre. Details can usually be found in the brochures before booking. The cost of drinks on board can be a large part of your final account. The most reasonable prices are on P & O, most other companies are very expensive, this also applies to the cost of shore excursions and other on-board purchases e.g. Photographs on Cunard cost $29.95 (£20) the same quality prints on P & O are £9.95. Princess have craft classes which are normally free with many materials supplied FOC, however there was a $29.95 charge for an identical class on Cunard on P & O the charge is somewhere in between. Beauty treatments in the Spa on all cruise ships seems very expensive, luckily I am pretty enough not to need them. I was charged £11 for a short back and sides on a long P&O cruise but a much neater haircut cost only one NZ dollar when ashore in Wellington. Perhaps the extra cost was for the lovely girl in the spa?

I had better stop there as you will probably be fed up with me by now. I may add to this at a later date.

However before I go I will answer one question to myself.

Do I have a favourite?

The answer is not really, I have enjoyed all of the cruises, all of the ships and nearly all of the ports of call, if pushed I would probably say that the 87 nights spent on Adonia around South America, the Amazon and East Coast of the U.S. Was probably my all time favourite. Fantastic itinerary, lovely ship and the most friendly passengers and wonderful crew.

Thank you very much for this comprehensive review of all your cruises, Oldbugger, it's really helpful. We have only been on 2 cruises, both on Fred's Balmoral, which we really enjoyed; the food and service were excellent. We are due to cruise on the Boudicca in May, so I do hope the service has improved by then!

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On every Fred cruise we have been on, the Dress Code has been enforced. Every cruise I have seen men turned away from MDR.

One of the reasons we cruise with Fred is that they enforce the codes.

The codes are clearly stated in the brochure and the Fred web site.

Oldbugger

I loved your very comprehensive comparison.

It is so good, is it worth putting as a separate thread so it doesn't get missed as you have some really valid points there.

Thank you.

Hi,

We were on the 'in search of the Northern Lights' cruise which departed on the 21st Feb this year.

We ate in the Tintagel dining room and both the service and food was excellent. My partner has a dairy intolerance and on the second day there was a meeting of all those with food issues and the head chef. The message was if it's on the menu and you can't eat it, let the waiter know and I will try to make it in such a way that you can. If there is nothing you fancy, again, let me know what you want and if possible I will try to make it.

There were three formal evenings and apart from one person who didn't wear a jacket, everyone else seemed to adhere to the dress code. Those who didn't wish to, either missed the meal or used the 'secret garden' which was less formal for all meals. There were also three themed evenings, red, white and blue, marine and rock and roll and again, if you didn't wish to do that, the option was smart casual.

We did see the lights incidentally and it was a fantastic display and for the first time I had a camera that did them justice.

Oldbugger, thank you so much for your detailed comparison. Interesting reading for us as we are new to cruising. We have done one... 2 weeks on Sunbird (now MS Celestyal Olympia) around the Caribbean in 2005... but are now booked on Boudicca for 2 weeks Northern Lights starting next Monday!

I think cruising is one of those things that gets into your blood.