Izzywiz

Hi Majortom, Foley's oatcake shop is one of our nearest outlets and, occasionally, we pop down early on Sunday morning to get our breakfast 'fix'. 
I do enjoy visiting Stone. We have had some lovely walks along the canal in the last few months. Sorry you can’t get a meat and 'tater pie there.

Not sure if you can see DH's arm. The young lady in the insert is our gorgeous niece….not sure how she got in the pic as she is in Stafford! 

By the way, Presto2, us Stokies are tough nuts…..dreaming of a bacon and cheese oatcake fo breakfast and a Wrights pie for lunch😁😁😁😁!!

Brilliant suggestion (I did love taking part in those photo threads…..so many memories and the perfect incentive to organise my pictures!)…. So now we can add ‘I' for isolation, 't' for testing, 'r' for results, 'w for waving at DH from my balcony to his….I’m sure you wonderful people can come up with more!!

Once again, heartfelt thanks for all your good wishes…..they mean a lot.
 

My DH and I are both in our mid-seventies (51years married this year😱…….where did those years go?) with a passion for travelling. We knew we were taking a risk by flying to the Caribbean but decided, after our Kenyan Safari was cancelled for the 3rd time, that we needed to do it as we don’t know how much longer we have to indulge this passion. 
 

Our philosophy is that life is too short to be miserable and having a positive attitude and a sense of humour (not a positive test result🤣🤣) helps to keep us going.

We have just docked in St. Kitts and I have loved watching the sun rise over Nevis while sipping coffee on my balcony.

my very best wishes to you all and stay safe 💖💖

It’s lovely to hear from you all and to 'catch up' with so many of you who posted photographs on the threads last year…..those threads were such fun to take part in and certainly passed the time during the lockdowns!!

I’ll try to answer some more of the questions that have arisen.

MEGABEAR2 posted about the possibility of the Queen Victoria rendezvousing with Britannia to take our quarantined passengers.

We were in St. Lucia yesterday and saw one of the Cunard Queens tucked away in an area a long way from Castries. My cabin faced the terminal building and, as it was in the shade but lovely and warm, I spent most of the day on the balcony and did a lot of people watching. I didn’t see anyone leaving the ship with cases except for 'Eric and Ern' (so glad we managed to see them at the Limelight Club as they were  amazing!) who were probably off to the airport. 

Celebrity Silhouette and a Viking CL ship were docked near us so whether they were linked to the Cunard ship. It’s a mystery!

TRING….Thank you for that information, which has confused a number of people, including me.  On reflection, it would also mean there is no problem releasing the negatively testing person and it will be a shorter isolation for her as well.  

I am thinking if she continues to test negative, then she would still be a contact of her positively testing husband after he is eventually clear of the infection.  This would seem to mean she would then have to isolate a further week after him, as she could still develop the disease.  Am I right in that assumption?

Hi TRING and FIONBOARD.

I am in isolation for 7 days and DH is is isolated for 10 days. We have both been Lateral Flow tested several times with my results being negative and his positive. Our confinement countdown starts from the time when DH first had noticeably symptoms which was on January 3rd (he just assumed that he had caught a cold from our son) so I should be released tomorrow (negative test) and guess I will return to our original cabin and will be allowed to access to the rest of the ship. DH, if he tests negative, should be released on the 13th so we should be clear to fly home on the 15th 🤞🤞🤞

 MEGABEAR2

notice you said you are in deck 15. I hope they're keeping the on deck parties to entertain you. Perhaps you can make a request to the band - Please Release Me might be good .

🤣🤣🤣🤣thanks, Megabear2. This made me laugh so much!!

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Hello Izzywiz. I'm really sorry to hear your husband is unwell, I hope he makes a speedy recovery and you get to fly home on the day you should. ITT must be very disappointing being separated.

 

May I ask whether any close contact of you both have been tracked and traced to be quarantined as well? On our Britannia Christmas cruise a solo lady tested positive, again in St Vincent, and six other people ended up being quarantined as her contacts through table sharing, a bus in Aruba and sitting on the next table in the atrium.  I just wonder if you are questioned about this or whether they just make a judgement. 

 

 

Hi Megabear2, we were questioned in detail about our movements both on the ship and ashore. We have deliberately kept away from close contact with other passengers so had no names to give for tracking. We haven’t been given any information about the number of people in quarantine but I suspect there are quite a few, both passengers and crew members.

Another poster queried the fact that our names were put out over the PA system but I think it was the only way to contact us quickly on such a large ship. 

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

A well balanced review but I had no idea that couples would be separated if one tests negative and one tests positive. It just goes from bad to worse. We have had several family members where one has had Covid and the partner hasn’t, even though they haven’t been apart at any time throughout. If only one of us tested positive, there’s no way that we’d be happy leaving the other on their own. Quarantine in a small cabin sounds hideous enough without it being solitary confinement as well!

Again, thank you all for your positive (hahaha not my favourite word right now) comments. I have quoted Selbourne's post as it is the first of many concerning my DH and I being put in separate cabins.
Had we both tested positive then we would have been quarantined together in the same cabin. The problem with putting someone with a negative test in the same cabin as someone who tested positive is that, should the negative person then contract covid, both would then have to endure further days in quarantine. The days are counted from when the first symptoms are noticed so should I, for example, develop symptoms on the 6th day of our joint confinement then we would both have to remain quarantined for another 10 days making 16 in all.

It isn’t the best situation that I have been in but the end is in sight and, as I said before, DH hasn’t been particularly ill….just a bit delicate with a cough and blocked nose…….so thank goodness for the vaccines.

'

Thank you all for your kind comments and good wishes. I posted the info because I know there is a lot of bad press for the way things are being handled on some cruise lines. I don’t doubt people's feelings but it is very easy to only see the negative side of a situation so I hope this more upbeat report helps a bit. 
We would much prefer not to be in this situation but, hey-ho, it is what it is and it could be so much worse so thanks again. 

Let me say straight away that I am a 'glass half full' person who believes in making the best of whatever situation I find myself so, hopefully, this report won’t scare you too much. It’s been a better experience than I had expected.

Just now, zitsky said:

 

Oh I hadn't thought of that.  Senior moment.

No problem……I have lots of them 🤫🤫

There may be passengers who are doing a b2b cruise so those people will be able to take excursions during the change over day.

Hi again Irvington.

I’ll try to assist with your new queries as best I can.

Q. I realize that this may all come crashing down because of the pandemic, but have some hope that things will be better by next June and we will be able to do this. Would love to hear more about excursions or doing without, assuming pandemic restrictions are over in terms of being able to go ashore independently.

A. As you say, it is extremely difficult to predict what will happen next June as far as being able to go ashore independently but, should it be possible, then you will find it quite easy to access tours locally. There is a section for ‘Britain’ on the ‘Ports of Call’ part of the CC forums where you will find plenty of advice.

I have posted my experience of tendering at the Scilly Isles and my excursion to Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Just back from Borealis. The 8-day Scenic Islands with Cowes Week - part 4 on this forum. The excursion was £35pp which was about average for the ones on offer at the other ports.

There is also some information about the scenic cruising around Fingal’s cave etc. Unfortunately, the weather was poor and not conducive to spending time on deck or getting good photographs of this very beautiful area.

Q. My husband is also trying to understand the drinks package versus ordering a la carte versus taking a bottle on board. I've told him the last option may be prohibited but I don't know. It isn't like we need to go crazy, but on vacation we might have a cocktail and a glass of wine or beer with dinner, maybe 2. I can't really tell from the website what the pricing is for that. or what the pricing is for excursions, which is what prompts the earlier question.

A. As far as I’m aware Fred doesn’t allow passengers to bring alcoholic drinks on board but

I think that you will find the drinks prices on FO very reasonable compared to those on the US cruise lines. FO offers a drinks package, if booked before sailing, for £19.99 pppd = approx. $28pppd (all adult passengers travelling in the same cabin must purchase the package). This rises to £29.99pppd = $41 if booked once on board. I have been quoted over $70 pppd on RCI.

Individually purchased drinks reflect British pub prices so a pint of beer is approx. £4.00 = $5.50, glass of wine - £4.75 = $6.50, cocktail - £5.30 = £7.30, soft drink - £1.30 = $1.80, Cappuccino £2.30 = $3.17. There is no added tax either. House wine started at around £18 = $25 for a bottle

.

You will find a hostess tray in your cabin with a kettle, mugs, spoons, coffee sachets, tea bags, milk sachets and sugar packets. These are replenished each day depending on usage. We bring our favourite instant coffee granules and our favourite tea bags as we prefer to make our own rather than waiting for room service.

The daily gratuity per person that is added to your On-Board Account is £5 = $7, and covers your cabin attendant and wait staff. Tipping is not expected for anything else…it is not part of the culture in Britain although people will often add a small amount when using a taxi or in a restaurant.

This isn't a criticism of Fred - I've noticed many cruise lines have websites that don't make it easy to get questions answered.

I absolutely agree with this statement. The thing that most annoys me is the lack of precision for arrival and departure times which does make it difficult to organise independent tours. I do find, however, that the tour operators know the times and are there at the port when we disembark.

Thanks for your replies. Favourite tea bags and coffee going into the case soon!

Thank you. That’s dry encouraging.

I’m wondering if Princess provides a kettle in our cabin on a UK Seacation so I’m hoping that someone who has done one of these cruises can confirm either way. We do love our early morning cuppa without having to wait to get the lukewarm water from room service.

Thank you for your kind comments.

We had 2 'formal nights' and most people were dressed up although not many ladies wore long dresses and I didn't notice many gentlemen in dinner suits. It seemed to be more 'cocktail' wear and lounge suits. 

Enjoy you trip.

it was great fun to use  but I suspect that you are right about need more on capacity sailings....

Good morning Irvington and welcome to the Fred Olsen Forum. I’ll do my best to answer some of your questions. We have sailed on many different cruise lines over the years including most of the main U.S. lines so have something to compare with FO. You do not say anything about your age and that of your son. You also do not say which ship, date and itinerary you are interested in so my replies are generic having just returned from Borealis and having also sailed on Braemar and Balmoral in the past.

1.     - I take it I can't use my travel agent to book this. I'm only bummed since I have a good friend who is a travel agent and a huge help, but I'm of course capable of figuring it out by myself.

A.     I think that your Travel Agent friend needs to answer this question. I know that I can book cruises on US cruise lines through my U.K.TA so it may be possible.

2.     - I'm hoping this will feel less like the mid-market US ships I'm usually taking - I mostly cruise for interesting itineraries, and this one intrigued my husband and older son, who are frankly not cruise fans (esp. my husband). I'm trying to tell them that this will have a different feel than a big cruise ship, and will be port intensive, but of course I don't want to do a complete bait and switch on them (maybe a small one...). I'm hoping it will feel more like a hotel at sea, where they don't have to participate in activities and can just sit on deck with a drink or something like that.

A.     Fred Olsen has wonderful itineraries, mainly because the ships are relatively small so they can access more unusual ports.

The ship will have a very different feel from the US based ships because it is very much geared to the British market and a generally older demographic.

There are wide ranging activities but absolutely no compulsion to join in. We do enjoy the varied lectures and classical music performances along with the trivia and craft sessions. I have always found the evening entertainment to be of a very high quality and always enjoy the production shows. The guest entertainers will be mainly British and will have a British bias to the content.

We find FO ships to be much quieter than their US counterparts although there is some poolside live music at certain times. It was not our preference so we moved to the aft pool deck which was quiet and peaceful. There are very few public announcements and none exhorting you to participate in bingo, art auctions, pool games etc.

My personal opinion is that Borealis had the feel of a country house hotel

3.     They're very social, and love meeting people and talking, but the glitzy entertainment on most cruises turn them off. The advantage to this cruise as opposed to a land vacation is that we are all most interested in seeing some of the islands, and we like ferries, but the logistics are such that we can cover a lot more ground on this than trying to stitch together a ferry-type vacation in the same amount of time.

A.     I think you will find the passengers to be very friendly. Although the majority of passengers will be 60+ they are very willing to chat and have a wealth of experience to share. You will not find many younger people and virtually no children.

B.     - This timing is good for my son so there will be 3 of us. I know 3 is a hard number for this type of travel. Has anyone booked a room for two and then a single? I suppose this is what to talk to the Fred people about, but curious if there are any insights. 

A.     I am sure that it is possible to book a double room + a single room. Fred caters well for solo passengers so there are a good number of single occupancy cabins available although at a supplementary cost. Sometimes Fred offers single cabins at no supplement prices.

4.     - I'm assuming we can do our own thing in port, subject to whatever pandemic restrictions there are at the time. I realize no one has a crystal ball, but any thoughts about the likelihood that this will be cancelled? Their cruises seem to fill up so I don't want to wait to reserve - unless that's a strategy I should pursue.

A.     At the moment, passengers may only disembark at port if they are on a ship’s tour. Some of these tours allow independent time within a confined area such as at the Tresco Abbey Gardens. This may change at any time depending on the situation and Government regulations.

I’m not sure about the cancellation policy so you would have to check the T&Cs on the web site.

5.     another dumb question - I see that I can request a call back, or book online, but can I instead email with someone at the company to get more information?

A.     Irvington, no question is dumb!

 I found this information on Fred’s website so you can certainly email as your first point of contact.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Please call us on +44 (0) 1473 742 424 or
e-mail guest.services@fredolsen.co.uk

I wish you all the best and hope, if you do decide to go ahead, that you have a good experience. It would be lovely to have a more international demographic on our cruises with Fred.

Ports

The cruise.

We had a day of scenic cruising around the Greenock area of Scotland which was very nice but it was very cool and overcast so we didn’t get the best views.

Liverpool

Scenic Scotland

Scilly Isles- We had stops in the Scilly Isles, Portland and Portsmouth where passengers were able to leave the ship but only on ship’s tours. Below are the impressions of my excursions.

Tresco Abbey Gardens

• passengers are only allowed to leave the ship on tours booked through the ship and must stay in the tour 'bubble'
• My tour was B3 and the meeting time was 10.05 in the theatre.
• Most people adhered to the request to arrive at the theatre only at the time shown in the daily news.
• We could walk down to deck A or take the lift.
• The tender boat, we’re provided by the local people so they were open topped small pleasure boats.
• The ride to Tresco Island took about 15 minutes and we docked at a small jetty.
• There were 2 12 seater golf style buggies to take those of us who preferred not to walk to the Gardens entrance. The driver was very informative about the gardens, the plants, the wildlife and the history of the island.
• The walk to the gardens would probably take around 25 minute and the drive took 5. 
• The gardens have a small visitors' area with a shop, cafe and toilets.
• Once we arrived at the gardens we were allowed to explore on our own!!!
• The gardens were a beautiful mixture of plants and trees from all over the world and it was a lovely place to spend a couple of hours just wandering along the paths. There were several red squirrels scampering around which added atmosphere.
• I spent about 90 minutes exploring the gardens and then had a coffee in the cafe and sat in the sun chatting to 2 delightful ladies.
• I was back on board at 14.15 which was later than planned because the tender boat was in a holding position at sea while other boats were filled from the ship.
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St. Mary's

Portland

Panoramic Portland - 1.5 hours.

• The tour meeting point was by the coach on the quay side.
• There were 18 of us and the seating was socially distanced.
• We left on time at 10.50 and drove through the town to a viewing point which overlooked Chesil Beach and then harbour. Our guide was very informative and gave us an insight into the history of the area. We had 15 minutes at the viewpoint.
• From there, we drove to Portland Bill which has a very impressive lighthouse and toilets. The guide took us right to the promontory and we had 20 minutes free time.
• We then returned to the ship via a different route so we saw the quaint houses and historic areas.
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Jurassic Coastal walk. MY DH did this and said that it was very strenuous even for the very fit passengers.

Plymouth.

We didn’t do a tour in Plymouth having already visited all the sights on offer so had a restful day on board the ship.

Cowes.

 Our day anchored off Cowes was to be able to watch the Cowes Regatta yacht racing but, unfortunately, it didn’t go to plan because the sailing was cancelled for most of the day as there wasn’t enough wind!! We did manage to see a little of the racing just before Borealis departed to start the sail back to Liverpool!

Food - The buffet

The automatic hand washing machine!

Examples of plated items

Vasco's, The Goan cuisine Speciality area of the buffet

Colours and Tastes Asian Fusion

Pre-cruise Covid Testing

·       This took place at the CC Arena which is on the riverside but a little way from the actual cruise terminal.

·       Our designated Covid check-in time was 13.00.

·       At the arena we showed proof of our vaccinations and then queued for a short time to begin check-in by showing our cruise ticket, passports and vaccination proof again.

·       Our cases were taken to be transported to the ship

·       We were each given a numbered ticket and then directed to our testing station which was one of 20 booths. Our ticket number corresponded to our test result meter so once tested, we then were directed to a holding area while we waited about 20 minutes for the 'all clear'.

·       Our testing group was then directed to the coach for the transfer to the ship. In normal circumstances the journey would have taken 10 minutes at the most but the road works made it 35 minutes!!!

·       When we got to the cruise terminal we had to queue again for a short time before we could complete the check-in…..passports, vaccination proof, credit card…..we were then issued with track and trace bands and our key cards and were then free to board the ship.

·       The ramp from the terminal marquee is quite steep so there is a shuttle service available on request.

Cabin 3354. - superior inside.

• spacious with lots of storage space.
• Fridge
• Safe
• Hair dryer 
• Tea/coffee hostess tray
• Flat screen TV with a good selection of films, TV programmes, On Board accounts and general information 
• Comfortable bed with 2 good sized pillows 
• 2x USB charging outlets
• UK and US plug sockets.
• Shower has a curtain but the cubical is quite big.
• Shower head is on a sliding pole.
• Liquid soap dispensers 
• Very convenient for stairs, lifts and access to the promenade deck.

On arrival in the cabin, I found:

• ship's daily information sheet
• Dining room and table allocation 
• Pre-booked shore excursion tickets

Around the ship

Lounges

Outdoor areas

Atrium

Gym

Dining room. There are tables for 2.

My DH and I enjoy cruising with Fred Olsen but we also use many other cruise lines. We are fairly easy going (I think) and do not expect perfection because we are not perfect. 

This cruise replaced our 5 day Faroes and Orkney voyage which should have  taken place on July 17th but Borealis had some technical problems. Fred offered us a transfer to any cruise 8 days or less without penalty so we chose this one.

I am posting my personal views of the ship and the itinerary with some practical information that may be of use.

Impressions of Borealis.

Particularly liked:

• the deck 3 promenade is wide and circles the entire ship. 3.5 circuits = 1mile.
• All the crew members that we encountered were polite, helpful and pleasant.
• The main pool deck has a retractable roof.
• The ship feels spacious and I would expect that feeling to continue even when sailing with capacity passenger numbers 
• The production shows were excellent as the stage is large and it was much easier to see the action from the tiered theatre seats. The guest entertainers knew their audience and performed appropriate material….a comedian and a performer with a wonderful singing voice and skills on musical instruments
• Reasonable drinks prices.
• The 2 speciality restaurants - ‘Vasco’s’ for Goan cuisine and ‘Colours and Tastes’ for Asian Fusion cuisine.
• The way a lot of food options are plated in the buffet so it affords portion control. There were other choices like salads and stir fries where the server would plate your choices for you.
• The enforcing of the COVID protocols - wearing face masks when moving about the ship, hand sanitising stations, chair and table cleaning, servers plating food requests, marking own answers in the trivia quizzes, keeping pencils for personal reuse…… and more! 
• The hostess tray in the cabin.
• The pool deck café for lunchtime ‘light-bites’

Liked.

• The coffee card which gave 7 specialty coffees and a small bag of truffles for £15.67.
• The overall quality of the television options

Disappointed by:

• the lack of a music channel on the TV. The system on Boudicca had one.
• The choice on the film channel for me and other ladies of a certain age….too many films containing gratuitous violence for my taste.

Disliked.

• The drinks package rule that all adult passengers in the cabin had to purchase the package if they didn’t want to 'pay as you go'. I don’t drink alcohol so it would be costing us £40 per day instead of £20 (pre-cruise booking price)
• FO do not give real arrival and departure times for ports. 'Early morning' or 'late afternoon' etc are not particularly helpful when planning the day.
• The lack of evening dining time options in the main restaurant. Our preferred method is ‘anytime' dining where we choose our own time and table size to suit our mood each day.
• The only way to access the main restaurant dining area on deck 4 is by going to deck 5 and then down the stairs either by the door of the upper balcony or inside the upper balcony which makes it a bit of a trek for people with cabins on decks 2 and 3.

Surprised by:

• The limited choices for the main course at dinner in the main restaurant…..usually 1 fish dish, 1 meat dish and 3 vegan/vegetarian/gluten free options. Fortunately, there were some ‘always available’ choices and it was possible to mix and match food choices too.

Unfortunately, it isn't just Fred that is cancelling cruises so far in advance. I had an email from Celebrity cancelling our South America and Antarctic B2B in February 2022. This comes after Celebrity had already changed the ship from Silhouette to Infinity for the Covid cancelled 2020 cruise so we were unable to get our much anticipated aft balcony. we have also lost our Hurtigtuten S. America cruise for the 3rd time!

It is all very disappointing but I have great sympathy for the cruise lines as I don't think they make these changes on a whim.

My concern is that my DH and I  are rapidly getting older and I really want to see these destinations before I can no longer travel but I also realise that there are people in the world who are having a desperate time so I'm trying to count my blessings. 

Don’t forget that you may not get the opportunity to visit an ATM especially if you have to do ship's excursions. The majority of retail outlets in Europe do accept credit cards. 

So..... the thorny question of kettles in cabins raises it's head again. Unfortunately, buckeyeMark, I can't answer your question about requesting a kettle for your room on a  Princess ship although it is worth trying at the customer service desk and elevating the request if you are told 'no'. We had that experience on Celebrity and, once we had spoken to the hotel director, a kettle was promptly brought to our lowly inside cabin.

Kettles with 'hostess trays' are standard  facilities in all staterooms where a ship has its home port in the UK and we have had kettles in our cabins on many sailings  from different countries. I love being able to boil water for a 'proper' cup of tea in my cabin without having to trek to a café or have to wait for lukewarm water to be delivered! 

I did an internet search for fires caused by Kettles with the auto shut-off and found 1 in New Zealand in 2018. There are millions of these kettles used every day in the UK alone without incident so the question of kettles being a fire hazard is a lot less than other items like hair straighteners which are allowed to be brought on ships.

Diamond Princess  sailing from Tokyo. The arrow is pointing to the kettle

Sun Princess sailing from Sydney, Australia

Celebrity Constellation sailing from Singapore

Celebrity Infinity sailing from Miami

Celebrity Millennium sailing from Hong Kong

Costa NeoRomantica sailing from Mauritius

Explorer OTS ailing from Sydney

P&O Oriana sailing from Southampton

MSC Armonia sailing from Havana

Fred Olsen Boudicca sailing from Liverpool