richard_london

You are quite right there, that is how it feels sometimes. WIth the "new" ships it does feel like they are saying it more, since we know (and they must know) that they aren't small ships (because they can't replicate the itineraries of the Black Watch and Boudicca). After reading your post I came to a realisation about FOCL. I know things change, and the pandemic has caused many changes in the cruise industry, but of all the cruise lines that have survived, I think FOCL is the one most changed in terms of its hard product. I know Carnvial Corp and RCCL shed ships from various brands, and we lost CMV etc but Fred dropped half its fleet and now we know the Braemar will never return to service, just the Balmoral remains from before Covid. That is quite a revolution in terms of the product, but I'm not sure the HAL ships are are better than the vessels they replaced. They are bigger, but therein lie the problem. They aren't Fred's ships as they don't fit the ethos of small cruising. They are HAL ships that have had a change of soft furnishings basically. They don't look like part of the family. Balmoral and Braemar were both cut in two and extended and extensively refitted when they entered service with Fred and the two older ships have been refitted many times. There was a familiarity and family feel across them, and now that has gone. Gone too are the itineraries the smaller ships could do, so the pre-Covid product from Fred is not the product we have now. The Kiel Canal transits that could be done have vanished from the schedules, there are a few for the Balmoral, but I guess the war in Ukraine accounts for the small number of Baltic itineraries, French river cruising seems now to be done only with the Balmoral now that the Braemar has gone. Braemar did her Corinth Canal transits and cruises around Greece and the Adriatic; those are all gone from the schedules. Not that I could have afforded it, but the Braemar based out of Havana has been dropped. All of these were great small ship itineraries that were distinctive and what made Fred stand out at their price point. If I wanted to do these cruises now it would be with cruise companies I can't afford (even Fred's increased prices were already a stretch). It is impossible for the Balmoral to do the work of her and the Braemar, and with the new ships limited by their size I feel the choice of cruises on offer is worse. Also, four ships down to three also means less choice. So worse choice and less choice, is not an attractive offering. Most other lines have reverted to what they were doing before the pandemic, Fred can't do what they did before the pandemic. The fleet is incompatible with the idea of small ship cruising, so they Olsen Way is a meaningless slogan because the product has changed so fundamentally and I don't recognise it. Why is it that change always seems to make things worse? From my own experiences with other cruise lines and from hearing other people's experiences (friends and on this forum) since Covid there has been a drip-drip-drip dilution of the cruise experience in a negative way, that makes it seem worse than before, Unforunately for Fred it has been more a deluge than a drip and the product is not what it was, which is a terrible shame.

Thanks for your helpful assessment of the latest report as always. Looking at occupany over the year, Q1 was 47 per cent with Bolette and Borealis only, Q2 was 73 per cent with Balmoral back then Q3 and Q4 were 73 per cent and 64 per cent. Not encouraging unfortunately. I was suprised to read in the report it said "Borealis was 16 days in dry-dock, Bolette 56 days in lay-up and Braemar was 92 days in lay-up". We know Braemar wasn't used at all so 16 and 56 is 72 days, so not far off equating to one ship out of service for the quarter. I didn't find the outlook positive. After all, previous reports have trumpeted "great" sales figures yet the occupancy rates tell a different story. So given what you said about vessels out of use not figuring in the occupancy figures the figures are 64 per cent of two ships, not three? That's not many passengers sadly. Still think dropping the Braemar is a big mistake. The Corinth Canal transits were a differentiator for the brand, now the itineraries are nothing exceptional, especially with the current pricing model.

From looking at the 2024 itineraries it seems that Cunard is just using the Queen Anne for visiting Flaam (your cruise) and Geirangerfjord (e.g. H419). With the Victoria in the med, the QM2 is visiting Norway but just keeping to the bigger coastal ports rather than heading into the fjords. The last cruise I was on the QM2 in the summer, she was emitting black smoke on start up and that is one of the things that is being targeted in the fjords (see https://dieselnet.com/standards/no/marine.php). So I would definitely expect the Queen Anne to be a cleaner ship emissions-wise compared to the QM2, otherwise Cunard would not be scheduling her to visit the fjords.

I guess it is the same as the did for the Borealis back in November https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/11/fred-olsens-borealis-undergoing-drydock-in-england/ According to the article, it is work on the hull, props and shafts. When the ships were up in Rosyth I'm not sure they were drydocked so she must be overdue some work.

The larger balcony does mean the cabin can be a little darker inside than those with the shorter standard sized balconies.

Ambassador have delayed the entry of Ambition (AIDAmira) into service to house temporaririly house refugees. But yesterday one of the UK's Government ministers said they hadn't ruled out using more cruise ships to house refugees, so there is a very small chance these ships might end up used for that. If that were the case I imagine the Government would wait for a company to buy them first and then hire out the ship rather than buy the directly.

I sailed on her in September and I had a look at what I posted about her after the cruise. I noticed quite a few issues, but specifically about my cabin the balcony was poor with lots of rust (it was a sheltered balcony on 5 deck), particularly the underside of deck 6 above (with all the pipework). The area around the door handle on the outside was uneven with thick, multiple layers of repaint. Inside my cabin the door to the balcony was rusty, with peeling/missing paint. Handles (on the desk drawer and one of the wardrobe doors) were broken/hanging off. The sofa was dirty and worn. The bathroom smelt of the shower curtain (I think they all do). I have added a couple of photos. Beyond this, there were lots of issues around the ship which did detract a bit, but she is a hard working ship. There was a lot of painting going on, but I think they are fighting a loosing battle so she does need a good refit soon.

When I saw your photo it struck me as very poignant, dark skies, the Bolette tied up on its own and unlit, looking quite folorn. It made me feel very sad. At that moment it did seem to sum up the predicament that I see FOCL in. Ships are meant to be used, not tied up for months on end but this is the situation unfolding before us. The optimism you refer to is definitely there for the rest of the cruise industry. Black Friday mammoth bookings, companies reporting sales above pre-Covid levels, record bookings for new ships due to enter service. FOCL seem to be an outlier in the sector and things for the company aren't improving, but as you point out are getting worse. It does seem that many cruisers have seemingly fallen out of love with Fred's product, including many previous loyal customers. It is clear from the comments in this forum there is dissatisfaction with FOCL's pricing strategy, and regret and sadness about the fleet changes. But the management seems to disregard this and wants carry on in this direction, which risks disenfranchising previous Fred cruisers even more. My worry is that, with the company going in a direction many of its previous guests aren't happy with, how can this reconcile itself in a good way that provides a sustainable future for the company?

I sail with Cunard and no one else because for the experience and the standard of comfort and service. If they are going to start adding extra charges on top of the cruise price for additional things (which is the route P&O has followed) I would have to think again. So many of the questions were about whether I liked the formal evenings as has been pointed out above. I just fear a slow watering down of the Cunard experience and more additional costs on your cruise statement at the end of the voyage.

Yes I too got one this morning which was surprising since the feedback on my last cruise in September was poor. I'm not sure what they do with the answers or whether they just ignore the results and carry on regardless but to me there is a slow walking back of the traditional aspects of a Cunard cruise, which is disappointing. I do worry when I see questions about asking if I want to pay extra for comfort and service. I am happy to pay extra for a QG suite but the retreat type concept on so many other cruise ships is somemething that I would not want to see on a Cunarder. I like that The whole ship is open to me whatever grade (except the grills and grill lounge which is perfectly fine). The wording of many of the questions makes me thing they are considering going down the route of paying extra fees for more things, so more things like the Verandah grills. I just hope I am wrong.

Calling it a French river cruise and then you not seeing any when that is the whole point of the cruise is beyond belief. Your sense of disappointment is completely understandable and I feel sorry for you to have been let down so badly by FOCL. Unfortunately when things go wrong on an FOCL cruise any benevolence or generosity on the part of the company immediately evaporates. Gone is the friendly Olsen family image they market themselves as, instead they do refuse to even consider your point of view. It strikes me as pretty ruthless and the not the way to treat loyal customers. I am not surprised you want nothing more to do with them.

There was an event in the week that is being reported https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/refurb-interiors/queen-annes-art-and-interiors-inspired-cunards-past-designed-future I am not sure it tells us much more but suggests the QA will be featuring lots of new contemporary art, so quite a departure from the current ships. Modern art can be quite polarising, I do hope it will still play on Cunard's heritage. I think stepping aboard the QA after being on board any of the existing Queens will be akin to going from Queen Mary or Eiizabeth to the QE2 in 1969 (something radically different).

That is my fear too. I am waiting for the 2024/25 cruises to come out but a little bit of me thinks she isn't going to last that long unless the fortunes of FOCL improve.

Thank you for sharing your lovely photos. It makes me wish I had sailed on her before the pandemic, how different things were back then. I notice Fred have put out a press release on their website: https://www.fredolsencruises.com/amendments I notice two things - passengers can get a full refund, transfer to another cruise or Fred are saying they can hold on to your money in exchange for a FCC for 12 months. So they are hoping passengers will opt for the second or third option and not the refund and they don't have to refund everyone. They are choosing not to compensate as other some cruise companies have done with refund plus FCC. However, those Braemar itineraries, the Corinth Canal ones particularly - not possible now as the fleet is too big to transit the canal - and the Cuba cruises that were planned only seemed possible due to the Braemar's size. So, will passengers be able to find an alternative that suits? I wonder how many passengers are affected by this? The total potential funds to be returned to passengers must be a lot, but presumably much less than the cost of reactivating the Braemar after so long in lay up. I think that might be the true motive, that reactivation costs are too high given the financial situation you explained. Then also the press release says "While we are always looking for opportunities to grow and evolve as a business, we will continue to operate for now with three ships within our fleet – Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral. It may be that, in the future, we will find another ship who will fit perfectly within the fleet, but this is not a priority for us just now." So they don't have the money for a new ship, and given the age and size of the Braemar the money they would get for her would sadly not put much of a dent in those debts. It seems quite a worrying situation for Fred. I do hope they hold onto the Balmoral but I guess it all depends on occupany rates into 2023 and beyond.

They seem to announce them later and later each year.

If you got the email today and following the link there is a heading for each ship. For the QE it says: Join Queen Elizabeth and explore the unique wilderness of Alaska in 2024. Sail past unforgettable scenery, from sparkling glaciers to untamed national parks, not forgetting an abundance of wildlife. A selection of remarkable Alaska itineraries will be announced in the coming months, so please check back soon. So we have to wait even longer to find out what she is up to in 2024.

Sorry for your cancelled cruise, I would have loved to do the Corinth transit too.

I was so upset to read this. I have been hanging on for the Braemar to return to service to try and undertake a cruise on her, which I was planning to do before the pandemic hit us. It definitely won't happen now. Really cross with Fred. Of all the publicity that Fred has had in the last few years the photos and footage of the Braemar squeezing through the Cornith Canal was the best the company has ever had. It was such a good advert for their brand of small ships. It was all over social media and in the cruise news. Fred couldn't have wished for better positive news stories. How badly now has it all ended. Just like every other cruise company Fred are following the bigger is best approach (to their bottom line, not their passengers). It makes a complete mockery of the small ships ethos that the have flogged for so many years. But it just doesn't hold now. When they got rid of the Black Watch and Bouddica they immediately killed off all the Kiel Canal transits those ships frequently did with the new HAL ships too big for it. Their statement that says the Bollete and Borealis still offer a small ship experience is ambiguous. If I am being generous it is a spurious statement, but the way I am feeling right now it is akin to gaslighting. They aren't small, and unforunately that aren't pretty. Nor does the interior design gel with the traditional Fred fleet. Adding their signature carpets doesn't distract from two ships with dated interiors, whereas the previous ships had been regularly refitted over the years. They just don't appeal to me in the same way and I suspect this is part of the problem why Fred can't fill them. Fred love to tout their family-firm curated itineraries, visiting the smaller ports that big ships can't reach. Well that's going to be impossible now. With this decision, they are really restricting where they can go. I think this is the beginning of the end for Fred. It is definitely the end of small ship cruising. With their dynamic pricing they were already alienating many loyal customers. Getting rid of the the Black Watch and Bouddica alientated the same and more. Buying the HAL ships alientated even more and now this, is probably not the final nail in the coffin but one of the last. If the company is still in operation a year from now I will be surprised. But the Fred product we all knew and loved has gone now. Yes, they still have the Balmoral but I suspect they won't keep her for much longer. If they can't fill the two HAL ships and are bleeding money, then more cuts will have to come along the way. What a sorry, sad state of affairs. I'm feeling rather emotional and angry.

I am sorry to hear that. Sounds like poor customer relations. Sadly another example of the brand failing it's loyal passengers and not living up to the family company image they are so keen to project.

When it a special port of call that you booked the cruise specifically to visit that place, I think you are entirely justified to complain. Especially when cruises aren't exactly cheap, and in your case the reason given is completely disingenuous. (I've never heard such rubbish before from a cruise line!) But sadly I don't think it is grounds. It comes up quite a bit across the forums and people point out that the terms and conditions of each cruise company allow them to do this with no recompense for you. I would definitely give them feedback, but they would probably just give you some flannel about it. I think it happens an awful lot, I've done fourteen cruises in my life and this has happened on two of them. I hope you still manage to enjoy your cruise.

Nowadays, with cruise ships being turned round in less than a day following the end of one cruise and the beginning of the next, cruise lines will do whatever they can to stick to the schedule, otherwise they will have to compensate. One Fred cruise I did was terminated early due to norovirus and we arrived back in Southampton a day early. We got a refund for some pro-rata amount they calculated for the day missed, but it was poor consolation to a terrible cruise. But they did that so the next cruise would leave on time. They'll do whatever they can to meet the next sailing, but it looks like it this case they made a bad choice.

I'm sorry that you will miss Lisbon. Having visited the city earlier this year (not by ship) it is a great city to go to. I've looked online and they have deleted it from the cruise itinerary listed, but if you look on agents' sites you can see it still, I believe Lisbon was the last port of call on the way back? I agree with your assessment, another day at sea on the way back will allow the ship to crawl back to Liverpool and save a whole load of fuel. If you read some of the other threads on Fred, particularly the ones on cruise costs and the departure of Fred Jr you aren't alone in your feelings. I know that doesn't make up for your disappointment but many of Fred's former passengers are disenfranchised with the company. Essentially they put their prices up a couple of years ago, but since the pandemic things haven't gone well. The decision to buy the two HAL ships to replace the Black Watch and Bouddica looks like having turned out to be a bad one because Fred can't fill them. That's why you got the upgrade offer. In answer to your last question, as others have pointed out on other threads FOCL is part of the massive Bohenur comglomerate. Although Fred present themselves as a family company that can quickly become a mirage because their customer relations can be poor, making decisions like you experienced without consideration of how it makes its guests feel. Unfortunately, they can be just as ruthless as any of the large cruise companies when it comes to (trying to) make a profit.

She isn't having much luck in 2022. The propeller issue and now this. Just adds to Fred.'s woes, another disrupted cruise, more compensation (I guess for passengers disrupted) and more costs (repairs).

The articles say 6,000 with around 2,300 crew members on this new ship. On the DCL news site factsheet for the Wish it says 4000 pax and 1555 crew. So this new ship will potentially carry half as many again as the Wish!

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28788-disney-cruise-line-acquires-unfinished-global-dream.html It is official. The article has a rendering of the ship. Definitely not as nice as the Wish. Quite a brute, I think. And here in more detail https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/shipbuilding-refurb-equipment/its-official-disney-cruise-line-bags-global-dream-sail-new-markets