gadabout60

Thanks for the replies.

I had forgotten that HAL charged for the transfer to Perth airport - that was appalling PR

Lots to think about

I had forgotten that travel agents were on board - that’s not something you see in the UK.

It seemed to me that Viking and P&O both handled things a bit better

Some passengers are better than others obviously but I still think HAL should have organised flights and transfers for everyone unless the passenger opted out. Might have been nice to have sat out the virus in Western Australia - I have an open invitation to stay with a friend in Bunbury but maybe not for 3 plus months!

Like many people this year the enforced lockdown and general restrictions have given me a lot of time to think about life and what I still want to do, and though for many years I didn’t think I wanted to - I am now planning to do a world cruise (or substantial grand voyage)

It will be at least 2 years away and obviously Covid dependent, but I am allowing myself the luxury of planning and considering must sees etc.

I am based in the UK and will consider some U.K./European lines as well.

One of the factors I plan to take into account is how well the various lines coped with the pandemic this year . Looking at HAL my view at the time was that they didn’t do as well as they could have for their passengers. Is that fair?

I thought it was poor leaving pax to try and organise their own way home with restricted WiFi. The financial budget to do this at US $1250 also seemed poor.

Would any of those who were on that cruise mind giving me their thoughts? Did HAL follow up well  post cruise and offer reasonable recompense for the missing half of the cruise ? Did they leave you to the mercies of your insurance companies?

Thanks in advance for any comments

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Much as I dislike the woman,  Nicola Sturgeon has been much more sensible by not including under 12s in this stupid roke of 6.

It really depends on your personal circumstances 

i live on my own in Scotland now. Our rule of 6 only allows two households to meet. So I can only meet one friend for coffee/lunch or a walk.

there were three households in my quiz team - socially distanced - but we are having to abandon our team now.

There are no under 12s in my family so I’d rather have the English rule of six than the Scottish one

So sorry to hear that  Bloodaxe. Sincere condolences to you and your family

I suppose to be fair no-one considered a pandemic.

If there had been illness or death of an individual passenger I assume that HAL would have offered considerable assistance to get the sick/bereaved home

I am still in my 50s (though only for another 3 months!) and I hate long haul flights and try to avoid them if I can, though clearly do them if I want to get somewhere badly enough. I was planning to go to NZ next spring from the UK - though now don’t believe that will be feasible but the thought of 24 hours in a mask puts me off as well.

Reading various blogs back in March it seemed a nightmare of cancelled flights and changing rules and I did feel for everyone caught up in it.

The other ship that interested me at the time was The World which I believe also disembarked passengers in Perth. For many of them that was effectively their home and I wonder where they all are now. I am assuming they all had the financial resources to sort themselves out though!

Really glad to hear that the majority are friendly. It did concern me that there were some who felt “entitled” to special treatment.

I wonder if future world cruisers post pandemic will be a bit younger - mostly still retired of course but younger retirees - and if some who did the WC every year who I suspect were a bit older may stop cruising 

I suspect the mad flight situation from Perth this year would also put many folk off

I’ve never been on a world cruise though it might be a possibility post retirement. 

I have however followed lots and lots of blogs ( something I am going to miss next year)

Easter Island clearly has its own difficulties - but I remember one year - maybe it was 2019 - some Presidents Club cruisers exercising their rights to an early tender even though they had been on EI several times before and had no plans other than a walk, when many with no priority who hadn’t been before couldn’t get off at all.

I’d like to think I’d have been more magnanimous to my fellow travellers in those circumstances and let people who hadn’t been before and for whom a world cruise was probably a one off get ashore.

Many posts on that particular blog seemed to suggest entitlement and newbies not being their sort of people that it has put me off a world cruise with HAL

Can’t see that making financial sense.

Children  / local authorities would presumably not pay anything close to the going rate  for cabins and there would be no spend from alcohol, speciality restaurants, spas etc 

11 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I was thinking more of the hounding to death of Caroline Flack which the CPS wanted just to issue a caution but the police insisted on a trial, but since you mentioned Rolf, the second trial found him not guilty.

I understood that a caution was not an option as there was no admission of guilt

The captain has just posted 

http://captainjonathan.com/the-last-post/

@Germancruiser 

Thank you for your very interesting review.

I understand this was a solo cruise for you. Did you find it sociable? With social distancing I assume you always had to eat at a table by yourself. Was it possible to chat to other cruisers in bars snd coffee bars?

I think the new cruising could be difficult for solo cruisers who want to enjoy the social aspects of a cruise

Hope all of you eating out enjoy your meals.

I am a bit confused about what I can do as a solo household. I am in a bubble with some family and I know I can eat out with them.

If I meet a friend though, even if our table is correctly 1 metre or more from other tables, I’m not sure we can be 1 metre from each other. It’s possible in gardens as everyone can easily sit back and keep 2 metres, but I can’t see how it will work at a restaurant table where you will be so close to your dinner companion as to be almost touching. And obviously you won’t be wearing a mask.  Or am I overthinking it?

10 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Thanks.

We had to walk down to the bottom end next to Pizza express to enter and the lady at the entrance said they only reopened on Thursday.

We were contemplating calling the previous Friday when we left Bowness and were relieved when we didn't when the lady told us they had just reopened.

Graham.

 

That’s a shame they are giving you the wrong info. We were there on the Wednesday and they were open at least the week before as well as I was on their website for info.

They have made it one way entering at Next - I’m not sure that’s necessary.

like everyone else we were stopped going in By a security person and reminded of the mask policy and keeping 2 meters.

Sadly didn’t make it into Marks as there was a very long queue 

9 hours ago, grapau27 said:

We called at Hotel Inn on the Lake at Glenridding on Ullswater for lunch.

We then drove up to Gretna Green Scotland.

We called at the outlet shopping first which only reopened yesterday then we popped into Gretna Green to see the famous Old Blacksmiths shop where thousands of young eloping couples have been married for over 2 hundred years and the traditional Scottish clothing shop.

It was very quiet as it only reopened yesterday but is usually buzzing with many coach tours stopping here.

It is off northbound Junction 45 of the M6 motorway about 95 miles south of Glasgow.

Graham

The out let centre has been open for a while. Popped in when passing about 10 days ago and virtually every shop open. Car park nearly full.

I am in Britain and have done twenty plus cruises with my mum who sadly passed away last year

We did one Fred Olsen cruise and both of us agreed never again. 

Ship was awful - Braemar - really dated and our balcony had a weird configuration. Far too expensive for what it was. Food - I would say quality ingredients well cooked but very old fashioned British menu. No speciality restaurants available. Buffet boring.

Entertainment amateurish and embarrassing 

Staff were not friendly - only ship I have found this on. If you said good morning in a corridor they looked the other way.

There was a general feeling that many things were too much trouble.

This was a replacement cruise for us after a cancelled cruise with another company and we met several other Fred first timers on board who like us said never again.

I have only cruised mid range lines and Celebrity is by far my favourite. The two companies are miles apart and IMHO anyone who likes the service and facilities on board Celebrity would not like Fred.

We never got to cruise HAL though we had been considering it - thus my looking on these boards

Interesting and will have a look but for me you can’t beat Sporcle for online quizzes

Did a FO cruise a year ago and never again

Balcony cabin was expensive and awful - bedside tables at foot of beds: they allow smoking on balconies which is a big no no for me. Could not sit on the balcony at night inport as very bright spotlights there

Staff  seem to have many outfits which I felt degraded them somewhat

Quality of food better than P&O but less international choice. No speciality restaurants open on our 8 night cruise

Terrible system to get a shuttle bus - you had to queue at reception to pay or get a card stamped that you didn’t pay then queue at another table for a ticket then wait to be called. System chaos and a whole load of us waited over an hour to get off the ship yet buses were waiting

Security  staff never greeted you on and off - very unfriendly 

House wine like vinegar

Show lounges uncomfortable and difficult to see the stage

Equivalent of headliners tried hard but were really not very good

i could go on. We were not alone on our view - our neighbours told us that they had never spent so much time in their cabin on a cruise

i would never cruise with them again which is a shame as they have some good destinations 

Per night it was the most we had ever paid for a cruise but it was by far the worst 

The food in the MDR in Aurora seems to me to be of better standard than before but still too much fish for my personal taste

we have eaten in the Glass House a few times and in my opinion it’s miles better than the Beach House

think they have some new staff though as whilst they are all lovely and friendly some of them don’t know much about the menu

Was there yesterday and I would say it was only so so. I think we may have made the wrong choices from the menu. 

Other thing I didn’t like was the lighting. It was really really bright and in no way atmospheric. They said that will be addressed at the refit 

Adam

Thank you very much for a great review. We are based in the UK and don’t really do sun cruises but I love the S class ships and was intrigued by Edge. It sounds to me like the Magic Carpet is a bit of a gimmick and probably not worth the premium prices.

glad you both had a great trip - set you up nicely for Christmas 

Thanks everyone for the very helpful tips

We are on the Christmas cruise (don’t usually like saying which cruise for insurance reasons but house not empty this time!)

Have been everywhere before so have carefully managed expectations. Indeed we got such a bargain price for this cruise that I can live with a few disappointments 

Decided to do the P&O trip in case weather not great and public transport on a Sunday not so good

Obviously fine with euros for Amesterdam and Bruges but will take a very small amount of Danish and Norwegian currency for tips and use cards for meals / shopping

Have been on Azura once and didn’t like it for various reasons. However it was over Easter and there were hundreds of kids on board and I have to say they were no trouble at all

(and I say that as someone who is often intolerant of children)

12 minutes ago, gadabout60 said:

One Fred cruise was enough for me. Worse than an OAP home. Most I have ever paid per night for a balcony cabin and worst balcony cabin ever. They seem to think it is fine to have your bedside table at the foot of your bed - doesn't work for me.

Could not use the balcony at night some nights in ports as it had a very bright light on it which apparently had to stay on - and as I like to sleep with curtains open this was awful

Staff seemed scared and were not friendly - I had read that staff on Fred's ships were friendliest at sea but this was not my experience. If I pass an officer or member of staff I always smile and say hallo - I was ignored which was just odd.

Entertainment woeful. Lounges awful and really uncomfortable. Quality of food good but very old fashioned choices. No speciality restaurants open

Not for me 

On Aurora in a few weeks after 18 months away from P&O. I am not one for bigger ships so hope I will like Aurora and go again. 

 Celebrity is my first choice but as they don't sail from the UK in the winter months P&O still of interest

And I forgot to mention that smoking allowed on balconies - big no no for me

One Fred cruise was enough for me. Worse than an OAP home. Most I have ever paid per night for a balcony cabin and worst balcony cabin ever. They seem to think it is fine to have your bedside table at the foot of your bed - doesn't work for me.

Could not use the balcony at night some nights in ports as it had a very bright light on it which apparently had to stay on - and as I like to sleep with curtains open this was awful

Staff seemed scared and were not friendly - I had read that staff on Fred's ships were friendliest at sea but this was not my experience. If I pass an officer or member of staff I always smile and say hallo - I was ignored which was just odd.

Entertainment woeful. Lounges awful and really uncomfortable. Quality of food good but very old fashioned choices. No speciality restaurants open

Not for me 

On Aurora in a few weeks after 18 months away from P&O. I am not one for bigger ships so hope I will like Aurora and go again. 

 Celebrity is my first choice but as they don't sail from the UK in the winter months P&O still of interest