Jump to content

Is Fred right for this Fred? Perspectives, please.


NJ Fred
 Share

Recommended Posts

My wife and I are veterans of some 96 cruises. We are both in our late 60's. Our favorite line, at the moment, is Princess. We used to fancy Celebrity until (IMO) Lisa Lutoff-Perlo destroyed its' very essence.

 

Simply put, Fred. attracts us. Older vessels have a charm that newer ones can never exude. And a smaller passenger load means the potential to get to know fellow cruisers is better than on 4000+ megaliners.

 

I am a basic, no-frills food guy. Meat-and-potatoes, spaghetti, good fish without the fifty-dollar names and decorations of parsley and other things that seem to add nothing to the taste. Give me some salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard - - and I'm smiling.

 

We are both Americans. But we are well-travelled and enjoy meeting and getting to know folks from other lands. We respect everyone. Entertainment wise, give is a good (relatively "clean) comedian, some dancers, magicians, etc. and we smile. Spare us the ear-shattering rock and the like. A good lounge piano person sets the mood quite nicely.

 

Itineraries are itineraries. As I said, 96 cruises - and there's little remaining for us to see. We board the ship for the ship. The shipboard life is what relaxes and soothes us. Being a bit fussed over, things like afternoon tea and boullion - - all of that makes us feel cozy.

 

Staterron-wise ( I never call it "cabin"), we like our comfort. Doesn't have to be the Taj Mahal, just a bit roomy with comfortable bedding and a balcony or large porthole.

 

My bride and I are not old fogeys. Nothing makes us more please that to sit with new acquaintances over a good drink and get to know what makes one another tick.

 

Is Fred. wirth a go? If so, any recommendation upon which vessel we should consider booking passage?

 

Thank you in advance - - and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2018!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think you will like Fred....think of a country style hotel...no glitz just comfy with good food, great staff and lots of choices entertainment wise. We are your age and just about to embark on a 10 week cruise on Black Watch...our fourth with Fred and about 46th Cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I have cruised with Fred for many years now,always on Braemar, my wife’s favourite ship. From the description of your requirements I think Braemar might fit the bill. Fred has many loyal cruisers which is mainly due to the friendliness of the staff and fellow passengers. Although the ship is comparatively old it still has a modern feel to it. You say you require space in your cabin, so I would recommend a Superior Suite, we always choose 7032 or 7027. Choose a suite with a shower over the bath as these are located in the part that was inserted when the ship was extended. These cabins have larger bathrooms than the old ones. There are two restaurants on Braemar,the Thistle is the large restaurant and the Grampian is a much smaller more intimate restaurant. Both restaurants have the same menu. Evening dining is in two sittings with allocated tables, breakfast and lunch can be taken in any of the restaurants and is completely unregimented. Self service dining is always available in the Palms restaurant. I would equate the quality of the food to that to be found in a good English country house hotel. I can’t recommend the main shows on Braemar as my wife and I like to have a leisurely dinner and are never finished in time to take in the late diner’s show. The entertainment provided in the pub and other venues is usually very good.

 

You will find that Fred Olsen cruise critic forum very quiet compared to many of the others but many of the posters are very knowledgeable and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Firstly, some context...we are early 60's and have 40 cruises completed, with 14 different cruiselines! Our main criteria for every cruise is itinerary, rather than ship so in that respect we are different from you. We did our first Fred recently, on the Balmoral, and enjoyed it mainly because of the itinerary.

 

We both equally felt we would sail with Fred again for the right itinerary but wouldn't choose them for any other reason. Why? The MDR food is fine, not spectacular and there are no specialty restaurants; The buffet food is limited, and average at best; Nothing to do really on sea days, so definitely pick a port intensive itinerary as we did; The shows are poor to average compared to some of the best lines, probably the worst we have experienced, but I had to go every night because my DW says 'that is what we do'; Formal nights are very traditional and observed by at least 80% of passengers....we enjoyed that, but I know most Americans detest such!

 

The main upsides for us were drinks prices, compared to the big dollar cruiselines.....half the price, and no gratuities to be added; Drinks package cost is the equivalent of only $20USD per day, no gratuities; There is very good lounge entertainment around the ship, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I are veterans of some 96 cruises. We are both in our late 60's. Our favorite line, at the moment, is Princess. We used to fancy Celebrity until (IMO) Lisa Lutoff-Perlo destroyed its' very essence.

 

Simply put, Fred. attracts us. Older vessels have a charm that newer ones can never exude. And a smaller passenger load means the potential to get to know fellow cruisers is better than on 4000+ megaliners.

 

I am a basic, no-frills food guy. Meat-and-potatoes, spaghetti, good fish without the fifty-dollar names and decorations of parsley and other things that seem to add nothing to the taste. Give me some salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard - - and I'm smiling.

 

.

 

We are both Americans. But we are well-travelled and enjoy meeting and getting to know folks from other lands. We respect everyone. Entertainment wise, give is a good (relatively "clean) comedian, some dancers, magicians, etc. and we smile. Spare us the ear-shattering rock and the like. A good lounge piano person sets the mood quite nicely.

 

Itineraries are itineraries. As I said, 96 cruises - and there's little remaining for us to see. We board the ship for the ship. The shipboard life is what relaxes and soothes us. Being a bit fussed over, things like afternoon tea and boullion - - all of that makes us feel cozy.

 

Staterron-wise ( I never call it "cabin"), we like our comfort. Doesn't have to be the Taj Mahal, just a bit roomy with comfortable bedding and a balcony or large porthole.

 

My bride and I are not old fogeys. Nothing makes us more please that to sit with new acquaintances over a good drink and get to know what makes one another tick.

 

Is Fred. wirth a go? If so, any recommendation upon which vessel we should consider booking passage?

 

Thank you in advance - - and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2018!

 

We are returning to Fred after quite a few years with Pando. I think age wise they do tend to attract an older clientele ,however having said that older does not have to mean boring.

With Fred I think its more about where they go, rather than the ships..but if you can go in comfort all the better. We have done Black Watch, Balmoral, and Boudicca. Out of those our favourite was I think Balmoral. Braemar always looked too small for us.

If you want space and comfort I would seriously suggest looking at the higher end of the catagories, maybe upto suite level. If you can look at the deck plans, see if you can spot any odd shaped cabins etc. Sometimes they can end up bigger than the bog standard ones. From what has been posted I would also not go too far down deck wise. As they are all older ships there may be engine noise.

Food is not available 24/7 as on other lines. Still lots of it

Any entertainment would be aimed at the British..which means although we all speak the same language you may find we don't actually..

Book a 7/14 nighter just to see if it fits you...nothing lost

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been on all the Fred ships except Black Watch and have enjoyed all our cruises on them. We like the fact they are smaller ships, so you don't normally have to tender.

 

We think the food on Fred is fine and enjoy the second sitting in MDR for dinner.

 

We have had some excellent speakers on sea days and some good classical musicians.

 

Staff are excellent and mainly Filipinos.

 

Drinks are reasonably priced too and no extra service charges which put us off some other lines.

 

We haven't been on Fred for a while but would have no hesitation than sailing with them again.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what has been posted I would also not go too far down deck wise. As they are all older ships there may be engine noise.

 

It is the low down cabins to the back of the ships that are affected badly by noise/vibration. We always avoid the back third of the ship and the more foreward part of midship is what we would choose ideally. Problems can occur anywhere though - even in the more upmarket cabins. Make sure to complain if a cabin is problematic and you will be moved if there is availability elsewhere. Beware the balcony cabins if you do not like cigarette smoke as Fred still allow smoking in all except the terrace balconies.

 

We too would only use Fred for a good itinerary, mind you the main big cruise lines seem to be getting worse than ever with their itineraries. Fred goes up the inside passage in Norway for instance, so with that and certain other itineraries some sea days will be scenic cruising with calmer waters and the chance to enjoy the sights. Prins Christian Sund in Greenland is very impressive, though always the risk the weather is not good for that one. All Fred ships have observation lounges, usually with a pianist.

Edited by tring
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so very much to all who offered their opinions.

 

Fred. sounds like a "go" for the Missus and I. So far as its being "British," that's great! We enjoy being immersed in and learning about different cultures. My vintage American colloquialisms might lay a few eggs - so what, it's all part of the fun!

 

Thank you again. God Bless and Happy 2018!

 

Fred and Genny in 12-degree Southern New Jersey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

 

We both equally felt we would sail with Fred again for the right itinerary but wouldn't choose them for any other reason. Why? The MDR food is fine, not spectacular and there are no specialty restaurants; The buffet food is limited, and average at best; Nothing to do really on sea days, so definitely pick a port intensive itinerary.

 

The shows are poor to average compared to some of the best lines, probably the worst we have experienced. Formal nights are very traditional and observed by at least 80% of passengers....

 

The main upsides for us were drinks prices, compared to the big dollar cruiselines.....half the price, and no gratuities to be added; Drinks package cost is the equivalent of only $20USD per day, no gratuities; There is very good lounge entertainment around the ship, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

 

We would agree with that other than the entertainment in the lounges was very poor when we were on board Black Watch and some nights we'd be the only people in the bar although it was a long cruise (70 nights). We'd also add that we thought the condition of the ship was poor particularly our balcony cabin for which we paid £££££ but which was unpleasant. However the itineraries are great so we've booked with Fred again on a much shorter cruise and on a bigger ship. This time it's make or break.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...