No more with Fred Olsen

[Gothic]

I've taken 5 cruises with Fred Olsen Cruise Line: two in Black Watch, one on Black Prince, one on Braemar and one on Boudicca. As far as the ships go I really quite like Black Watch and Boudicca (though some of their interior decor is dreadful). Braemar, before she was lengthened, was a delight - a ship that I had not expected to like but was charmed by - except for the most dreadful service and pretty awful food. Black Prince failed to delight me even though I know she had legions of fans. Each of those Fred Olsen ships suffer from a very low level of service (though there have always been one or two staff members who have shone out way above the others). Mainly they are far from good. The food used to be dreadful but seemed, from my cruise on Boudicca to have improved slightly. The entertainment is dire - there really is no other word for it.

Having taken those five cruises I have decided that enough is enough. I have cancelled my memebership of their Oceans Club (for repeat cruisers) and have had myself removed from their mailing list. This is a pity because the company has potentially everything that I look for - ships that are not large and interesting itineraries. Mind you, I even thought that Boudicca was a bit too large for my tastes really. So the company will have to get their act together before I consider sailing with them again.

[Parsman]

I wonder if we travel with the same cruise line. To me one of the best aspects of cruising is the service and I have (in 25 cruises with Fred. Olsen) considered it very much a plus point. The itineraries are much more interesting than with many other lines and to me this is the most important feature. Of course life on board is a little old fashioned and, I am glad to say, lacking in the glitz of some ships but you know you are on a real ship not on a floating block of flats.

Of course if you want 6-star small cruise ships there is is always Seabourn ot Hapag-Lloyd but you are not in the same price bracket.

[Gothic]

With 25 plus cruises with Fred Olsen you are obviously a loyal fan and so anything I might say against them will go against the grain with you. OK, different strokes for different folks. However, I've been taking cruises since 1972 and have now taken well over 60 with a whole variety of companies, ships and almost the whole world of destinations. Certainly the destination is very important to me but so is the ship and the service that I get on board. On my first cruise with the company, aboard Black Watch, the food and service were really very good. Sadly, it has been all down hill from there onward, though, to be fair, my last cruise with the company, aboard Boudicca certainly saw some improvements but there was an awful lot of room for more improvement. I have no problems with it being very traditional in many aspects, I like that. Though I hate, with a passion, fixed seating dining and, when they impose it upon you at lunch time as well that is ridiculous. You suggest that I try Seabourn but I find their ships to be unattractive and thus I have no desire to sail on them, likewise with Silverseas. I should certainly like to try Hapag's Europa but, near to the other end of the scale I was recently aboard Discovery and again while the food left a great deal to be desired (as did the tiny cabins) in every other respect she left the Fred Olsen product sadly wanting in my opinion. I'm booked to sail next on Minerva and I hope that will be nearer to my tastes than the ships of Fred Olsen Line.

[Popsey Wopsey]

Thanks for your opinion Gothic,just wondering why you came on here specially to tell us ,perhaps you will find something you like somewhere else.:)

[UK Cruiser2]

I've taken 5 cruises with Fred Olsen Cruise Line: two in Black Watch, one on Black Prince, one on Braemar and one on Boudicca. As far as the ships go I really quite like Black Watch and Boudicca (though some of their interior decor is dreadful). Braemar, before she was lengthened, was a delight - a ship that I had not expected to like but was charmed by - except for the most dreadful service and pretty awful food. Black Prince failed to delight me even though I know she had legions of fans. Each of those Fred Olsen ships suffer from a very low level of service (though there have always been one or two staff members who have shone out way above the others). Mainly they are far from good. The food used to be dreadful but seemed, from my cruise on Boudicca to have improved slightly. The entertainment is dire - there really is no other word for it.

Having taken those five cruises I have decided that enough is enough. I have cancelled my memebership of their Oceans Club (for repeat cruisers) and have had myself removed from their mailing list. This is a pity because the company has potentially everything that I look for - ships that are not large and interesting itineraries. Mind you, I even thought that Boudicca was a bit too large for my tastes really. So the company will have to get their act together before I consider sailing with them again.

 

Whilst we have only ever cruised once with Fred Olsen I must say we thoroughly enjoyed it.It was on Boudicca,the food was fine,the entertainment was better than we experienced on Freedom Of The Seas & Carnival Glory.We have also sailed with Disney and Island Cruises.We shall cruise again with Fred Olsen sometime......

[Gothic]

Hello, I came on here to share a bit of information, views and opinion. I apologise if that was the wrong thing to do if this is one of those 'everything was wonderful, glorious food, fabulous service, holiday of a lifetime' type sites. Though I have had those kind of cruises and in the recent past, not decades ago.

I'm really very disappointed to think that Fred Olsen Cruises appears to have lost their way as once they were a nice operation. So, there you have it, my view on Fred Olsen Cruises. However, if my views upset you then I shall go away.

[Parsman]

Hello, I came on here to share a bit of information, views and opinion. I apologise if that was the wrong thing to do if this is one of those 'everything was wonderful, glorious food, fabulous service, holiday of a lifetime' type sites. Though I have had those kind of cruises and in the recent past, not decades ago.

I'm really very disappointed to think that Fred Olsen Cruises appears to have lost their way as once they were a nice operation. So, there you have it, my view on Fred Olsen Cruises. However, if my views upset you then I shall go away.

 

Don't worry your comments are far from upsetting. An honest exchange of views is healthy. Whilst i enjoy cruising with Fred. olsen they are by no means perfect. I have had a couple of pretty ordinary cruises with them but I put it down to the crew on that ship rather than the line. I have also been on P&O, Cunard, Holland America and they all have good points. I sailed on P&O as a young man to my first overseas job on P&O in 1958!!!

[amberline]

Think its a case of you can't please all the people all of the time. hope you find what you are looking for

[Gothic]

Sailing on P&O in 1958, that's interesting, what did you sail on? I regret not having sailed on any of their 1940s and 1950s built liners except for a short cruise aboard Himalaya. I wish that I'd sailed on Arcadia or on Orsova. I did sail on Oriana and on Canberra, Oriana being the better of the two. However, I would mostly have liked to sail on either Cathay or Chitral but that in itself is interesting as they were really Belgian ships at least they were originally. They were so elegant.

[Parsman]

In response to Gothic I sailed on the P&O ship "Canton" from Southampton to Bombay and then on a British India ship from there to Karachi early 1958 and two years later returned on the Anchor Line ship "Circassia" from Karachi to Liverpool. These were small passenger liners plying the same route year in year out carrying expatriate passengers to and from there places of employment. All this ended in the 1960s when the Boeing 707 and its like took over the business. This really dates me!!!!

[DAN 60]

Your just a load of old f!!!s really ant you. Ha.

[Parsman]

Dan 60 may well be correct but us "old ones" have visited and worked all around the world. We have an added advantage, we can spell correctly.

[Dartmoordan]

"Though I hate, with a passion, fixed seating dining and, when they impose it upon you at lunch time as well that is ridiculous. "

 

We have just come off the Braemar and there was no fixed seating for breakfast and lunch, and if you chose to you could eat in the Palms cafe for dinner apart from themed buffet nights of which we only had 1 on our 15 night cruise. probable wont make a difffernce to you but thought it worth mentioning:)

[Gothic]

That's very interesting about the dining arrangements aboard Braemar. I thought it was really very strict (unnecessarily so) to impose 1st and 2nd sitting and at your assigned table for lunch as well as dinner on Boudicca. Apologies, in an earlier message I said this was also the case at breakfast, and it wasn't!

[Parsman]

Like you, Gothic, I di not like fixed seating at lunch. On board the "Balmoral" both breakfast and lunch are open sitting. It gives you a better chance to try all the restaurants.

[Popsey Wopsey]

"I thought it was really very strict (unnecessarily so) to impose 1st and 2nd sitting and at your assigned table for lunch as well as dinner on Boudicca,"

 

 

not the Boudicca I know,having sailed on the ship often,the only time you MAY be asked to do this is on sea days, you also have the CHOICE of saying NO Thanks ,I,ll eat in the secret garden or outside on Marquee deck,"weather permitting".:)

[Gothic]

In February 2009 my partner and I sailed on the Amazon cruise aboard Boudicca and I can assure you that, whilst one was free to eat at a lunch time that suited you if you wanted to eat in the Secret Garden - if you wanted to eat in either of the other dining rooms then it was first and second seating and at your assigned table. What makes this stand out is the fact that I had not encountered such a strict rule on other Fred Olsen ships. It seems curious that there is this inconsistency. I just wish that they'd do away with fixed seating altogether.

[Popsey Wopsey]

Its a great pity you have decided not to cruise with Olsen again, I do believe they offer a good cruise experience for 3* ships,I have cruised with other lines on small ships and am going on Ocean Countess "ccruise&maritime" in April ,depending what you pay controls passenger numbers and some smallish ships are overcrowded ,a bit like "woolies " pile em high -sell em cheap attitude.

 

I hope you find what you are looking for ,I personally just go with the flow and enjoy my cruise ,knowing I,m getting the best deal I can find for the cruise I want.:)

[Robbo123]

"I thought it was really very strict (unnecessarily so) to impose 1st and 2nd sitting and at your assigned table for lunch as well as dinner on Boudicca,"

 

The only time I find Fred Olsen imposing 1st and 2nd sitting at your assigned table is on sea days only, when everyone turning up at once could be mayhem!. In reality, if it is a fine day people often eat at any time on deck, in the secret garden / equivalent, and when we have gone into the restaurant, have often been asked if we would like to sit at another table, that way you get to meet other people and a slight change of view

[Popsey Wopsey]

Robbo, it is Gothic that originally posted this not me

 

"I thought it was really very strict (unnecessarily so) to impose 1st and 2nd sitting and at your assigned table for lunch as well as dinner on Boudicca"

 

I have only ever come across it on sea days and as you say ,stops everyone arriveing at once.

[Robbo123]

Robbo, it is Gothic that originally posted this not me

 

Popsey - please accept my apologies on the mis-quote

[Gothic]

Its a great pity you have decided not to cruise with Olsen again, I do believe they offer a good cruise experience for 3* ships,I have cruised with other lines on small ships and am going on Ocean Countess "ccruise&maritime" in April ,depending what you pay controls passenger numbers and some smallish ships are overcrowded ,a bit like "woolies " pile em high -sell em cheap attitude.

 

I hope you find what you are looking for ,I personally just go with the flow and enjoy my cruise ,knowing I,m getting the best deal I can find for the cruise I want.:)

 

I actually agree with you: it is a great pity that I have given up on Fred Olsen, especially as I quite like Black Watch and Boudicca - albeit that I found Boudicca rather crowded at times. Given that I have taken over 60 cruises on a wide range of ships and companies I have, more often than not, found what I was looking for. In more recent times I thought that the Athena when operated by Travelscope was a brilliant 'cruise experience' and far exceeded what I've experienced with Fred. The beautiful Kristina Regina, operated by Kristina Cruises has to have been one of my best cruise experiences ever. Other wonderful cruise experiences have been aboard the Regatta, Saga Rose and Saga Ruby, Minerva II and at the other end of the scale Oceanic operated by Pullmantur. On the other hand after a Christmas cruise aboard P&O's Aurora I vowed never to sail with them ever again. So, you can see there are plenty that I like.

I'm intrigued by your comment about the smallish ships that are crowded with 'pile em high, sell em cheap' atmosphere. Which are these?

[Popsey Wopsey]

Some of the cruises you mention can,t be compared with Olsen however looking at tonnage and passenger ratio you can soon find out the ships I,m talking about,one of them being Ocean Countess ,the one I,m reviewing this month.

 

Shes approx., 17.000t ,Boudicca and Black Watch ,approx. 29.000t,yet all cater for 800 passengers.

 

I have also been on some of the ships you mention and still say Olsen provides a good 3* cruise.:)

[Gothic]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments on this thread that I initiated. I can see that whilst I'm disenchanted with Fred it is obvious that many passengers feel that the company are getting it right and delivering exactly the cruise experience that they want. That is good news because with the world of cruising dominated by the giants like Carnival and Royal Caribbean it is good to know that one of the smaller and independent companies manages to survive and holds it own against these mega-companies. I realise that for a vast majority the most important consideration is whether a cruise is cheap and if it is then they'll take it. For a company like Fred Olsen it is tough to survive when their giant competitors can afford to cut prices to a minimum in order to attract that level of the market.