Breamar withdrawn

[1160451]

Just had an e mail telling us our Corinth Canal Cruise in 2024 is cancelled.

Breamar is been withdrawn and a new owner to be found.

The Ship does not match their Business Plan.

First Fred ship we cruised on. 
Have been trying to sail through the Corinth Canal for 4 years with Fred.

We have a Northern Lights cruise booked for 2024 with Fred, but I think that’s it now for cruising with Fred. 
Sad really.

 

 

[LandC]

I’ve also just seen a post from Fred. Olsen on another site about this, saying they have only recently made the decision to sell.
It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

 

 

[Eglesbrech]

@1160451 so sorry to hear about your cancellation. We had a cruise cancelled in August at the very last minute, always disappointing.

 

We also have one last cruise booked with Fred and I’m not quite sure if I will even pay the balance as I’m not sure it will go ahead.

[richard_london]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_london]

4 hours ago, 1160451 said:

Just had an e mail telling us our Corinth Canal Cruise in 2024 is cancelled.

Breamar is been withdrawn and a new owner to be found.

The Ship does not match their Business Plan.

First Fred ship we cruised on. 
Have been trying to sail through the Corinth Canal for 4 years with Fred.

We have a Northern Lights cruise booked for 2024 with Fred, but I think that’s it now for cruising with Fred. 
Sad really.

 

 

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

[twotravellersLondon]

17 hours ago, richard_london said:

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My post yesterday was a bit garbled due to gremlins so I asked for it to be removed to avoid confusion. Hopefully this one ducks the clutches of the cyberspace critters!

 

Very sadly, the loss of the Braemar this is not a surprise. 

 

The Braemar is the only ship owned by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines... (the other three are chartered from related companies) and so the Braemar is one of the few financial assets that is available to FOCLs to raise capital.

 

FOCLs lost £88 million in 2020, £68 million in 2021 and has already lost about £47 million in the first nine months of 2022. Cashflow seems to be very, very tight. The company seems to be in debt to the tune of about £100 million... but that figure is likely to change by the end on this financial year.

 

Yesterday morning the Braemar cruises were still on sale! But just after 1.00 pm yesterday the announcement was made and yesterday afternoon the IT people were painfully removing traces of this great little ship from the company website. 

 

We really don't think that attempting to flog off "the beautiful Braemar" is an "opportunity to grow and evolve as a business and as a brand." At best, it sounds like a weak pitch on the "Apprentice" or "Dragon's Den." At worse it could be interpretated as an example of the "Doublespeak" in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

 

How can FOCLs' management "grow" a business by cutting the passenger capacity by about 20%... surely that's "reducing" the business. How does trotting out old, outdated, ex-HAL ships evolve the business... surely that's regressing back the 1990s. How does running a couple of second-hand HAL ships grow a "brand"...  who wants an antiquated version of HAL under a different paint job at twice the price? 

 

And how does HAL's redundant ships "modernise" the fleet? The Rotterdam and Amsterdam when were conceived and designed in the mid 1990s for an elderly, mainly American demographic. Even then, both ships had a rather old fashioned "over-the-top style" style... with lots of dark woods, dated retro dining rooms which could have been designed in the 1970s and over-the-top atriums that wowed a cruiser demographic that may still have fondly remembered Liberace... in our opinion, the ships are now the antithesis of the light airy spaces that are the mark of modern cruise-ship design. The "veranda suites" may have been a novelty a quarter of a century ago... but no major cruise-line has been building ships with these for decades... there's probably a good reason why!

 

By stark contrast, the far more elegant and classier Braemar was launched in 1992 (just as the Rotterdam and the Amsterdam were being conceived under the ever-watchful eye of Carnival who wanted no competition.) The Braemar epitomised the fresh, intimate, friendly, open, spacious, outward looking ships that created a real wow-factor in their day. Braemar's raked aft decks, outstanding promenade deck, stunning foredeck all contributed to the real exhilaration of cruising in style and being able to enjoy the sea air and the gorgeous sunlight uninhibited by things like "veranda cabins." We certainly feel that the extension of the Braemar in 2014 did lose some of the vessel's real charm... the public areas could be over-crowded at times and the Neptune Lounge ... which had been designed originally as a more intimate cabaret lounge.... never really worked as a show-lounge. On the whole... even after being stretched... the Braemar still had the feel of a wonderful yacht.

 

If "Fred"... now FOCLs had ever wanted to have a "premium offer," in our opinion it was the Braemar that, with vision and a little rearranging, could have provided the ideal ship. The Braemar's sister ship was the "Crown Jewel" which has now been sensationally refitted and renamed as the stunning "Blue World One." It's really sad that the millions that have been spent on keeping the Braemar out of service for two and a half years might have easily been spent on refreshing the ship, and making a wonderful ship into a classic vintage cruise experience that might have attracted so many of Fred's loyal customers back to the new, faceless, corporate FOCLs. All that was needed was a bit of... imagination. 

 

The FOCLs statement... seems to illustrated that the company has just lost empathy with potential customers... FOCLs can only survive it fills it's ships with folks who return home, happy, satisfied and looking forward to booking again.

 

Personally, we're not Dragons in a den nor buyers listening to an apprentice pitch: we're not into corporate power-speak and we're not interested in FOCLs' "opportunity to grow and evolve as a business and as a brand." All we want to know is that we will have an enjoyable, interesting, fulfilling cruise with good food, great entertainment, interesting ports and absorbing excursions at value-for-money prices with no irritating additional charges or silly add-ons. Simple! 

 

Perhaps FOCLs should listen to "Fred's" once loyal customer base that no longer book with the company rather than concentrate on the glowing "first-class" reviews  on the FOCLs site written by the decreasing numbers of "Wed to Fred" frequent cruisers.

 

Personally we're not interested in a "Brand" that in increasingly faded in our eyes. We're certainly not interested in the old Rotterdam or Amsterdam. 

 

But... we were really interested in the Braemar. She was our hope for FOCLs. Sadly with the loss of the Braemar... and it is... very, very sadly... FOCLs, as a business, is no longer aligned with how we want to cruise. As the Braemar leaves Rosyth for the last time... toll the ship's bell slowly and mournfully and with respect... this great ship, that has given millions of people so many happy memories, deserves at least that. 

 

 

Never know... these treasured little souvenirs from the Braemar's Corinth Canal Transit in 2019 may now have a scarcity value!

 

[teenieleek]

I’ve never been on the Braemar, I didn’t realise it was a “pretty” ship or I might have been tempted to book.  My first cruise was on the Balmoral to the Baltic nearly six years ago and really enjoyed it, helped by great weather.  However my husband noted the fogged up windows, the very thick, lumpy paint round said windows and the 60s orange decor in our “superior” suite.  We then went to Greenland and Iceland on the Pacific Princess, half the size of the Balmoral but much better maintained, more perks, better food and loved it.  It has since been sold to Azamara as it no longer fitted the Princess business plan.  These eight Renaissance ships are now owned, four each, by Oceania and Azamara.

 

This could have been Fred.  These are truly small ships, not in the first flush of youth, but beautified and made desirable.  I think FOCL is falling between two stools.  The stools being small and beautiful or large and glitzy.  Medium sized and dated is not going to work.  It particularly won’t work at the inflated prices they are now trying to charge.

 

 

[twotravellersLondon]

 

20 hours ago, teenieleek said:

I’ve never been on the Braemar, I didn’t realise it was a “pretty” ship or I might have been tempted to book.

 

 

The Braemar is and was a great little ship... she 's a real classic... beautiful lines, vast expansed pf deck space, elegant interiors, a pool area just perfect for evening parties in the tropics. She's small enough to get up close to sensational landscapes and allow passengers to see amazing wildlife from only a few yards away.

 

The last of the photos were taken from the Braemar's foredeck... we have hundred's more.

 

Such a pity that such a real gem now is being cast away for the sake of the new FOCLs "corporate brand image." It's a bit like throwing a diamond away because it's not as big as a lump of coal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither the old Rotterdam nor the Amsterdam will ever squeeze through the Corinth Canal!

 

 

Not a "veranda cabin" in sight and lots of space for all to enjoy the sun, the sea and the sky.

 

 

 

 

Not a brash clock in sight and look at the nice carpet... how things have changed with the new old ships from HAL.

 

 

 

 

 

And small ships... like the Braemar could go places that big ships like the old Amsterdam and Rotterdam... were banned from.

 

 

Now... none of the current FOCLs ships would allow us to get up close and personal with the local wildlife... as we could do from the Braemar Foredeck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by twotravellersLondon

[perismo]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos. I also love the Braemar and am very sad that she is being ditched from Fred's fleet. I was booked to go on her again next May. Boudicca was my favourite ship, probably because I did so may long cruises on her. Needless to say, I was very upset when she was scrapped, although I knew that she could be considered past her best.

I've been on Bolette 3 times and although I enjoyed the cruises, I don't think ship has the same wrap around cosiness that either Boudicca or Braemar had.

I'm going on Balmoral tomorrow and can't help wondering how much longer she will be a part of Fred's fleet.

[richard_london]

6 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

The last of the photos were taken from the Braemar's foredeck... we have hundred's more.

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.

 

 

[richard_london]

6 minutes ago, perismo said:

I'm going on Balmoral tomorrow and can't help wondering how much longer she will be a part of Fred's fleet.

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.

[Britboys]

Very sorry for those affected by this disposal but sadly not a surprise. Once Fred announced she was going to remain in lay-up for an extended period, I thought it quite likely that she would not return. From what I have read, it seems that the two 'new' ships rarely sail full, so I guess Fred hopes that pax will swap over to one of them.

To add some balance to this thread, I would love to try out Bolette but the only affordable fares for a solo are last-minute ones, by which time I have normally made other plans. If anyone from Fred is reading this - PLEASE adopt decent launch prices and then I - and others may well be tempted to try you again...

[ann141]

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Very sorry for those affected by this disposal but sadly not a surprise. Once Fred announced she was going to remain in lay-up for an extended period, I thought it quite likely that she would not return. From what I have read, it seems that the two 'new' ships rarely sail full, so I guess Fred hopes that pax will swap over to one of them.

To add some balance to this thread, I would love to try out Bolette but the only affordable fares for a solo are last-minute ones, by which time I have normally made other plans. If anyone from Fred is reading this - PLEASE adopt decent launch prices and then I - and others may well be tempted to try you again...

Bolette sailing on 3 Jan to the canary islands has a solo offer on plus a £200 discount. We booked a couple of months ago at a good price and are looking forward to seeing how she compares to Borealis which we have sailed on previously and like

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, ann141 said:

Bolette sailing on 3 Jan to the canary islands has a solo offer on plus a £200 discount. We booked a couple of months ago at a good price and are looking forward to seeing how she compares to Borealis which we have sailed on previously and like

Indeed - the late deals are reasonable but I need to plan ahead, which makes Fred Olsen very expensive now...

[tring]

I have just picked this up as on the way back from The Caribbean on Aurora. We have long thought Breamar would not be brought back into service, so are not surprised, but still saddened.  Her and Boudicca have been our favourites, partly because of the itineraries, though sailing from Liverpool has always had some interest for us on Fred's other ships.

 

We now have 49 nights booked on Aurora within the next year over three cruises and a round trip to US and the Caribbean on Ventura for January 2025, so Fred is not in our long term plans, though we may be tempted for any short last minute offers once some medical treatment for DH during the early part of next year is completed and recovery on track.

 

What happens to Fred remains to be seen of course, but we have no more confidence in the company than anyone else.  Extremely sad for the staff though IMO as even if the company were to survive in some form, it would obviously become a very different animal and well scaled down.

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by tring

[LandC]

We have sailed several times with Fred, but have now decided that Saga is a better fit for us.  They have newer ships, better food and they offer inclusions such as drinks, tips,  travel insurance and home transfers which cost extra with Fred.  Some of the excursions (usually panoramic coach tours) are also included in the price.  The biggest attraction is Saga’s pricing policy.  We book as soon as cruises are advertised to get the best discount, with the assurance that if prices go down, we will not lose out. We also enjoy fly cruises which Saga do not currently offer, so we book with other cruise lines such as Noble Caledonia and Azamara, which have interesting itineraries.  

 

Fred has the advantage of sailing from some northern ports, as well as Southampton and Dover.  They also (used to) offer some interesting fly cruises.  If Fred can get their prices right the company could still survive.

[1160451]

Just received our options for the cancelled Corinth Canal Cruise in 2024. 

Upto 15% voucher for booking against a further cruise.

We. haven’t taken up the offer and asked for a full refund of our deposit.

We have a Northern Lights Cruise booked in 2024 on the Balmoral, which is our favourite Fred Ship.

I think that will be the last Fred Cruise as we are looking seriously at Azamara. Still will be looking at Marrella and P and O.

 

 

 

[twotravellersLondon]

The Boudicca, the Black Watch and the Braemar are all gone... What next? 

 

This was the cold lonely passenger-less Bolette waiting in Dover last week for better times and enough cruisers to justify sailing again.

 

 

What a difference a year makes. Only about nine months ago FOCLs issued a press release announcing a "bumper January as sales return to pre-pandemic levels," "a fresh wave of optimism" and that FOCLs was looking forward to a successful season of cruising as we sail into the summer months and beyond.” 

 

Hindsight is a great thing... but how on earth have FOCL's managed in only ten months to go from "bumper sales" and a "wave of optimism" to losing their chairman, laying up the Bolette due to lack of custom, selling off the most loved vessel in the fleet, cutting 25% of the fleet's capacity, losing money hand over fist and being in debt by over £100,000,000?

 

There's no doubt that FOCLs still has some of "Fred's" loyal "fan-base" but the plain facts are that there's just not enough people "wed to Fred" who are willing to cruise often enough or pay out for the more expensive cabins and add-ons to keep even three FOCLs ships cruising at the moment... let alone four.

 

 

Sadly... FOCLs is no longer the "Fred" that so many of us knew and loved.

Edited December 11, 2022 by twotravellersLondon

[ann141]

14 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

The Boudicca, the Black Watch and the Braemar are all gone... What next? 

 

This was the cold lonely passenger-less Bolette waiting in Dover last week for better times and enough cruisers to justify sailing again.

 

 

What a difference a year makes. Only about nine months ago FOCLs issued a press release announcing a "bumper January as sales return to pre-pandemic levels," "a fresh wave of optimism" and that FOCLs was looking forward to a successful season of cruising as we sail into the summer months and beyond.” 

 

Hindsight is a great thing... but how on earth have FOCL's managed in only ten months to go from "bumper sales" and a "wave of optimism" to losing their chairman, laying up the Bolette due to lack of custom, selling off the most loved vessel in the fleet, cutting 25% of the fleet's capacity, losing money hand over fist and being in debt by over £100,000,000?

 

There's no doubt that FOCLs still has some of "Fred's" loyal "fan-base" but the plain facts are that there's just not enough people "wed to Fred" who are willing to cruise often enough or pay out for the more expensive cabins and add-ons to keep even three FOCLs ships cruising at the moment... let alone four.

 

 

Sadly... FOCLs is no longer the "Fred" that so many of us knew and loved.

You mention Bolette at Dover waiting for enough passengers to sail on her again. I have a cruise booked on her in January so I hope she will be sailing!

[Eglesbrech]

Braemar is still sitting sadly in Rosyth.

[twotravellersLondon]

On 12/12/2022 at 1:06 AM, ann141 said:

You mention Bolette at Dover waiting for enough passengers to sail on her again. I have a cruise booked on her in January so I hope she will be sailing!

 

We don't think that the Bolette will be sold off in the same way as the Braemar and hope that your cruise goes ahead as planned... we have a group of friends booked on the ship early in the New Year.

 

However the next Bolette cruise after the two-month layup is "Winter in Norway". That's "not full" despite intensive advertising... more mailshots and emails than we've ever seen before... it certainly won't turn around FOCLs' losses. 

 

We were originally very interested in that cruise. It was on sale from; £2,199pp on the 30th of September, from £1,999 on the 4th of October, from £2,199 on the 15th of October and from £1,899 on the 25th of October. Today we've had an email offering the cruise from £1,399... that's £800 cheaper than FOCLs was offering long-serving loyalty customers months ago. That means that those who booked early at special members' days or in the Black Friday sales will be hundreds of pounds out of pocket and will have Christmas in the sure-fire knowledge that they're paying well over the odds compared others eating exactly the same Christmas Lunch, pulling the same Christmas crackers and watching the same Christmas entertainment.

 

The Braemar was "sacked" after years of loyal service and giving millions of cruisers wonderful holidays... all because the Braemar didn't fit FOCLs' "brand image." The old Amsterdam and Rotterdam were bought because FOCLs management believe that they would fit in with the "brand." These days FOCLs seem to be fairly set on being a "brand" because successful bands can be money spinners. Think of the beanie hat sold for next to nothing on the market stall... add a successful logo and the same thing is ten times more in a designer outlet. Companies want to be "brands" because they hope and believe that will improve customer loyalty, engender repeat custom, entice loyal followers to spend more and encourage their friends to book as well. Some companies believe that "brand followers" tend to be less questioning, less price sensitive, less able to compare alternatives and less able to judge the "brand's" offer... in short  successful "brands" should make money. 

 

But... FOCLs isn't making money... quite the opposite. The fact that ships are laid up and the fleet capacity is being cut seems to indicate that "brand" loyalty seems to be waning. Cruises being advertised at a discount to people who have already bought the same cruise at a higher price just doesn’t seem to fit in with the idea that a "brand's" got to be clear, credible, consistent and competitive.

 

We know lots of folk who've been, like us, keen to see the Braemar on the High Seas again so that we could have another cruise with the old "Fred." After 30 years of cruising with "Fred" we're just not attracted to the faceless FOCLs, big second-hand HAL ships. What we've seen and heard about the food, the entertainment, the price of excursions is just not for us.

 

We just don't recognise much about the old "Fred"... it takes more than a swirly-whirly carpet, changing the names of lounges and decks or choosing a "brand" colour scheme... to recreate the exciting and exhilarating experiences that we enjoyed on "Fred's" ships in the 90s, noughties and the 20-teenies!

 

Unlike the Braemar which was owned by FOCLs, the Bolette is chartered by FOCLs from the associate company "Bolette Cruises Ltd." At the end of 2021 the net book value of the Bolette was about £19.5 million and the viability of "Bolette Cruises Ltd" was dependant on FOCLs honouring chartering arrangements. In January 2022 FOCLs received a loan of £10 million from its ultimate parent company, Bonheur, the multinational Norway based conglomerate. Almost a year ago, the directors of  "Bolette Cruises Ltd.," including Peter Deer MD of FOCLs, reported that "the availability of additional funding needed by FOCLs to settle the charter income represents a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability (i.e. "Bolette Cruises Ltd.") to continue as a going concern."

 

It may be that the Black Watch, the Boudicca and the Braemar have all been sacrificed in order to leave the remaining "Loyal Fred Fans" very little option except to book cruises on the redundant HAL ships which, two years ago, Peter Deer, suggested were the way forward for the "brand." 

 

The facts are that if FOCLs believe that losing the Braemar is and opportunity to "grow" and "modernise" the "brand." It's also an opportunity for the young at heart "old guard" to branch out a bit and to have the excitement and delight of exploring other cruise lines which, in our opinion, offer better value for money, more exciting cruises and far better food that FOCLs seem to do at the moment.

 

It may well be that enough people will be persuaded to cruise on the Bolette and the Borealis to make them viable in the long run and it would be a great shame if the loss of the Braemar was the beginning of the end of what so many people once very fondly knew as "Fred."

 

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by twotravellersLondon
Syntax

[richard_london]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:37 AM, twotravellersLondon said:

What a difference a year makes. Only about nine months ago FOCLs issued a press release announcing a "bumper January as sales return to pre-pandemic levels," "a fresh wave of optimism" and that FOCLs was looking forward to a successful season of cruising as we sail into the summer months and beyond.” 

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?

[twotravellersLondon]

On 12/14/2022 at 1:53 PM, richard_london said:

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?

 

We think that you're absolutely right about the "management" of FOCLs being seemingly focused on what they describe as "growing' and "modernising" a "brand"... despite the very strong dismay of many previously very loyal Club Members.

 

In 2019 "Fred" achieved well over 1,000,000 passenger days across the fleet. In 2020 FOCLs bought the two HAL ships with the idea that they would be more profitable than the then existing fleet because of a "high yielding cabin mix." The larger number of "balcony cabins" (many of these were terrace cabins with no balcony) would present a premium offer... in one interview available on line, a price increase of 20% was even mentioned. In 2021 Fred. Sen. and Anette Olsen appeared in "Tradewinds" (owned by Fred Olsen's own NHST media group) above the title "Fred Olsen expects cruise profits to bounce back beyond pre-Covid levels by mid-2022. In early 2022 FOCLs issued a press release about... bumper sales and a wave of optimism. However, the result at the end of 2022 is likely to be a debt of over £100 million, a huge loss and far, far fewer passenger days... all at a time when people on holiday are spending less.

 

Yet the FOCLs management seems to be absorbed by "branding." However "branding" can raise customer expectations and can lead to increased dissatisfaction. Customers can leave the "brand" in droves when their experience fails below their expectations. If these clients have been booking three or four cruises a year, that's a real problem for FOCLs because the turn-down can be very sudden and dramatic. (Retention rates are nothing if passenger numbers are falling... that means that a company is losing its loyal customers and failing to attract new ones.)

 

FOCLs are still publishing reviews that describe the company's cruises as "superb," "first class" and "wonderful" so there certainly seems to be some people who seem to like what FOCLs is offering now... and FOCLs is attracting some first-time cruisers but the plain facts are that; in the last nine months FOCLs management hasn't sold enough cabins, excursions, drinks packages, Wi-Fi packages etc to break-even.

 

It seems odd that FOCLs just doesn’t seem to have focused more on why so many of "Fred's" loyal passengers, who adored the ships and booked again and again aren't booking cruises now. They often cruised several times a year and thought the world of "Fred." His picture was at the front of the brochure... to many, the cruise line was "Fred"... after all in Fred Jun.'s own words... "It's my name on the door." He engendered a very strong feeling of trust and confidence in many passengers.

 

Loyal customers certainly didn't need lengthily contrived explanations of, "The Olsen Way" or any faceless corporate branding: most were happy with a friendly welcome, good food, enjoyable entertainment, interesting itineraries and "Fred's" ability to look after them in such a way as they felt just a bit more special. They really didn't care if the ships were white grey, different shades of blue or how wide the red stripe on the hull was... they were far more interested in having fun... captain's cocktails, midnight gala buffets, baked Alaska on parade, Lobster for lunch, "can't cook won't cook" on sea days, dozing in the sun on the long promenade decks and waking up to another stunning morning sail-in. 

 

Perhaps the lack of customers now is because of the pricing strategy and, like ourselves, many won't pay an increased "premium" price for a pretty basic cruise. We certainly don't agree with FOCLs' management that the Bolette and the Borealis should be priced as "four to four and a half star cruising." We certainly can't see that a new paint job and carpets make the old Amsterdam and Rotterdam significantly better than the entire P&O, Cunard, Holland America, Regent, MSC and SAGA fleets or put the old Amsterdam and Rotterdam on the same level as the Celebrity Equinox, the Celebrity Flora, the Azamara Quest or the Azamara Journey.

 

Perhaps it's how FOCLs interacted with clients during the pause. Maybe it's the HAL ships that many people seems to have disliked from the start. Perhaps it's the new faceless corporate "brand" image that's unappealing. Or is the food not what it used to be? Whatever it is, FOCLs should take steps to find out and resolve matters... the alternative is costing them millions in lost revenue. Two years ago, FOCLs management was taking about increasing market share, benefiting from the demise of CMV and offering more "premium" cruising... Very clearly their strategy for achieving that just hasn't worked.

 

We also think that the UK cruising industry would be much poorer without what the old loveable "Fred" used to give us all. The problem with corporate branding is that it can be more about polishing corporate egos for the award dinners rather than neatly tailoring and defining a product to reinforce the preferences and likes of the existing customer base. It's got to celebrate what the customer really, really liked about the product. It's got to be customer centred... and not about trying to manipulate customers to accept something different.  Get it wrong... disenfranchise a goodly number of the existing loyal customers... and it's like killing the goose that laid the golden egg... no more golden eggs! 

 

There is many a true word spoken in jest but it would be such a pity if FOCLs, like a panto character, asked...."Where have all the good times gone?" and the answer from the audience was, "They're behind you!" 

[1160451]

4 weeks, and still no refund of our deposit. ☹️

[Eglesbrech]

2 hours ago, 1160451 said:

4 weeks, and still no refund of our deposit. ☹️

That’s disappointing and a little surprising. We were cancelled just a few days before a cruise in August and the money was back on my card quite quickly. (I did however tell them I needed to book another holiday as OH had the leave booked out so we needed to rebook something immediately in the same 2week period).