This special charter trip was booked three years ago at great expense. Unfortunately our devoted travel agent left the industry and from then on we were treated like a number and not discerning cruiser.

Not only were we slugged with a fuel surcharge in AUD,much cheaper for UK passengers(when I asked Fred Olsen if everyone had to pay and also the same amount, answer was in the affirmative , yet when we asked fellow passengers, this was incorrect). Front office staff and more importantly Miles Morgan staff on board treatment of passengers was high handed. Embarkation was badly organised in spite of all passengers getting info beforehand. This spoilt all the fanfare that had been planned for the trip, resulted in delay in leaving and arriving too late in Cobb Ireland, where the local population had waited very patiently for us to arrive and excursions being cancelled.

The ship, Balmoral is falling to pieces and polluting as she goes. We had sailed on her in 2010 and not much has been repaired. Read more