"Wanting to celebrate Christmas and New Year away from the doom laden 2021, our plans had to be changed due to the uncertainty of travel to the U.Even though the Spa was unfortunately closed due to staff isolating, I was able to use the gym which was well appointed and surprisingly under-used
Public Rooms: There were plenty of places to sit back, relax and listen to the splendid ship's entertainers...."Read More
We have experienced 4 different types of Cruises... a block family booking of a Turkish Gulet (brilliant), a large NCL Ship 5,000 guests (Butlins-on-Sea ...not for us), a Tall Clipper Ship ( 150 guests...brilliant), and now Fred Olsen... 800 guests (600+ staff !) , We sailed to La Coruna, the Canaries and back via Madeira.
We decided to ignore the negative reviews (ignore now, as the ship ...
We’d never gone Far North before. It was a ‘bucket list’ cruise. The crew, waiters and cabin staff were faultless. The ship was an ‘Olsen ship’ and we’d sailed on Balmoral several years ago so it was familiar. The shows were very good and you’d not have believed how little time they had for rehearsals.
The talks were interesting but told you nothing about each destination. For that you had to ...
Although we have been on 30 cruises with various cruise lines, this was our first experience with Fred Olsen and it certainly won't be our last. From the moment of embarkation to disembarking everything was handled smoothly and with professionalism. Staff went out of their way to go the extra mile, always with a happy smile. Food in the main restaurant was exceptional, far superior to other major ...
I recently enjoyed a 7-nights cruise aboard Fred. Olsen's Bolette to Oslo and some fjords. It was my first trip out of the country since a cruise aboard Boudicca in February 2020 and therefore my very first cruise aboard Bolette.
Like many other people I had grown very fond of both Black Watch and Boudicca but as they were approaching their 50th birthdays one knew that they would not be around ...
I chose this cruise as it fitted in with school holidays and it was planned as a treat for my grandchildren. I booked a family cabin for my 2 granddaughters and myself and a separate cabin for my son - very expensive as charged full cost although obviously only half use of facilities and food. The family cabin was very cramped with uncomfortable beds. My son had to move cabins twice because of ...
Last time we went on a Fred Olsen cruise I said never again; if Olsen could charge for the air we breathed he would. But I succumbed. When we booked again we were offerd a drinks package at £25 or £29 a night (can't remember which) which seemed very expensive. During the criuse we learnt that late bookers had been offere free drinks packages. The moral is don't book early with Olsen.
On ...
My wife and I enjoy cruising on small ships and wanted to see Iceland, this is as honest an appraisal as I can give on the whole Fred Olsen experience.
Cabin.
We had a premier suite which was perfect.
Staff.
Absolutely fine with one or two exceptions.
Mask etiquette
Some clown thought it was a good idea to let people sit in crowded restaurants without masks and dance in large ...
We chose this cruise for the itinerary, since we were visiting Amsterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp with an overnight in each base, so we were able to spend a lot of time ashore, including in the evenings. Amsterdam was particularly good regards this as we were there for the evening of St. Patrick's day, which seems a strange mix, but the vibe was even better than we have experienced in Amsterdam ...
This was our 26th cruise, 13th on Fred Olsen. While the cruise was ok, Olsen is not as good as it was before change of management. The outstanding feature is the crew. They are the very best of any cruise line we have been on. Efficient, friendly, helpful and always smiling. Many of them remeber us. The food was ok, The View self service restaurant is far better than the formal dining room, where ...
Wanting to celebrate Christmas and New Year away from the doom laden 2021, our plans had to be changed due to the uncertainty of travel to the U.S. A lucky chance took us to this cruise which included the Canary Islands for Christmas and to the fabulous firework display in Madeira for New Year.
We have travelled with Fred only once before and found the whole experience comfortable and ...