Fred Olsen Cruise. 1st September 2010 to 7th September 2010.

My wife and I chose this cruise because it sailed from North Shields Port of Tyne in the North East. Our previous cruises were from Southampton and necessitated a weary rail journey to and from the port. Our booking was a very late one, so we were not surprised when luggage labels and other information regarding the cruise did not turn up, despite the assurance of the Fred Olsen booking office that we would receive a package by special delivery on the morning of the cruise. Consequently, we arrived at the port without any documents or labels. We knew that we had been allocated Cabin 8007 on "Boudicca", so a port worker soon supplied us with a label for our luggage and two official cards which would allow us to board the ship. Having been given a balcony suite, the result of a cancellation, we were called early to proceed to the ship. We were led to a bus which transported us on a short journey to the ship's side. A lift took us to Deck 8 and Cabin 8007, which was spacious, with a king-sized bed and plenty of storage space. We had the added amenities of a bath-tub and a fairly narrow balcony with a partly restricted view. On a table were a bottle of Champagne and a plate of petit-fours. Our cabin stewardess was Cheryl, who was pleasant, but seemed to have too much to do throughout the cruise.

We managed to have a quick cup of tea before boat-drill at 5.0pm. I must admit that the drill was the most efficient that we have experienced in nearly 40 years of cruising. All passengers were carefully checked. Read more