Cruise Reviews

Fred.Oslen - Just OK
Reviewed By: Fitzgerald, Southampton on 19th Jun 2008
Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises Times cruised before: 6-10
Cruise Ship: Boudicca Sailed: June, 2008
Destination: Western Europe Age: 18-25
I have just come off Fred Olsen's Boudicca after a short mini cruise to St Peters Port and Rotterdam. I've been with a couple of other lines before so I'm trying not to fall into the trap of "it's not as good as XXX".

The cruise was ok. Just that ok. The ship is 35 years old but is in pretty good shape. You can tell it has had a refit but that Freds didn't refurb the ship fully. For example the showlounge is stuck in a 70s timewrap and the cabins could do with refreshing.

The outside deck space is clean and there is plently of space to sunbathe and relax. The pools are a decent size and it does have an endless poll and decent sized hotubs.

The food is ok. It is served plated, it is hot and inoffensive. It lacks the standard of other cruise lines such as P&O and Cunard. For me the food wasn't as good as Ocean Village. Although it isn't 'buffet' dining you are unable to order off the menu like you can on other lines. However, since Freds is cheaper you have to expect this.

There is no 24 hour dining which surprised me. Afternoon tea was often rushed.

A lot of people tell me the service onboard Fred Olsen is good. That the staff are friendly and committed. I would say that what is being seen as friendly is actually covering up for shoddy standards and lack of attention to detail. For instance one lunchtime it took 3 waiters to bring me a diet coke. They seem to be happy to serve water but aren't interested in much else. I suspect this is because the standard passenger profile are older and therefore they aren't used to people actually spending money. They also cannot handle any deviation or request.

The ports were good. I didn't take a tour as I didn't want to sit on a coach but the prices were reasonable. We were late in prot both times but that cannot be helped.

The spa area was very small. The gym was small. A lof of things were small but it only takes 800 passengers so it is hardly a surprise.

To me Fred Olsen is just that.It is small time. It is for people who wanted a clean and comfortable cruise but don't want to pay a higher price.

So Fred Olsen can be recommend if you cannot afford a higher standard cruise line and want a holiday in a comfortable surrounding. It clearly does well otherwise it wouldn't be expanding but for me a few days are fine. Anything more would be too much. The service really let's it down.
Quality of Food2
Main Dining Room (4 seasons), Secret Garden cafe for afternoon tea
Entertainment2
Traditional. Piano players at all hours. Wearing a variety of clothing including poloshirts in the evening.
Shore Excursionsn/a
Staff2
Staff friendly but unattentive. Unable to think clearly. Do not put the customer first.
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Onboard Activities3
Cabins3
Cabin decent size. Shower was randomly hot or cold.
Overall Rating2
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Opinion: Agree Comment by Dansey, Rochford (23 Jun 08 16:25) about this REVIEW.
I've cruised both Celebrity (Millennium) and Fred Olsen (Boudicca). The quality on FO is nowhere near that of Celebrity, and to be honest I paid less per night with Celebrity than I did with FO. I'm cruising with Celebrity this year again, but wouldn't with Fred Olsen. I depends what you're looking for. FO are OK - but they are definitely not going to set the world on fire. If you've cruised with Modern P&O or Celebrity - you may struggle to comprehend some of the deficiencies in service and facilities.
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Comment by Fitzgerald, Southampton (21 Jun 08 20:43) about this REVIEW.
It is each to their own with cruises. I personally wouldn't pick Fred Olsen over Celebrity but you could really enjoy it. It is different tastes for different people. I didn't expect Fred Olsen to be a luxury experience and it wasn't.
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Comment by birkett, chester le street (20 Jun 08 13:38) about this REVIEW.
I am going on Boadicca from Newcastle next month for 13 nights £1700 each is not exactly budget prices bearing in mind there is no flight I paid £799 for Celebrity last time including a flight to Barcelona so the standard should be better than has been described I think Will submit a review on return in August
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Opinion: Agree Comment by Richard Okill, Lee on the Solent (20 Jun 08 07:38) about this REVIEW.
Nice and fair review with good analysis and both subjective and objective comments. I can entirely agree with all your points. You get what you pay for and that suits many people.
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