Cruising Down the river with Fred Olsen…

Well, thats my opinion turned on its head!  Just shows that preconceived ideas can be way off the mark when experiencing the real thing.

I have just returned from a 5 day mini cruise on the Braemar, cruising to Le Havre from Dover, and along the Seine to Rouen, and what an absolute delight it was!  I was with 25 other agents from around the country all eager to see and experience this small ship which carries 929 passengers.

As The Braemar is a flat bottomed ship, she is able to navigate along the Seine with ease (although it does get a bit rumbly at times) and is perfect for river cruising.

I had in my mind that Fred Olsen would be an old fashioned, dated, cruise line with an older more mature clientele. However, given the excellent feedback from my clients, I boarded with an open mind, and very soon realised why this cruise line have a very high percentage of returning guests.

Firstly as soon as I boarded,  I was greeted with a sea of friendly faces, which was prevalent throughout the ship as I was to find out.  I found my Superior Balcony Cabin 6063 very easily, and was pleasantly surprised to see how spacious and well equipped it was.  The balcony especially is bigger than any ship  I have been on so far, including the latest P&O offering, Britannia!  Furnished with an aluminium table & 2 chairs, and surprisingly an ashtray!  Yes you can smoke on your balcony on Fred Olsen ships!

So far so good, there’s plenty of wardrobe space and hangers. Comfy beds. Dressing table and seating area, (You either have a sofa or 2 chairs). Oh and 3 x plug sockets which I found handy as we both wanted to charge our phones, and plug in our electrical goods at the same time!

The bathroom was, shall we say ‘bijou’ but manageable and well equipped, although the shower had my pet hate – a plastic curtain! But no shower caps.  That said, it was equipped with the usual shower/shampoo/conditioner from dispensers and had the biggest fluffiest towels I have ever seen!

Time to explore the ship!  The Braemar has a lovely main staircase decorated with murals (photo opportunities on every floor!). 2 main restaurants, the larger Thistle and the more intimate Grampian.  She also has a small buffet restaurant called the Palms Cafe, where you will find The Grill, a speciality restaurant with a £20 cover charge. Wherever you choose to eat on the Braemar, you are guaranteed excellent tasty food!  I have to say, the best I have ever had on any ship so far, without a doubt! The choice, presentation and taste was an absolute delight!  The waiters were very attentive and friendly and clearly enjoyed their work, engaging in chit chat and making you feel very welcome.

I was interested to see the variety of age ranges on board, from mid 40’s upwards, to the more mature seasoned Fred Olsen cruise passengers.  All willing to engage in chat and tell me why they choose to cruise with Fred Olsen again and again.

Entertainment was varied and enjoyable.  My favourite was the Coral Bar.  Again, friendly, intimate, great atmosphere. The main attractions could be seen in the Neptune Show Lounge with the In Tune Band, Braemar Show Company and visitings acts including Christopher Gee, and Martin Daniels. Although as you can see, the entertainment wasn’t to everyone’s taste.

I particularly liked to see the dance hosts who every night would invite  passengers up on the dance floor for a Foxtrot, or Waltz, ensuring that single passengers were never left alone.  Nice touch I thought.

For a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere you can visit the Observatory Lounge or the Morning Light Pub.  Or to satisfy your chocolate craving, the Braemar has introduced a new Cafe Venus lounge where you can buy speciality coffees with a choice of chocolates to accompany them! Yum!

Another pleasant surprise were the very reasonable bar prices. Less than £5 for a Vodka Tonic for instance.  Cocktails, Pinacolada £4.90!

Afternoon Tea – Fred Olsen Style!

I didn’t spend too much time on the ship during the day as we had 2 excursions booked, Le Mans 24hr Endurance Motor Racing and Historic Rouen, which I’ll tell you about another time.  However if you did want to stay on board there were plenty of activities to keep you occupied. From Walk a Mile with a Smile, Yoga,Pilates Golf Shuffle, Quizzes, Bingo, Deck Quoits, Shuffleboard,  or just a quiet read in the library or up on the newly enhanced pool deck where you can relax in the jacuzzi or swim in one of the 2 pools.

So..my overall opinion of Braemar?  She lacks the sophistication, glamour and gimmicks of other ships, However the camaraderie between crew and passengers is something  I havent found on any other, and is far more important to the majority of passengers who choose to cruise with Fred Olsen time and time again.  So if you’re looking for a traditional cruise experience, a relaxed,  friendly, intimate ship, with excellent food, a great camaraderie and fantastic ports of call, then I would highly recommend stepping on board a Fred Olsen Cruise!  I’ll see you at the bar!

Gina

Next Time……….Excursion to Le Mans 24hr Endurance Race!

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