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The Bay Of Biscay In November |
| Reviewed By: McDermott, Sittingbourne on 1st Dec 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Black Watch |
Sailed:
November,
2008 |
| Destination: Western Europe |
Age: 56-65 |
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We have just returned from an 8 night Iberian cruise to the Atlantic seaboard of France, Spain and Portugal on Fred Olsen's Black Watch.
We realised that much of our time would be spent at sea in the Bay of Biscay where we had experienced bad weather and very rough seas on an earlier cruise. Given that we were doing this at the very end of November, we anticipated that we might be in for a rough trip and that is exactly what we got! The wind reached hurricane force 12 and the swell peaked at 8 metres which is pretty close to the height of our house.
Luckily we are both quite good sailors, but many of the passengers were seasick and for those for whom this was their first cruise, several maintained that it would also be their last. We think that The Cruise Line and travel agents should do more to ensure that prospective passengers are made aware at the time of booking if the proposed trip carries a significant risk of bad weather, rough seas or both. We were reasonably prepared for the problem and so it did not spoil our holiday as it undoubtedly did for some.
The positive aspects of the trip were the crew, the housekeeping and galley staff and the entertainers, all of whom kept smiling and did their utmost to ensure that we all had the best time we could. The shows were excellent. The food was very good with a wide variety of options at each meal. In addition,very good care was taken of anyone who had special dietary needs. The ship was spotless and our cabin was clean and comfortable although a refrigerator would have been a useful addition. We were not looking for lots of activity , intending just to have a rest and to be thoroughly spoilt for a week and that is exactly what we had. We were not pestered to participate, but there seemed to be enough going on to satisfy those who wanted it, so there was no need for anyone to be bored.
The arrangements for embarkation and disembarkation at Dover were inadequate. We were seriously delayed on embarkation, seemingly because the ship was late arriving. We were able to use the cafeteria in the terminal but we would have expected at least a courtesy cup of tea or coffee whilst waiting for over two hours. In the event, our departure was delayed by over three hours. Disembarkation on the other hand was hastened because they wanted a quick turnaround. As with quite a few other passengers, we had arranged to be collected by car at the port at 10 a.m. We had to leave the ship soon after 8 a.m and so we had to wait in the terminal again for two hours. This time the cafeteria was closed and the only thing available was a cold water dispenser. It seemed to us that it should have been possible to stay on board in one of the lounges until nearer ther time for collection.
Although you can't legislate entirely for bad weather we were disappointed that although our time ashore in Oporto was curtailed so we could leave early for Cherbourg, that final port was cancelled.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Glentanar Restaurant | | Entertainment |  |
| Excellent throughout | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| | Staff | |
| All very friendly and helpful | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Plenty going on although we just used the time to relax. | | Cabins | |
| Very clean, comfortable, although we knew it was an odd layout. | | Overall Rating | |
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