| Cruise Guide |
|---|
Berlitz Overview »
News for 2008 »
Cruise History »
Life Aboard »
The Right Ship etc... |
|
| Cruise Lines |
|---|
Cunard » P&O »
Fred. Olsen »
Holland America »
NCL Cruises etc... |
|
| Destinations |
|---|
Caribbean »
Mediterranean »
World Cruises »
Alaska etc... |
|
Latest Photos |
November in the West Caribbean |
| Reviewed By: Allsop, Guisborough on 2nd Dec 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Braemar |
Sailed:
November,
2008 |
| Destination: Caribbean |
Age: 65+ |
|
Cruise on M S Braemar November 2008 Caribbean
The holiday began with an excellent flight with Thomsonfly to Miami, a lengthy wait in Miami airport and then we were soon aboard MS Braemar. This is a comfortable but small ship of 23kT now it has been stretched.
At crew level, it was an excellent cruise; waiters and maids were very good at all times throughout the ship. Music was excellent in various venues and of a high quality at all times. 4th Dimension with lead singer Rachel was our favourite dance band. The show team could not be faulted for effort even when they had to perform in very cramped conditions. We enjoyed all the entertainment in the evenings. Lessons in Watercolours and bridge were on most days, together with four dance lessons. As the dance was so popular and good, there was not enough space for us all. We would have enjoyed more dance lessons. Food was good and varied and well presented in all restaurants.
MS Braemar has been stretched to give many more cabins but little more public space. Only deck 5 has more central lounge area. In particular, the Neptune Show Lounge is too small. It seems that more chairs have been added and when it is full for a show, it is almost impossible to leave the lounge. This is a safety issue and should be looked into. There does not seem to be a rear exit. The self-service dining room is also cramped with seats hard to find. Guided seating makes it hard to sit with friends.
The original engines were designed for a smaller ship, and Braemar now seems to be badly underpowered, making only 17 knots in good weather. Thus in bad weather, the ship was late to berth, leaving less time for trips ashore. The weather certainly was bad, up to storm force 10 one night with a 4.2m swell.
At senior staff level, we found the cruise to be less good.
Information was poor throughout the cruise. The captain's talk disappeared some days; we do not know why the itinerary was changed or why the ship was so often late. At Panama, a trip was due to start at 08.00: at this time the ship was far out to sea with no land in sight but no explanation was given, nor a new start time.
We chose the cruise for the unusual itinerary, but this was spoilt by continual changes. From first seeing the cruise, there were several changes before booking the cruise about a month before sailing. Then during the cruise, several more changes were made, for example visiting Costa Rica and not Guatemala. It was not made clear why this was done, except to mention currents. As we do not go on organised trips, but usually do our own thing having found details on the Internet before we travel, we were rather stranded. However, it did help being able to speak Spanish. Oddly, the ship left Keywest very early to cruise at under 10 knots to Miami, when we could have had more time in Keywest.
Talks were given before ports of call which only described the organised trips, which were expensive. No information, map or help was given for independent travel. No shuttle buses, free or paid for were provided as in previous cruises and no data on taxi fares was given. At Cozumel in Mexico, there is a delightful park only a $10 ride away, where we had a peaceful and informative day. I found this on the Internet but it was not mentioned on the cruise talks.
Parties were held on the open deck area level 8. The chairs had soft cushions, which were left out in rain. They were slow to dry, so one often had wet clothes after sitting on them. The chairs were not moved to clear a dance area and the band was placed in the middle of the dance floor. This meant hardly any room for dancing. The music for a party was not suitable, even though the excellent Braemar orchestra could play Glen Miller etc. for a show. Hubert Greaves steel drums were great to listen to, but not for a dance party. Who is in charge and who controls music content, if anyone? Clear the chairs, put the band to one side out of the way, leave a large dance floor and have an ABBA tribute night. The result would surprise you! As one lady said, "I would be with you!"
For some reason, all the music was scheduled for the same times. 5.45 – 6.30 was music time in three areas: then 6.30 – 7.45 was silent time and so on for the rest of the evening. Surely the times should be staggered so that some music is being played all the time?
Overall, we enjoyed the cruise and may cruise with Fred.Olsen again, but not in MS Braemar.
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| Self Service Palms restaurant for breakfast and lunch; Thistle restaurant fro dinner. We enjoy a formal dinner at night | | Entertainment |  |
| Enjoyed all the shows. It is a treat to be able to see two shows in one night and then listen and dance to good music. 4th dimension with lead singer Rachel was particularly good. | | Shore Excursions |  |
| Only went on two arranged trips. Panama railway was good, but long waits three times for the container train was tedious. Also, the start time was delayed for over two hours and the packed lunch was pathetic as we did not return until 15.30 when the cafe was closed. Instead of Panama City, we went to two shopping areas. The tour of Ochos Rios was good. | | Staff | |
| Waiter Joel was brilliant. He always had a smile and was known throughout the ship. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Only had time to read two books, busy all the time. I would have liked a dance lesson every day. | | Cabins | |
| We booked a lower deck outside cabin to reduce ship movement. As the weather was rough for a week, this worked well for my wife. The cabin was exactly as expected. | | Overall Rating | |
|
|
|
Happy HOLIDAY's
Qeen Mary 2 cruise dec 2008
Queen Victoria - Caribbean 2008
MSC Fantasis Christmas Cruise
