Fred. Olsen Cruises | Boudicca | Lima to Southampton

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Lima to Southampton
Reviewed By: Hill, Bournemouth on 11th Jun 2008
Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Boudicca	Sailed: March, 2008
Destination: Panama Canal	Age: 65+

We booked our 26 day cruise fairly late, I suppose you'd say last minute being about 3-4 weeks before sailing. The booking process went with few hitches; the provision of our details seemed to get lost a couple of times but all was well in the end. Our check in at Gatwick was set for two hours before departure which was achieved using airport cars. However all the other passengers had already arrived which turned out to our advantage and we had super seats on the aircraft and the flight to Lima although long was uneventful and we arrived 24 hours later on time. Lima airport was a bit chaotic because none of us had been given check in cards for immigration which after the long flight was upsetting to say the least. Finally we arrived at the ship for boarding and went straight to our cabin. This was our first dissapointment we were given a cabin on deck 3 with two portholes. Certainly it was outside as we had booked but unfortunately next to the main air conditioning unit for the ship which to say the least was noisy. We wanted to sleep to recover from the journey but this was impossible due to the noise but also suffered a severe vibration transmitted from the A/C units. Here started a two hour request for a quieter cabin. The noise levels were measured and the crew finaly agreed after much discussion to a change of cabin. The crew had argued we were asking for an upgrade and we insisted it was not the case we only were interested in a quieter cabin and would have been well satisfied with that. In the end the crew did us proud and placed us on deck five in the same type of cabin but with a large window. We were very pleased and said so to the crew and had a fine few hours of sleep. That evening and a casual sitting for dinner we discovered to our delight we had what we thought to be the best table in the restaurant. Our companions turned out to be from the lake district and were a shere delight to be with. The food was extremely good. Next day a tour of LIma and return to the ship were we met some old friends. The entertainment was provided by a small but dedicated group, very profesional, lively and super to watch. Unfortunately the entertainment lounge does not lend itself for this pupose. It is difficult to see the stage unless you're at or very near the front and the seating is very cramped. Next day we sailed for Ecuador and the Panama canal which was the main purpose of taking this cruise. This all turned out to be a wonderful experience helped of course by good weather. once through the canal we were on our way to Honduras and Roatan island-cruises-summer-holidays/">Island which of all the places we visited was the best. Although quite small the Island is beautiful and the people the most friendly. Then onwards to Turks and Cacos and Jamaica. High winds prevented the stop at Turks and Cacos so on to Jamaica although nice was disappointing not very clean and appeared to be poverty stricken. Then on with a four day sea journey in very rough seas to Bermuda, what a superb place to live, we arrived on good friday so only a short time to shop. Everywhere is closed at Easter but even so touring the Island was very cheap and easy with choices of buses or taxi a joy place to be. From here it was another four day very rough crossing to the Azores for a short visit before a final four very rough days to Southampton. The ship is a very fine ship well maintained with very good sea keeping qualities. For twelve days we had very high winds with five to fifteen metre seas. The roll stabilizers worked very well indeed so the passengers really only had to contend with the pitching motion. A few were upset but most seemed to weather the movement of the ship vey well. Arrival at Southampton was well organised and disembarkation went very smoothly. Because the cruise was technically out of season most places we visited professed to be unaware of our intended visit so some places were not open. Service in general was very good and in the restaurant extremely good. Our rating for the cruise would be three to four star and the pricing at 1500 pounds for us was very acceptable. A very nice time was had by all.
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