My Cruise on the Boudicca with Fred Olsen.
As you all know I love my cruises and having the advantage of experiencing 4 nights on a Fred Olsen Cruise I have to say It was One of the Best.
Itinerary :
Rosyth, Kirkwall – Orkneys, Bergen – Norway, Day at sea, Newcastle
As you can imagine having to travel from Manchester to Newcastle It was a very early start for me I had to be on the train at 5.39am and I was meeting my colleague John who was also on the cruise. Myself and John arrived in Newcastle about 8.30am. Then took a black cab from the train station to port which cost us about £22 one way. (If you get a private taxi it would of cost approx £15). It takes about 15 minutes. We headed over to our Portalink Connection which is organised by Fred Olsen’s. The coach was very comfy and they do have toilets on board but one thing I will say Is that they do not do any stop offs so if your like me and enjoy nibbles make sure you take your own and also a drink. It does take about 3hours from Newcastle port to Rosyth. We arrived at Rosyth about 1.30pm, then was dropped off directly outside the terminal. Our luggage was taken off the coach by the porters and then we didn’t see again until we arrived In our cabins. Checkin was so smooth and hassle free. We were in our cabins about 45 minutes later.
First Impressions :
I thought she looked quite small and old but when you get on board you are totally surprised, she has such a warm and friendly feel about her which makes you feel at home straight away. The welcome of the staff on board was so friendly and helpful. The advantage of a smaller ship Is that you don’t get lost as I normally do on larger ships. Their Is a map left in your cruise Information pack in your cabin but It Is very easy to find places.
Cabin :
We were allocated an E grade outside cabin on Marina deck, cabin number was 3045 which was mid ship. It was very spacious and fresh looking with x2 portholes. We had a safe, TV, Radio, Air Conditioning and 3 massive wardrobes (thank goodness especially with having 2 women In their we needed the space for all our clothes hahaha), and best of all my tea and coffee facility (nothing better than getting up in the morning and making yourself a nice cup of tea). I have to say I would never normally sell a cabin on the bottom level BUT I was proven totally wrong their was NO noise level at all.
The Boudicca has a family atmosphere about her, all the staff are so friendly and helpful and has all the facilities you would expect from any ship. She has a big choice of Restaurants, Spa Treatments, Bars, Internet Cafe, Library, Cards Room, Gym, Sauna and Steam Room. I did try the steam room and sauna which was so refreshing and there Is no charge you will find them on
deck 4 towards the forward just make sure you don’t do what I did and went into the gents by mistake (blush).
Now the Food :
Well what can I say I was impressed. I am the fussiest of eaters you will ever find and the choice I had on board was brilliant (I’ve even put 1/2stone on). You have a choice of 4 main restaurants, The Tintagel, The Heligan, The Secret Garden (Buffet) or the Four Seasons (which was my favourite). You can do a mix of buffet and waiter service which ever you prefer. For breakfast you could have a full English or If you are like me I preferred the buffet having beans, scrambled egg and toast, there Is such a wide choice you can’t go wrong. In the evening we ate in the Four Seasons Restaurant – the atmosphere In there was excellent our waiter Joseph was so polite and very helpful always making sure we had everything and leaving goodies on our table.
We also had the chance to experience Afternoon Tea up in the Observatory Lounge which was really posh, It was only £5.95pp and you get treated like royalty, you are waited on then you have Tea, sandwiches and then came out the scones with clotted cream and the jam now that was an experience you have to do and not expensive at all.
Entertainment :
During the day there was always lots going on. In your cabin you will find a daily magazine left on your pillow explaining all times and locations of all events through out the day. There was dance lessons which we all enjoyed. We went to the Cha Cha Cha lessons which was such a good laugh and now I know how to do all I need now Is a partner to dance with me haha. They also do bingo in the afternoon In the Lido Lounge just make sure you get there early because it does get very busy. Would you believe It but one of the girls we were with actually won £350 so make sure you have a go you never know you might win like she did. In the evening you will find live shows In the Neptune Lounge where they do a variety of acts from comedians to live singers. Also the Lido Lounge Is the late night bar where you find singers, DJ’s and quizzes this Is a great place to meet for pre or post dinner drinks.
Drinks :
Prices are very reasonable:
Glass of house wine at £3.75 (150ml)
Absolute Vodka £2.65(30ml)
Boddingtons draught beer at £3.10 (for a pint)
Cocktails about £4.00 (they do vary but nothing more than £4.50)
I obtained a full price list so if anyone would like to know the prices of drinks on board call me on 0800- 408 – 6159
Excursions :
There Is a wide choice of excursions you can do whilst on your cruise, you can do either with the ship OR on your own. When we were in The Orkney Island’s Scotland we had the chance to experience one of them which was to Skara Brea and Skaill House which was very interesting. We also went to Bergen Norway, goodness what a beautiful and scenic place, you can take a cable train ride to the top of Mount Floyen (cost of ticket is about £7 sterling) which is 320meters above sea level, where you can admire the wonderful panoramic views of Bergen and the magnificent surrounding landscape of the Fjords and mountains.
My Overall Opinion :
Absolutely excellent – this was one of the best cruises I’ve had. We all had a brilliant time and the group of Travel Agents that we joined were a brilliant bunch of people. I do have to say a special “Thank You” to John, Samantha, Kevin, Tom and Will from Fred Olsen. You were all excellent, friendly and very Informative. Thank You for letting us all have this experience. As you say you are a Family Operated Cruise Liner and now I know that for a fact you made us all feel very welcome and I will have the pleasure of cruising with you again.
If anyone has any question please let me know either email me directly or call me on 0800 408 6159
6 Comments on “My Cruise on the Boudicca with Fred Olsen.”
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About Me
My name is Michelle Fennelly and I have over 28 years of experience in the travel industry and cruising is my passion. I have worked for Cruise.co.uk for the last 6yrs which I absolutely love, before then I have worked for Air200 – Airtours / MyTravel – Tomas Cook. I…
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Dont sell anyone a cabin on deck three at rear of ship, as they are very noisy
I LOVE Fred Olsens 4 night cruise to Bergen which Ive done five times just because its a great short break from Rosyth, returning to Newcastle, coach back to Edinburgh. Everything goes like clockwork – exellent organisation and fabulous itinery, ship, cabin comfort, food, staff all great. Much prefer smaller cruise ship when I go with my mum as its easier for her to get around. Recommend excursion to Italian Chapel and Highland Park Distillery on Orkney – so interesting and different. Will be on board again next year.
Thank you so much,we have now made our minds up,we are going to try Fred Olsen,we have had ten cruises with P&O,and were so dissapointed on Ventura last Chritmas
Hi Anonymous…
That’s excellent to hear. It’s good for other passengers to read how organised that Fred Olsen are and how they look after their passengers and make life so easy.
Next time I’ll have to try that excursion you have suggested sounds very interesting.
Any more tips you are very welcome to comment
Thank you Michelle
Hi nige me boy
They are an excellent cruise liner, you will not be disappointed at all, their service and standards were excellent.
Call me on 0800- 408 6159 and I can check availability for you.
Would be glad to help
Michelle
Michelle, the whole Olsen fleet is charming. Each ship is different, being ‘smaller’, intimate and very friendly. (Although Boudicca is identical ship to Black Watch, although the decor is different).
Malcolm Oliver