Fred Olsen Braemar Reviews

Having used this cruise line and this ship on 5 occasions we can honestly say that it is without doubt the best we have ever used... Because of its rather small size it can access bays and ports not used by the giant cruise ships that have thousands of passengers. Having only about 850 passengers on average and with a ratio of almost 3 passengers per member of the crew you are looked after like royalty. Brilliant food and first class service give you the holiday you would expect if they charged you double. We have every confidence that if you try this, or indead any of Freds fleet, you will not be dissapointed.

My wife and I took a 2nd cruise on the 11th August to the Med, the food , cabin crew and ship were excellent. However the Client age group being over 75 on average did not allow us to have a good experience. The Novovirus attack didn't help , we were OK but affected the food service and put an atmosphere on board. The entertainment was repetative and we were not encouraged to enjoy ourselves. We are 63 but felt sorry for the small number of children and teenagers on board. The Children's room , also for the dates was an afterthought in the bowel of the ship with zero atmosphere, can't space be made for darts in the so called Pub? Not the cruises fault but some people were in the same clothes for 14 days. The embarkation and disembarkation was very efficient and we were on and off board with bags within an hour. Need to do something to attract a wider age range or it will remain a floating old peoples home.

This was our first cruise and it will certainly not our last. We were recommended Fred Olsen by a friend and were very impressed. The food was superb readily available with exquisite attention to detail, nothing was too much trouble. All the staff and crew were polite and very professional in there duties. Fred Olsen tend to cater for the more mature traveller so onboard entertainment tends to be pitch at this age group, my partner and I are in our fifties and found the daytime emtertainment a bit mediocre. The evening entertainment was much more comprehensive.

We had the most wonderful cruise to Madeira, Canaries and Portugal. Our superior outside cabin was surprisingly spacious and very well equipped. The best thing about the experience was the staff. The service was attentive and professional, without being formal. The food was excellent, with lots of choice at every meal. We enjoyed "dressing up " for the three formal nights but there was a nice balance of casual and informal nights as well and anyone who did not want to participate in the formal option could opt out by going to a casual retaurant for the evening. We loved the size of the ship which was just right for us, being less than a thousand passengers. We hope to cruise again next year.

My wife and I have just come back from the Canary Island cruise M1109 on the Braemar. It was the first time we have travelled on a Fred Olsen ship and we enjoyed it.  Parking the car at Dover was easy, no lugging of suitcases about. First impression of the Cabin, Superior outside with picture window, good just a couple of niggles: no refrigerator, not enough drawer space and beds not wide enough. However the cabin was light and well appointed including a must for us, tea making equipment. The bathroom and shower were OK although the toilet packed up three times on the first three days but was dealt with quickly on each occasion.  All the staff were courteous and friendly and as my wife had to have a stick as a result of a broken ankle they were always on hand to help out at mealtimes. As usual on cruise ships you can find something to eat most hours of the day if you wanted it my wife liked the afternoon teas. We had our breakfast and lunch in the self service Palms Cafe most days. At breakfast they fry the eggs while you wait as opposed to ordering them and having to wait in the other two restaurants. The meals and service were excellent in the Thistle restaurant.  We found the the passenger age profile was just right for us, more elderly passengers which suited us. All the bars had plenty of seating as were the two lounges where the evening shows were held, the bar prices were reasonable.  The shows not quite as lavish as on some of the larger cruise ships we have been on, were very good considering the size of the ship. There is a library with a good selection of books and comfortable chairs to sit and read in and do the daily quiz and crossword. The shops are the usual boutique and jewellery unusually the shop which sells everyday goods is tucked away on Deck 7 and is not advertised anywhere.  Activities during the day for those wanting to participate, and a first for me, no fighting to get a chair on the sun deck when the sun was out in the Canaries. They have a "no reserving sun beds or seats in the lounges" policy which we like, some people still do of course. I found the three days formal and three informal dress with the rest casual to be the right balance.  Tips and gratuties: we don't like the idea of having a lump sum added to our bill for this so we opted out and gave our cabin stewardess, restaurant waiter, his assistant and one of the waitresses in the bar our tips in cash.  As my wife was unable to walk far we were unable to go on any of the excursions, luckily most ports were close to the town or within easy reach with a shuttle bus.  Overall we really enjoyed this cruise and and due to the predominately older age group will definitely travel Fred Olsen again.

we sailed out of dover on a wet cold and windy tuesday night, not sure what to expect as this was our first cruise sailing to madeira then tenerife followed by 5 days at sea crossing over to the caribbean visting st maarten, tortola, st kitts,st lucia,and barbados. the food on board was very good the staff on board were exerlant always smiling and willing to help our cabin cleaner was grace she kept our cabin spotless and was always pleasent.the only down side was sometimes getting a sun bed people putting towles on them and going away for a longtime. another problem was getting into the neptune lounge after second sitting for supper as people from the first sitting would stay and not leave the seats.the price of drinks was very good .cabin size was ok only the shower was a bit small,we had a picture window and it was well worth paying a bit more.on our trip we had to miss st maarten as the sea swell was to high to get into port this was due to hurricane tomas which had gone through a week before our trip on st lucia was cancelled for the same reason. overall we had a exelant holiday and would recommend this cruise to anybody.

We were 'Cruise Virgins', having been persuaded to at least try a cruise. We opted for this one because friends had just returned from St Petersburg on Braemar, and spoke so highly of it. The cabins were first class and our cabin maid did everything for us. The 3 restaurants were wonderful; the food excellent, and our two waiters, Richard and Ricki, did everything asked of them, always with a smile. Everywhere was clean, the whole staff were most helpful and this is what made this trip so wonderful. We are looking at our next cruise with Fred Olsen - Norway perhaps!