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Is a Fred Olsen cruise getting too expensive.


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We have taken several cruises with Fred over the years (always in a Superior Suite on Braemar) but have also cruised with other companies in a similar sized or larger cabin. Although my wife loves cruising with Fred I am now beginning to realise that I can get much better deals and perks with other cruise lines. Am I alone in thinking that Fred is now charging too much for the product he offers.

Pugwash 123

Edited by Pugwash123
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We have taken several cruises with Fred over the years (always in a Superior Suite on Braemar) but have also cruised with other companies in a similar sized or larger cabin. Although my wife loves cruising with Fred I am now beginning to realise that I can get much better deals and perks with other cruise lines. Am I alone in thinking that Fred is now charging too much for the product he offers.

Pugwash 123

 

No, our thoughts are the same as yours.

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No, our thoughts are the same as yours.

 

To expand on my previous post:-

 

Thing is though, Fred has small ships, so does not have the economy of scale, and his ships have less scope for making money on extras like the on board spend takings. The main thing that is putting us off Fred though is the age and condition of the ships. Sprucing up the furnishings does not have appeal to us when the ships are showing age in other ways (e.g. vibration, smuts on deck, air con that always seems to leave a cabin too hot even when thermostat turned down). You can be lucky and miss these problems, but they seem to appear more often than they used to in our experience.

 

We would happily pay extra for a more modern ship, if the on board experience was good, as well as getting unusual itineraries, which is why we have chosen Fred in the past.

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We have taken several cruises with Fred over the years (always in a Superior Suite on Braemar) but have also cruised with other companies in a similar sized or larger cabin. Although my wife loves cruising with Fred I am now beginning to realise that I can get much better deals and perks with other cruise lines. Am I alone in thinking that Fred is now charging too much for the product he offers.

Pugwash 123

 

I agree, especially if like us you are not prepared to cruise with an inside cabin The price increase this year was unjustified even with the usual excuse of Brexit. In addition to that they have increased the price of the all inclusive package which used to make up in a small way for the extra cost compared to other cruise lines.

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We are paying more for an inside on Fred than we are for a balcony on P&O so yes I think the product is well overpriced.

 

They do however appear to be filing the ships so it is not likely to change anytime soon.

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Cruises will only be too expensive when Fred cannot fill their ships. Until then the price can continue to rise.

 

P and O must struggle to raise prices with all these big new ships to fill. There are some good deals on P and O.

 

I also wonder if Fred are trying to differentiate themselves from Cruise and Maritime. With their new bigger ships there are lots of cabins to fill at the cheaper end of the market.

 

Out of the UK on a UK based line it seems to be CMV, Fred Olsen, P and O, Cunard and Saga in increasing price. Special offers can change all that of course.

 

All of these other lines have newer ships or new ships on order. I wonder what Fred Olsen will do next.

 

 

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As a regular on Fred.Olsen ships I realise that they are more expensive that some other lines mainly due to the higher operating costs of much older ships. Having defected briefly to CMV I couldn't get back to Fred. quickly enough. There is no comparison.

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As a regular on Fred.Olsen ships I realise that they are more expensive that some other lines mainly due to the higher operating costs of much older ships. Having defected briefly to CMV I couldn't get back to Fred. quickly enough. There is no comparison.

 

We also tried CMV a couple of years agao (their itineraries are much better than Fred's regards less visited ports). After that three or four night mini cruise, we also decided they were not for us - though on that occasion the boat was OK as a North Sea ferry, which gave us long times in both Antwerp and Amsterdam. We have also found Fred is not doing many of the late nights he used to do and when he does, we have had formals put on those nights, which is a real pain.

 

There are other cruise lines out there though. We have gone to P&O for our most recently booked cruise (good deal and lots of ports as it is a fly cruise Med) and we have got a three night mini cruise from Hamburg to Southampton on MSC in early September (£199pp for a very large balcony overlooking the back of the ship and it was not a guarantee fare either). Do not see MSC as being our way forward, but well worth a try for that price. We would definitely want a balcony on those big ships though.

 

Overall we are looking more at land holidays (or holidays that combine cruises with land stays) - it is great when the sea is rough and you do not feel sea sick :)

Edited by tring
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We also tried CMV once (there itineraries are much better than Fred's regards less visited ports). After that three night mini cruise, we also decided they were not for us - though on that occasion the boat was OK as a North Sea ferry, which gave us long times in both Antwerp and Amsterdam. We have also found Fred is not doing many of the late nights he used to do and when he does, we have had formals put on those nights, which is a real pain.

 

There are other cruise lines out there though. We have gone to P&O for our most recently booked cruise (good deal and lots of ports as it is a fly cruise Med) and we have got a three night mini cruise from Hamburg to Southampton on MSC in early September (£199pp for a very large balcony overlooking the back of the ship and it was not a guarantee fare either). Do not see MSC as being our way forward, but well worth a try for that price. We would definitely want a balcony on those big ships though.

 

Our latest non Fred Olsen cruise was with Viking Oceans. The ship itself was magnificent and never seemed overcrowded even when the weather was inclement and everyone was inside. The up front price was higher than Fred's but worked out to be comparable once you added on all the extras that were complimentary on Viking Oceans. So why are we now back with Fred?? The answer is that the dining arrangements did not suit us and the ship lacked the friendly atmosphere we have always found on Braemar. We have 2 cruises booked with Fred and I am hoping that Fred Olsen experience has not diminished since our last cruise on Braemar, otherwise we may be tempted to try another cruise line or even give up cruising altogether.

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Have you seen the Fed Olsen launch for their River Cruises - out today 25th May. WOW!!!

 

The price is similar to other cruises on the big Rivers ........BUT!!!!

 

No included excursions - which many of the competitors do include.

 

No wine with Lunch and Dinner as with other river cruise lines. :o:confused::(

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We have been FO fans - we like the small ships rather than those mega 3500 and over ships.

 

However we have discovered this week that for our next FO cruise in July we could have got a much better deal than that offered via booking on board and with "Oceans" membership discounts.

 

SAGA are offering a package deal which includes: VIP Door to Door transfer to and from the ship, The drinks package and inclusive travel insurance or if you have this latter; another £48 off the price. This fare is similar to the one we are paying!! Although we have had to book car park at Newcastle for £142(n) :mad:

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I agree, especially if like us you are not prepared to cruise with an inside cabin The price increase this year was unjustified even with the usual excuse of Brexit. In addition to that they have increased the price of the all inclusive package which used to make up in a small way for the extra cost compared to other cruise lines.

 

 

where can you get a all a drinks package for £10 per day per person. On a recent RC cruise this was over £35!!!!!

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where can you get a all a drinks package for £10 per day per person. On a recent RC cruise this was over £35!!!!!

 

Fred has put the drinks package up to £15 per day (£30 per cabin as all passengers in a cabin have to be on the drinks package). We do not drink a lot but do enjoy a good bottle of wine with dinner and the drinks package allows us to buy a premium bottle of wine for half price, this coupled with a glass of house wine at lunch and a beer or something in the evening meant the £20 a day was good value. To maintain the same level of value for the new £15 charge we may need to have two glasses of wine at lunch and an extra drink in the evening. Our only experience of other cruise line drinks packages is the Celebrity cruises premium package which although more expensive offered more choice and included premium coffees. I thought the Celebrity package was good value for money.

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Have you seen the Fed Olsen launch for their River Cruises - out today 25th May. WOW!!!

 

The price is similar to other cruises on the big Rivers ........BUT!!!!

 

No included excursions - which many of the competitors do include.

 

No wine with Lunch and Dinner as with other river cruise lines. :o:confused::(

 

We have done 3 river cruises, two with Scenic and one with Uniworld. Our Fred Olsen brochure arrived this morning and I immediately consigned it to the recycle bin. Perhaps Fred is hoping that his loyal cruising passengers will take up his river cruises without bothering to check what the established river cruise companies are offering.

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We keep coming back to Fred. because they keep tempting us with interesting itineries (platinum too, now, so we'll get more off the onboard spend!). But that doesn't say we think the cruise experience with them is the best on offer.

We have actually preferred some of the other lines we've tried, where it's also easier and less costly to have a balcony, (they include Cunard, P&O, NCL, Viking, Royal Star, Celebrity) but it's all subjective of course, so there's no point in saying which is our favourite.

We have done a lot of land based holidays and tours too, and still do so, but also enjoy cruising.

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We keep coming back to Fred. because they keep tempting us with interesting itineries (platinum too, now, so we'll get more off the onboard spend!). But that doesn't say we think the cruise experience with them is the best on offer.

We have actually preferred some of the other lines we've tried, where it's also easier and less costly to have a balcony, (they include Cunard, P&O, NCL, Viking, Royal Star, Celebrity) but it's all subjective of course, so there's no point in saying which is our favourite.

We have done a lot of land based holidays and tours too, and still do so, but also enjoy cruising.

 

We keep coming back to Fred because my wife loves Braemar and every time I persuade her to try a different cruise line there is always something she doesn't like about it, consequently we only ever do one cruise with each alternative cruise line and I get to feel guilty for persuading her to try them. We first cruised on Braemar when it was operated by Cunard as Crown Dynasty and was a relatively new ship. I personally find that the Fred Olsen experience is not what it once was but if I want to keep the wife happy then it has to be Fred Olsen and it has to be Braemar.

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We keep coming back to Fred because my wife loves Braemar and every time I persuade her to try a different cruise line there is always something she doesn't like about it, consequently we only ever do one cruise with each alternative cruise line and I get to feel guilty for persuading her to try them. We first cruised on Braemar when it was operated by Cunard as Crown Dynasty and was a relatively new ship. I personally find that the Fred Olsen experience is not what it once was but if I want to keep the wife happy then it has to be Fred Olsen and it has to be Braemar.

 

Good man. You have obviously been very well trained clear.png?emoji-smile-1742

 

I wish my training abilities were as good as your wife's.

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Our first cruise was on Braemar. Since then we have cruised mostly with P&O, once with Cunard and another short cruise with Fred on Black Watch. We thoroughly enjoyed our Braemar cruise and it was responsible for the beginning of our cruise holidays - we have now been on over 20 cruises, since 2003. A friend who had been on Braemar and also loved it, recommended P&O saying they got a much better cabin for less money. I agree with what some people are saying. We do find we get more for our money with P&O - a larger cabin, a selection of other dining options and more entertainment. We are going back on Braemar this Autumn so it will be interesting how we feel to be back on her - she has been 'stretched' since our first cruise. We are in the very same cabin, which at the time we thought amazing. It was a Balcony Suite. I still have the diary I kept over the cruise in the Caribbean and I wrote how amazing we thought the cabin was. Since then we have had both mini suites and suites on P&O and we have got used to the extra space.

 

Our Autumn cruise is only 10 days but I think it will be long enough for us to see whether we could contemplate a longer cruise with Fred Olsen. My thoughts before returning are probably not. I think we have got used to having more things to do as well as more space. I may be wrong, it will be interesting to see. I will write a review when we return.

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  • 2 months later...

We have yet to cruise with Fred because whenever I look (holiday research, booking etc is, apparently my job LOL), they are shockingly more expensive than Celebrity (our line so far) with old ships, cabins with single beds bolted to the floor and little by way of good balconies. The reason I keep going back to look at Fred is that we live a 30 minute drive from Newcastle port and a 9-hour drive from .Southampton. Also, we are looking to cruise to Norway and Iceland and it makes little sense to travel away from our local area which is nearer to it.

 

 

I see now (thanks to a poster on a neighbouring thread, that Thompson are now cruising from the North of England, finally giving Fred some competition. I haven't really fancied Thompson either previously, but looking at their ship Discovery (the one sailing from Newcastle next year), I'm suprisingly impressed by what I see.

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Is Fred Olsen more expensive than other cruise lines? Not sure we have noticed that, but then we have been making use of their deals during the last two years. Three cruises for the price of two last year and as "silver" members in the FO loyalty system we qualify for discounts when booking. It is worth mentioning that their gratuities at £4.50 per day per passenger are a huge saving on the so called "super cruise lines".

There is also huge competition for sailings from Southampton due to the number of cruise lines sailing from there, to pretty well the same destinations [ The Med - Canaries - Spain and various mixes of those] and therefore they are competing hard for the business.

We have wanted to try Celebrity following several recommendations and indeed we have secured a good deal in October to the Canaries [where unfortunately, we have cruised to before] - free valet car park and free drinks package - which does underline my point about competition. We are having to look at "fly cruises" now as we have run out of new itineraries starting from the UK.

We do like the "Fred" package - small ships with absolutely friendly atmosphere, the crew get to know your names pretty quickly which is not so on the larger ships. However, waiting for the Thomson [soon to be replaced with TUI Cruises] and one of the "Discoveries" to be based in Newcastle would be good. We started with them and also like their product - not forgetting NO GRATUITIES and ALL INCLUSIVE - give it a try would be my advice - BUT NOT DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!!!!

Edited by gilmahcroft
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A Thomaon ship in the school holidays would be the 11th circle of hell as far as I am concerned, surprised Dante did not include it.

 

Joking aside Thomson will take some of Fred's custom.

I don't go to a shopping centre in the school holidays, let alone on a cruise!
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  • 3 weeks later...

This topic, of cruises getting more expensive, is something that I had on my mind the last year. We've mostly sailed with Thomson, though have also cruised with P&O, CMV and Costa (now there's a line to avoid in school holidays! ;-) ), and I've been thinking This topic, of cruises getting more expensive, is something that I had on my mind the last year. We've mostly sailed with Thomson, though have also cruised with P&O, CMV and Costa (now there's a line to avoid in school holidays! ;-) ), and I've been thinkibg the very same but about thomson: the cost of their cruises is going up and up and looking poorer value compared to other lines.

 

We have always preferred Thomson to P&O etc as we like smaller, friendlier ships. The move towards bigger ships (e.g. Discovery as mentioned above) worries me as well. We're sailing on Braemar next week for the first time so it'll be an interesting comparison. In the past FO cruises seemed expensive to me compared to Thomson but that situation seems to be reversing (note we aren't booking balconies or suites)...the very same but about thomson: the cost of their cruises is going up and up and looking poorer value compared to other lines.

 

We have always preferred Thomson to P&O etc as we like smaller, friendlier ships. The move towards bigger ships (e.g. Discovery as mentioned above) worries me as well. We're sailing on Braemar next week for the first time so it'll. e an interesting comparison. In the past FO cruises seemed expensive to me compared to Thomson but that situation seems to be reversing (note we aren't booking balconies or suites)...

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This topic, of cruises getting more expensive, is something that I had on my mind the last year. We've mostly sailed with Thomson, though have also cruised with P&O, CMV and Costa (now there's a line to avoid in school holidays! ;-) ), and I've been thinking This topic, of cruises getting more expensive, is something that I had on my mind the last year. We've mostly sailed with Thomson, though have also cruised with P&O, CMV and Costa (now there's a line to avoid in school holidays! ;-) ), and I've been thinkibg the very same but about thomson: the cost of their cruises is going up and up and looking poorer value compared to other lines.

 

We have always preferred Thomson to P&O etc as we like smaller, friendlier ships. The move towards bigger ships (e.g. Discovery as mentioned above) worries me as well. We're sailing on Braemar next week for the first time so it'll be an interesting comparison. In the past FO cruises seemed expensive to me compared to Thomson but that situation seems to be reversing (note we aren't booking balconies or suites)...the very same but about thomson: the cost of their cruises is going up and up and looking poorer value compared to other lines.

 

We have always preferred Thomson to P&O etc as we like smaller, friendlier ships. The move towards bigger ships (e.g. Discovery as mentioned above) worries me as well. We're sailing on Braemar next week for the first time so it'll. e an interesting comparison. In the past FO cruises seemed expensive to me compared to Thomson but that situation seems to be reversing (note we aren't booking balconies or suites)...

 

If you like smaller ships and friendly service you will love Braemar. Do let us know how you rate Fred to Thomson when you get back.

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