Advice please to a 'nearly newbie'

It is many years since we cruised with Fred, but wanting to have a no-fly cruise this autumn, from Southampton, perhaps someone would be willing to answer the following questions. We would probably be on Braemar.

Is it better to use an Agent or book direct with Fred? Agents seem to offer very little discount.

Are there 'guarantee' cabins at a lesser price sometimes available?

Are there likely to be price reductions/added incentives (like free parking) nearer the time of the cruise?

Is a DJ or dark suit essential for formal nights? Or might a dark sports jacket/tie do. Perhaps this would be OK in a casual restaurant if not the dining room. My husband has not needed his for several years now, and would prefer not to bring or wear it!

Thanks to anyone prepared to reply.

I think you would need at least a dark suit/tie for MDR on formal nights but, yes, you can use the self service without any sort of jacket.

You do not get the big discounts with agents now, but sometimes they offer little sweeteners on specific cruises. Personally we find it easier to book direct so you can ask questions direct to the company if you want to. On another cruise line I found it took longer to get correspondence if book through agent as letters are sent on through them, and it meant a later notification of a major itinerary change.

Who knows what discounts/guarantees may become available - depends on the cruise. I have noticed that less are being discounted to good prices now as Fred have been doing some good early offers, (e.g. 3 for price of 2), and of course there are disadvantages of late booking - check details on Fred's website as this differs with the different cruise lines. Their guarantee fares are called 'Anchor Fares'. You can search for current availability on Fred's website for a guide.

Braemar is our favourite Fred ship, but be aware it is far from the most stable vessel on the sea so we prefer an inside cabin near the centre of that ship. Seas can be rough in the autumn, but it is all chance.

Thanks, Tring. We have travelled on Braemar once, years ago, and did like it. We are never seasick, so do not need to have a cabin in a specific area. I will keep looking at the sites, to see if the cabins we would prefer remain with 'good' availability.

Hi Lincslady, we did the section Southampton to Hong Kong on Fred's Balmoral last year. I felt similarly re DJ/suit, in fact we were emigrating so didn't want to clog up useful luggage space with such. Consequently we dined in the casual restaurant every night and really enjoyed it - food + service were great ! Funnily enough a lot of folks would come in later, after eating in their assigned restaurant, to cadge yet more food (a testament to the quality ?) - amazing ! Anyway, I'd wear a shirt/polo shirt with chino trousers sort of thing, comfortable, casual and smart - did the job ! Happy cruising !

I agree with Tring. Previous cruise we booked direct with FO - for an upcoming cruise we have booked with agents. We got a discount - but to be honest, the hassle of having to correspond through agents, and the fact that if you try and ask FO a question, they refer you back to the agents means it really isn't worth the small discount that you get. We won't book with agents again - lesson learned.

I agree with Tring. Previous cruise we booked direct with FO - for an upcoming cruise we have booked with agents. We got a discount - but to be honest, the hassle of having to correspond through agents, and the fact that if you try and ask FO a question, they refer you back to the agents means it really isn't worth the small discount that you get. We won't book with agents again - lesson learned.

You should shop around for a decent agent. Many of them offer incentives to book with them, I have both dealt with Fred direct and through an agent, response time to questions is about the same.

Thanks to all for the information. We have time to book for October, so will hang on a bit. I must say the Anchor fares (not sure how much less they are) seem very restrictive compared with some other lines, and it must be annoying to find you could have paid less for the same trip and get no recompense. So we will wait a while - not so desperate to go that we will book yet. I imagine if any incentives come up it will be within a month or so of sailing date. Obviously always a risk, in case a cruise gets fully booked,but if you are not determined to go on a particular one or in a particular cabin type it can pay to wait.