Eglesbrech

As discussed on the Fred board there have been a number of subtle changes since the new CEO came into post. As many lines look to cut lots of extras, the only way Fred can perhaps differentiate themselves from the newer, better furbished ships with extra restaurants / activities/ balcony cabins etc is food, service and those little extra touches. Fred has always seemed to attract an older demographic and perhaps they need to embrace that, they just can’t compete for young families. They can’t compete with P&O on the style of the ships or indeed on price but they can by retaining some of the more traditional elements of cruising.. P&O have made it clear they are looking for the younger demographic on their new ships and have tailored what they offer to this demographic. Fred seem to be going after older special interest cruisers and offering more unusual itinerary’s to attract them.

@jeanlyon how is the holiday going? Hope you are enjoying it.

La Courouna the pretty old town is right opposite the ship with nice one off shops, tapas bars etc. just go across the main road and you are there. The new town with the bigger department stores is off to the left of you if you have your back to the ship. Ships generally offer tours to Santiago de Comastella from here which is lovely to visit. La Rochellle is an industrial port so everyone needs a shuttle which takes about 25 to 30 minutes each way traffic dependant. Just your luck which drop off you get on the day. We love it here and I can highly recommend Bar Andre on the harbour near the tower if you like seafood. There are lots of lovely shops, cafes and people watching opportunities. Most lines also offer a trio to Conac which is also a nice day out. Bilboa is a long shuttle if the traffic is bad but the drop off point is usually near the Guggenheim which is lovely to see if you haven’t been before. The little local town is up the hill and you can’t actually see it from the ships berth. Walk along the beach promenade (left at the end of the walk from the ship) and about 10 minutes along on the right is a funicular that takes you up into Gextco (which is now free of charge to use). The town is small but there are some shops and local tapas which is exceptionally cheap. We had 2 nice local beers and 3 tapas for under 10 euro. There are also some bars and tapas at the harbour if you are not a walker. The metro station to Bilbao is also there.

@Bin manYes. It a small town but has lots of interesting old buildings to wander around and see. If the market is on then lots to mooch around there too, not just food. For me the highlight was trying some really authentic local cuisine. Follow the locals at lunch time and you can’t go wrong. We ended up in a place called La Pia which had a very small menu but did an absolutely brilliant version of Farinata. It’s just a small cafe in a back street but well known for this particular food. We also stopped off for cheese and wine in a pavement cafe. It served all local cheeses and wines. Lots of places to choose from, enjoy a glass and people watch. If you just want a quiet day, strolling, admiring the scenery and trying good food / wine then yes a great day locally. When we were there last you were not allowed to walk through the port but it was a two minute shuttle drop off and right into the main promenade area. They were doing work so you may just be able to walk in now, it’s not far at all.

That is the one I was looking at and it defiantly says Amsterdam and not Imugen. You would think that if was going to change it would have done so by now.

Quick question. Do P&O still go into central Amsterdam?

Yes, I wouldn’t enjoy eating at that time of the night. Like you we enjoyed the entertainment and they did well to keeping going through the rough day in the Bay of Biscay. A lot of very ill passengers. Some of the waiting staff looked a little green as well, poor souls.

I’m curious, did you eat early? We sat in Anderson’s mist night sand every second person had a pager but that was 7.30 or later.

It’s raining men / the weather girls Why does it always rain on me / Travis (watch the Glastonbury video)

Le Harve is walkable if you dock in the normal port and dont mind a 20 minute stroll into town. The shuttle for most ships drop off in the centre and you miss some of the nicer shops on the way in. It’s not the prettiest city IMO but there are some nice pavement cafes to sit and people watch. La Courouna the pretty old town is right opposite the ship with nice one off shops, tapas bars etc. just go across the main road and you are there. The new town with the bigger department stores is off to the left of you have your back to the ship. La Rochellle is an industrial port so everyone needs a shuttle which takes about 25 to 30 minutes each way traffic dependant. Just your luck which drop off you get on the day. We love it here and I can highly recommend Bar Andre on the harbour near the tower if you like seafood. Most lines also offer a trio to Conac which is also a nice day out. Bilboa is a long shuttle if the traffic is bad but the drop off point is usually near the Guggenheim which is lovely to see if you haven’t been before. The little local town is up the hill and you can’t actually see it. Walk along the beach promenade (left at the end of the walk from the ship) and about 10 minutes along on the right is a funicular that takes you up into Gextco which is now free. The town is small but there are some shops and local tapas which is exceptionally cheap. We had 2 nice local beers and 3 tapas for under 10 euro. There are also some bars and tapas at the harbour if you are not a walker.

Yes La Rochelle is always a favourite of ours. I think some of the issues on this cruise stemmed from it being completely full and staff being diverted to the H&S audit. We tend to eat later so I would never go at 6pm as, if we were called quickly, it would not suit me to eat then. I’m sure people who went at that time and got the first tables of the evening would be fine but for later diners there was certainly a long wait. I found the food strange as there were some things in the MDR that were really rather good but others that just were just not. Curates egg really.

We did the Ireland round trip last year and it was brilliant. We really enjoyed both the ports and the scenic part as well. We paid nothing like that price, they must have really ramped it up. We did however book when the drinks package was included. Perhaps worth a phone call to see if they can do anything for you price wise. All they can say is no.

Craghoppers do double layer trousers with a fleece lining and waterproof outer layer. They do them in long regulat and short lengths so handy. They are very cosy and less of a faff than longjohns and trousers.

We have only ever travelled in the MSC Yacht Club so I can’t comment on the MDR food. Hope you’re wife,s dentist managed the broken tooth. Never good.

If you can get bookings for them. 😀