ann141

There was line dancing on Bolette in January 2023

We have done 2 cruises on Britannia round the Caribbean and loved them both .We find the cruise very relaxing as islands are fairly close to each other and you can usually just wander off by yourself at each port.You may need a taxi to go to a nice beach but there are lots of minibus taxis waiting to take you to the beach or for a tour of the island. We love the wildlife and the scenery and the weather is usually great- warm but not too humid.

9 hours ago, molecrochip said:

The problems is that the cruise lines book with the port authority 3-4 years ahead.

 

The local or national law bodies then create new laws restricting numbers of ships or passengers and this creates a massive problem.

 

Inevitably, this is a local issue for port authorities to resolve with their local or national bodies.

 

As I’ve said before, it’s for the port authority to cancel so that the cruise line don’t incur cancellation fees hence why it’s so late on.

We are on the 35 night cruise in February 2024 and it is still showing Key West as a port of call. I can now understand why P and O won't want to cancel it at the moment but could they perhaps have talks with the port authorities in Key West and at least have an idea of a possible substitute port. It seems unfair to keep advertising Key West as a port of call when it's highly likely that it will be cancelled at the last minute 

4 hours ago, mike x ftc said:

We have also just booked Bolette for our first Fred experience, do they have formal nights??

Yes. We had 3 formal nights on our 14 night cruise 

3 hours ago, steveso said:

I'm cruising with P and O in June and the initial e mail says that you may need to show evidence of travel insurance with a schedule in your name.

 

I have annual travel insurance through an HSBC credit card and so all I would normally have is the annual policy booklet they send out which has no personalisation. Does anyone know if you must have a personalised insurance schedule to board? (If so I imagine I can request one but never needed this before).

 

 

We also have travel insurance with HSBC and have downloaded a letter from the HSBC website ( once we have logged in)The letter includes names and says the policy covers covid and cruises.Enjoy your cruise 

When we sailed on Bolette a couple of weeks ago a buffet lunch was provided until 3pm🙂

We have just returned from a lovely cruise onboard Bolette. The crew were friendly, polite and service was good.Would not hesitate to book with Fred again 

44 minutes ago, happy v said:

I can't see this being hugely popular. Two weeks to and you only visit Liverpool and Scotland

I think there will be excursions from Liverpool to the lake District and north Wales as well as places nearer to Liverpool like Chester and Southport.There is a lot to see in Liverpool as well and the fact the terminal is a short walk from the centre makes it popular with passengers and crew.

54 minutes ago, david05 said:

Although it doesn't matter to us, I have just realised that there are still no dance teachers or dance hosts on board.

There were 2 dance teachers ( though no hosts) onboard Spirit of Discovery on our cruise in November 

14 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

The Boudicca, the Black Watch and the Braemar are all gone... What next? 

 

This was the cold lonely passenger-less Bolette waiting in Dover last week for better times and enough cruisers to justify sailing again.

 

 

What a difference a year makes. Only about nine months ago FOCLs issued a press release announcing a "bumper January as sales return to pre-pandemic levels," "a fresh wave of optimism" and that FOCLs was looking forward to a successful season of cruising as we sail into the summer months and beyond.” 

 

Hindsight is a great thing... but how on earth have FOCL's managed in only ten months to go from "bumper sales" and a "wave of optimism" to losing their chairman, laying up the Bolette due to lack of custom, selling off the most loved vessel in the fleet, cutting 25% of the fleet's capacity, losing money hand over fist and being in debt by over £100,000,000?

 

There's no doubt that FOCLs still has some of "Fred's" loyal "fan-base" but the plain facts are that there's just not enough people "wed to Fred" who are willing to cruise often enough or pay out for the more expensive cabins and add-ons to keep even three FOCLs ships cruising at the moment... let alone four.

 

 

Sadly... FOCLs is no longer the "Fred" that so many of us knew and loved.

You mention Bolette at Dover waiting for enough passengers to sail on her again. I have a cruise booked on her in January so I hope she will be sailing!

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Very sorry for those affected by this disposal but sadly not a surprise. Once Fred announced she was going to remain in lay-up for an extended period, I thought it quite likely that she would not return. From what I have read, it seems that the two 'new' ships rarely sail full, so I guess Fred hopes that pax will swap over to one of them.

To add some balance to this thread, I would love to try out Bolette but the only affordable fares for a solo are last-minute ones, by which time I have normally made other plans. If anyone from Fred is reading this - PLEASE adopt decent launch prices and then I - and others may well be tempted to try you again...

Bolette sailing on 3 Jan to the canary islands has a solo offer on plus a £200 discount. We booked a couple of months ago at a good price and are looking forward to seeing how she compares to Borealis which we have sailed on previously and like

6 hours ago, LandC said:

I agree.  It will very disappointing if the library disappears, but if Saga don’t intend to restock the library they should say so.  

I wonder if a previous poster is correct that the previous book supplier has gone bust? Saga may be trying to source books elsewhere . If that is the case there may be books in the near future 

I was told that because there are no books in the library there is now a book club onboard. I attended  it on our recent cruise and we were each given a copy of a book to read and a meeting later on to discuss the book.Not the same as lots of books to choose from but I enjoyed the book club

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

That's interesting, Ann.  Is that SoD?  We have friends on her, returning tomorrow, and they switched away from many, many years of P&O to Saga two or three years back.  They were the ones who first recommended P&O to us (and a certain excellent travel agent) but now they actively dissuade people from P&O.  How things change - they were very wary indeed of Saga when they made the move, but now won't cruise with anyone else, and they cruise a lot!

Yes. We are on Spirit of Discovery returning to Southampton. Saga have exceeded our expectations though we will still cruise with other companies including p and o

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

It is indeed true that most of the pubs and restaurants that we go to are struggling with staff recruitment and retention. It also seems to be a rarity if all menu items are available. With a one off meal out costing £50 it’s just a minor irritant, but on a cruise costing a few thousand pounds I think I’d be less understanding. 
 

The addition of Iona seems to have stretched P&Os resources to the limit and, like others, I’m wondering how on earth they will cope once Our Vera is added into the mix. 
 

Out of interest, are these staff shortage issues unique to P&O, or are all other cruise lines experiencing the same problems?

We are coming to the end of our first Saga cruise and have been really impressed with the staff. No shortage as far as I can tell and the Captain told us that 95% of the pre covid crew are now back working for Saga.They all seem happy and I think Saga treat them well which contributes to this

2 hours ago, Caullkhead said:

Hoping @ann141 your Mum’s funeral went well. Thinking of you today. 

Thank you.Always sad to say a final goodbye but it was a special day of sharing memories about Mum and a chance to meet up with the wider family scattered around the UK. We have promised to meet up more frequently rather than just at Weddings and funerals

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Seems awful, but we went to the funeral of one of our neighbours today,  and had a  good time. 

Our neighbour was a lovely chap, full of fun, enjoyed a chat, socialising, organising events etc. An all round good bloke. Sadly, he was not so well in the last few months. 

So, a very nice "Humanist " service,  and then to the pub for beer, sandwiches and chips, (and the odd tear). 

Lots of reminiscing,  lots of laughter, and lots of sadness. 

God speed.

 

It's my Mum's funeral on Monday and I hope people will feel similar to how you feel afterwards 

23 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

I'll answer, since I always read but don't post too often and so am aware that this thread would probably die if more were like me, and I'd be very sorry about that since it's often my go-to place for a smile, an unexpected tip, tempting photos of Graham and Pauline's meals (or snacks by the beach) - but who is 'our Sarah?', Brian's travels to and from Italy, which make me a tad jealous, Avril's wise words (although I was shocked that she was not a tea drinker 😉) and so many more facets of your/our lives.

 

Today's useful tip was the Waitrose slots, so thank you Indiana 123.  I still do Wordle every day and have done since I first read about it here (Eddie?) plus Quordle and, never having even thought about one previously, am now seriously considering an Air Fryer!  

 

Like you Michelle, I'm in Lancashire, but south west Lancashire so not a near neighbour, but nevertheless have had wet and windy conditions all day, accompanied by regular power cuts (I refuse to say 'outages'!).  The first were when I was with a physiotherapist this morning and then they continued as I tried to bake a steak pie (home made filling but bought pastry) and apple turnovers (yum - but I've just checked the calorie content of the all-butter flaky pastry before succumbing to the piece of chocolate I was about to grab 😔).

 

It is now 8 weeks since my full shoulder replacement following my disastrous trip on the bathroom step of my Celebrity Silhouette cabin on the penultimate day of my late July Fjords cruise, and what a souvenir!  I had wonderful NHS treatment at Southport hospital and can expect decent mobility again in time ..... but right now, my neck hurts following the physio, and tomorrow I take delivery of a 'gym ball', something I never expected to buy!

 

I've rambled and now I'll close and make a healthy salad for tea, or, given the weather, salad sandwiches and a mug of tea.  Thanks to all of you who do keep this thread alive.  I really do appreciate it.  

Thank you for your post. Glad you are recovering after surgery. My Mum is in Southport hospital at the moment and we are happy with the treatment she is receiving. My sister who is visiting her from Oxford managed to go into Southport Boots this morning and have both her flu and covid jabs which is great. I too have booked my Waitrose Christmas slot and our nearest branch Sheffield still had a few slots free for 24 December so I booked one!

On 8/30/2022 at 8:46 PM, jeanlyon said:

 My friend has just returned from a British Isles cruise on Bolette and absolutely loved it.  She said the food was great, the entertainment was good and she had a great time.  Think we will have to give it a try.

We have just booked a cruise on Bolette for January 2023.It will be interesting to see how she compares to Borealis which we sailed on last April and enjoyed.

I am hoping that the winter cruises on Bolette won't be cancelled as we have just booked on the Escape to the Canaries on 3 January.We are not particularly loyal to any one cruise company and  mainly choose cruises based on the Itinerary though the price is a factor too.I wanted a warm destination cruise in January sailing from the UK.My preferred option was for the sailing on Borealis from Liverpool as it is easier to get to than Southampton from where we live.However the price for a Terrace cabin on Bolette dropped by a lot today so we decided to book that.Disappointing for others who may have booked at a higher price but still revenue for Fred.I won't look at the prices now that we have booked but am pleased with the price we have paid.

On 9/1/2022 at 1:45 PM, ann141 said:

After lots of people feeling that Fred s cruise are overpriced, I noticed this morning that the prices for early next year have increased and saver fares unavailable. I don't know if it's a blip or wonder if the prices have been increased and then there will be a free drinks offer or similar. I was hoping that prices would get lower not higher!

Free drinks offer is back which helps explain the price rise a week or so before the offer.

2 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

We find that FOCLs prices are some of the most confusing and opaque in the industry. We find that checking them out is like being on a mad roller-coaster. However, in this case, like the boy who called 'wolf'  FOCLs may have done themselves in!

 

For instance... the 3 Jan cruise 'Winter Warmth Cruse in the Canaries' which is now listed with a starting price of £1,599, started at £1,799 for a saver fare last May. It's true that the saver fare has gone... but the freedom fare is now £200 less than the saver fare had been. The saver fare with its onerous restrictions seems to have been ditched. The original price has been very heavily discounted.

 

And the 17 January cruise "Mediterranean Islands with Cyprus" is now selling at from £2,099 compared with from £2,399 last May. Again... the freedom fare is now £300 less than the saver fare had been and the saver fare with its onerous restrictions seems to have been ditched. The original price has been very heavily discounted.

 

All of the long cruises seem to start at the same price.

 

Currently FOCLs is having to take the Bolette out of service for two months because it can't afford to run it with so few bookings, in early November this year the only FOCLs, ship cruising with be the Balmoral, the Company has a shed-load of debt, no Chairman and has made a considerable loss over the first six months of this year. 

 

It may be that FOCLs are now discounting but their pricing policy and 'offers' over the years has confused so many people for so long that, it's become difficult to see when prices are lowered.

 

Goodness know what FOCLs prices will do in the next few weeks or months... perhaps that's why the company is having to spend millions on taking the Bolette out of service for a couple of because it can sell enough cruises to economically sail.

Thank you. I have only been observing prices for a month or two so wasn't aware of the original prices, just what they were on sale for within the last couple of months  

1 minute ago, tiggertom said:

Just looking at the price of Around the world in 80 days, and it hasn’t increased much compared to the price it went on sale at in  March 2021 🤷‍♀️ . 

I have mainly been looking at the January cruises to the canaries and the one to Cyprus. Not sure why they have removed the Saver option as well as increased the price of the freedom fare? I will wait a few more weeks or months before booking or may end up booking a winter cruise with Saga or P and O

After lots of people feeling that Fred s cruise are overpriced, I noticed this morning that the prices for early next year have increased and saver fares unavailable. I don't know if it's a blip or wonder if the prices have been increased and then there will be a free drinks offer or similar. I was hoping that prices would get lower not higher!

9 minutes ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

 

We're in the same position but find it so sad that folks like us are not unusual.

 

In the last quarter of 2019, Fred had a capacity over the four ships with a total of about 3,879 passenger berths and he carried, on average about, 2,533 cruisers a day... an occupancy of about 65% at a time of the year that ships have been traditionally hard to fill.

 

In late October and the beginning of November this year FOCLs' will only have one ship out of the four in the fleet cruising. The Braemar will still be mothballed, the Borealis will be in dry dock and the Bolette will have been taken out of service for about two months due to lack of sales. So for a small part of the last quarter of this year, FOCLs will be operating only one ship, the Balmoral, which may well struggle to attract 1,000 passengers and she currently seems to be far from full. 

 

We had fancied the Balmoral's Northern Lights cruise but if we buy it now; the price will most probably drop or offers will be added before the Balmoral sails and we'll be left out of pocket. The current £100 "come-on" offer is so small as to be insignificant. 

 

We can have a like-for-like cabin on a far newer, smaller ship with a real theatre, a superb cabaret lounge, better entertainment, far better food, premium drinks, speciality restaurants, 24 hr room service, travel to and from the port, insurance and WIFI all included. Even Arctic parkas and ice grips are included in the price! In addition, we now know what excursions will be available, exactly when the ship is due to arrive and leave every port, have a guarantee that if the price drops we'll be fully refunded  and... will be compensated by 20% of the full cost of the cruise if it's cancelled. In addition we'll have a full refund of any money we've paid and a generous discount off any future cruise. 

 

And that's why, in these hard times, we've booked with one of FOCLs competitors.

We have probably booked the same Northern lights cruise as you from your description!We are interested in the Fred cruise to the Balkans next September but are not willing to pay the price knowing it is likely to be reduced nearer the time. I am hoping that Fred will bring back the 3 cruises for the price of 2 offer which I think would increase bookings