twotravellersLondon

Sounds more like Spam Monday! But these things can be helpful... they let us know which companies to avoid like the plague.

We had very seriously enquired about a balcony cabin on this voyage and that's why we're so interested. Of course it was the Antarctic Peninsula that really appealed to us. We didn't book because we suspected that the itinerary would have to be changed. Today seemed to be a reasonable day... The Balmoral's arrival into the Bermuda Great Sound at around 8.30 am Bermuda time on Sunday morning was "challenging." Headwinds of 24 knots from the southwest, gusting up to 27 knots and waves up to 4 m in height certainly made skilled seamanship and a trusty tug highly necessary. But the captain did it... despite the Disney Wish having abandoned the attempt on the previous day. There were bright skies and 19˚C, the odd drop of rain and passengers were off and making their way up the quay by about 9.30 am Bermuda time. It clouded over later and the temps dropped to 17˚C. It was very definitely light jackets for many of those returning to the ship. As the Balmoral prepared to leave a few brave souls were bracing themselves against the weather viewing from the rails as the ship's flags were horizontal in the breeze, the gangplank was pulled in at 3.51 pm Bermuda time and the door was firmly closed a minute later. As the Balmoral sailed away it was surprising just how few people were out and about... we counted only a handful on the balconies on the upper two decks and there were far less than we expected on the prom deck. No wonder that FOCLs were trying to flog the cruise in the last couple of days before the Balmoral sailed. The Port of Bermuda webcam operator has been brilliant today scanning onto the ship and zooming in. Dozens of people have been watching at all time through the day and it would have been very easy to recognise friends and family on the quayside or on the decks... and even to hear announcements on the ship... if the wind hadn't been so strong. Perhaps the "joy" is still to come. Peru?

Bright and 5˚C here on the edge of the Downs. The plan for today was to sort out the ducting from the kitchen... but too cold to be stuck up a ladder!

On this "once-in-a-lifetime" "incredible voyage" "for the first time ever" that FOCLs "will be sailing to Antarctica," the Balmoral is currently in a near gale about 300 miles North East of Bermuda. The temperature is about 12C, the sea is rough and the windspeed is about 15 m/s or 34 knots and the wave height is over 3 m. The wind speed is predicted to reach 38 knots, gale force 8, overnight. The weather on Bermuda on Sunday is likely to be very breezy with winds of 20-28 mph and gusts of up to 38 mph with the odd chance of thundery rain. After so many rather choppy sea days, lots of people on board must be looking forward to shops, cafes, restaurants, museums, parks and tourist attractions in Bermuda and then, in a few days later, the delights of the Bahamas. And then, so much to look forward to... the Panama Canal, Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Patagonian Fjords, Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula... all of that "joy of the journey" just in the first half of this "expertly" "handcrafted" voyage!

I wanted to use a tiny little drone with a camera attachment just before covid. The answer from FOCLs was No! Not! Nooo! They explained that they would confiscate anything that transmitted radio signals and any type of drone or flying object. There was no guarantee that any item confiscated would be returned at the end of the cruise! Perhaps have a search for Cruise FAQ for "Fred Olsen Prohibited items" and you'd probably find that the situation is still the same today. If FOCLs has recently chainged its mind... it would be good to know. .

FOCLs "original" fleet included ships that had been extended by cutting the ship in half fitting a new mid-ship section and then sticking it all back together again. The problem was that while the accommodation had been increased it was difficult to extend the public areas like the show lounges or the main restaurants. FOCLs' answer was the "two populations." So one population would have first sitting and would move onto the entertainment lounges while the second population made their way to the main restaurants for dinner and, by the time that they moved onto the show lounges, the first siting would be all gone. So two dinner times and two shows... the idea was that everybody would be able to see the show... no booking required. Other things were worked around this system. The pianist in the lounge would play before first sitting dinner and again before second sitting dinner and so on. So there would also be a Captan's cocktail reception for first sitting and then again for second sitting.

The Balmoral is in now mid-Atlantic almost 1000 miles from the closest cruise ship. The Balmoral is doing a "bumpy" 18 knots in a strong breeze through rough seas in overcast conditions... but the weather is a tad warmer... about 17˚C. Personally we would have preferred the more southerly route similar to the one currently being taken by the MSC Poesia, the Arvia and the Ambience which are all about 1000 miles further South where the weather is warmer, brighter, the wind is less bracing and the seas are more moderate. But... the attractions of Bermuda may have swayed FOCLs team "hand crafting" these itinerates. Plenty of people on board will look forward to stretching their legs of terra firma after so many bumpy sea days. Some pretty high winds are expected on the approach to Kings Wharf on 14/15 January... with one model now predicting wind speed of over 40 knots... a severe gale... similar to the conditions that the Balmoral experienced while returning to the UK from Norway in November 2022. However, the weather forecast for Hamilton, Bermuda for Sunday 15 January... SW winds at about 18mph, temperatures about 19˚C, humidity at about 75% and, sadly, a good chance of thundery rain.

I'm pretty sure that it's authentic. A number of ships in different lines have been significantly affected by this virus in recent months... many cases mentioned in reviews and recently one ship (not) P&O delayed to give time for a "deep clean." Sadly looks like it may be time for us all to take as much care of ourselves as we can... when all we really want is a relaxing holiday.

The Arcadia eventually positioned herself about 30 miles to the South-East of Freetown, virtually moved sideways due West for several hours and is now doing 13 knots towards Fort Lauderdale.

The Arcadia has now left Freeport and is about 40 miles away doing 12 knots in a calm sea, under a clear sky and in temps of about 24˚C. She was to go west to Fort Lauderdale and was expected there tomorrow morning but she is currently sailing in the opposite direction.

Th Balmoral passed the Spirit of Adventure overnight and by breakfast time on Monday 9 January doing 16 knots through rough seas and was on course for Horta, Azores. Very few cruise ships visit Horta in the winter and the Balmoral was the only ship scheduled for December/February 2023. The Balmoral arrived at Horta early on 10 Jan in a fresh breeze, overcast skies and a temp. of about 14˚C with the promise that the rest of the day would be clear, bright and about 15˚C. First landfall after four sea days. By Wednesday morning, the Balmoral was on-route for Bermuda with an estimated arrival time of 11.15 am on 15 January according to one source. The original arrival time at Kings Warf had been 9.30 am and departure time was 3.30 pm. However that's when the original itinerary was that the Balmoral would sail on from Bermuda to Havana, Cuba. The forecast for the approach to Bermuda on 15 January is high winds of over 30 knots but that could well change in the next few days.

The last time that we were in Madeira we went on one excursion that included a glass of Madeira and a slice of Madeira cake. One of our party complained bitterly about the cake. When we asked why she didn't like it... back came the reply "It's not proper Madeira cake... It's nothing like the ones we buy in Morrisons!" Strange how these odd memories stay with one!

Half a century ago I visited rellies in a small village on the east coast of Scotland. At a little after midnight the "master o' the house" took me out "first-fitting." We went into one house where the only person was dead to the world sleeping off a spirited celebration in an armchair by the open fire... Andy Stewart crooning away on a very, very small black and white telly. My relative just helped himself and me to very hearty glasses of whisky from the bottles on the coffee table and we drank them while warming ourselves by the fire. When the bloke in the chair woke up, there was a short-slurred conversation and then he got up and stumbled out into the cold dark night. Then my relative explained... "It's nae his hoose... he's just a visitor that's been left ahint when abody else has gone out on the rounds!" I must confess, I can't remember much about the end of that night.

By about 5.00 pm (UK time) on Friday 6 January the Balmoral was about 125 miles due west of Brest, France. The ship was pushing forward at about 14 knots through high seas against a head-on near gale with wind speeds of about 34 knots. The forecast for Saturday 7 January was high winds of about 28 knots. The Balmoral was still expected in Ponta Delgada on 9 January about 10.30 am but, unlike, most of the other cruise ships expected, there were no published times of arrival or departure. However the Balmoral changed course in the middle of Friday/Saturday night. By about lunchtime on Saturday 7 January she was about 125 miles North-West of A Coruna in Spain. and heading in the direction of Madeira... about 200 miles off her original projected course. Later in the day she changed course again and headed towards the Azores with a new estimated arrival time of 11.30 am. By breakfast time on Sunday 8 January the Balmoral's itinerary had changed to miss Ponta Delgada on 9 January to sail directly to Horta.. due to arrive on Tuesday 10 January. From there the itinerary is Kings Wharf, Bermuda on the 15 January and Nassau on the 22 January. Some high winds are expected.

Very sadly for FOCLs profits we've had three unwelcoming experiences on the trot when we've contacted FOCLs customer services. 1, We cancelled a cruise during a cooling-off period because we were very unhappy at how the situation with the Braemar was managed at the beginning of the "pause." FOCLs made it difficult and held onto our deposit for months despite the fact that the company should not have taken a deposit until the contract started at the end of the cooling-off period. 2, Later we asked if information placed on a media site by FOCLs was accessible in any other format. We never had an reply. 3, We enquired about the detailed itinerary of one of FOCLs' long voyages... weeks afterwards we eventually received a non-answer. We were simply told that our question had been discussed at the planning stage! As far as timings are concerned... both FOCLs and SAGA are doing Northern Lights cruises in February/March this year. SAGA give timings; "Alta, Norway Arrive 0800 on March 8. Depart 1900 on March 9." FOCLs don't give times; "MAR 14 Arrival - early morning. Departure - late afternoon." What a difference! Talk about FOCLs leaving people in the dark! Add to that; on a like for like cabin basis... FOCLs works out far more expensive than SAGA... in our opinion the old "Fred" has gone and we just don't find FOCLs attractive at the moment. It's going to be really interesting to see the FOCLs published accounts for the fourth quarter of 2022!

The Balmoral is now well underway on her 78-night Exploration of South America and the Antarctic... with the promise that "this once in a life-time journey" will give passengers "a rare chance to capture the rugged icy landscapes on the Antarctic Peninsula." She left Portsmouth on Thursday 5 January and by breakfast this morning she was on route to Porto Dalgada and is due there on Monday 9 January at 11.30 am. The position at breakfast time was between Penzance and Roscoff in France. The temperature was about 12˚C, there was a fresh breeze about 16 knots, the sea was rough at about 3.4 m. The wind was forecast to pick up to about 30 knots during the day. The Balmoral is far from full but... those on board can admire the brochure photos of Elephant Island, Antarctica, and Machu Picchu, Peru, in eager anticipation of things to come.

Alternatively go online. We did this afternoon and secured everything that we wanted including one excursion that we know is restricted to just a handful of people.

Delighted that you've got your deposit back! Happy crusing!

We just picked up the phone in the cabin when we arrived and booked the first three. A few days later we booked the next three. During the three week cruise with the ship at over 80% capacity we only had one occasion when the particular restaurant that we wanted the evening was full... and then we were offered an alternative. There were no virtual or actual queues no stress, none of the inconvenience experience on some bigger ships. And the food was as good as many well known up-market restaurants here in the UK. Earlier slots are more popular because there is a lot of entertainment freely availably with no need to book. There's a show in the Playhouse every night and something else in the Britannia Lounge. Many of the fabled SAGA "older demographic" tend to be late birds and some are still dancing the night away come midnight. We're away with SAGA in February and we're very much looking forward to it. Have a great time.

FOCLs' woes seem to be coming home to roost. Nobody can reasonably accuse FOCLs of not trying in our opinion. At 10.06 today, 4 January 2023, we had an email inviting us to consider the 78-night South America and the Antarctica cruise on the Balmoral... leaving tomorrow afternoon! Quite astonishing considering that we were being offered this cruise months ago on the basis that we could have "one of the last few cabins available!" Just checked the website and lots and lots of cabins are still available!

In the past we've travelled with smaller cruise lines that quite intentionally kept the arrival and departure times in ports top secret from the passengers until the last minute... although the company often knew the times that they booked pilots and port facilities a year or more in advance. The reason seemed to be that if passengers were kept in the dark they couldn't make independent arrangements for on shore sightseeing or use local excursions. In short they had to rely on expensive excursions provided by the ship. It would be sad if FOCLs are now doing the same... especially as both of the other lines that we've experienced doing this sort of thing have now gone by the wayside.

Have a great time! After the last few years we all enjoy every pleasure that we can find! We're also travelling with SAGA again in a couple of months!

A belated Happy New Year to one and all who've been so considerate, kind, amusing, informative, warm and generous hearted over the past year. Most of us have a "Happy Place"... this is one of ours. I was brought up on the coast, my first memory is of the sound of the sea moving the beach pebbles, my "kinder-garden" was the rocky sloughs. So we always go to the coast when we need a boost, when we want to celebrate life, when we want to thank our lucky stars and when we want to contemplate "life the universe and everything." (A glass or two of good claret usually helps in that quest!) So "Happy New Year!" Padstow at the New Year without so many tourists....

There can be some pretty offensive and arrogant attitudes to Formal Evenings in some quarters but SAGA have dining on formal evenings off to a tee and we've always found the whole experience very civilised. The Grand Dining Room welcomes those who dress for formal evenings and the Grill welcomes those that prefer to were casual attire... both restaurants serve the menu. On other evenings many men dine without a jacket... the ships are warm and it's often more comfortable to do so. The "Dress Code" is resort casual... just be smart... "this runs from jumpsuits and cocktail dresses to skirts and tops" or slacks and a shirt to a lounge suit. In our experience ties are optional. If you use a travel agent... have a word with them. Someone from the office will have the latest guidance and may have travelled recently. From our recent personal experience, we don't think that your choice to opt for more casual attire will impinge on the enjoyment of your holiday. Hope that you have a great time.

That's cheaper than I can buy it from a wine supplier!