Hartlepoolboy

I think I suggested booking shore tours off ship as a good option London Towner, and remember this web site is called "Cruise Critic" for availing members of good and not so good experiences alike. Everything in the garden is not always very rosy! Happy sailing.

The aggravation is not worth it for the money involved, but FO wont get me on board again so my cruising days are possibly over. The line is now penny pinching for crumbs with no attention to customer service.The only other previously good line was P&O however since being taken over by Celebrity all their ships now resemble overloaded top heavy container ships. With the incredible number of passengers on one ship, imagine the queues for grub and everything else, especially in the event of a scramble for the life boats. NOT FOR ME. I'm on the hunt for a small Company that values custom.

It's a wonder they don't charge the passengers that caught it for the pleasure!

Thanks Mark t. You are right of course, the amount nof money involved ism too small to take the matter further. It just galls me that Companies can fleece you like this.

I would have thought your contract was with Fred Olsen not the tour operator and therefore Fred Olsen are responsible. Are there any lawyers on this forum that can give a definitive answer on this.

 

Pugwash123

I thought that under English Law Fred Olsen would be responsible however in their small print they seek to remove themselves from any liability. It is a good tip to read all the small print although I am not sure that they can be fire proof under British Law or even if British Law is applicable. Sailors Beware!

Having cruised with FO before, my wife and I decided to book a section of Balmoral's world tour from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. We could not fault the ship nor the sumptuous food and crew attention during the trip. Normally, for sight seeing in each port of call we would have just done our own thing and booked a local taxi to visit the sights, but as we had booked the cruise last minute we thought it judicious to also book tours direct with Fred Olsen prior to leaving UK. BIG MISTAKE! In addition to the high cost of each tour, there were 9 yes 9 coaches of passengers all in convoy descending on the same venue at the same time.

In Makassar (Indonesia) my wife and I paid £85 each which covered visiting three places of interest and lunch. The three places of interest were a little overstated but just OK. The lunch was a different matter. Imagine 9 coaches arriving in convoy to a building in a downtown slum with access to the first floor by two extremely rickety lifts holding max five people at a time. Row upon row of trestle tables. Masses of people. After about 30 mins someone shouted "food is served" which signalled a free for all. Our table got no lunch. I actually thought the building to be unsafe with so many people and no fire exits etc. There were so many complaints that FO refunded all a measly £35 and dismissed my claim for a full refund, claiming that the Tour Operator in Indonesia was responsible and washed their hands of any further claim. They did offer to give me the Tour Operator's details to pursue the matter. VERY HELPFUL. Unfortunately, FO is a definite no no for the extremely poor Customer Relations in the future.