LandC

This is an interesting question, and I'm sure you will get differing opinions, but this is our experience.

If we are really interested in a particular itinerary which is likely to be popular, we book early. Cruises to Iceland and Greenland, for example, have increased in price soon after launch.

If we are interested in a fly cruise we consider booking early (depending on the itinerary). For example, we have booked a fly cruise to the Carribbean and Cuba 12 months in advance. The price of our cabin category has already gone up by £400 per person since we booked.

If we want a balcony cabin, we book early (we don't book balconies on Fred any more, they are too expensive).

If we are not bothered about which cabin we get, and can be flexible on dates, we identify several cruises of interest and wait and see if Fred advertises Anchor fares, which usually happens about 3 months prior to departure.

I hope this helps.

We were in one of these cabins last year. We didn't have a problem with privacy because we made sure that the net curtains were closed when we were inside! Of course this does obstruct the view somewhat. They can be noisy if people decide to stand outside and chat amongst themselves at unsocial hours, but we didn't find this a problem. The main problem we found is that, unlike a standard balcony cabin, if you want to use your balcony for admiring the view or spotting wildlife, you will probably find that there is a whole bunch of people standing in front of you doing the same thing, which makes it difficult to see anything. On the plus side, the cabins are a good size and you do get a couple of chairs and a table (but no sun lounger) on the balcony. We like the Boudicca and hope you enjoy your cruise - which one have you booked? :)

Thanks Hudsonhab. The brochure arrived this morning. Fred is offering 3 cruises for the price of 2 if booked by 3rd May. I see that they are going to issue a separate brochure for Fly-Cruises. Can't wait!:)

Does anyone know when Fred's new Wordwide brochure is likely to appear? I seem to remember that the 2017/2018 brochure landed on my doormat around this time last year.

I found this in The Daily Telegraph Cruise News dated 18 February: "For the second time in a decade the 60 year old cultural cruise line Swan Hellenic has been saved from collapse. The brand has been acquired by Toronto- based adventure travel company G Adventures.

The firm has bought both Swan Hellenic and sister company Voyages of Discovery but confirmed it will only relaunch Swan. It only owns the brands and has no ship, but plans to announce itineraries this summer for cruises departing in 2018."

We also got a refund of the deposit for our VoD cruise from ATOL last week (we had paid by debit card). It took about a month. :D

I can't find any information on which ship G Adventures, (the new owners of the Swan Hellenic brand), will be using, unfortunately.

I checked the Voyages Of Discovery UK website today. It says "Voyages of Discovery Coming Soon". Plus, at the bottom of the page in small print "G Adventures 2017".

Perhaps this means that they have also bought the VoD brand?

Hi smiley haggis. With regard to my earlier post, our friends arrived safely in Istanbul today on their VoD cruise, which is keeping to its original itinerary. I hope that the itinerary of your forthcoming cruise on Boudicca is also unchanged.

Our friends are in a similar situation. They booked a cruise with VoD because they wanted to visit Istanbul. They have now received their shore excursion booklet (cruise departs in September). It is still showing Istanbul and 3 other Turkish ports on the itinerary! It is a 2 week cruise, and if these ports are changed, I think they would have grounds for demanding a full refund of the cost of the cruise.

:)Hi Jules. We were on board for 10 nights from 24 April, for the Lands End to John O'Groats Cruise.

The weather was quite good most of the time, but there was some wind and it wasn't warm enough for the grill to be open. You may have more luck in September. It was an enjoyable cruise nonetheless.

Same thing happened to us Ileynman. We booked 9 months in advance, then a couple of months later Fred offered £100 per person cabin spend and free AI drinks package. We were gutted.

Shortly before the cruise we were given a complimentary cabin upgrade, which softened the blow a bit, but it has put us off booking early. I hope you get a visit from the upgrade fairy too.

We booked our next cruise on Boudicca several months ago, and now find that it is available with drinks and tips included. As you say, it does make you wonder if it is worth booking early!

We used South American Secrets for our trip to the Ballestas Islands in February. They collect you from the port at San Martin. The cost was $40 each. We booked on line and paid via PayPal. A very interesting trip - I highly recommend it.

Yes. There are tea and coffee making facilities in the cabins on all Fred's ships.

Just seen it on the BBC website, fire was contained within the engine room. Must have been worrying for the passengers, but all appears OK now.

Has anyone been on this ship since its refurbishment in November? I am due to sail on her next month, so any information would be appreciated.:rolleyes:

Has anyone been on the Black Watch since its recent refit? We are due to sail on her next month, and would be interested to know what the balcony/terrace cabins are like.:confused:

Thank you so much for you comprehensive and helpful review soccer ref. it's great that you didn't miss any of the stops due to bad weather. The itinerary looks very interesting, and I am tempted to try it myself!:)

This is really helpful Tring. I'm not on this cruise, but am off to South America on the Black Watch in January, and Fred has recommended yellow fever vaccination and anti malarial medication. I will check these websites nearer the time for up to date information. :)

I agree. We went on a 14 night Baltic cruise on the Balmoral in 2012, and it was a magical experience. We spent 2 whole days in St Petersburg, and we arranged a private tour with Alla tours. You book on their website and print off the tickets, which get you through passport control at the port. No money changes hands until the second day of the tour. They prefer to be paid in cash, preferably crisp new dollars, euros or pounds. They pick you up from the port in a minibus. We saw many attractions without having to queue, and they provide lunch on both days, and guarantee to get you back to the ship on time.

We returned yesterday from a 6 night cruise on the Boudicca. It's the first time we've been on this ship, but have sailed twice before on the Balmoral. We're happy to report that everything is looking shipshape. The dining rooms are light and airy. Café Venus is a pleasant venue for a coffee, but the chocolates for sale there are quite expensive. The outdoor Grill restaurant was advertising meals at a £15 supplement; this was reduced to £10 after a couple of nights. We didn't try it; another couple did and thought the food wasn't as good as the standard restaurant fare, but each to their own!

We really enjoyed the relaxed and friendly atmosphere on the ship.

Thank you very much for this comprehensive review of all your cruises, Oldbugger, it's really helpful. We have only been on 2 cruises, both on Fred's Balmoral, which we really enjoyed; the food and service were excellent. We are due to cruise on the Boudicca in May, so I do hope the service has improved by then!

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Easyjet introduced pre-booking of seats last year, so There is no longer a scrum to get seats together. We have flown with them several times and have found the service excellent. I hope you enjoy your cruise, it sounds an interesting itinerary.

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We'd very much appreciate an update on the issue of propeller noise on the Minerva. We are booked in an aft cabin inSeptember this year.

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My brother used a taxi recently to get from Euston to Waterloo. The cost was £15, but of course it varies according to the amount of traffic. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy your cruise!

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