stephen@stoneyard.co.uk

Thank you. Should be fine.

I think they must have made a mistake with the mailing.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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Not that cruise. A two night mystery cruise from Harwich at the end of October. A chance to try Black Watch. As it is two nights the mystery will be quite a limited. A Chanel port perhaps. Though I did get an email from Fred Olsen warning me about the Zika virus on my cruise.

That you for the information that we may be delayed. I will set my expectations accordingly. If this cruise gets any shorter it will hardly be worth it.

Best wishes, Stephen.

I don't know what all the fuss is about lunch on Fred. Olsen ships. They have never served lunch when sailing from UK ports and nowhere in their publicity do they say so. It makes sense to have a meal en route to the departure port. The quality of the meals on board will compensate for a so-called "missed" lunch.

Having travelled with Fred Olsen before (x2) I would not expect lunch. Apparently there will not be an embarkation afternoon tea on my cruise. We are boarding later than usual.

I just think it odd to be advised to eat well before boarding a cruise. Generally pictures of food are used to sell cruises in brochures. Perhaps not the best first impression.

Best wishes, Stephen.

Hi1 My sister and I will be traveling on this ship for 2 weeks. Nov. 5-12 and nov 12-19. good review. were there any dress up evenings? How do people dress for dinner? How did you get into Rome? Did you take any excursions through the ship?

On the whole I would describe the evenings as smart casual. I wore trousers (not jeans) and a shirt. There was one Gala evening with a special menu in the restaurant. I do not remember a dress code as such. Most people put on their finer clothes. Evening dresses or jackets and tie. One chap put on a whole obviously new outfit of matching football shirt, jeans and trainers. All in red.

I did not go to Rome. Excursion in Spanish were offered. A coach transfer was also available. Alternatively, some people take the shuttle bus to outside the port, walk to the railway station (it is quite a way) and then a train to Rome. I did not want such a long and tiring day.

The shuttle bus drop off and pick up point in Citivecchia has apparently changed. It is a car park with separate and clearly marked areas for each ship. Ship identifation card are checked before entering and I saw toilets. Unfortunately it is a bit further away from the town centre.

I hope you enjoy your Pullmatur cruise. I had a great time on Sovereign. The officers, staff and crew are lovely me made the cruise for me.

I hope that helps.

Best wishes, Stephen

A message from Fred Olsen saying I should have a hearty lunch before boarding Black Watch. Not quite what I expect from a cruise. Not a good first impression.

Best wishes, Stephen.

I am recently back from Breezes of the Mediterranean on Pullmantur Sovereign which departed on the 24th September. If anybody is interested here are my thoughts.

Background:

I am from the United Kingdom and have cruised before with Cunard, P&O, Fred Olsen, Star Clippers, Voyages of Discovery and Croisieres de France. I was part of a group of fourteen friends who cruise together. Mainly British but some other Europeans. I do not speak Spanish.

Embarkation:

I arrived at the cruise terminal in Barcelona midday. This was probably the peak time. First luggage label queue, then luggage drop queue, then security queue, then check in queue, and finally boarding queue. Despite all this it probably took me less than an hour as the queues were always moving. My cabin available from 4pm. An embarkation lunch was available in a dining room and buffet.

The Ship:

Sovereign is a lovely, attractive and now classic cruise ship. Particular highlights include a large atrium, wide outside promenades and high celling height in many public rooms. My favourite rooms were the nautically themed Spinnaker bar and the 360 Lounge which wraps round the funnel. There was about 2400 passengers on this cruise. The ship manages passengers well and I could always find a quiet spot on deck or in a lounge. The itinerary helped as most passengers take whole day excursion to places like Rome. There are two large (for a ship) swimming pools and I even had one to myself for an hour one afternoon. They are seawater and quite cold but still very pleasant. Unusually for an old ship there were plenty of lifts that were large and fast. I never had to wait long for a lift.

Unfortunately I thought Sovereign was quite tired and battered. Maintenance particularly of soft furnishing has not been kept up. The pile on the fabric of many chairs has rubbed completely away. Arms would sometimes fall off. Wood was chipped and brass was worn. Pullmantur need to do better.

Cabins:

Standard cabins are small by modern standards and are showing there age. My curtain and shower curtain were not properly attached to the rail. My safe did not work from the start. It was replaced quickly but the new one had stopped working by the end of the cruise. Shower gel and soap are the only bathroom amenities. My cabin was service very well once a day usually while I was at breakfast.

Passengers:

Almost all were Spanish of all age ranges with plenty of families. They were all very pleasant and friendly people. I never saw any inappropriate behaviour. The noise level was quite high but you could always find somewhere quieter. One cultural difference I did notice is that pre-school age children would still be around with their parents in bars in the early hours of the morning. The dress code and atmosphere is definitely casual.

Smoking:

Absolutely no smoking indoors was allowed and that was complied with. On deck there was a small no smoking section but that seemed to be ignored. If I sat on a deck chair several people would come to sit near me and start smoking. If you are really bothered by smoke find a different cruise line.

Language:

All announcement, menus, daily programmes, port information, emergency drill, all announcements, signage, embarkation forms, disembarkation information and advertisements were provided in Spanish and English. Staff such as security, my cabin steward, waiters, bar staff and pursers department all spoke very good English and were happy to talk to us in English. It was not a problem. There were two international hosts who were stationed at check in to welcome and introduce themselves to non Spanish passengers. They also held a welcome meeting and disembarkation talk in English. The two hosts were on reception at advertised hours if needed. I found all reception had good English skills so did not need the international hosts to assist. Pullmantur really did well for English speaking passengers. Some excursions could be made bilingual if there was sufficient demand.

Service

I thought the service was very good. The crew were helpful, efficient and hardworking and friendly. Tables were cleared quickly and bar service was particularly prompt. They are a real credit to Pulmantur and made the cruise a pleasure.

Breakfast and Lunch:

Generally the same choices are offered as a buffet in a dining room and at the buffet restaurant. I never had a difficulty getting a table in the buffet restaurant or had to queue for food. Snack were also available for an outside food counter. I found the buffet food quite basic and repetitive. I was a bit disappointed by the food at breakfast and lunch. I never used room service. A tapas bar has recently opened. It offers small portions for an extra charge. Some of the choices I had seen in the buffet previously. Unsurprising it was not popular.

Dinner:

Served as two sittings (19.30 and 22.00) in two dining rooms. We had first seating. The food was very good and a highlight of the day. For six our seven days the same menu was offered. If I remember there was about twelve starters, twelve main course and six deserts. I thought this worked really well as there was plenty of choice, I could try different choices on different days and repeat a favourite dish. I tended to order two starter courses, a main course and a desert. On the other evening a Gala six course menu was served. There was no choice but I liked it all. The food that night was some of the best and most interesting I have ever had on a cruise ship. Apart from the final evening the service was very good. One the final night we had a different waiter and it did not go well. A shame as it was the final impression. Dinner was also available in the buffet restaurant and an extra tariff restaurant. I did not try these options.

All Inclusive:

I had the basic all inclusive package and was very pleased with it. It include wine, cocktails and coffee that I was quite happy with. I was happy to pay a few Euros for a different drink occasionally. I liked the freshly squeezed orange juice that was made at the bar and most of my onboard account was made up of this.

Entertainment:

Our group made our own entertainment. Activities and shows are obviously in Spanish. Though the musical shows (such as an Abba tribute) are probably suitable for all languages. I was disappointed that live music, such as a pianist or singer, was not offered in most of the bars and never at lunchtime. I would have liked more live music.

Disembarkation:

I had an early train from Barcelona station and reception were happy to change me to the first group. I was off Sovereign quite early. The luggage area was packed but I was able to get my suitcase reasonably quickly. There were no queues for the taxis which was great.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this cruise. The ship and service were both very good. I would happily travel again, as part of a group, with Pullmantur and on Sovereign.

We sailed late with BW last week, I'd done the sums and realised we had limited time before dinner. I took my frock on with me and DH took his change of clothes, however the dress code was relaxed that evening as the cases hadn't been delivered to the cabins before dinner.

We weren't informed of this until arrival at the restaurant so we'd changed unnecessarily, felt better for it though.

 

The emergency drill took place after 2nd sitting, so it is all fitted in.

Take smart clothes if it's easy, but don't worry if it's not.

Thank you that is very comprehensive. I think I will take smart clothes in my hand luggage. It will be odd doing drill after dinner.

Best wishes, Stephen.

I just got off the Black Watch. Most of us had late boarding on this Arctic cruise as the ship was still stuck on Dover, due to repairs after fire, and we were all bused from Tilbury. In fact some folks showed up quite late and were given They started the first seating of dinner after the lifeboat drill (which was held at 5:30 pm) so it was a bit later than the usual 6:15 pm Everyone just wore whatever they had on to dinner as it was a smart casual evening.

 

I was also told by regulars that the boarding times you are given are not really strictly enforced so you could plan to turn up in port earlier. You can also call the Fred Olsen office the morning of your embarkation to double check ship's arrival time in port.

I hope you enjoyed Black Watch and your cruise. My two previous cruises have been to the Artic. Both times on Boudica. Fred Olsen would be my first choice for the Artic. I would love to go back.

Thank you, Stephen.

Thank you. I am reassured that everything will be fine. I will pack jacket, trousers, shirt and tie in my hand luggage. I may even try to just take hand luggage. It is only two nights.

I thought Freedom Fares came with your choice of dinner seating. I picked my cabin and dining preference when I booked. I thought it also included earlier embarkation and disembarkation. With the ship due to dock at 15.30 I cannot think that there will be scope to be much earlier.

Her previous cruise finishes the day before in Scotland. I guess she will be empty when she arrives in Harwich. I must admit as it is two nights I am a bit disapointed that the first day onboard will be so short. I was expecting to embark around 2pm. Never mind. I wonder how the economics of running a ship empty for a day work. Hopefully it gives the crew a bit of a rest.

It should be an interesting weekend. With only two nights the mystery port will have to be close by. I did get a Zica virus email from Fred Olsen so you never know.

Thank you again, Stephen.

I have cruised with Fred Olsen before but it many years back so I am a little rusty on what to expect. I am doing the Black Watch Mystery Mini cruise from Harwich at the end of October. According to the port the ship is not due to until 15.30pm. Fred Olsen have allocated me check in at 4pm. It seems very late.

By the time everybody is aboard and the safety drill is completed it will be the evening. Please could I ask has anybody experience of late boarding and how does this effect dinner and entertainment.

I booked a Freedom Fare and have picked 8.30 pm for dinner but even that will not give much chance to get ready and have a pre dinner drink.

Thank you in advance.

Best wishes, Stephen.

I have stayed at the Grand Harbour but it was some time back. It was very good at the time. I believe it has since lost its fifth star. Recent Trip Advisor reviews have been poor. I believe they do transfers to and from the port.

This year we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. Functional and cheap would best describe it. Not at all like our suite on QM2. Transfers would have to be arranged by taxi.

Apparently the Dolphin has been renovated. They are offering good rates for some dates. For my pre cruise next year they are charging £99 for a double room for dinner bed and breakfast. They are charging £165 for the same plus fourteen nights parking and taxi transfers to and from the port.

Best wishes, Stephen.

PS. I have not yet stayed at the Dolphin.

Not unique to Cunard:

http://www.grollarestaurant.com/menu_winelist.htm

Don't think I would want to pay $24 a bottle.

Best wishes, Stephen.