Eglesbrech

Thanks for all the input everyone. :)

I had read the information on the web but does not sometimes reflect the reality on the ship.

This gives me a better feel for things.

Agreed, but those on pre-booked excursions will have priority, so it may be around 09:30 before independent cruisers will get off.

 

wft

Thanks, that is useful to know for the ports where we are doing our own thing.

You can argue that it is not a lot but it does make the difference between being legal or not, having a licence or not.

Just a reminder of the difference.

Perhaps you have been before but did you consider just walking into Hamburg from the port rather than a trip?

It is a truly lovely city with great shopping and some interesting tours that you can do DIY for example the "rundfart" (sic)river trip which is really interesting.

Just a thought.

Enjoy whatever you end up doing.

We did the Flam railway trip on another cruise line a few years ago but the scenery and other amenities will be just the same.

Given where you live from your header you are likely to be extremely disappointed by the trip. You could go on a local rail journey at home and see scenery which is every bit as good if not significantly better (and more snow for by like!)

Just my opinion of course.

Anyone sailing from Rosyth please note that work on the Winchburgh tunnel will disrupt trains on the Fife Circle or to Dalmeny (South Queensferry) so may make journeys times to Rosyth / back to Waverly or Edinburgh airport slightly longer.

Check for updates.

We are sailing and returning to Rosyth later this year. As we live in Scotland we are fully aware of the new almost zero tolerance limit on alchol for driving.

For those coming back into Scottish ports and driving home you need to be fully aware of the 0.5 alchol limit. Be very careful on the last night of the cruise or if hiring a car (especially if you have an all inclusive package) if you plan to drive the next day. It takes very little to hit the drink driving limit.

Most other companies sail in and out of English ports where the limit is significantly higher.

Just a note of caution.

We have only ever done short cruises on Fred Olsen before but are on a longer voyage in June.

What do I pack for evenings, is it ball gowns or more basic cocktail dresses on formal nights?

How dressy are the other nights. Guidance much appreciated.

I understand that Fred Olsen ships are smaller and more intimate so there is less of a customer base but this forum is so very quiet compared to others.

We are in our 40s and so automatically communicate with others going on a cruise through this type of media when sailing with other lines. Is it the customer demographic?

Any thoughts?

Can anyone tell me how well tenders work on Fred Olsen?

The cruise we have booked has 3 ports at tender and I wondered how efficient this is likely to be. Are there tender tickets or is it just turn up and wait? How long is the wait likely to be. We are sailing on Boudicca.

Many thanks.

If I am on the late dinner seating I quite like a show before dinner and have enjoyed this in the past on several other cruise lines. It means that you can have your show, dinner then a night cap and get to bed at a reasonable time if you have trips the next day. That said these other lines had a third different show that anyone could go to in the main theatre so there was always late entertainment if you wanted it.

Having only sailed with Fred Olsen a couple of times before I was interested to read about the potential impact others feel this would have on early diner people. That has to be balanced with other comments I have read about late seating people struggling to get a (decent) seat in the show lounges as the early diners don't move on.

It is all about getting the timing right for passenger flows I suppose.

Looking forward to my next cruise regardless of what Fred decides.

"Forget not to show love unto strangers: thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Lovely post, have a wonderful cruise.

We have always done 14 day cruises on RCI so this will be our first short break. On other lines where the cruise is only for a few days we just carried on the luggage, it was not collected and put outside the cabin.

Does anyone know what happens for RCI leaving Southampton?

Same question for disembarking, do you just carry it off or is it to be outside the cabin for a certain time?

We have literally just booked the "Chefs Table" on Anthem for the 3 day cruise at the end of April. It was still being advertised as this on the booking page which is different to the link provided.

Will be interesting to see what it is like.

The dress code is formal but how formal are they, should I get number one tiara or number two out of the safe? seriously though should I pack a formal gown or just a cocktail dress and do men were lounge suits or tux / kilt etc.

I never heard of haggis before, what's are they?

You are of course joking?

Sorry you are from the U.S so I should have explained, it means your very good health.

Stornaway black pudding is just lovely as is proper bacon. If you happen to be in a Scottish port then you may also be able to try Lorne sausage which is square in shape and much, much tastier than the long thin link sausages.

Try some whisky in your porrige as well, when in Rome!

Just the difference.

Thanks for the promt reply, my husband is a very happy boy now and he says he will will raise Slainte mhath to you with with our first glass.

I did a little bit of research on this and then decided to take the ship excursion instead as we are on the 3 day cruise so I don't want to lose any time hanging around. There is an hourly train from Blankenberge to Ghent, the journey is around 53 minutes.

Most ships offer a shuttle into Blankenberge from the port so I presume that RCI will do the same. On smaller ships we have gone to Blankenberge and taken the train from there into Bruges which is also an hourly service. The issue on a big ship is how long it takes to get onto shuttle and then tying that in with the train times.

The cost of a taxi in Belgium is ridiculous, we checked the price the last time and the journey to Bruges was 45 euros each way and that was a couple of years ago (the train fare was just a few euros!). I only mention this as if you go to Ghent then struggled to get a train back on time the taxi would be pricy. That said the trains we have used in Belgium have aways been very, very efficient.

Have you visited Blankenberg? It is a nice little seaside town with one long street of shops and bars and at the end a very long promenade with typical seaside attractions. If you want something quieter than Bruges and Ghent then it makes a pleasant trip to try some Belgium beer, buy some chocolate and just enjoy the seaside.

There are trams outside the port as well but I have no idea where they go, might be worth investigating this as well as there may be a link to Ghent.

Have fun whatever you do.:)

Thanks for all the information. Sounds like there are more wines above the limit than within it.

If I have the package which offers wine by the glass up to 12 dollars and the wine I want is say 18, do I pay the full 18 or just the difference?

Comments above make very good sense, I can only tell you what I was told.

We are on a 3 day cruise and they still gave us that 4 day rotation pattern.

On a big ship i.m.o you need to add in 10/15 minutes time to find and get to venues, wait on lifts etc so for me the times were too tight for the early dinner, may be just fine for others who perhaps eat and walk faster than I do.

Looking forward to it all anyway.

In the speciality restaurants is there a decent choice of wines which are included in the drinks packages (eg 12 dollars a glass or less).

Many thanks for any help.

For anyone who is interested the classic first seating rota we have been given, everyone gets the same, is

1 Americon icon

2 Chic

3 Grande (formal dress)

4 Silk

Apparently it keeps going in this pattern for longer cruises as well.

We are booked to eat and Wonderland and wonder if anyone can help with a question. We are looking at buying the premium drinks package which gives wine up to 12 dollars a glass.

Do they do wine by the glass in this restaurant (or any of the other specialist ones if you happen to know)

Thanks for any help.

Because we booked late there are very few times left open for us. We have one show for example at 7.30 which means a 7.15 seating time which is too tight. Also if you read the reviews from the sister ship dinner is taking much much longer due to slow seating / service.