Fred vs Toms

Well, we’re back from our Iceland cruise on FO Black Watch from Liverpool and as promised, here are my thoughts. Overall, the experience is very similar to cruising on Thomson but I will try and highlight the main differences we found.

Black Watch carries 804 passengers, so slightly smaller than our usual ship Spirit (although they still claim that 5 times round the deck is 1 mile?). Check-in is as expected, down to the photographer waiting to pounce, but takes place between about 2:30 and 4:30 and as meals are served at set times, first food available is afternoon tea starting 2:30. Dinner is 6:15 or 8:30 with allocated tables but breakfast and lunch are open seating, as is dinner in the buffet.

First thing we noticed is that the swimming pools are heated to around 30 degrees c which is good on a trip to Iceland. On the other hand there were no blankets available for use on the open deck which have always been provided on Spirit when in colder climes.

The food at dinner I would say was slightly better than Thomson, with choice of 5 main courses and often an additional “British dish of the day” such as lamb casserole or steak and ale pie, plus a “we always have these available” section which included grilled fish, grilled chicken, omelette etc. cooked to order. No extra charges for any items. The breakfast and lunch buffets were comparable with Thomson’s offering.

There was a very good showteam of 8 singers/dancers on board (5 girls and 3 boys), but surprisingly, they only did shows on 3 of the 11 nights. There were 3 guest artists on board, Welsh baritone, modern violinist and comedian (Brenda Collins) who each did shows on 2 nights, and the main entertainment on 1 night was the crew show. On the final night there was a farewell show with each of the guest artists appearing again and one number from the show team. The best thing about the showlounge entertainment was the resident 6 piece orchestra/band who accompanied the shows and the guest artists. No recorded backing tracks here!

Incidentally, the main show for 2nd sitting diners was at 7:30, before the meal (except on formal nights). There were 2 formal nights with free drinks and nibbles beforehand on both occasions.

Another guest artist was a guitarist who gave 2 concerts in the afternoon on sea days and there were 2 lecturers. Other music around the ship included a trio in the Observatory lounge. A duo in the Lido lounge and 2 pianists in various places.

There was no promoting of drinks packages or other extras on board that we noticed which was nice.

One thing they have done on Black Watch is put patio doors in the cabins at promenade deck level and given each cabin a raised and enclosed patio area of about 4 feet out onto the prom deck. Hope Thoms don't get this idea.

Overall we were very happy with the FO offering and would cruise with them again (in fact we are next year). They sail from 7 ports around the UK which is a good alternative to what Spirit used to do, but the destinations are not limited to Northern Europe..

Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Malc.

Thanks very much for that interesting and informative review. I enjoyed reading it. It's always good to get comparisons. Did you enjoy Iceland and were you lucky with the weather (couldn't be much worse than here - call this summer?). Where are you going to next Malc?

Thank you Malc for your review and comparison. We are shortly going on a Fred cruise to the Baltics so I found it particularly interesting.

I was aware that they had changed the entertainment for 2nd sitting diners (it has a long thread on the Fred CC site) so that entertainment in the Showlounge is before dinner. We didn't like this idea so changed to 1st sitting and am still not sure if this was a wise thing to do. However, it is the Baltic, and I guess unlike the Med or Caribbean, we will not be sitting out on deck catching the late ray's of sun at 6.00pm. And pre-dinner drinks will be post-dinner.

How did you find this change of entertainment times? It is a trial according to Fred HQ and they said that they were asking passengers for their responses.

Yes, we enjoyed Iceland very much. Amazing geological sights to see. Rather cooler than UK but we went prepared! Swimming in the hot springs pool was good till it was time to get out into the 12 degrees air:eek:

Could not dock in the Faroes on the way back due to strong wind in the wrong direction apparently so missed the Torshavn call, but hey ho!

Have booked a round Britain on Balmoral from Newcastle next June called UK Castles. Calls at Dover, Guernsey, Falmouth, Dublin, Anglesey (Holyhead), Invergordon and Edinburgh (Rosyth).

Also toying with the idea of Lochs of Scotland in September 2016 from Liverpool on Boudicca - Cruising Loch Fyne, Tarbert, cruising Loch Linnhe, Fort William, cruising Lochs Torridon and Shieldaig, cruising Sound of Raasay, Portree (Skye), Invergordon, Kirkwall (Orkneys), Tobermory (Mull), cruising Sound of Mull and past Duart Castle, Holy Loch (which is a port!). Sounds fascinating. Have to give Fred their due when it comes to interesting and different itineraries.

Malc.

Thank you Malc for your review and comparison. We are shortly going on a Fred cruise to the Baltics so I found it particularly interesting.

 

I was aware that they had changed the entertainment for 2nd sitting diners (it has a long thread on the Fred CC site) so that entertainment in the Showlounge is before dinner. We didn't like this idea so changed to 1st sitting and am still not sure if this was a wise thing to do. However, it is the Baltic, and I guess unlike the Med or Caribbean, we will not be sitting out on deck catching the late ray's of sun at 6.00pm. And pre-dinner drinks will be post-dinner.

 

How did you find this change of entertainment times? It is a trial according to Fred HQ and they said that they were asking passengers for their responses.

Yes, I read about the trial on the Fred site but it did not mention Black Watch so wonder if they have extended the trial or if this is now permanent. There was no mention of it on the ships questionnaire and the Daily Times did not mention it being a trial. No one asked for an opinion at any point.

The alternative is dinner at 6:15 and show at 9:00.

To be honest, we found it OK as we usually dine around 7:00 on Thoms and catch the first show. There's plenty of opportunity for pre-dinner drinks in the showlounge and you can catch some of the things that are happening around the ship later on after 2nd sitting dinner which you would miss if the show was at say 10:30 (and you can take full advantage of afternoon tea if dining later - it's proper jam with the scones on Fred by the way, not the runny stuff that Thoms serve up!).

Have you had the shore tours info yet with the port maps at the back? I was impressed with that. Enjoy your cruise.

Malc.

Yes, we enjoyed Iceland very much. Amazing geological sights to see. Rather cooler than UK but we went prepared! Swimming in the hot springs pool was good till it was time to get out into the 12 degrees air:eek:

Could not dock in the Faroes on the way back due to strong wind in the wrong direction apparently so missed the Torshavn call, but hey ho!

 

Have booked a round Britain on Balmoral from Newcastle next June called UK Castles. Calls at Dover, Guernsey, Falmouth, Dublin, Anglesey (Holyhead), Invergordon and Edinburgh (Rosyth).

 

Also toying with the idea of Lochs of Scotland in September 2016 from Liverpool on Boudicca - Cruising Loch Fyne, Tarbert, cruising Loch Linnhe, Fort William, cruising Lochs Torridon and Shieldaig, cruising Sound of Raasay, Portree (Skye), Invergordon, Kirkwall (Orkneys), Tobermory (Mull), cruising Sound of Mull and past Duart Castle, Holy Loch (which is a port!). Sounds fascinating. Have to give Fred their due when it comes to interesting and different itineraries.

 

Malc.

That Lochs one looks absolutely amazing! No idea anyone did anything like that. Now that's given me food for thought.............. ;)

Better get a brochure. You'll be amazed. They do everything from weekend breaks (Dublin, Amsterdam) to cruises to South America and round the world. A couple we were sitting with for dinner had got a round the world booked for January on Black Watch - 115 nights! Fred were doing a promotion - book 3 cruises and get the cheapest one free so that's what they did, and averaged out the price paid over the 3 cruises and it didn't sound too bad then.

Better get a brochure. You'll be amazed. They do everything from weekend breaks (Dublin, Amsterdam) to cruises to South America and round the world. A couple we were sitting with for dinner had got a round the world booked for January on Black Watch - 115 nights! Fred were doing a promotion - book 3 cruises and get the cheapest one free so that's what they did, and averaged out the price paid over the 3 cruises and it didn't sound too bad then.

I must pick one up! ;)

Thanks for all the information. We'll be picking a brochure up tomorrow too. Like the sound of the Scottish lochs cruise. We have had the tour book for our Baltic cruise on Braemar in a couple of weeks, and loved the maps at the back. We can look for places we want to go to and find the streets at leisure now and be organised for the trips ashore. Brilliant!!

Did you take the drink package? If so what were the wines like & does it include Rose, White & Red & a sparkling?

We have 3 cruises booked with FO & are looking forward to sailing on the Balmoral soon & the Black Watch also.

Been on line to look at the Scottish Lochs cruise, and it sounds amazing. Such a shame Thomson don't consider these cruises any more. Really fancy this one though.

Did you take the drink package? If so what were the wines like & does it include Rose, White & Red & a sparkling?

 

We have 3 cruises booked with FO & are looking forward to sailing on the Balmoral soon & the Black Watch also.

The drinks package included draught Boddingtons and Stella, canned Strongbow, Spitfire, Carlsberg and Heineken. House wine Roc D'Opale, red, white and rose, and Brunner sparkling hock. House spirits. Soft drinks and water by the glass. Everything else half price. Tried the red and rose wines which were fine. No idea what brand the house spirits were.

Forgot to mention room service free for food and juice, tea and coffee.

Yes, I read about the trial on the Fred site but it did not mention Black Watch so wonder if they have extended the trial or if this is now permanent. There was no mention of it on the ships questionnaire and the Daily Times did not mention it being a trial. No one asked for an opinion at any point.

The alternative is dinner at 6:15 and show at 9:00.

To be honest, we found it OK as we usually dine around 7:00 on Thoms and catch the first show. There's plenty of opportunity for pre-dinner drinks in the showlounge and you can catch some of the things that are happening around the ship later on after 2nd sitting dinner which you would miss if the show was at say 10:30 (and you can take full advantage of afternoon tea if dining later - it's proper jam with the scones on Fred by the way, not the runny stuff that Thoms serve up!).

Have you had the shore tours info yet with the port maps at the back? I was impressed with that. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Malc.

Thanks for all the information. We'll be picking a brochure up tomorrow too. Like the sound of the Scottish lochs cruise. We have had the tour book for our Baltic cruise on Braemar in a couple of weeks, and loved the maps at the back. We can look for places we want to go to and find the streets at leisure now and be organised for the trips ashore. Brilliant!!

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

The drinks package included draught Boddingtons and Stella, canned Strongbow, Spitfire, Carlsberg and Heineken. House wine Roc D'Opale, red, white and rose, and Brunner sparkling hock. House spirits. Soft drinks and water by the glass. Everything else half price. Tried the red and rose wines which were fine. No idea what brand the house spirits were.

Forgot to mention room service free for food and juice, tea and coffee

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

Thank you - good to hear Rose & Sparkling are included - has made my day!

Would definitely recommend Fred. Great entertainment. Live bands. good comedians. Food far superior to Thomson. Great service. Lots of different itineraries. Nice cabins with lovely toiletries ( we got free upgrade ) . Best of all they sail from different ports all around the UK so no need to travel for miles to join the ship.

We are just back from 2 weeks on the Balmoral - I went with 6 other 'Thomson Cruisers' and we had the most fantastic time.

So much that is excellent about Fred Olsen & we will definitely travel with them again - already have a mini cruise & a Fjords cruise booked with them!

Based on this recent cruise - our first 'longer' cruise with them - 13 nights to the Canaries, the ship (Balmoral) is lovely with a very friendly atmosphere onboard - the large majority of staff are always helpful, smiling & polite & will always say 'Hello' to you as you are walking around the ship.

There are plenty of bar waiting staff - you never have to wait for bar service be it sat on your sunbed or in the bar area. Drink package is good value at £10 per day (not mini cruises) with a good variety of included drinks & 50% off any premium drinks eg £2.15 for a cocktail which are very good cocktails.

Restaurant waiting staff are excellent too - so helpful, attentive & friendly. Cannot fault the service whatsoever.

The food is excellent - all the meals are superb with such a good & varied choice & included main courses such as Venison, Lamb Shank, Lobster Thermidore, Steak & Reindeer as standard. 5 course evening meal beautifully presented with delightful desserts such as profiteroles, trio of chocolate mousse, Opera Cake, individual trifles. Very good quality.

We didn't have to wait a long time between courses for our evening meal - everything was slick & just the right timing; not too fast & not too slow.

Formal nights were lovely - Captain's Welcome & Farewell Party in particular. There were photographers around the ship but we didn't have to have photos taken as we were queuing to get in - just walked on in. Upon arrival into the show lounge, there were plenty of complementary drinks continually brought round to us as well as beautifully prepared canapés.

None of the restaurants felt 'canteeny' - they were all a really nice quality.

The Showteam onboard only performed every 2-3 nights with guest acts on the other nights.

Some of the shows were superb; very well thought out & choreographed - they were a new team working together & from what we saw, they are very good but I felt they were under-utilised and would have been nice to see them at least every other night.

Guest Acts varied from comedians (poor) to a violinist (very good) & guest singers (good). 2 shows a night; usually 7pm for 2nd sitting & 8.45 for 1st sitting then usually a 3rd different show at 10.30 for anyone to attend with various other things happening in lounges around the ship but these were mostly finished by 12 & there was a disco in the Lido Lounge.

Entertainment - daytime programme is full & varied with guest speakers & various activities but we did not go to any apart from the Dolphin Racing. Evening entertainment appeared to be some guest singers - some were awful with no life at all & others got better as the cruise progressed!

Entertainment Hosts & Cruise Directors were pleasant enough but not very visible & did not do a lot of mixing & mingling with guests. Entertainment had mainly finished by 12 midnight apart from a disco which often went on into the early hours; 2-3am !

Other guests: The clientele is without a doubt generally older on average than a lot of other cruise lines however there is a good atmosphere & everyone we spoke to seemed very friendly. There were all ages onboard ranging from age 4 up to aged 94 - or maybe more?? It was good to see all ages enjoy their holidays & the less mobile & less able were really well looked after by the staff. Everyone respected the dress code; there was nobody wandering into the restaurants with swimwear on which we have seen on other ships before.

We met some lovely people of all ages onboard & had lots of fun partying with them all in the evenings.

There were some Sailaway parties & a sail-in party which were great outside on deck & also an evening party on deck that continued until 2am so we really did enjoy all the entertainment that was put on.

Never a problem finding a sunbed too even on sea days & they emptied fairly early in the evening too.

Absolutely loved sailing from the UK & the relaxing sea days & no airport hassle. Dropped car off at Southmpton; luggage was taken from us straight to cabin & we were onboard within an hour & home by lunchtime on our last day!

These are just my observations from our 2 weeks. If anyone has an comments or questions, please ask!

That Lochs one looks absolutely amazing! No idea anyone did anything like that. Now that's given me food for thought.............. ;)

Was just thinking exactly the same, Kruzseeka :D

This is a very good thread. Last night I was just looking at FO site and noticed some excellent itineraries. Next time I go into town I'm going to get a brochure.

I didn't realise so many from 'here' had been on Fred, I was waiting for Jak to get back and find out her opinion.

Oops, posted twice.

Was just thinking exactly the same, Kruzseeka :D

Nell, I didn't realise you were back. I thought you were away at the same time as Jak.

Did you get to see everything, and did you enjoy it?

Loved your review Julessmiles. Must try to do a review that way rather than use my daily "diary" as you give great compact information instead of rambling on like me. Loved our first Fred cruise, and looking forward to Balmoral to Norway in March now.

This is a very good thread. Last night I was just looking at FO site and noticed some excellent itineraries. Next time I go into town I'm going to get a brochure.

I didn't realise so many from 'here' had been on Fred, I was waiting for Jak to get back and find out her opinion.

I've suggested on the other thread that you might try Boudicca on a day port visit, V. I'll soon be able to tell you my opinion. ;). I think Braemar is sailing from the Tyne next year or it could be Balmoral. Not got the brochure handy to check.

Loved your review Julessmiles. Must try to do a review that way rather than use my daily "diary" as you give great compact information instead of rambling on like me. Loved our first Fred cruise, and looking forward to Balmoral to Norway in March now.

Gill - I have loved reading your review; everything about Braemar sounds lovely too & we look forward to sailing on her. I also loved all your 'destination reports' - I just haven't had the time to do anything like that!

Different ways of doing things - I would be even. Ore delighted if I was going to all the destinations you have been to having read what you have done! I think you are off to the Fjords in the spring which we are too but slightly later than you so I shall look forward to reading about where you go there for some hints!

I've suggested on the other thread that you might try Boudicca on a day port visit, V. I'll soon be able to tell you my opinion. ;). I think Braemar is sailing from the Tyne next year or it could be Balmoral. Not got the brochure handy to check.

Balmoral is in Newcastle next year Jackie as we are sailing on Braemar from the South. There are some superb itineraries next year from all ports; some lovely looking river cruises & some really nice ones from Newcastle & also some short ones from Edinburgh to get a taster.

We have been on the Boudicca & Balmoral - loved them both & we are off on the Black Watch very soon on a mini so I will report back then just the Braemar to go next spring!!!

This is a very good thread. Last night I was just looking at FO site and noticed some excellent itineraries. Next time I go into town I'm going to get a brochure.

I didn't realise so many from 'here' had been on Fred, I was waiting for Jak to get back and find out her opinion.

They are definitely worth a try Vee - I can't remember which area you are from in the UK but they do sail from many ports all around including Dover, Tilbury, Southsmpton, Liverpool, Falmouth, Glasgow, Newcastle & Edinburgh.

Ships are similar in size to Thomson, lovely deck & internal areas. Cabins are good too with tea & coffee facilities, safes on most ships (not all but not sure which ones don't have them), bathrooms were a good size with a nice shower - we had a superior 4 berth on Balmoral which was slightly larger than standard 4 berth on Spirit / Celebration. Loads of storage space.

Waiting & bar staff are mainly Filipino, Thai & Indian - all SO friendly & always smiling. The drink package whilst not fully inclusive we felt was very good & we did buy cocktails but our bar bill at the end of the 2 weeks for 4 people was not big!

No 'sell, sell, sell' on Fred & photos were a reasonable price too - £6.50 for a 7x5 picture.

No constant broadcasts over the tannoys; just generally the Captain's speech at midday & the CD usually in the morning detailing any information for the day.

Try them out - we started off with 2 mini cruises but we had already booked the 2 week cruise!

It might not be for everyone & whilst it has a reputation for being 'full of old people', age is a number, yes there were a lot of elderly onboard but a lot of the elderly can party hard - and there were all ages on too! The group I was with consisted of my 2 teens (15 & 18) & the rest of us are in our 40's & we all had a great time! I would also go onboard with just my husband too with no worries.

Gill, I too enjoyed reading your 'daily review'. Loads of information that may be useful if I ever visit those ports.

All reviews very useful but get different info from different types, I am considering Fred and read all I can.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time and makes the effort to inform others.