Around the World from Liverpool on Black Watch 2021

[malbecman]

Hi, all ...have been reading lots of your fabulous tales and advice re world cruises and was delighted to see the details of this trip pop in last week!  We gave it some thought and realised this was a route we had to sail ! also great to be sailing from a port which is closer to home  in Scotland ! Hope to hear from other cruisers aboard in the coming months ! 

[Heidi13]

My dad has completed 2 WC segments over the years on Black Watch. He enjoys the ship.

 

To contact fellow passengers on this cruise, the best location is starting a Roll Call. Here is the link.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/620-fred-olsen-roll-calls/

 

Best checking if an existing roll call thread exists, if not start a new thread. Suggest using ship's name, departure date and world cruise in the title.

[malbecman]

Many thanks for your reply...great idea . We have been on the ship before as well....really like the smaller size and ambience on board...very relaxing !

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Huh, gee, didn't Fred Olsen go out of business for a while?  Obviously not, but weren't they in financial trouble at one point?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I just spent some time on the FO website.  This "luxury" line is the opposite of all-inclusive.  Even with the drinks package which both parties must purchase, cocktails with named spirits are just half price!  And without it, you pay for all drinks--bottled waters, soft drinks including mixers, not sure about coffee and tea.   Set dining, which would drive me wild, and a formal night once a week.  They do have some nice big suites, though, at decent prices, but what with all the add-ons, the onboard costs would mount up.  Not for me.

[malbecman]

Hi Wendy, thanks for your comments....we have already sailed on a Fred cruise previously and found it suits us better than some of the HUGE ships...each to their own, as we say here !

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, malbecman said:

Hi Wendy, thanks for your comments....we have already sailed on a Fred cruise previously and found it suits us better than some of the HUGE ships...each to their own, as we say here !

 

Hi, I don't like huge ships either.  In fact the ship we'll be doing our 2021 world cruise on has 700 passengers, which is about average for our cruising experience--biggest 1200 and smallest 325.   It's an all-balcony ship with the (smallest) standard cabins being 300 sq ft including the balcony.  Anything bigger than that you pay through the nose, but then everything's included.  All beverages, most excursions, and on the WC, laundry/drycleaning, visas, business class air, luggage delivery, even medical care.

 

I'm guessing that the U.K. sensibility would be very apparent, which would make the ship very appealing, I'm sure.  I'm Canadian, so would be comfortable with that as well, but frankly, not completely.  We tend to be more casual in North America, as I'm sure you know, and we probably like somewhat different entertainment. But the main drawback for me is having to pay for drinks, even non-alcoholic ones by the look of it.  It's not the paying, it's the signing, mainly.

 

But I'm sure you'll have a lovely time.

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Huh, gee, didn't Fred Olsen go out of business for a while?  Obviously not, but weren't they in financial trouble at one point?

Wendy - Not saying it didn't experience financial difficulties, but not something I recall reading about.

 

Only thing I recall, was restricting use of some travel agents, a couple of years after the 2008 financial melt down. I believe they were concerned with the financial viability of the TA's, which hold substantial funds for them.