P&O or Fred Olsen?

[Tommart]

Some helpful comments on another thread (thanks tring!) are leading me to consider Fred Olsen as an alternative to P&O. 

 

Must admit that P&O's attitude towards their customers (the Amsterdam Ijmuiden con trick for example) have led to that, and frankly it's all got a bit too Skegness/Blackpool/Butlins lately.

 

Anyone use both? How do the ships and onboard services/facilities compare? 

[gadabout60]

Did a FO cruise a year ago and never again

Balcony cabin was expensive and awful - bedside tables at foot of beds: they allow smoking on balconies which is a big no no for me. Could not sit on the balcony at night inport as very bright spotlights there

Staff  seem to have many outfits which I felt degraded them somewhat

Quality of food better than P&O but less international choice. No speciality restaurants open on our 8 night cruise

Terrible system to get a shuttle bus - you had to queue at reception to pay or get a card stamped that you didn’t pay then queue at another table for a ticket then wait to be called. System chaos and a whole load of us waited over an hour to get off the ship yet buses were waiting

Security  staff never greeted you on and off - very unfriendly 

House wine like vinegar

Show lounges uncomfortable and difficult to see the stage

Equivalent of headliners tried hard but were really not very good

i could go on. We were not alone on our view - our neighbours told us that they had never spent so much time in their cabin on a cruise

i would never cruise with them again which is a shame as they have some good destinations 

Per night it was the most we had ever paid for a cruise but it was by far the worst 

[July morning]

Our experience of FO in January this year was very good not at all like the previous poster. 

We have always been "fans" of P&O and been on many cruises with them but lately have not been having the same satisfaction as previously in fact last January on Azura was very disappointing, we have said we wouldn't be keen to go back on her.  Oceana was better in October.

We booked with FO with some hesitation it was mainly for the destination (Amazon Adventure) but were very pleased with our choice IMO the food was better always hot, choice was similar to P&O  and service was good.  Entertainment was good we had a comedian (seen him before on P&O) singers, show group similar to Headliners but a smaller group which was to be expected as the ships are much smaller reminded me very much of P&O Adonia, we enjoyed them as everything was new for us. We were always able to get seats without going ridiculously early.  We had fun on this cruise reminded us of the earlier days on P&O we were late to bed ever night except when we had an early excursion;) Any time you met crew/entertainers on board they ALL acknowledged you even if it was only a smile.   We had the drinks package and the house Chilean red was certainly drinkable can't comment on white as we like red! I can't remark about balconies either as we never have one.

Over all we enjoyed FO very much.  I know it wasn't perfect nothing ever is but certainly worth a try if like us P&O are wearing thin. So much so we're cancelling our cruise with P&O in January and going to give FO another test run!   We met quite a few passengers with the same thoughts and were P&O fans like we were also our neighbour spoke highly of them before we went!   And the itineraries are different.

As you can tell from these two posts everyone is different and you have to decide for yourself but IMO they are worth a try (even if more expensive)

[jeanlyon]

I have done both a number of times.  Quite liked the Balmoral, not keen on Black Watch, but really liked the Braemar.  Much smaller.  Food on a par.  Entertainment similar.  Staff lovely.  Only thing for me (and I am 72 and husband is 80).  We found it rather like a nursing home, but then I've heard that about P&O!

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

I have done three Fred Olsen cruises.  I would put them in terms of quality somewhere between P&O and CMV. In the past the prices reflected that but Fred Olsen now seems expenses compared to P&O. 

 

The Fred Olsen ships are small and very old. They are very well maintained but they lack modern facilities.  Balconies are few and consequently expensive. The food is perhaps better than you would expect and the service is friendly. The entertainment is small scale and the ships (i have tried) have no proper theatre. The onboard ambience is probably more like Oriana than Britannia. Expect a quiet and more elderly crowd.  

 

I would cruise again with Fred Olsen as the small ships can go to interesting ports particularly in Norway. The price would have to be good which it is not often on Fred Olsen nowadays.  For standard Mediterranean and Canaries cruises I would prefer P&O Oriana and Aurora. 

 

I hope this helps, Stephen. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by stephen@stoneyard.co.uk

[tring]

Regards cabins.  Looking at post two that person appears to have booked a basic balcony cabin (BC) which are very small and the beds are very badly placed.  If you go to the Fred site and go through a mock booking, you will see pictures of examples of each cabin type, which I recommend you do if you want to book.  You do not have to continue with that booking if you wish to book via an agent, but still worth getting that info. first.  Yes you can smoke on most of Fred's balconies, apart from the Terrace Balcony Cabins and Suites on deck 7 of Boudicca and Black Watch, when smoking is not an issue.  We have had a terrace balcony cabin twice on Boudicca and really liked it.  Yes, you are on prom deck so not entirely private, but still a lot more private than sitting out in a public area.  The glass front are frosted so if you are sitting down and looking away from the direction which people walk,  you will not see anyones face at all.  The windows are one way glass, but need to make sure you draw the curtains if your cabin light is on and you are getting dressed!  Those cabins are both cheaper and bigger than the standard BC grade.  I have know people in other balconies and sometimes there is no probs with smoke, but if there is Fred will do their best to move you if you make it known you are not happy about it and the only person we knew who had a problem was upgraded to a better cabin that was also smoke free.

 

We do not normally book balconies as we are away a lot, but often choose a grade D or similar on Fred just to the front of midship, though on some ships they are only port hole cabins.  Fred's obstructed view cabins are expensive and even some balcony cabins can have a lifeboat hung outside, so you do need to check the cabin and location as you would on any ship.  We have had some good value obstructed view outside cabins on P&O.  Some lowish grade Fred cabins have a bath with shower over, so more space to get a shower and also a longer retractable line for washing, though, must say I have not encountered the same aggression in Fred's laundries that I have in P&O laundries.

 

Some inside cabins also have beds in L shaped configuration, though we have often been able to move the beds ourselves (or you could ask your maid) so they are side by side, but not on Black Watch which has fixed beds in all cabins below deck six (unless that has changed).  Other ships have have a few cabins when beds cannot be split into two singles, so need to check.  We like Braemar, but it is a lot less stable in rough seas than the others as it is a slightly newer, flat bottomed ship.  The others can be pretty stable for their size.  If you book Braemar or Balmoral reasonably early you can request dining in one of the higher deck restaurants (Grampian, Spey or Avon), that would be used as speciality restaurants on P&O.  You do not have to book a high grade cabin to be allocated them, but they are popular so will fill more quickly.  

 

Fred's pricing has become very annoying as he is putting high price tags on then coming up with various offers, so you would have to keep an eye on what the offers are.  The book 3's can be good if you book 3 similar price cruises (or upgrade on the cheapest), but you do not always want that and having to cancel one would mean the other two being repriced as individual cruises.  Fred is still charging tips at £5 pppd, but offers sometimes include them.  You sometimes get freedom fare upgrade offers on certain cruises which do not seem too bad and we had a good Black Friday offer last November for a cruise last month.

 

As mentioned by many, the age range is higher overall on Fred, but varies with cruise, with fly cruises and shorter ones from the UK having a lower age range than others.  Not that we have have had any problems with any passenger because of their age, many are good company.  We were late 50's when we started cruising and are late 60's now. 

 

As I said previously we cruise for the itinerary and to be honest are doing more hotel holidays partly because we consider them they are far better value.  We even did that in a number of bases in Myanmar/Thailand  in Jan/Feb and found we could get ourselves together re the moves easier than we had expected and had a far better experience of the countries (particularly Myanmar) than we would have done on fleeting trips from a ship either independently or an organized trip.

Edited May 14, 2019 by tring

[Solent Richard]

18 hours ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

I have done three Fred Olsen cruises.  I would put them in terms of quality somewhere between P&O and CMV. In the past the prices reflected that but Fred Olsen now seems expenses compared to P&O. 

 

The Fred Olsen ships are small and very old. They are very well maintained but they lack modern facilities.  Balconies are few and consequently expensive. The food is perhaps better than you would expect and the service is friendly. The entertainment is small scale and the ships (i have tried) have no proper theatre. The onboard ambience is probably more like Oriana than Britannia. Expect a quiet and more elderly crowd.  

 

I would cruise again with Fred Olsen as the small ships can go to interesting ports particularly in Norway. The price would have to be good which it is not often on Fred Olsen nowadays.  For standard Mediterranean and Canaries cruises I would prefer P&O Oriana and Aurora. 

 

I hope this helps, Stephen. 

 

Fully Concur.

 

I've done two Fred Olsen cruises and in excess of 260 nights on P&O. 

 

Frankly I don't think there is any comparison.

 

When and if I want to do a smaller I'd much prefer to pay the extra and go with something more quality.

[jeanlyon]

I agree, Fred has become much more expensive so we don't usually consider them any more.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

3 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Fully Concur.

 

I've done two Fred Olsen cruises and in excess of 260 nights on P&O. 

 

Frankly I don't think there is any comparison.

 

When and if I want to do a smaller I'd much prefer to pay the extra and go with something more quality.

 

I agree smaller and better quality. It seems to be that standard quality cruise lines are having to go for bigger ships.  They do not seem to want small ships. The economies must not work for them. If you want smaller ships then there are some operators like CMV but they are definitely very budget, or alternative as you say go for a luxury line. 

 

I know now you are well travelled.  Have you done Ponant. I wonder what you think of them. I am booked on the delivery voyage for one of the small expedition ships next year. They are new to me and my French is not very good.

 

Best wishes, Stephen. 

Edited May 14, 2019 by stephen@stoneyard.co.uk

[Dermotsgirl]

I’ve mostly cruised with P&O, although I’ve done one cruise with Fred Olsen. 

 

I enjoyed the Fred experience very much. I liked that the main dining rooms had a choice of table service or buffet for breakfast and lunch, so you get the comfort of the MDR, with the convenience of a buffet. 

 

I also liked the very reasonably priced drinks package. For our cruise it was £10pppn. We have another Fred Cruise booked for next year, and the cost of the drinks package has increased to £15. 

 

I also like that Fred does some interesting itineraries, although some of the fares for the more unusual itineraries are very high.

 

I am currently sitting on CMV’s Columbus, waiting to disembark after a 10 day British Isles Cruise. Someone mentioned that CMV are quite budget - but for what you get, it is very good value indeed. 

 

If someone likes P&O or Fred, there’s nothing to fear from a CMV Cruise, and is a good choice of a change from the ‘norm’ 

[Harry Peterson]

34 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I’ve mostly cruised with P&O, although I’ve done one cruise with Fred Olsen. 

 

I enjoyed the Fred experience very much. I liked that the main dining rooms had a choice of table service or buffet for breakfast and lunch, so you get the comfort of the MDR, with the convenience of a buffet. 

 

I also liked the very reasonably priced drinks package. For our cruise it was £10pppn. We have another Fred Cruise booked for next year, and the cost of the drinks package has increased to £15. 

 

I also like that Fred does some interesting itineraries, although some of the fares for the more unusual itineraries are very high.

 

I am currently sitting on CMV’s Columbus, waiting to disembark after a 10 day British Isles Cruise. Someone mentioned that CMV are quite budget - but for what you get, it is very good value indeed. 

 

If someone likes P&O or Fred, there’s nothing to fear from a CMV Cruise, and is a good choice of a change from the ‘norm’ 

That's very helpful - thanks. Very interested to hear your CMV comments too. Very convenient port-wise for us and some good itineraries, but the age of the ships and various other things have always put us off.

 

Maybe these days they're more on a par with P&O as P&O has changed its target market.

[Dermotsgirl]

49 minutes ago, docco said:

That's very helpful - thanks. Very interested to hear your CMV comments too. Very convenient port-wise for us and some good itineraries, but the age of the ships and various other things have always put us off.

 

Maybe these days they're more on a par with P&O as P&O has changed its target market.

The passengers on this cruise were similar to what you’d find on an Oriana type cruise. Mostly 60+. A Gardeners World group was on board, as many of the excursions that were available included gardens, such as Keukenhof, Monet’s Garden and Tresco.

 

The passenger profile was more international than P&O. We got on at Tilbury, and our next stop was Amsterdam (not Imuljen). A group of passengers from the previous cruise ( the World cruise) disembarked in Amsterdam, and some more embarked here, so we had about 200 German and Dutch people with us. 

[Scriv]

I won't be risking trying Fred Olsen again. My main reasons are the price and affordability of balconies, the pokiness and the very strange layout of the beds in many cabins and very importantly  the policy of allowing smoking on balconies - and also the attitude of staff that I experienced on an albeit brief cruise.

I  only had a short cruise on Fred,  so accept that it might be a 'one off' although from other posts above, it seems  there are others who share our experience. Officers and staff members walking towards us  avoided eye contact, looking at the floor;  there was never a smile or welcome back from security staff;  and there was apathy and instances of real rudeness from a number of waiters in the main dining room and in the buffet. So much so that for the first time in my several years of cruising with 2 other lines, I was really very close to making a formal complaint.

 

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

3 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

The passengers on this cruise were similar to what you’d find on an Oriana type cruise. Mostly 60+. A Gardeners World group was on board, as many of the excursions that were available included gardens, such as Keukenhof, Monet’s Garden and Tresco.

 

The passenger profile was more international than P&O. We got on at Tilbury, and our next stop was Amsterdam (not Imuljen). A group of passengers from the previous cruise ( the World cruise) disembarked in Amsterdam, and some more embarked here, so we had about 200 German and Dutch people with us. 

Sounds good to me!

[Pentlands]

Yes the Fred Olsen smoking on balconies is a vote loser for me. Been with them before but now like to upgrade a bit and the smoking balconies is a problem. So one booked with them but no more. Will comment on PO in a few weeks when we have taken our first cruise with them.

[Gilllizzie]

we have been fortunate to travel last year/this year with P&O, Fred Olsen, Celebrity and Princess. Fred Olsen’s Borealis was the only one I really didn’t like! 

The main lounge resembled a nursing home, and a continuous loop tape of 50’and 60’s music played almost non stop for 15 days, so the same tracks were endlessly repeated. The singer in the lounge was the same man every day too, and the shows were very low budget. The cabin originally allocated was the worst cabin we’ve had in 30 years of cruising. The rattling and vibration was totally intolerable, and we requested, and got, a move. The quality of food was actually very good, but the choices uninspiring, rather like a never ending Sunday lunch. It was the Liverpool departure that tempted us, and that was great, but I still suggest another line.

P&O Ventura, that we chose on price alone, was a real surprise, and food was good, if again rather British. The entertainment and speciality dining were great

[Camberley]

We toyed loosely with FO but the whole smoking on balconies thing is a definite turn off! At least you can almost avoid the smoking stench on P&O…….although on Iona we found the smoke wafted down to the corridor towards the Crows Nest and Epicurean which was horrid: we might as well have shoved our nose into a smoker’s clothes in the lift!

 

While we feel P&O is nowhere approaching up-market - and for us it’s fine for what it is - FO seems just a little crusty. But that’s probably just our perception from their advertising and from others we know who have sailed with them. Of course, it could be an amazing line and we’re missing out - but sadly that is our loss.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Camberley

[July morning]

We don't have a balcony so that's not a problem for us 😉

We're going on Borealis again on Tuesday and looking forward to it and hope to enjoy it as much as previous cruises. The age graphic isn't a problem as we find that the older people tend to go to bed earlier anyway and there's still plenty of people in the venues to have a good atmosphere.

I think the worst cruise we were on was Regal Princess round trip from NY to Canada & New England everyone disappeared by 9pm only a few people in the venues apart from the casino which holds no appeal for us.