My first Fred Olsen cruise.

[TheGardener]

3 hours ago, Lottie A said:

Daveywavey I am a frequent Silversea and Azamara cruiser and I must confess that before my first Fred cruise I was worried about the quality of Fred Olsen’s food compared to AZ and SS too. 

I was very pleasantly surprised! I would rate it far above P&O and also above Cunard....unless you are in The Grills.
 

It’s not gourmet food but excellent quality. In the MDR we had lobster, beef wellington, sole stuffed with prawns, a fabulous authentic chicken curry, an Italian night with great pasta dishes and the desserts tasted just as good as they looked. And as someone above said....the food was served hot. Even on SS they don’t always manage that. 

I went to the speciality restaurant The Grill on Balmoral twice. I have done two more Fred Olsen cruises since my Braemar one that I reviewed on here...that’s how much I like Fred Olsen. 😄

 

For the first visit I had scallops to start, then Filet Mignon and Pina Colada panna cotta. On my second visit I chose Goat’s Cheese and Red pepper cushion,  Grilled Lobster and Vanilla Mille Feuille. Both meals were absolutely delicious. 
I can also recommend the wonderful “posh” afternoon tea in The Observatory. Just skip lunch first because there is so much delicious sandwiches and cake....including proper clotted cream for the scones! It’s great value at £8.95 each. 

 

Did you know that you can go to the smaller restaurants (as opposed to the larger MDR) for breakfast and lunch? You have to stick to your assigned table/restaurant for dinner though. I found the service and ambience quieter in the smaller one and after the first day used it every time for breakfast/lunch. 

We are going on Black Watch in just over two weeks. It’s an Andalusia intensive cruise for 13 nights. I will try to remember to take some food pix for you and post them here when I’m back home in March. 

 

Hi Lottie A

Delighted to hear you talking so enthusiastically about FO we have done lots of cruises most of them on Celebrity which we absolutely love. We did our first cruise on FO last year, Norwegian Fjords on Boudicca we had a great time. Sailing from uk ports and some very interesting itineraries are what attracted us to FO initially. We now have two trips with FO booked this year both on Black Watch. In two weeks we will also be on Black Watch around Andalusia, lots of interest including the Cadiz Carnival. We might even see you around the ship?? We love to start a cruise with a couple of days at sea a nice relaxing lead into the trip.

Regards Michael & Janet

[Lottie A]

Hi Michael and Janet, 

How nice to talk to someone else on our cruise. I love relaxing sea days too and I’m looking forward to the overnight in Cadiz for the Feria celebration. I don’t know if you are part of the Fred Olsen group on the site that can’t be mentioned here but we are all arranging a meeting on the first sea day in The Observatory at around 1:30-2:30 pm and all are welcome. 
 

Hope to see you onboard. 

[TheGardener]

Hi Lottie A

Thanks for your reply and the info on the meeting we will try and get to there on the first day (I don't do any of the SM sites all a bit risky for me.) though there are often some excellent talks or music recitals on sea days which I love so that could very well take priority for me. Anyway, hopefully our paths will cross over the thirteen days, I am 6Ft tall with a full beard do speak if you see me.

 

Regards Michael

[Lottie A]

I might get into trouble for accosting tall men with beards Michael, but I will certainly look out for you! 🤣

Weather in Cadiz today is a sunny 20 degrees!