Would you sail on FRED OLSEN FOR ROTTERDAM & AMSTERDAM???🚢🚢

[Rotterdam]

As the Rotterdam & Amsterdam are headed to Fred Olsen Cruises would you sail w that line instead of HAL???

 

[KirkNC]

No

[RuthC]

Possibly; I would have to research them a little more first. But I have been interested in doing that research in the past. 
They are British, which is very compatible to me, not to mention English is the language, so that's not a concern. I like some of their itineraries, and expect the culture onboard would be traditional, which I appreciate. 
Now, about the food? I don't know what that is like. And I would want to know about the evening entertainment and daytime activities. I'm really poor at reading prices in pounds sterling and thinking in dollars, but it might be fun to cruise and purchase what I want without giving cost a second thought. 
Just once. 

[rkacruiser]

14 minutes ago, Rotterdam said:

As the Rotterdam & Amsterdam are headed to Fred Olsen Cruises would you sail w that line instead of HAL???

 

 

How can anyone of us reasonably supply an answer to your question at this time?  

[cccole]

RuthC - Would it matter to you what "redecorating" the ship had gone through?  I have thought for years about a WC on the Amsterdam because of the ambiance passengers reported.  I think your reasons for possibly trying a Fred Olsen cruise are good ones and the bonus would be a cruise on a truly "classic" ship.  Cherie 

[Sir PMP]

Yes, I would, if they leave  the ships the same, I will. The captains are mostly Finnish, Norwegian en there is one Filipino captain.

[mskitty1]

NO--its NOT the ship that attracts us, its the itinerary and (most important) the FANTASTIC HAL CREW MEMBERS!  Whether we have sailed  on the smaller ships or the bigger ships we have always found something unique to that ship that we like.  Again, its the crew  & their great service, the atmosphere, the food, the itinerary that is always so GREAT on any of the DAM ships that keeps us coming back.  We are 5 star Mariners with over 1000 days!  Really are missing our cabin on any Dam ship right now.

[RuthC]

Cherie, from what I know of Fred. Olsen Cruise Line (not all that much), any redecorating would likely be tasteful and acceptable to me. After all, it's not my home, so I just have to live with it for a short while. It's the atmosphere and culture on board that would matter more, and I think that would be a good fit for me---again, from what I know. 

[Mary229]

I have considered Fred Olsen cruises.   The possible British cuisine, or lack of, has deterred me so far!

[cccole]

RuthC, Thanks for your reply.  Itinerary, atmosphere, and culture on board are good reasons to consider a ship.  I think that there is so much food and so many venues for eating on ships that I'm sure I could find something.  Thanks again, Cherie 

[MMDown Under]

I would love to cruise on Fred.Olsen again, when it is safe to do so.  However it would depend on the itinerary.  I wouldn't fly long haul for a short cruise. 

[cccole]

58 minutes ago, Rotterdam said:

As the Rotterdam & Amsterdam are headed to Fred Olsen Cruises would you sail w that line instead of HAL???

 

Rotterdam, If you are the same Rotterdam who posted on the Fred Olsen CC site, you would not be caught dead on either the Rotterdam or Amsterdam.  But it's nice FO has ships you like.  Cherie

[gadabout60]

I am in Britain and have done twenty plus cruises with my mum who sadly passed away last year

We did one Fred Olsen cruise and both of us agreed never again. 

Ship was awful - Braemar - really dated and our balcony had a weird configuration. Far too expensive for what it was. Food - I would say quality ingredients well cooked but very old fashioned British menu. No speciality restaurants available. Buffet boring.

Entertainment amateurish and embarrassing 

Staff were not friendly - only ship I have found this on. If you said good morning in a corridor they looked the other way.

There was a general feeling that many things were too much trouble.

This was a replacement cruise for us after a cancelled cruise with another company and we met several other Fred first timers on board who like us said never again.

 

I have only cruised mid range lines and Celebrity is by far my favourite. The two companies are miles apart and IMHO anyone who likes the service and facilities on board Celebrity would not like Fred.

We never got to cruise HAL though we had been considering it - thus my looking on these boards

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

No. It's not the metal that matters. It's the crew and the other passengers.


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[Sir PMP]

2 hours ago, gadabout60 said:

I am in Britain and have done twenty plus cruises with my mum who sadly passed away last year

We did one Fred Olsen cruise and both of us agreed never again. 

Ship was awful - Braemar - really dated and our balcony had a weird configuration. Far too expensive for what it was. Food - I would say quality ingredients well cooked but very old fashioned British menu. No speciality restaurants available. Buffet boring.

Entertainment amateurish and embarrassing 

Staff were not friendly - only ship I have found this on. If you said good morning in a corridor they looked the other way.

There was a general feeling that many things were too much trouble.

This was a replacement cruise for us after a cancelled cruise with another company and we met several other Fred first timers on board who like us said never again.

 

I have only cruised mid range lines and Celebrity is by far my favourite. The two companies are miles apart and IMHO anyone who likes the service and facilities on board Celebrity would not like Fred.

We never got to cruise HAL though we had been considering it - thus my looking on these boards

 

That's bad news, but since you never were on Hal, it's hard to compare..

[Jammy Bun]

3 hours ago, gadabout60 said:

I am in Britain and have done twenty plus cruises with my mum who sadly passed away last year

We did one Fred Olsen cruise and both of us agreed never again. 

Ship was awful - Braemar - really dated and our balcony had a weird configuration. Far too expensive for what it was. Food - I would say quality ingredients well cooked but very old fashioned British menu. No speciality restaurants available. Buffet boring.

Entertainment amateurish and embarrassing 

Staff were not friendly - only ship I have found this on. If you said good morning in a corridor they looked the other way.

There was a general feeling that many things were too much trouble.

This was a replacement cruise for us after a cancelled cruise with another company and we met several other Fred first timers on board who like us said never again.

 

I have only cruised mid range lines and Celebrity is by far my favourite. The two companies are miles apart and IMHO anyone who likes the service and facilities on board Celebrity would not like Fred.

We never got to cruise HAL though we had been considering it - thus my looking on these boards

 

We’ve sailed many different cruise lines, including Fred’s ships several times - all four of the current fleet.  They are old-fashioned in many respects and currently cater for an older, predominantly British clientele. But we loved every cruise we took with Fred, apart from one on Braemar, which coped badly with the rough seas we encountered that year. We found the crew to be extremely friendly.  
Three years ago we discovered  Viking Ocean cruises and have found our perfect match in them.  No formal nights on Viking!  But if Covid means we must stay closer to home, and Fred has a more modern fleet with better priced balconies and suites, we would consider them again. 

In our 30 cruises we’ve only sailed once on HAL, in one of the Corner Neptune suites on Nieuw Amsterdam, and it was OK.  Food was more ‘international’ than Fred’s offerings, but to be honest I can’t remember much else about the cruise!  We’ve also sailed on Cunard, P&O, Royal Caribbean and NCL.  
Whilst we liked Fred Olsen, I do agree with the previous poster, that US cruisers who like any of the mid range mainstream lines might find a Fred Cruise ‘different’.  If you don’t want razz matazz you might enjoy stepping back in time!  
 

[Riknpat]

Sure.  I choose my ships with size and layout as primary concerns.  Forward observation, walk around decks etc.  As long as the food is good, bed is comfy and the plumbing works I could care less about the rest of the 'product'.  Fred Olsen has a good rep for food and service.  Downside was old, small ships past their prime.  So I'd try them for sure on the HAL ships.

[Himself]

I have my doubts as to whether I would do this.

[DeeniEncinitas]

12 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

No. It's not the metal that matters. It's the crew and the other passengers.


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I so agree with you! I didn’t want just to say no and you said it all for me! 
Denise😊

[drowelf]

12 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

No. It's not the metal that matters. It's the crew and the other passengers.


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And the itinerary the ship is travelling. It takes all 3 to make an outstanding cruise. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by drowelf

[Mary229]

Fred Olsen is fast!   Here is the quote from my email

 

We are delighted to let you know we’re introducing two new vessels to our fleet.

 

The ships, to be named Bolette and Borealis, fit perfectly with our love for small-ship cruising, as both carry less than 1,500 guests.

 

Fred Olsen Announcement

[cruisemom42]

I would strongly consider it, if there was an itinerary I liked.

 

I do not like larger ships. I grudgingly have booked a couple of upcoming cruises on Westerdam because of the itineraries, but even Westie seems too big for me after years on the 350 passenger Aegean Odyssey.

 

Friendly crew and staff I have found on many different lines I've sailed -- only one was severely lacking in that area (and I haven't gone back). I also, as a solo, seem to be better at connecting with other, similar passengers on the smaller ships. You just see the same people around over and over and naturally fall into conversations.

 

Braemar is not a typical Fred Olsen ship, IMO, based on the research I've done.

 

[VMax1700]

The de-HALed images are on the website now!

http://media.fredolsencruises.com/pressreleases/fred-olsen-cruise-lines-unveils-two-new-ships-bolette-and-borealis-as-it-looks-ahead-to-a-brighter-future-after-pandemic-3022004 

[cruisemom42]

41 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Fred Olsen is fast!   Here is the quote from my email

 

We are delighted to let you know we’re introducing two new vessels to our fleet.

 

The ships, to be named Bolette and Borealis, fit perfectly with our love for small-ship cruising, as both carry less than 1,500 guests.

 

Fred Olsen Announcement

 

I like Borealis as a name. Bolette, not so much but it relates to their history.

 

Fred Olsen also seems like a company with a strong sense of their heritage...

[Rotterdam]

19 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

How can anyone of us reasonably supply an answer to your question at this time?  

It's an easy enough question...how much does a ship mean to an individual.