new to cruiseing

[old git]

going on my first next month with p&o,thinking about 2008 which ship of olsen would you people in the know reccomend be greatfull for any advice ty

[merecat]

Don,t know about being "in the know" but Boudicca is a very nice ship and if you want something a bit bigger why not look at Balmoral .I,m sure neither will disappoint. Merecat:)

[poole]

If you have now cruised on a P&O larger ship, you will proably find that the Fred Olsen ship you may select is much smaller, older, and lacking in some of the modern amenities (e.g.: a decent theatre and outdoor sports facilities) that are taken as standard in more modern ships. The average age of the passengers is also older, but this is not a deterent! On Boudica, there are minor irritations such as having to go to your usual dinner-seat for lunch in the dining rooms - it is very pleasant to be given the option of meeting different people over lunch. The alternative is the low-ceiling, window-less "Secret Garden" buffet - serving a much smaller selection of dishes.

 

However - to each his own, and the "Fred Olsen Faithfull" - most of whom I met had never cruised with any other line - are passionate about these old ships.:rolleyes:

[merecat]

Hello "Old Git" by now you should have done your cruise on a PO ship,how did you enjoy it.

Myself ,haveing cruised on many different lines ,find all ships are interesting and usually go for the ports they visit not the ships.Smaller ships are able to get into more ports and large ships have more facilities ,so you pays your money and takes your choice.

Larger and newer doesn,t always mean better.:)

[Guest Anorak33]

Poole - I actually like to go to my usual table for lunch and breakfast, that way you get the same waiters and they by the second day they will get you your preferred choice of everything without having to explain everything again.

My partner likes green tea, most of the time with a fresh waiter she ends up with peppermint tea which is of course not what she wants. Thats just one example.

As far as meeting new people is concerned that can be good too, but so many are extremely elderly (even older than us) on FO ships we have been on that we found it becomes a bit of a strain making conversation, thats if they want or are capable of it in the first place.

Another advantage of one pair of waiters the whole cruise is that you can give tips to them and no one else - and in my experience they try harder because they know more tip depends on it.

I must admit that on my last crusie on FO we ate in the buffet many times as the service was too slow and poor in the dining room, first time we ever had to do this. One good thing about this is that you find you eat less and don't put on weight.

[old git]

ty for asking merecat, cruise was brill we realy enjoyed it,i liked the ship day's,found the tour's a lot of hastle,the food was brill,the cocktail's even better :D booked another two days after we got home,only problem is waiting untill next july:( but would recomend it to anybody to try it's the only way to travel from now on:cool:

[merecat]

I agree ,only way to travel ,glad you enjoyed it and visit lots of lovely places.:)