Boudicca Trip from Hell

[jfks]

I have just returned from a 3 day break called the Dutch Weekender. What a disaster, I booked this so I could see just what a Fred Olsen cruise was like and as a birthday treat for a good freind.

 

We arrived at Southhampton and they had moved the terminal due to the Saga Rose but the signposting was not clear hour late we found the dock!

 

We boarded the ship very quickly I was thinking great having been on other cruises I know it can take time.

 

We found our cabin 3047 then the horrors began I knew it was in the lower price range but did not expect paint peeling off the walls and stained carpets and cracked shower tray apart from that it was clean. I went to the reception to mention the problems and they said they would look into it.

 

We then decided to go and have afternoon tea in the Secret Garden when we got there there was no sandwiches and the Hot water thermos was empty . I felt so sorry for the poor waiter who had to explain they had run out of food.

 

We then thought well lets go and have a look around the ship it was very dissapointing as it was old and tatty in many places the lounge where you could smoke was drab and again needed a good coat of paint. The whole area was very dated it reminded me of the 70,s.

 

Then we went to the upper decks to look at the swimming pool it was covered with a net but was very dirty covered in black bits, The two small pools were open but did not look very clean. The whole 3 days the bar by the pool was not open so we never ventured that far again.

 

On returning to the cabin it smelt funny somebody had been along and varnished the outside door we got changed and went to dinner. Things could not get worse by now the oh well you pay for what you get set in!

 

How wrong we were we sat at our table with not enough room between tables to move, Ok fine we only have to eat there, The waiter arrived and we ordered a bottle of wine, We had an starter then ordered the main meal I picked something with rice it came out looking like a it had been thrown on the plate by a child it was cold and not edible. The wine had still not arrived...... We then had a sweet it was bland and resembled a school dinner (not the type of dinner you look back on and say I wish) Still no wine.... We then asked for cheese and biscuits that was great not alot they could get wrong! but still no wine.. We had asked the waiter for the wine... The coffees arrived and then out of the blue a Bottle of wine was placed on our table yipee but placed with it still corked the waiter had vanished.... we drank our coffees left the Four seasons I never managed to get the wine opened. We were billed for it. The bottle never returned on the next evening.

 

The evening had begen so off to the neptune lounge for the entertainment now that was good the comedian was so funny old jokes but he was great and the couple playing instruments and singing are wasted working on such a ship.

 

We then went off to bed and the fun and games began... The cabin rattled and I mean rattled ok we knew the engines were below but the vibrations were amazing Fred olsen should sell the secret to Ann Summers! By now we were in fits of giggles we eventually stopped laughing and fell asleep and about 3 am we could hear a banging noise on investigation it was the wardrobe maybe we had a stow away(good looking man possibly) no such luck the doors were hanging off their hinges, Now as I was on holiday I did not have my normal collection of screwdrivers in my handbag so I called reception, They said they would send a man in the morning. So we tied the doors together with belts put a chair infront with suitcases on and went to sleep.

 

At 7pm the next morning we awoke to lots of noise outside unknowing to us our cabin was next to the hostess room and she was preparing for the day.

Things did not improve but will post more later........

[capegirl]

I was also on this cruise JFKS. Having been on Princess, QM2 & P&O we wanted to try different line!! What a shock. Firstly we paid hugely for a balcony cabin, they said partially restricted viewing well we could only see the sky! Our cabin was clean we did not have any of your problems TG. The food was horrendous, hardly ate, had to dine off shore in Rotterdam & Guernsey. Did not even dare venture down for breakfast and lunch! I agree with you the entertainment was excellent especially the pair of singers/instrumentalists they were amazing and the comedian Tucker was very funny - however I will not sail again or recommend Fred Olsen.

[Guest Anorak33]

Well I must admit I was a little sceptical about the first post but now a long established member with a decent post count (i.e. more than 2) has a similar report I don't think I will be booking Boudicca.

Its a shame because I have never had those sort of problems on the FO ships I have been on, ever.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

[jfks]

I am sorry that you were a little bit sceptical about my post but I have cruised before on PO and RC and Princess,

 

I also ordered the Birthday package before I went away which was £50.00 the Champagne Breakfast arrived which was fantastic but later at dinner we were suppose to have a birthday cake at the dinning table 10.30 came and we had eaten another disgusting meal and all around us people were getting birthday cakes. I mentioned to the Maitre d about ours and was told well we have not had an email about it so sorry take it up with reception,

 

So off to the reception to ask about the cake the girl I spoke to was arrogant and said well we have no record of it.. when I said we had the breakfast she just said you could not have because we have no record of it, 40 minutes later she came back and told me that housekeeping had the details and we could have a cake left in our cabin....now sorry but we did not really want Cake at 12,30 at night plus we were leaving in the morning.

 

No apology was offered and it did not help my opnion of Fred Olsen cruises, Since being home I have contacted FO by post and email and telephone and still have not had an apologly or refund.

 

What was suppose to be a Birthday treat and surprise for a very good freind turned out to be a nightmare,

 

Unlike 2 years ago when we did a birthday treat on the RC which was totally different,

 

I will never ever travel on a Fred Olsen Cruise again and will certainally not be reccomeneding FO to my freinds or family.

[Guest Anorak33]

Most of the oldtimers on here will be sceptical of a 2 count poster quite fresh to the forum who uses an inflammatory title like "cruise from hell".

I don't think you know what a cruise from hell is. It wasn't yours thats for sure.

OK yours was not a good cruise, it was even admittedly a bad one. But "from hell". No,not really.

 

Did the ship catch fire? Did it sink? Did you get food poisoning and have to be hospitalised? Were you attacked on board or have your possessions stolen? Did your cabin get flooded by sewage from the deck above and no one did anything about it?

 

That would be more like many people's idea of a true cruise from hell.

 

Sorry, not yours.

 

I am sorry you had a bad FO experience, its not typical however of any of the FO cruises I have been on, but it must have been very upsetting.

[jfks]

Well to me it was a cruise from hell considering the amount I paid for it, I pay for a service and I expect to get it. Imagine if it was somebodys first experiance of a cruise how dissapointing, I am only greatful i did not book a longer cruise with them.

 

 

 

 

I belive in being frank and honest and I think that if others are planning to cruise on the Boudicca they should read about all types of experiances so they can make their own minds up as for me FO cruises are out of the question.

[Guest Anorak33]

Hi again, I am a little confused. You state you have "just returned" from the bad cruise.

You also state that you have complained to FO and not yet had an apology or refund.

Now I would expect FO to respond but maybe they have had a lot of complaints and are bogged down answering them, and if you have "just returned" from the cruise then obviously you have not allowed them much time to reply.

I would give it two weeks and then write again mentioning that the cruise was unfit for its purpose and not of merchantable quality and you will be issuing a summons in the small claims court unless you get a reply and an offer of some fair compensation.

I hope you have some photos or other good evidence to produce as it will be your responsibility to prove your claim to the judge or you will lose.

Statements from other passengers would be good, video or photos are good.

Whatever you do you must appear to be reasonable in your claim.

If you paid by credit card you could also take it up with your card issuer.

I would expect FO to settle before a court hearing if you are not unreasonable.

At the moment however you just sound as though you want revenge, not justice. That's not good, and it won't get you compensation.

 

.

[Jospen]

Hi again, I am a little confused. You state you have "just returned" from the bad cruise.

You also state that you have complained to FO and not yet had an apology or refund.

Now I would expect FO to respond but maybe they have had a lot of complaints and are bogged down answering them, and if you have "just returned" from the cruise then obviously you have not allowed them much time to reply.

I would give it two weeks and then write again mentioning that the cruise was unfit for its purpose and not of merchantable quality and you will be issuing a summons in the small claims court unless you get a reply and an offer of some fair compensation.

I hope you have some photos or other good evidence to produce as it will be your responsibility to prove your claim to the judge or you will lose.

Statements from other passengers would be good, video or photos are good.

Whatever you do you must appear to be reasonable in your claim.

If you paid by credit card you could also take it up with your card issuer.

I would expect FO to settle before a court hearing if you are not unreasonable.

At the moment however you just sound as though you want revenge, not justice. That's not good, and it won't get you compensation.

 

.

Do you work for Fred Olsen Anorak 33?

[mufi]

The points made by Anorak are sound. You obviously had a bad experience on your three day cruise.(tip, never ever do these short trips, even the quality cruise lines seem to slip standards on these.) Write to FO stating your grevances and request a response.

 

I was a bit puzzled about your wine. You were charged for a bottle of wine, so you must have signed the chit for it. You did this before the bottle was opened. Not good practice, only sign when you are satisfied with the purchase. You did not even know if the wine was drinkable.

 

David.

[Guest Anorak33]

Do you work for Fred Olsen Anorak 33?

 

 

No I don't. I am too old and worn out,the hours are too long, the work is too monotonous and the pay is terrible on any cruise ship unless you are the hotel manager or similar and then only the pay is better, everything else is just as bad and you have to carry the can as well if anything goes wrong.

 

Apart from those small points it sounds like a wonderful idea.

 

Anyway I'd hardly be advising an unhappy cruiser to sue FO if I worked for them would I?

[cullen]

I've just come off Boudicca after a seven day "Round Britain and Ireland" cruise.

I have to agree with Anorak that the comments made about the ship were a bit unfair, to say the least!. Take the sound advice offered by Anorak and you are in with a chance, go around saying "Cruise from Hell" is out of order.

My very recent experience with Boudicca was that the public lounges were clean, well furnished and comfortable. The food was not great but it was good. Like any restuarant, some things are better than others. Also, like any cruise I've been on, there's always plenty of food to choose from and always something you can eat. Waiters in general will offer you an alternative, if you ask but they are not mind readers so if you don't ask for something else they will naturally assume that everything was OK.

Seems to me that you were looking for "Rolls Royse" treatment at "Mini" prices. In general you do get what you pay for but many many times I've heard waiters almost pleading with passengers who did not like what they ordered, to take something else from the menu.

I'm a greedy beggar and asked for a ball of Ice Cream on top of every sweet at dinner and lunch. After a couple of times the waiter was telling me to order "Ice Cream".

You're mind was made up the moment you stepped onto the ship and you did nothing to change that yourself, if you just sat there at the table and never even asked for an alternative, nobody is to blame but Yourself!.

[Mattsudds]

I've just come off Boudicca after a seven day "Round Britain and Ireland" cruise.

I have to agree with Anorak that the comments made about the ship were a bit unfair, to say the least!.

Seems to me that you were looking for "Rolls Royse" treatment at "Mini" prices. In general you do get what you pay for but many many times I've heard waiters almost pleading with passengers who did not like what they ordered, to take something else from the menu.

You're mind was made up the moment you stepped onto the ship and you did nothing to change that yourself, if you just sat there at the table and never even asked for an alternative, nobody is to blame but Yourself!.

 

I wasn't on the cruise with this individual, but I think you might be condeming them rather excessively having not been there yourself either. Whilst I agree that complaints need to be reasonable, proportionate and evidence based etc, I think some of your condemnation is over the top. The op noted problems with their cabins, food, pre-ordered items and service issues. I agree that is not a 'cruise from hell' if we are being literal, but it is a bad one.

 

And the notion that the poster was looking for Rolls Royce treatment at mini prices may be true but I wouldn't be so sure. Whenever I have priced up a Fred Olsen minicruise, they have usually been at least as expensive (per diem basis) as any QE2 short cruise. Without going into the ins and outs of QE2 vs Fred Olsen, it seems to me that their pricing is far from 'mini' for what you get, with the possible exception of Black Prince.

 

I've cruised Fred Olsen twice and wish the company well - that sense of a family owned business is lovely. But I wouldn't personally recommend their product and on both cruises found the cabins, food and much of the service below par.

[mufi]

And the notion that the poster was looking for Rolls Royce treatment at mini prices may be true but I wouldn't be so sure. Whenever I have priced up a Fred Olsen minicruise, they have usually been at least as expensive (per diem basis) as any QE2 short cruise. Without going into the ins and outs of QE2 vs Fred Olsen, it seems to me that their pricing is far from 'mini' for what you get, with the possible exception of Black Prince.

 

.

 

This is correct only if based on the "headline" rates which are comparable to the quality lines. But for so many of us who are in the position of always being able to book at the FO "desperation" prices, they and the longer cruises represent a cheap and cheerful cruise that we do not have great expectations about, but hey never mind the quality feel the price.

 

David

[jfks]

As yet I have had no reply from FO regarding the Birthday package and my comments about the Boudicca,

My trip was not cheap it was booked in November last year and I paid 459 per person so quite alot , When you thinnk other companys have lower prices for a 3 day cruise.

 

If I had booked it at the last minute I probally could have got the same cruise for about 200 a person.

 

As for the food I did ask for alternative but was imformed unless you ordered it at 19.30 in the morning it was not possible.

 

FO have not done alot to engourage me to crusie with them again.

[mufi]

So you paid 153 (£??) pppd for a 3 day cruise. The question is, why? We did the section of the Black Watch World cruise for far less than that. At that price you really were ripped off and could never get value for money from FO however good they were.

 

As to ordering alternatives, just ask your waiter at table as we did - worked every time.

 

I am not surprised at the bad deal you had from FO, they are not at the top in quality by any means, but we really do need to take command a bit and not be willing to be fobbed off. And to shop around for reasonable prices before we book.

 

David.

[Guest Anorak33]

As yet I have had no reply from FO regarding the Birthday package and my comments about the Boudicca,

My trip was not cheap it was booked in November last year and I paid 459 per person so quite alot , When you thinnk other companys have lower prices for a 3 day cruise.

 

If I had booked it at the last minute I probally could have got the same cruise for about 200 a person.

 

As for the food I did ask for alternative but was imformed unless you ordered it at 19.30 in the morning it was not possible.

 

FO have not done alot to engourage me to crusie with them again.

 

 

We paid less than your total price for 12 days on Balmoral............. FO certainly made a profit on your cruise tickets.

 

Boudicca just advertised a 7 day for £179 per person, its not the most expensive ship in the world generally.

 

I would stick with your complaint and put everything in writing, keep copies and after a reasonable time give them an ultimatum - as long as you think you can prove your case in small claims court.

[merecat]

I have travelled with numerous cruise lines ,all give a different experience ,I personally like FO and Boudicca and although they can be quirky ,they are no worse than PO or Cunard .

Moaners are found everywhere and its no wonder the Ausses call them whinging Poms ,because thats exactely what they are.

Is that all they do on holiday ,ask each other what they,ve paid, how dreadful.

Get a life ,your there for a cruise not a moaners convention.

[jfks]

I would love to know where you found a 7 day cruise for that price!

Maybe at a price like that shows that FO cant sell their cruises at full price. Maybe we should ask why they are so reduced.

 

I am not a moaner just a customer who expects standards, I have never had reason to complain about any other Cruise or holiday.

[Guest Anorak33]

I would love to know where you found a 7 day cruise for that price!

Maybe at a price like that shows that FO cant sell their cruises at full price. Maybe we should ask why they are so reduced.

 

QUOTE]

 

Occasionally you will find a really good deal on all cruise ships, usually its because for some reason the itinerary just does not appeal to enough passengers, it may clash with the World Cup or some other popular event when most folk want to be at home in front of the gogglebox, or its a repositioning cruise which makes the landbased travel to and from the ship awkward as the departure and arrival ports are different.

 

When several factors like these I have mentioned coincide for the date of one cruise then you can get a very cheap deal.

 

But that will not reflect on the quality of the accomodation or service which will be the same as usual.

 

You were unlucky and did not have a good cruise, but you will not win many friends here if you take every opportunity to unfairly denigrate FO as a cruise line.

[Jospen]

Boudicca just advertised a 7 day for £179 per person, its not the most expensive ship in the world generally.

 

Any more info on this one.... would love to take advantage of that price. We were on the Balmoral in April...... fantastic cruise!

[jfks]

I came to this site because I like cruises and when looking for advice on a cruise this seemed the place to go.

 

I think you have a real problem with anyone who does not agree with your view on FO.

 

As to FO prices I suggest you go and look at the prices for the 4 day to Amsterdam later this year they are not cheap.

 

I guess we will never agree on FO but hey if you like them great you go on them ....But are you sure you dont work for FO.

[Guest Anorak33]

I came to this site because I like cruises and when looking for advice on a cruise this seemed the place to go.

 

I think you have a real problem with anyone who does not agree with your view on FO.

 

As to FO prices I suggest you go and look at the prices for the 4 day to Amsterdam later this year they are not cheap.

 

I guess we will never agree on FO but hey if you like them great you go on them ....But are you sure you dont work for FO.

 

 

As I said before no I don't work for FO and wouldn't.

 

I have also said elsewhere on the forum there is no way I would pay anything like brochure price to cruise FO -

 

Short cruises are not only bad value but are generally not such a good experience.

 

Booking months or a year in advance is also not usually the way to get a good price - but it may get you the cruise and cabin you want which may sell out fast.

 

I never had a real problem on FO - and it seems the majority on here haven't either - several have though - you obviously have but maybe its time to grow up, get over it and get on with life.

 

Having said all that I hope you get some compensation for your less than perfect cruise.