twotravellersLondon

From personal experience there's seems to be something of a Jekyll & Hyde aspect to Fred/FOCLs. On the one hand there's the friendly, welcoming staff on board "Fred." They recognise and greet returning cruisers, remember their names and treat them with kindness, generosity, warmth, care and consideration during the entire cruise as if they were respected, honoured and much-loved family members. Captains, officers, waiters, stewardesses, bar-staff and even deck crew are the people who earn, the almost mythical, "Fred" the accolades of "fantastic," "excellent," "first-class" and "couldn't be better." Until the pandemic, we cruised with "Fred" three or four times each year. On the other hand... there's the FOCLs staff in Ipswich and the proof of the pudding with any cruise-line is how it reacts in challenging circumstances. For instance... early in 2020 we booked a cruise on the Braemar... with a 'cooling off' period during which we could change our minds with no penalty. Within days the global pandemic was declared, the Braemar was turned away from La Romana in the Dominican Republic... the turn-around port at the end of the cruise. The Braemar was refused permission to land passengers at Willemstad, Curaçao, covid was confirmed on board and the Braemar was refused permission to turn-around in Barbados. It was eventually denied access to its flag port of Bermuda and eventually had to be refuelled, re-victualed, supplied with water, medicines and a new medical team at sea in the middle of the night. Only with the help of the Foreign Office and at a very substantial cost was the Braemar able to unload over 600 passengers in Cuba which offered humanitarian relief so that those poor people, many feeling unwell, could fly home after having been stranded at sea for 10 days. By this stage... we had certainly 'cooled off' and we contacted FOCLs in Ipswich to arrange for a refund of our deposit. The reaction of the staff at FOCLs in Ipswich to an aimable, pleasant request to take advantage of the cooling off period and have our deposit fully refunded due to the changing circumstances was to be awkward, difficult, condescending, distinctly unfriendly and very unhelpful. Only when we eventually and reluctantly explained that they would leave us no option except to send a 'letter before action' to reclaim our deposit... did they eventually agree to a full refund... which they didn't transfer to our account until months later. The staff at FOCLs did the company no service on that occasion either. Perhaps FOCLs staff in Ipswich should see passengers as 'stakeholders.' Afterall up to 2019 these 'stakeholders' gave FOCLs £200,000,000 a year between them, many sailed three or four times a year and were very good 'friends' who praised the ships and recommended 'Fred' to workmates, friends and family... we most certainly did. If FOCLs loses just one of Fred's loyal customers, they lose the cost several cruises a year, for year after year after year. Perhaps there's a need for a re-focus in Ipswich... perhaps rather than worrying about silly little "bean-counting" things (like deciding that bottled water should not be included in the all-inclusive drinks package because FOCLs can make pennies in profit on every bottle) HQ staff should begin to ask what they did between 2009 and 2019 that resulted in the occupancy rate across the fleet to fall by about 20%.

Last night we discovered just why the seed in the bird feeder mysteriously went down in the hours of darkness.

The Holiday Inn just outside Dover has a park and go service that costs £5 or £6 a night. We've used the cruise car-parking but not since we arrived back off a cruise to find that our car had been damaged while we were away. As we'd paid for "secure parking" we were a bit surprised to be directed to a sign explaining that parking was at our own risk and when we asked for CCT coverage of the car were told that there was none. It was all quickly and amiably settled thanks to my professional background but we were still out of pocket and so we've not been too keen to park there again. Also cars parked outside at the cruise dock at Dover were damaged in a storms in about 2013. Some of the cars were completely written off and others were unfit to drive when passengers on the Braemar arrived back from a cruise. At least there were people from the insurance companies on site to help.

The news about five-a-day has just made my day!

After the rain last week, our local Vinyard is looking great and the vines are full of promise. Just wondering if fermented grape juice is part of the "Five a Day!"

We always have a private car... sometime have to pay a few £s extra but it's never been a problem over the last five years... pre and post covid.

The Balmoral is certainly not having a good time. She's currently experiencing a 29/30 knot north westerly wind... virtually a near gale... in rough seas and a 2.7 m swell. Not surprisingly, her speed has dropped to 10 knots... although it may pick up a little overnight after most of the passengers are safely in bed! However, may make for a few interesting "moves"in the silent disco if it's on tonight! The good news is that... the wind will moderate to about 20 knots over the next 24 hours,

Just seen a newspaper report of a Scottish couple in their 70s who were due to be on the following cruise that's been cancelled. They were to celebrate a very special occasion. There is no way that, at their age, they can make a 1000 mile round trip to an alternative cruise from Southampton by public transport in the midst of rail strikes... without the fear of missing the boat on the way out or being stranded on the way back. It really brings home the problem that so many people may have and we really do emphasise with their position. Perhaps if coach transfers had been included in the compensation package it would have made a real difference. When things go wrong... even if it's not the cruise-line's fault... if the management just put themselves in the position of some of their passengers and asked themselves... "What would be really helpful?" it might do a great deal to reduce the level of disappointment and to make people feel that they were being looked after... as if they were family.

We were also very interested to see the message released by Peter Deer, FOCLs' current Managing Director, late on Thursday evening and we thought that his explanation of why Bolette cruises and one Balmoral cruise had been cancelled was refreshingly open. We would certainly agree that FOCL's are going through a difficult patch but so are all cruise lines at the moment and it's really up to the leadership of cruise-lines to have the ambition, energy and vision, to steer a course and follow their own particular star... but they do need to know what that star... or goal... is! Very surprisingly, Peter Deer's suggestion that; "We continue to be proud of our family-run business with both Fred. Olsen and Anette Olsen remaining on our board." seemed to underestimate the scope and scale of the Olsen Empire. It is chaired by Fred Olsen Sn. and is managed by Anette Olsen but the cruise sector is just one tiny, tiny part of a very large and complex concern. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines was incorporated on 12 December 1991. The current company officers are Jeremy Dowler, Richard Aa, Peter Deer and Anette Olsen. Fred Olsen Sn. was a company officer between 15 November 2005 and 11 September 2008. Fred Olsen Jr. was a company officer between 19 July 1993 and 4 July 2022. The immediate parent company of FOCLs is First Olsen (Holdings) Ltd which acts as a holding company for the Fred Olsen cruise businesses. The current company officers are Jeremy Dowler, Richard Aa, Peter Deer, Fred Olsen Sn. and Anette Olsen. Fred Olsen Jr. was a company officer between 3 December 2002 and 4 July 2022. First Olsen (Holdings) Ltd owns an number of companies; Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Ltd, Black Watch Cruise Ltd, Boudicca Cruise Ltd, Balmoral Cruise Ltd, Borealis Cruise Ltd, Bolette Cruise Ltd. First Olsen (Holdings) Ltd also has a 50% share in Fred Olsen House (JV) Ltd. The immediate parent company of First Olsen (Holdings) Ltd is the Norwegian company, First Olsen Holdings AS. The ultimate parent company is, Bonheur AS in Norway, a holding company which owns a considerable number of Olsen related companies. There are six directors on the Board. The only Olsen on the Bonheur Board is Fred. Olsen Sn. Bonheur ASA has no employees. However a different company, Fred. Olsen & Co. has about 40 employees and is owned and managed by Anette Olsen. Fred. Olsen & Co. provides administrative, financial, legal and HR services to Bonheur ASA and its subsidiaries, associates and other Fred. Olsen related companies. The Olsen companies employ about 4,500 people spread over more than 18 different countries. At the time of the last annual report, privately owned Fred Olsen related companies owned a controlling interest in Bonheur. A little under 50% of the company was owned by, mainly, institutional investors including major banks. The company is a major player in the renewable energy market and electricity generation. The operating income given in the last annual report was NOK 7,541 million (£660 million). Over the last five years the Bonheur share price has increased from about €8.3 to €40. It's a vast empire... it's the stuff that billionaires are made of! So the cruise line begins to pale into relative insignificance. After scrutinising every detail that we could find about the old HAL ships, listening to the views of friends who were very regular FOCLs cruisers who had sailed on these "refreshed" ships several times, we've also been put-off booking again until the Braemar is back in service. You're perfectly right that the cruise industry without FOCLs would be a lesser place. It's very much to our advantage that the cruise industry is a competitive market so that the cruise lines do focus on offering the very best product at the most competitive rate. We whole heartedly agree that there needs to be something demonstrable from Bonheur's leadership to get things in order, and to show confidence in the company in a way that will win the trust of folks like us and persuade us to book ahead with FOCL's rather than other companies. We feel that there just seems to be a lack of awareness in FOCLs that, to many people, the pricing strategy is a major problem. Telling people that they can cruise from a certain price when "gratuities" are then added automatically is just wrong. Charging clients for water in cabins and when leaving on excursions is similarly wrong. Pricing balcony cabins, that many people now regard as standard, so many time higher that the "Cruise-from" price is a real turn-off. Offering launch deals that are then undercut prior to departure is really off-putting. Groups of clients crowding around the free WIFI hubs at ports because the cost on board FOCLs is so high... is not a good look. If FOCLs would rather have a cabin empty than allow a single person to use it at the same fare as everyone else... no wonder cruises are being cancelled due to so few bookings. It all gives the impression that someone, somewhere has been far too busy "bean-counting" for years to be aware or to understand what impression all of this makes on paying-passengers... who, in many cases, can, do and have taken their cash elsewhere. That's why the suggestion that, "There needs to be something demonstrable from Bonheur's leadership to get things in order, and show confidence in the company." is so important... that's why it's really up to the leadership of cruise-lines to have the ambition, energy and vision, to steer a course and follow their own particular star and to enthuse and attract clients to join them on the journey.

My info was that she made for Copenhagen last night instead of Szczecin and that she left Copenhagen late this afternoon and is heading in the direction of the North Sea and then to Rosyth and is due to be there early on the morning of the 29th. It may be that the channel to and from Szczecin and the Kiel Canal were considered too risky for the ship in its current state. Really sorry that your cruise is off and hope that you do find something to make up for it.

FOCLs is far from a tiny "family-run" business owned by the Norwegian equivalent of the "Fishermen's Friends". The company is part of the multi-billion global conglomerate, Bonheur ASA, which had a revenue of NOK 2.30 billion in just the last quarter. Bonheur ASA currently owns out-right or has a controlling interest in a dozen UK wind generating farms which are currently making twice as much as they did this time let year due to the rising cost of energy. As prices go up and up and up... so does Bonheur's revenue. Bonheur has the resources and the ability to sort out FOCLs, if the want to, and I very much hope that they do.

Thinking back to before the pandemic started, Fred's older ships had something of a vintage charm. We were on the Boudicca when the pandemic was declared during what was to be the Boudicca's last ever cruise. The ship was looking wonderful, especially all lit-up at night. Captain Mikael Degerlund was a great host... we had lots of little receptions, parties, cabarets and so-on. It certainly seemed most of the people had a very good time. There was just a hint of vintage cruising from half a century ago... something more relaxing, more leisurely, more sociable.... something more like a ship-community. It was a real joy. We were on the Corinth Canal Transit in 2019 with Captain Jozo Glavic and there was a similar feeling... there are few ships that the captain will mingle with the passengers at the post-transit BBQ and very few ships where a captain will receive a unanimous and whole hearted five-minute standing ovation from assembled passengers in the packed Neptune Lounge when he gave his farewell speech. It was one of the most moving collective moments that we've ever experienced on a cruise ship. Indeed just before Covid we saw an ad. by an independent cruise site... "For those who have little recollection of the cruising world during the late 20th century, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines offer a chance to revisit this era on board their charming and elegantly renovated new vessels. The small size of the line’s current vessels enables them to sail to destinations and even along rivers which are generally considered to be inaccessible to larger ships." Now we think that was a really good Unique Selling Point. It was certainly one of the reasons that we sailed on Fred again and again and again. So... "Pre-covid, Fred did have a clear, recognisable USP, a substantial and very loyal following and made money. In those days, Fred's four ships offered 3,879 berths and ran at an average occupancy rate of about 73%. FOCL's revenues averaged about £50 million each quarter, and he was clearing over £1 million a quarter in profits even after buying in services from the other parts of the Bonheur empire. But then Fred Jun acquired the two old ships from Holland America Line. Fred Jun is reported to have said... "This acquisition forms part of an optimization of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ fleet composition and with a high yielding cabin mix and large public spaces, these vessels will enhance Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ earnings capabilities." Time would tell... Two years later... FOCLs has the 10 point "Olsen Way," a brand where loyalty seems to be declining and the company that is making historically high financial losses. These days, FOCLs' four ships theoretically offer 4,959 berths... (4,035 while the Braemar remains out of action) and the three remaining ships run at 73% occupancy rate. FOCLs' revenues are over £67 million in the last quarter (April/May/June 2022) but, despite charging about the same amount of people a lot more for their cruises, it looks like Fred made a lost of about £40 million in that quarter... so it's costing FOCLs twice as much to keep the ships afloat as it did two years ago... and passenger numbers are virtually the same despite the fact that fleet capacity has increased from 3,879 berths to 4,959 berths. As prospective cruisers, we feel that the fact that if the company seem to have no effective succession plan and no decision has been made about a chairman in these challenging times... is a bit like expecting us to cruise on a ship that doesn’t have a captain, go to a show that doesn’t have a cast or eat in a restaurant that doesn’t have a chef. It now very much looks as if other people may have the same idea. We've seen one report of an email that's gone out today to people who were cruising on the Bolette in the next few months; "The winter is always a quieter period for cruising and this year a small number of sailings have not quite reached the guest numbers we were hoping for, at a time when fuel costs are particularly high for us all... In light of this, we have made the decision to cancel a small number of Bolette’s cruises this winter." As was explained so well above... "This current management philosophy of the Olsen Way and pricing strategy just aren't working. The average occupancy rate proves it."

Given the historically high losses that FOCLs are currently making and have already been reported to the Oslo Stock Exchange as part of the Bonheur ASA accounts... we won't be booking anything with FOCLs for the foreseeable future.

Absolutely right!

That surely has to happen and happen soon. Way back in mid-June 2020, it was reported that Fred Jun had acquired the old Amsterdam and the even older Rotterdam from Holland America Lines on the basis of a 5-year tenor (hire-purchase scheme to common folk) FOCLs would pay nothing for three year and then there would be annual instalments of £7.43 million at a 2.5% fixed interest cost. There was also a report that it was HAL's finance people arranged the deal for FOCLs. I think that the repayment may be due to kick in mid-September 2022. The 'transfer' of the ships to FOCLs is perhaps a bit of an over-simplification. The MS Borealis was actually transferred to a company called Borealis Cruise Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen (Holdings) Ltd on 10 September 2020. (FOHL is controlled by the Norwegian company Bonheur ASA.) The Borealis was hired on a charter to FOCLs at market rates. Peter Deer is one of three directors of Borealis Cruise Ltd but there are no Olsen's on the Board. It's a very similar story for the Bolette which is owned by Bolette Cruise Ltd. The conventional 'wisdom' is that if a cruise line can-achieve 70% occupancy rates/loading that it will be in profit. The problem in the second quarter of 2022 would seem to be that FOCLs has stated that their occupancy rate was 73% but that the company still lost about £9.4 million... a back of a used-envelope scribble or two might suggest that FOCLs would need nearer 85% occupancy rate on all four of its ships just to break even... and that's before FOCLs thought about paying for the two old HAL ships or paying back the £94.1 million that they currently owe to other people. We're certainly hoping that whoever takes the position as Chairman of FOCLs will steer the company in the right direction... but it needs to be at 'full speed ahead!'

For anyone who doesn't know Harpenden that well... and who's wondering just how far north of London it really is... This is just another enjoyable day out in the local park!

Many thanks for your additional update... it's interesting to compare notes. We had one announcement that a couple had contracted the illness at our first port of call, in Orkney, and it was suggested that we should all continue to take care. A great many people did. However, it wasn't a topic of conversation... we think that's because we all just wanted to try to relax, enjoy our holiday and have a good time. For us... it was our first major outing in over two years... and was only made with the express last moment consent of our doctor. At the end of the cruise, while we were waiting to leave, we met a quite different couple who had just 'recovered' from the illness. They'd been so looking forward to the cruise, so careful in the run-up to the departure and on board the ship but they suspected that they had been infected by an inconsiderate individual at one particular place on our first port day in Orkney. Although they had isolated in their own cabin, and they'd only had a 'mild' version, they were both so mentally and emotionally drained and so utterly physically exhausted that they'd stayed in their cabin for about twelve days in total... they were just too tired to go ashore at the last port and had missed out on most of the cruise. Both of them looked totally washed out. They had been very well looked after on board and said that nothing had been too much trouble for the staff but it was clear that the impact of the illness on them and on their holiday had been devastating. So we're all still so dependent on others around us, being considerate, taking reasonable precautions, doing the right thing and looking out for others around them... as they're dependant on us showing the same degree of civilised care and consideration.

Very sadly... neither do we. Over three decades we've spent well over the equivalent of a year cruising around the world in four of Fred Olsen's ships. We've virtually had every grade of cabin from the cheapest, lowliest, nosiest, bumpiest, furthest back effort on the now defunct Boudicca to the grand Owner's suite on the Balmoral... and we have a dizzyingly high ranking in the loyalty club... but we've not a clue as to what the 'Olsen Way' really is. Over recent years one of Fred Jun's declared USPs has been 'proud to sail our own course' as a 'family run company' but the truth of the matter that FOCL's doesn’t even own the ships... they are each individually owned by separate companies in a highly complex, multi-billion, international, corporate conglomerate beholding to institutional shareholders. 'Smaller is better' is also an odd claim for a company that's increased it's capacity in four ships from 3,879 berths to 4,959 berths... and all of the FOCLs' ships currently operating tend to be bigger than anything that SAGA's, Regent Seven Seas, Viking and Oceana offer and that's before account is taken of several others providers. Hand Crafted? What exactly does that mean for a cruise line.? How does it differ from other cruise lines? 'It's all about people' claims FOCLs but other companies that we've cruised with have an equally, if not greater, claim to the USP. 'Travellers not tourists' FOCLs claim... when what's mostly on offer is yet another call into Lisbon, Spain or the Canary Islands and is no different from other cruise lines. The 'joy of the journey?' Is that the bingo, pub-style quizzes on sea-days and sitting in a darkened room listening to some lecture with absolutely no relevance to the area that the ship is sailing? Perhaps it's the one day that cruisers can have a 'free' ice-cream on deck! And, if 'looking out' is so important, why on earth did Fred introduce the inward-looking old ships being ditched by HAL? 'Maritime' is not in the Olsen Family DNA... (scientifically impossible... the family are not descended from mermaids or suchlike) The company, Bonheur, is currently overwhelmingly involved in renewable energy: wind farms, operating a 'Wind Service' and in innovative, commercial, renewable energy technology. Bonheur has the majority shareholding in the Norwegian NHST media group. The 'Cruise Sector' is a very tiny part of their overall portfolio. 'Travelling respectfully' so as not to 'overwhelm the beauty or local people' is an odd claim when the Boudicca carrying up to 900 passengers and the Black Watch carrying up to 758 passengers have both been replaced by a couple of old ships carrying well-over 1,300 passengers each. 'Elegance and simplicity' are not words which automatically spring to our minds when the refurbishment of the public spaces of the old ships that have replaced the Boudicca and the Black Watch are considered. And, very, very sadly 'In the best of company' has, in our very considered opinion, been undermined by FOCL's fare differentials... we received a personalised letter offering one particular cruise from £1,999 but that was the lowest possible saver fare for the most undesirable, inside-cabin on board the ship. When we looked at a suite, for comparison, and added essential like; WIFI, drinks and gratuities the price was well over 7 x higher. How on earth are enormous differentials like that every going to help forge any sense of community on board when, on the one hand, some will find it virtually impossible to obtain excursions and others will be treated and favoured at every turn. These vague, unsupportable 'Unique Selling Point' claims are really damaging the brand for us... with the uncompetitive pricing structure and the fact that it's really difficult to trust any company that advertises (terrace) cabins as balcony cabins when they don't have a balcony is very seriously deterring us from booking... although we still consider and compare almost every offer. Part of the problem may lie way back in May 2018 when Fred. Jun. was reported in the travel press commenting on putting prices up and saying of his loyal customer base... “A lot of them are sailing three or four times with us a year, so it might just mean they cut down on the number of cruises or they go from a balcony cabin to an outside.” Well in the following year, between 2018 and 2019, Fred's revenue fell by about £11 million and his occupancy rate fell by about 2%. Perhaps there was another factor that hadn't been considered... 'them/they' could simply cruise with Fred's competitors. So we really hope that new leadership at FOCLs will look very carefully at what many of the people who used to loyally cruise with them now think about the brand and why those people are now opting to spend their precious resources with different cruise lines. We're sure that there are lots of people who would welcome a new fresh approach but we do worry that, when compared with modern fleets, the old, outdated, less-efficient, expensive and less environmental friendly 25 year old ex-Rotterdam (now the Borealis) and the 22 year old ex-Amsterdam (now the Bolette), that Holland America Lines ditched for good commercial and environmental reasons, may be serious mill-stones dragging FOCLs down in our competitive, environmentally-aware world.

OMG! Thought that couple sitting there were supposed to be on holiday in Greece!

I understand where're you're coming from but I'm also concerned for those folks who are finding it so hard to keep their hospitality businesses afloat, their staff in jobs and their suppliers paid. I spoke to a chef in one of my local restaurants just yesterday... I've known him for years... since he left school... he's lucky still to have a job, restaurant after restaurant has folded whilst he's been employed there and now he's right back where he started but as the sous-chef. However this is a diversionary thread on a site dedicated to the joys of what many people would regard "luxury" cruising... which could also be considered as "unnecessary" or inappropriate... but we certainly don't think so. As folks who have always looked out and supported those friends, relatives and members of our family who have more years of wisdom and life-experience that we do... we know the real problem of balancing budgets and, like millions of other people who can, we have always taken constructive steps to make sure that people in our family our friends and our neighbours, have a comfortable, worry-free life and know that they're part of a caring, considerate, family and community. We know, from experience, that they would do the same for us. Many of these posts have been intended to bring happiness, joy and light-heartless in what may, at times, seemed the bleakest of moments. Many of these posts have been made with care, consideration and in the spirit of generosity. Many have been made to amuse, to take minds away from less enjoyable thoughts and to create a pleasant, friendly on-line community... remember when we were all virtually stuck at home! In the bleakest of days... when we couldn't go out, when our nearest family was hundreds of miles away, when we couldn't get a grocery delivery... without even knowing the situation or being asked... our neighbours rallied around and brought us bags of groceries. Fresh vegetables, milk, bread, gigantic boxes of breakfast cereals. Since then we've responded... we batch cooked, we've done free cakes, "take aways" and we buy in bulk at trade prices and share with friends and neighbours. We're not unique... lots of people we know do the same... it's not charity... it's called friendship. To our mind, there's no difference between posting about meals out, multiple cruises in a year, buying into suites, stop-overs in hotels, jetting around the globe or even telling everyone in a particular tiny corner of cyberspace about a new car. If in doubt... it's always best to have other people's views and to generously share!

Try the Hargreaves Landsdown inflation calculator... the cost with about 30 years inflation would be closer to £10,000!

Haven't had this but the lifts are very quiet and the waiting area for them is well away from cabins. If you're worried, best to contact SAGA directly by phone, it may be a long wait but email replies take ages. Good luck.

We were on the previous cruise on the Spirit of Discovery. Many people automatically respected a degree of social distancing where possible. All crew wore masks. About 50% of the cruisers wore masks voluntarily in the theatre. Masks were often voluntarily worn by some people while moving around the ship, on tenders and in excursion busses. As with all ships, there was some Covid but, thank goodness, no big deal was made about it... we were after all trying to relax and enjoy our holiday! We took our own books but had little spare time to read them! The Library was well used on every sea day... it's just such a nice area... and there's coffee! Bar stools were still in little groups but positioned away from the bars serving areas to protect the staff. There was a group of the stools and a tall table just a few feet away from the bar itself in the North Cape Bar. I think that we spotted others here and there. Every day there were events for singles so that they could get to know each other and meet up. Groups of singles would go to dinner together, enjoy a drink in the bars and even sit together in the lounges and theatre and make dates to meet in the speciality restaurants... many seemed to be having a great time with each other and mixing with the rest of the cruisers onboard! We sometimes joined and were joined by singles at breakfast and lunch in the Grill and on a couple of occasions we sat with groups of them in the Britannia Lounge late into the evening. They we welcoming, convivial, chatty, very sociable and great fun to be with and seemed to be having a wonderful time... but then so were we! We even booked another cruise on board! So.... Cheers!

Cruise Critic is one of the very few sites that we browse on occasions to glean ideas about making our cruising more enjoyable and more affordable. We've never been interested or involved in sites where people often try to talk up or talk down things and try to create a viral spin based on very personal opinions and undefined motives. Cruise Critic also puts all manner of things into a wider perspective and allows folk, like us, to use what are often very contradictory comments on other review sites as a starting point for our own research. Then we can come to a more balanced view and judge better what's right for us. It's about sharing a mutual interest: the joy, exhilaration and excitement of cruising! Long may that continue. Our feelings are that, after the last couple of years, there is a real need to be able to sit back, relax and take advantage of every joy that life and what the world can offer can offer. The views and opinions of anyone who can help us do that are always much appreciated.

Simple answer is no to alcohol. At every port Fred screens every single passenger, every single bag and every single package. Any booze is instantly confiscated and only returned at the end of the cruise. The only alcohol that you can take on board is what you've already consumed ashore.