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Looking for reviews (+ & -) from cruisers of F.O and HAL


joat
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We have sailed on several cruise lines. We keep coming back to HAL (Holland America Line), mostly since we live in the U. S. But I read much about Fred. Olsen Line and would like to know from cruisers who have sailed on both lines which they prefer and why. Thanks.

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We have sailed on several cruise lines. We keep coming back to HAL (Holland America Line), mostly since we live in the U. S. But I read much about Fred. Olsen Line and would like to know from cruisers who have sailed on both lines which they prefer and why. Thanks.

 

I have sailed on both cruise lines and live in the U.S.

 

I always wanted to do an Arctic cruise and a few years ago looked at prices on HAL's Viking cruise, but for a solo cruiser the price was astronomical. And then I spotted that Fred Olsen offered a similar itinerary at a much better price as they had solo cabins; even with the round-trip airfare to the U.K. I would still save money so I booked. And I loved the cruise so much I sailed with them again later that same year to the Canaries and Cape Verde.

 

So for the comparison:

 

HAL has much larger ships which means they have larger everything from cabins to dining spaces to fitness facilities. FO has smaller ships with simpler cabins and fewer facilities. Fred's cabins tend to have twin beds, some of which can be narrow, but that varies by ship and cabin. So if "bells and whistles" are important to you, HAL wins hands down.

 

That said there are some advantages to those smaller ships. They can go places the larger ones cannot, such as sailing up some rivers or docking closer into town or to some unusual ports that just cannot handle larger vessels. Disembarking in port is so much easier with fewer passengers. And Fred's shore tours are better priced than HAL's.

 

The food on each ship varies by sailing, but in general FO serves very British food so be prepared for barely cooked bacon, lots of rice/bread puddings and curries--which not all Americans appreciate. But Fred often offers a kettle with tea and coffee makings in each cabin--something you won't find on HAL.

 

But quite frankly the beds and the food are the only downsides I've ever encountered on FO. What is much better on their ships is the lack of constant selling and so many stupid games. Fred offers wonderful lecturers, a nice library, art lessons, etc. Fred's daily gratuity is far lower than HAL's and they often offer drinks inclusive packages if that is important to you. But what stands out for me most is how wonderful and welcoming the fellow passengers are on Fred's ships. It's a comfortable, intimate atmosphere so meeting people is so easy and everyone is so polite and friendly.

 

So at this time I continue to sail both cruise lines. However, HAL's recent move to eliminate libraries on most their ships has me very angry as I'm an avid reader. Given a similar itinerary I would choose Fred Olsen over HAL; however, HAL does have more ships and more itineraries to choose from.

 

If you have any other specific questions, I would be happy to try and provide answers

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Thank you so much for the great comparison of FO and HAL cruise lines.

One of our concerns has been dress code on FO. We are both retired, live in the desert Southwest and suits/sport coats are rare. Here being dressed for dinner (for men) is a pair of slacks and a nice shirt--could be Hawaiian, short sleeved or long; just not T-shirt or less.

We each own one blazer, two ties each and two dress shirts each. Never wear them unless on a cruise. (Not at all on the last cruise-never to be repeated Celebrity :loudcry:-and only once on the previous Med. cruise-HAL)

It seems that on FO jacket and tie are required every evening and more formal dress, for men, on certain other evenings. HAL has a 'dressy' night or two per cruise, but realizes that being dressy does not mean a coat and tie in all societies, so no problems.

That and the, for me, boring English cuisine are huge negatives. We will likely stay with HAL.

Oh, and we love the Lincoln Center performers on HAL! Learned from yesterday's search that this has been expanded from the original 3 ships to 8 of the HAL ships.

Again, thank you very much for the input.

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I just wanted to let you know that Fred does not require a jacket and tie every evening, just trousers and a collared shirt. The jacket and tie are required on formal nights, of which there are maybe three per 14 night cruise. And you could skip that and eat in the buffet that night if you wanted to.

 

Incidentally, we have cruised on both lines. We found HAL had almost nothing going on during sea days, whereas Fred has plenty of activities such as lectures, dance classes, arts and crafts. Both lines attract older people, Fred tends to be over 60, whereas HAL seemed to be more over 80!

 

 

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I never dress up for dinner. Depending on how long your FO cruise is you will have one or more scheduled formal nights, but the rest are "smart casual" for the main dining room. And FO has a buffet restaurant as well for dinner that does is smart casual every evening so slacks and colored shirt (polo is fine) for guys and slacks/skirt and blouse or a simple dress for women.

 

As for the cuisine, I just look at it as a chance not to gain wait on a cruise ;)

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Having cruised on about 15 different lines and loyal to none, I would say Fred’s ‘cuisine’ is amongst the best in actual fact. Not the constant lobster you get on Oceania, but as I don’t like lobster that is fine with me! And they certainly make better scones than Oceania! If you want to see sample menus, they can be found on this page, together with dress code info: https://www.fredolsencruises.com/our-ships/dining-and-restaurants.

 

All cruise lines have their pros and cons, none are perfect. We choose by the itinerary, as that is the most important aspect for us.

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We have sailed both lines, been on at least 6 or 7 of the HAL ships, Fred Balmoral most recently in June this year for a German Waterways itinerary. It was a river cruise but with the advantages of an ocean going ship.

 

Your comment about the food on Fred is surprising:

" for me, boring English cuisine are huge negatives"

I have no idea what "boring English cuisine" actually is. Brits have wide ranging tastes and our diet includes foods and dishes from around the world, indeed I would say for more wide ranging than you might find in several other European countries which adhere more to national tastes. We also enjoy a degree of sophistication in respect of presentation and imaginative menu choices.

 

 

We have found that the quality of the food on HAL has actually decreased in recent years due to cutbacks which I know are common across the industry these days, but we had no complaints in June and we expected and received quality.

 

Fred can also be excellent for itineraries especially those heading north to Norway, Greenland, Iceland etc as they are a Norwegian line.

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We have just returned from a seven day Alaska cruise on Volendam, so can compare HAL directly with FO who we sailed with across the Pacific in February. I’m afraid that FO wins hands down. Don’t get me wrong, we liked the size of Volendam and lots about it, but much preferred Fred for the following reasons. Firstly, we didn’t like the constant upselling on HAL and extra charges for various services. The drinks prices were horrific unlike Fred. The service charges are much higher. The service in the MDR is nowhere near as good as on Fred, and nor is the food. Far more things to do in the day with far more guest speakers which we liked. The evening entertainment was superior, with acts flown in throughout the cruise, classical concerts, and local acts brought in for the evening. We saw fantastic acts in Peru, Tahiti and New Zealand. The Volendam was deserted by 11pm with only us Europeans and the Aussies still socialising.

However, loved the HAL Alaska itinerary, but unless they had another itinerary that particularly appealed, we would not cruise with them again. However, we do like the look of the FO Indian Ocean cruise so will be booking that at some point. As an added bonus, Fred Olsen himself was on our cruise and delivered a lecture on Easter Island which everyone enjoyed.

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Not been on HAL but Cunard, Princess, P&O, Celebrity and Princess and still prefer FO. So friendly. Food as good as others and great choice of activities. If you like country hotels as opposed to glitz and glamour, then Fred is for you.

 

 

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