Omg. Fred have bought the 2 flagships of Holland America! We finally get decent sized ships in the UK!

[ovccruiser]

Track our New Ships
Bolette and Borealis are currently at anchor in Limassol, Cyprus. They are then scheduled to cruise to Rotterdam, before finally joining us in Rosyth.

 

An excerpt from Fred email

Edited July 25, 2020 by ovccruiser

[Britboys]

4 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

Hmm. Not sure what that says about us. Almost a decade younger than you, and started cruising with Fred 20 years ago.

I think it depends what you want out of a cruise as we all want something different. Whilst I am only just approaching 60, the cruise experience on Fred, CMV and P&O's smaller ships suits me much more than P&O's larger ships and Marella. That's why I am so sad to lose CMV.

[Britboys]

4 minutes ago, ovccruiser said:

Track our New Ships
Bolette and Borealis are currently at anchor in Limassol, Cyprus. They are then scheduled to cruise to Rotterdam, before finally joining us in Rosyth.

 

An excerpt from Fred email

Maybe Marine Traffic is wrong then. It shows them just north of Suez with an ETA in Limassol of 0500 tomorrow morning.

[showingdiva]

2 hours ago, ovccruiser said:

Track our New Ships
Bolette and Borealis are currently at anchor in Limassol, Cyprus. They are then scheduled to cruise to Rotterdam, before finally joining us in Rosyth.

 

An excerpt from Fred email

 

Going to be a tight fit under the Forth Bridges.   Air draft on both ships is 47.9m, and the bridge clearance is 49.2m to Rosyth.   That's likely the reason that Rotterdam has anchored at South Queensferry on her previous visits.

[tring]

56 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

Going to be a tight fit under the Forth Bridges.   Air draft on both ships is 47.9m, and the bridge clearance is 49.2m to Rosyth.   That's likely the reason that Rotterdam has anchored at South Queensferry on her previous visits.

 

This is the sort of thing that bothers me a tad about the new ships.  Also wondering of they will make the sort of ports done by Fred's two oldest ships (if they are retired).  Thinking about places like going under the bridge to Santa Catarina, Lisbon and up the Gironde to Bordeaux.  As they are newer they could well have a shallower draught though and I have heard Amsterdam has azipods which I think are good for maneuverability.  Anyone know what the new name is for HAL's Amsterdam?  I am confused about which is which.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing the itineraries - I wonder if Fred will keep the itineraries for Black Watch and Boudicca and just run then with the new ships.  He will not want people to cancel cruises for next year if he can help it.

Edited July 25, 2020 by tring

[cruzingnut]

13 minutes ago, tring said:

 

This is the sort of thing that bothers me a tad about the new ships.  Also wondering of they will make the sort of ports done by Fred's two oldest ships (if they are retired).  Thinking about places like going under the bridge to Santa Catarina, Lisbon and up the Gironde to Bordeaux.  As they are newer they could well have a shallower draught though and I have heard Amsterdam has azipods which I think are good for maneuverability.  Anyone know what the new name is for HAL's Amsterdam?  I am confused about which is which.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing the itineraries - I wonder if Fred will keep the itineraries for Black Watch and Boudicca and just run then with the new ships.  He will not want people to cancel cruises for next year if he can help it.

 

Here is the current position (as of 1PM ET) of the Amsterdam and Rotterdam (they aren't your ships yet....boo hoo...I'm soooo sad..😭).

Amsterdam will become Bolette.  Yes, she will fit under the bridge to Lisbon; been on her for that.

 

You guys are getting my favorite ship and I hope you love her as much as I have.  Spent 935 days on that ship....  I wonder if I need to cross the pond some day just for old times sake.

 

Linda R.

[tring]

18 minutes ago, cruzingnut said:

 

Here is the current position (as of 1PM ET) of the Amsterdam and Rotterdam (they aren't your ships yet....boo hoo...I'm soooo sad..😭).

Amsterdam will become Bolette.  Yes, she will fit under the bridge to Lisbon; been on her for that.

 

You guys are getting my favorite ship and I hope you love her as much as I have.  Spent 935 days on that ship....  I wonder if I need to cross the pond some day just for old times sake.

 

Linda R.

 

Thanks for the information about Lisbon and which is which.

 

Sorry you are so disappointed, but thank you very much for the bequest.  You must have had some really good time on board as the HAL itineraries look good.  You can be assured we will look after her well.  I hope you find another home from home for your cruising, but I am also sure you will feel very welcome on Bolette🙂

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by tring

[cruzingnut]

6 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks for the information about Lisbon and which is which.

 

Sorry you are so disappointed, but thank you very much for the bequest.  You must have had some really good time on board as the HAL itineraries look good.  You can be assured we will look after her well.  I hope you find another home from home for your cruising, but I am also sure you will feel very welcome on Bolette🙂

 

 

I did indeed.  First time sailing her was when she was only a year old in 2001.  If anyone has questions about her, I'd be happy to try to answer them. 

 

Linda R.

[showingdiva]

Prinsendam fitted neatly under the three bridges in the Firth of Forth due to her party trick of being able to fold down her mast.   However, on checking back through the last few years (I'm a cruise port volunteer here), Rotterdam has definitely only got as far as the South Queensferry anchorage on the eastern side of all three bridges.    Fred Olsen run several turnaround cruises each summer to/from Rosyth, with Braemar and Black Watch also coming into Leith periodically (no chance of either new ship managing that one ... lock / port restrictions of around 50,000t).   I'm assuming any future itineraries for cruises starting / finishing in Scotland will involve one of existing ships.   No chance will they run the risk of anything hitting the Forth Bridge.

[Britboys]

5 hours ago, tring said:

 

This is the sort of thing that bothers me a tad about the new ships.  Also wondering of they will make the sort of ports done by Fred's two oldest ships (if they are retired).  Thinking about places like going under the bridge to Santa Catarina, Lisbon and up the Gironde to Bordeaux.  As they are newer they could well have a shallower draught though and I have heard Amsterdam has azipods which I think are good for maneuverability.  Anyone know what the new name is for HAL's Amsterdam?  I am confused about which is which.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing the itineraries - I wonder if Fred will keep the itineraries for Black Watch and Boudicca and just run then with the new ships.  He will not want people to cancel cruises for next year if he can help it.

 

3 hours ago, showingdiva said:

Prinsendam fitted neatly under the three bridges in the Firth of Forth due to her party trick of being able to fold down her mast.   However, on checking back through the last few years (I'm a cruise port volunteer here), Rotterdam has definitely only got as far as the South Queensferry anchorage on the eastern side of all three bridges.    Fred Olsen run several turnaround cruises each summer to/from Rosyth, with Braemar and Black Watch also coming into Leith periodically (no chance of either new ship managing that one ... lock / port restrictions of around 50,000t).   I'm assuming any future itineraries for cruises starting / finishing in Scotland will involve one of existing ships.   No chance will they run the risk of anything hitting the Forth Bridge.

Hmmmm. That's given me food for thought. As I've mentioned previously, I'm due to sail through the Kiel Canal next Summer on Boudicca. Neither of the new ships can do the canal and I was hoping they would swap Balmoral to do Boudicca's season ex Dover and put one of the new ships in her place up in Rosyth. Obviously not if the new ships won't get into Rosyth... The Kiel Canal cruise is replacement for one cancelled this May too 🤔

[showingdiva]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

 

Hmmmm. That's given me food for thought. As I've mentioned previously, I'm due to sail through the Kiel Canal next Summer on Boudicca. Neither of the new ships can do the canal and I was hoping they would swap Balmoral to do Boudicca's season ex Dover and put one of the new ships in her place up in Rosyth. Obviously not if the new ships won't get into Rosyth... The Kiel Canal cruise is replacement for one cancelled this May too 🤔

 

I'm just not sure they (or the port authority) will feel comfortable with the new ships ducking under the Forth Bridges on a regular basis.   The clearance based on the figures (official port ones) is very slight - and that's not taking into consideration the Firth of Forth is tidal or any gantry work hanging from any of the bridges.   Plus it will also involve multiple tugs, the cost of which will ultimately be passed on.  We've never seen Amsterdam (Bolette) here, but Rotterdam (Borealis) is a regular - at South Queensferry (turnarounds cannot happen there).

 

[hamishg]

On ‎7‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 9:46 PM, Britboys said:

It will indeed be very interesting. I must say that after my one Marella cruise, it would take a very tempting itinerary and exceptional bargain price to drag me back on board one of their ships 😄

HaHa - Marella can be rather different:-) - however I think that it depends a bit on what ship you are on. You have to expect that "you get what you pay for". We cruised the Canaries with them about a couple of years ago: On the minus side the food was patchy - especially lunches, the décor was tired - in fact the whole ship was pretty tired- entertainment was so-so. The plus was the outside cabin we had was very roomy, bed comfortable - good bathroom and an excellent cabin steward. They threw in a free drinks package which was limited for beer /wine/spirits but it included a huge interesting cocktail list which we used all the time, plus no tipping and free flights there and back. The main thing was the itinerary was good and the staff were always friendly. If they are doing an itinerary that ticks your box - give it a go....

[hamishg]

16 hours ago, davecttr said:

Marella already have an adults only ship in Explorer2, the smaller sister ship of Explorer which IMO is at least as good for facilities as the mid sized P&O ships and is modernised. They spent 50 million euros on refurbishing the cabins and public areas when it moved to TUI and more when they remodelled it to the british taste.

 

Of course Marella is casual and some like formality. Also, being a fly cruise operation you are going to attract families. As for being a 'lower' class of clientele, I have seen as many drunks and worse bad behaviour in P&O.

 

The problem for me is I now don't want to fly and Marella don't base a ship in the UK. Fred is just too old an ambience for me, I am only 69.

 

Depending on how Fred refurbish the new ships and their onboard facilities. I will take another look in a year or so.

It is a shame that flying still continues to be a uncomfortable experience – especially the airports, however it doesn’t look as if anything is going to change for the better – probably worse first. Here in NZ we get used to the idea of “having to fly” from an early age because there are only a limited range of cruises that leave from our shores. From the cruise company point of view, it is very restrictive leaving from the UK as it requires too much steaming time to get to any destination/route that hasn’t been done to death - although I think there is room for some new ideas/ports around the Baltic. So what do you do? (obviously not much right now with the Corona problem) but later I’d look at taking the train to Italy and investigate the cruises that are leaving from their shores. If you want a smaller ship then Fred is going to be the only one that leaves out of Britain for a fair while I’m afraid…

[davecttr]

8 hours ago, hamishg said:

It is a shame that flying still continues to be a uncomfortable experience – especially the airports, however it doesn’t look as if anything is going to change for the better – probably worse first. Here in NZ we get used to the idea of “having to fly” from an early age because there are only a limited range of cruises that leave from our shores. From the cruise company point of view, it is very restrictive leaving from the UK as it requires too much steaming time to get to any destination/route that hasn’t been done to death - although I think there is room for some new ideas/ports around the Baltic. So what do you do? (obviously not much right now with the Corona problem) but later I’d look at taking the train to Italy and investigate the cruises that are leaving from their shores. If you want a smaller ship then Fred is going to be the only one that leaves out of Britain for a fair while I’m afraid…

There is also the potential to take the train to the south of France if you could pick up cruises there. The route via the channel tunnel can reach say Marseille in about 4 hours. All the formalities could be completed on the train. The trains divert around Paris. Apparently they used to run a weekly service to the maritime alps area during the ski season.

[Britboys]

14 hours ago, hamishg said:

HaHa - Marella can be rather different:-) - however I think that it depends a bit on what ship you are on. You have to expect that "you get what you pay for". We cruised the Canaries with them about a couple of years ago: On the minus side the food was patchy - especially lunches, the décor was tired - in fact the whole ship was pretty tired- entertainment was so-so. The plus was the outside cabin we had was very roomy, bed comfortable - good bathroom and an excellent cabin steward. They threw in a free drinks package which was limited for beer /wine/spirits but it included a huge interesting cocktail list which we used all the time, plus no tipping and free flights there and back. The main thing was the itinerary was good and the staff were always friendly. If they are doing an itinerary that ticks your box - give it a go....

I was on Discovery 2 in the Caribbean. I only ate in the mdr and the buffet but tbh, the food quality was the worst I had had on any of the 7 cruise lines I have sailed with. The theatre productions were fine but the rest of the entertainment left me cold. Some of the areas of the ship that had been refitted looked and felt cheap I am afraid (the Live Room & Coffee Port for example). The theatre and cabaret lounge (not refitted at that time) were in good condition but the buffet was way past its best. My inside cabin was quiet and with a comfortable bed. It had been re-carpeted and had new artwork but the (original 1995) cabinetry was chipped and scratched in a number of places. The bathroom had not seen a re-fit but functioned fine. My cabin steward was poor, failing to replenish tea/coffee etc, occasionally not emptying the bin or leaving a daily programme and the bed often looked like it had been made in a hurry. I was sailing solo but we dined at the same table, with the same waiters each night. The main waiter never smiled and looked like he didn't want to be there but the assistant waiter was super. Bar staff in Bar Eleven were really good but in the Live Room and on deck terrible. Included flights and transfers were good, as were the arrangements made for solo pax. Never say never but for these reasons I won't be rushing back.

[Britboys]

According to Marine Traffic, Rotterdam arrived in Rotterdam this morning. Amsterdam appears to be anchored off Gibraltar. They must be doing whatever they need to do to the ships separately, which is logical I guess.

[cruzingnut]

3 hours ago, Britboys said:

According to Marine Traffic, Rotterdam arrived in Rotterdam this morning. Amsterdam appears to be anchored off Gibraltar. They must be doing whatever they need to do to the ships separately, which is logical I guess.

 

Here she is, just entering the port area and later, at the cruise dock. 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting the pictures.

[rkacruiser]

Greetings to my friends in the UK!

 

You folks are acquiring two ships that were designed to be world cruise caliber and sailed such itineraries.

 

Whatever itineraries Fred. Olsen chooses for them, whatever changes in the physical plant of the ships, whatever changes in the cruise product that Fred. Olsen offers that is different from HAL's, the ships are excellent at whatever King Neptune throws at them.  

 

I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have done.

[Britboys]

Rotterdam has shifted to Botlek, on the outskirts of the city. Amsterdam making her way up the Atlantic coast of Portugal, just south-west of Lisbon. She is due in Rotterdam early Saturday morning.

[July morning]

I'm thinking positively and looking forward to hearing about cruises on these ships.   Hopefully soon 😊

[Britboys]

Amsterdam is now north of A Coruña at the south end of the Bay of Biscay.

[Britboys]

After Amsterdam spent yesterday in the City Centre, she is now reunited with her sister-ship in Botlek on the outskirts of Rotterdam.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/16/2020 at 11:20 AM, Britboys said:

After Amsterdam spent yesterday in the City Centre, she is now reunited with her sister-ship in Botlek on the outskirts of Rotterdam.

 

What do the new names for HAL's Amsterdam and Rotterdam mean?

[tring]

9 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

What do the new names for HAL's Amsterdam and Rotterdam mean?

 

Bolette is a historic name in Fred's family who are Norwegian (wife of one of the early Olsens) and has been used for other ships owned by the family.  The northern lights real name is the Aurora Borealis, so donates the other name, though I do not know if it has been used for a ship previously.

 

All their ship names begin with the letter B, as a tradition.