Boudicca Reviews

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We embarked on the Boudicca on Monday, 16 April 2012 and the embarkation was rather disappointing. Given a time to arrive of 2 pm which we did and then had to sit in the embarkation lounge for the best part of two hours. Our first impression of the ship was that it is 'tired'and should be withdrawn from service. Our suite was clean although I heard comments on the cleanliness of some of the cabins. The deck space round the pool is rather dismal and the chairs and loungers are in an absolutely awful state, some mark your clothes when you sit on them. They are discoloured and need replacing. The pool water was kept warm which was good but facilities in the pool area are poor. Also the chairs in the Secret Garden and the Restaurants need deep/steam cleaning as they are filthy. The entertainment provided in the Nepture Lounge with the ' Boudicca Entertainers' was rather limited to the space available and had the shows been produced by an amateur dramatic society then they would have been fine. The costumes of the entertainers defied description and I am sure that the people themselves were embarrassed at having to wear them. The food and service in the Secret Garden was really very good, excellent selection and service but the time it took to serve a meal in the Tingatel Restaurant was dreadful. In some instances it took almost two hours to be served dinner. The staff on the ship were friendly and all appeared to work very hard especially with the noro virus outbreak. When we arrived home there was a letter from Fred Olsen stating that they were currently treating '2' cases. What happened to the 200+ that were announced over the tannoy by Stein, the Cruise Director? I know for a fact that there were additional cases the night before the shipped docked at Southampton. Given these '2' cases why was additional medical staff flown in to the ship. It was announced that they were coming and I saw them myself going around the ship. The thing that upset my most was the time spent at the various destinations. The brochure stated that we would arrive in Dakar 'early am' and depart 'late pm'. We were advised that the pilot was 45 minutes late (do we believe them, I certainly did not) we got off the ship around 10.00 am and hung about for a while and then departed on our trip. The trip was shortened by an hour and we arrived back at the ship at 4 pm as the gangway was being taken up. To me 'late pm' is not 4.00 pm. Again in Lison same time schedule stated on brochure, tour started 10.00 am and we had to be back on the ship for 2.30 pm. In Dublin not much better. Shuttle buses at 8.30 am but being a Sunday shops not open until 11.00 am and last shuttle bus at 2.30 pm. Bearing in mind that you could not wait until the last shuttle bus as it might have been full. The time allowed at the various destinations was an absolute travesty. Going to Senegal in our case was a 'one off' and our time was wasted sitting in the lounge and waiting for the bus to depart. Some of the ship's crewe were rather inexperienced, particularly the Reception Staff who just did not seem to comprehend what you wished and what you were saying. The poor souls who tried to get the tender organised in Porto Novo really struggled and both my husband and myself ended up getting soak through to the skin with the waves. It was our first trip and given the above it will be our last. One final comment we were charged ??700 for the additional three days from Southampton up to Greenock. Imagine our dismay when we realised that Fred Olsen had been offering those who were on the first part of the cruise these additional days free if they had booked at 02 November 2012. Then we found that those who only went on the mini cruise had paid ??140 and this included a coach trip from Glasgow to Southampton. We really did feel like we had really been taken in my Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Finally I really do feel that Fred Olsen Cruise lines ought to get their act togeter as I am sure that they are contravening the Trades Description Act in their brochures by advertising as they are doing. Time ashore is very limited, as above.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

This was our first time on a Fred Olsen cruise. We did the Cape Verde Isles and not only were we disappointed with the itinerary but also the ship as it did not live up to the advertising. Firstly it says that the ship is one big happy family and the staff get to know your name and treat you as a special part of the"Family". This was not our experience, the waiters in the restaurants couldn't wait for you to finish and at times were quite rude. However, the bar waiters were a lot friendlier and the service was good. We found meal times especially at breakfast quite stressful; crowded & disorganised. We were disappointed the the informal buffet had specific times when it was open, which was not for very long; for example most of the other cruises have the informal buffet restaurant open most of the time so you can go whenever you wanted. However, the marquee bar was a lot better with times more flexible and service good plus the fish & chips was great, but the menu was limited and was only open when the weather was good. It was unfortunate that there was the norovirus on the boat which made meal times even more restrictive. This is another issue which I won't go into but not very impressed with the handling of the outbreak.. Secondly, the entertainment was not that great, it lacked spontaneity and was boring at times, including the daytime activities, sometimes these were good but it showed a lack of experience from the entertainment team. Thirdly the food was slightly disappointing, it was quite good some evenings but not as good as some of the ships we had been on so not what we expected. The Cape Verde isles and Senegal do not have a lot to offer, once ashore there is very little to do or see, as they are not into tourism yet,Senegal and Dakar we were told was disappointing but we did find Goree Island interesting but be prepared to be seriously hassled by the islanders. Madeira and Lisbon were lovely. But the organisers had not taken into consideration that when we visited Lanzarote on a Sunday everything was closed, and it was a May Day holiday in Lisbon but still enjoyable. We had good weather for most of the cruise apart from the crossing from Southampton across the Bay of Biscay which was very rough, a lot of people unwell, then we had the virus, again lots of passengers very unwell. However We did enjoy this cruise very much as we met some wonderful people and made the most of the holiday,

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Spending Christmas with the Queen of the Iceni ? Don't worry, no time travel required just a delightfully smooth train journey to Portsmouth Harbour where a complimentary shuttle was waiting to whisk us to the sparkling Cruise Ferry Terminal where we first caught a glimpse of our final destination, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' M.V. Boudicca. It is so nice to be taken care of. Apart from dragging my over-packed bag off the train to shuttle bus, from there it was taken care of only to reappear in my cabin. After a hassle free check-in I strolled around the light and airy terminal building, met up with my two travelling companions and had a nice 'cuppa' while we waited to board. When our group were called to board there was an orderly rush for the boarding gate. While in the inevitable queue to stride up the gangway it was great to be personally greeted by our Cruise Director, Stein Dyb. It is these little touches that enhance Fred. Olsen's reputation for friendliness. Once onboard and, having been processed, we made our way to our Deck 4 cabins. After fighting my pals for wardrobe space (ladies -- please don't worry, there is plenty of hanging space) we set out to discover the geography of our floating hotel. Boudicca has 9 'public' decks (10 if you count the golf nets and putting green). The Beauty Salon was on our deck but all of us were beyond repair. On Deck 5 -- Main Deck were the shops, reception, tours desk and future cruise sales office. Deck 6 was where all the restaurants were situated together with lounges, the show lounge and swimming pool, Jacuzzis and lap pool. Deck 7 was home to the Internet Cafe (6 units), library, card room, gambling tables and the Lido Lounge. Deck 8 was the Bridge deck and Deck 9 housed the Observatory ( perched above the Bridge and offering a great 180 degree view) and aft (towards the blunt end) was the Marquee 'Fine Weather' Snack Bar and a plunge pool. Not that we crossed its threshold but up on Deck 9 was the Gym. To make the dining facilities feel more cozy the area has been divided into 3 semi-separate areas and also includes an alternative dining restaurant 'The Secret Garden'. The ship was in full festive mode with Christmas trees laden with decorations abounding and holly, bells and baubles glistening everywhere. With the dulcet tones of Christmas songs issuing from every broadcasting orifice how could we not embrace the spirit of Christmas? Our cruise was to take us to Casablanca for a quick visit to Rick's Bar (for our slightly older readers), all the Canary Islands and, to finish off with a flourish, New Year's Eve in Funchal, Madeira where, I have to tell you, the firework display was quite fantastic. Anyone who wonders where the variety show has disappeared to, it has grabbed it's passport and joined the plethora of cruise ships that now sail the many seas. Boudicca is no exception and boasted a good selection of acts to keep the full complement of passengers amused. These include an excellent crooner, Geoff Taylor who brought to life greats like Frank Sinatra, Matt Monroe and Sammy Davis Junior to name a few, Gabor Podhorszki, a classical guitarist who held his audiences in rapture during his afternoon recitals and Rikki Jay, a comedian who built up his act as the cruise progressed until he had the audience in stitches on the last night. Day time fun included reindeer racing, deck quoits, shuffle board, table tennis (in a force 9), putting, carpet bowls and for less excitement but full of interest, port talks, enhancement lecturers and Gillian Slade's Flower and Spice Craft 'classes'. This is definitely the way to spend Christmas and New Year. No washing up, six opportunities a day to eat, interesting ports of call with a nice range of tour options if you want explore beyond the ports and Fred. Olsen's super friendly girls and boys to take care of you. Even your social calendar is filled to capacity with the Captain's Welcome and Farewell cocktail parties, formal nights, Caribbean nights, an international night and, of course, special meals to celebrate Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Add to that the fun of several sail away deck parties and you get the picture -- a great time was had. My sincere thanks go to Captain Robert Bamburg (It used to be that you felt old when policemen looked young but now, even masters of cruise ships look young) and his crew for a thoroughly enjoyable experience with special mentions for Hotel Manager Clive Ramshaw, Cruise Director Stein Dyb, the Tours Team of Adela & Derrick and finally, our favourite supplier of cocktails in the Observatory, 'Princess' Paula. Don't miss out - to make sure you grab your place on one of this year's Christmas and New Year cruises.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

This trip was another cruise to get to the smaller canary islands so we thought small to get into the ports of call. That said everything on the ship was small, it does not help that the ship was fit to bursting with an unexpected abundance of very senior citizens. The number of those who exhibited infirmity and incapacity and unaccompanied led to the inevitable conclusion of what would happen should there an emergency at sea. There was clearly no administrative checks by Fred Olsen as to the needs of these individuals or indeed sufficient staff on board to cope. Fred Olsen appeared to have an insurance policy condition to limit wheel chairs to six in use on board. The indignity of seeing incapacitated people being pushed backwards on wheeled zimmers clearly exhibited blatant greed by the shipping company to maximise passenger occupancy. The good points of the ship firstly the staff particularly cabin stewardess and our table waiters. The food was good with our limited requirements. The ports of call were excellent with an abundance of time in them. The in house ships musicians and singer were way above our expectations. Such a pity about the rest of the entertainment. This is a personal choice and does not make or mar a cruise for us. The bad points the cabin was the smallest we have had, it was cramped and difficult to negotiate without bumping into fittings ie overhead bunk beds etc. The shower toilet and basin were designed by some one who will never have to use them. It goes without saying that every passenger had a very intimate experience with his her shower curtain. Thankfully we are slim! All the public rooms were small especially on sea days and required occupation of a seat in most at least an hour prior to event to ensure a seat was to be had. The refit last year does not appear to have considered the layout of the buffet area to prevent people causing an obstruction to other passengers when getting their meals.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We have just returned from a 13 night Canary Island cruise having booked a disabled adapted cabin on Fred Olson Boudicca.Having travelled down to Portsmouth by portlink coach service we arrived at 1300hrs and we were in our cabin 7045 by 1400hrs.The checkin service was very quick and as soon as the staff saw my wife in the wheelchair they gave every help that they could. Within 20 minutes our cases were in the cabin which was very well adapted for disabled use and also a full size walkin wetroom. We dined in the Tintagel dining room, second sitting with exellent service from all the waiters serving some of the best quality food, better than most cruise lines we have sailed with before. There was quite a good choice of activities on offer daily, and some wonderful shows every evening.The performances were also very good but perhaps a stronger male or female singer would have been an improvement. One of the big letdowns was the Cruise Director who only ever appeared at the start and finish of the evening shows. We were on the ship 13 nights and only ever saw her once. Sat in the restaraunt.She also spent a lot of time relaying messages over the tannoy system. The ports of call were all very good but due to my wifes disablement and the shortage of shuttle bus services we could only manage 1 tour. The average age of the passengers would be around 70 years and many of those were relient on walking sticks etc and found it very difficult to walk to any of the nearest points of interest.

Hide this review