Braemar Reviews

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I was lucky to win this cruise in the magazine Cruise International. I was aware beforehand not to expect any facilities for children but still decided to take my daughter and, almost 3 year old, granddaughter. I had problems getting a cabin and then its suitability. Please go to the end of the review if you are interested in the details. Leaving from Dover we were able to hop on a high speed train from St Pancras and use Fred Olsen's shuttle service to get to the dock. Checking in and boarding through security was tedious and took about an hour and a half. We were unfortunate in the weather, at least at the start of the cruise, as we were sailing into a deep depression forming in the Bay of Biscay. So for the first day and a half it was dull, rainy, windy and rough. Tough for all the family. The cabin was bigger than we expected and well furnished. As were the public rooms and the rest of the ship. Plenty of wooden deck space for walking and jogging and a large pool deck with Jacuzzis. Mostly deserted during the cruise my daughter and granddaughter enjoyed both on the slightly warmer days. We avoided the main dining room on the formal nights as I had neither dinner jacket or dark suit and found the designation old fashioned and frankly silly. Although many passengers were happy to accept the code. We also found it easier some nights to use the buffet so that my granddaughter could get a plate of food she found acceptable. I was disappointed that no effort was made by the dining room staff to help in providing suitable food or generally bring her something she could cope with. We even had to ask for a suitable glass for water instead of the large, slim stemmed glasses provided. I can understand why Fred Olsen might not feel the need to provide children's' facilities on the Braemar but the dining room could, and should, have done better. The food itself varied from OK to some good courses and the general service was only adequate (worse that any of my previous cruises). I should tell you here that all the staff on board were very friendly and it wasn't long before it seemed that they were all greeting my granddaughter by name. The other public rooms were all well appointed and comfortable but got a bit crowded on 'at sea' days due to the weather. We didn't visit the main show room but did go into the cabaret room on 3 nights to listen to an excellent 4 piece group called 4th Dimension. My granddaughter and 2 friends had a wonderful time on the dance floor which had very few other dancers. We arrived in La Pallice, a short free coach transfer into La Rochelle. The weather was dry and quite pleasant. The next two days would be the same until we reached A Coruna when it became cold and rainy. They have a new aquarium there which was great fun and well worth a visit. We also had lunch which was way better than you might expect at a tourist attraction. Worth trying even if you don't want to go to the aquarium. The small harbour - La Vieux Port - was very picturesque, as was the surrounding streets and buildings. Next day we were in Getxo for Bilbao. We didn't fancy the hour round trip into town so got out our bucket and spades and went to a beautiful broad beach 5 minutes walk from the ship. The next port of call, Aviles, was the best. It turns out that we were the first ever cruise line to dock at the new terminal right in the centre of town. As we approached up a narrow channel both sides were lined by people welcoming our arrival and more were at the quayside. We were next to the impressive new Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer and then a short walk across an amazing bridge into the old town. We strolled through charming squares, cobbled streets and a lovely park ending up in a pavement cafe in the Plaza de Espana drinking a cafe solo. And at our departure the crowds waving goodbye were huge. Lots of waving and sounding of the ship's horn. A Coruna was disappointing for us due to the cold, rainy weather so we weren't ashore for long. The weather on the trip back to Dover was cold, windy and overcast but the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel were fairly calm. Two highlights of this part of the voyage were the schools of Dolphins we saw on our penultimate evening and a very traditional afternoon tea served by white gloved staff in the Observatory bar with its large picture windows overlooking the bow. The tea was a very reasonable ??6+. Overall the cruise was disappointing. The weather didn't help of course but I would rate the food and restaurant service as average, certainly worse than my previous cruises. The cabin was good (except for the particular problems below) and cabin service very good. Two bonuses were very few tannoy announcements and we weren't pestered by the photographers. The general atmosphere was old fashioned/traditional with quite a high average age for the passengers. If this suits you then you might enjoy the Braemar. [Finding a suitable cabin was difficult. My prize was an outside cabin which unfortunately could not accommodate an extra bed so it was either a case of upgrading for over ??500 or going to an inside cabin and a bunk bed but still paying and extra ??150. I chose the latter.] There were still 2 basic problems with the cabin. My granddaughter wasn't used to a bed yet and tended to roll off so we had to put one single bed against the wall and then push the other against it. And the ladder to access the upper berth was only designed to be used at the side of the bunk so any double bed configuration meant that I had to use the ladder at the end of the bunk where it was not safely secured.

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We travelled the day before and stayed Premier Inn opposite where the ship docked.We were delayed, as there had been medical emergency on the previous cruise return. Wrong baggage delivered same printed labels as ours other person hadnt changed cabin number !!. Cabin smaller than I had ever experienced before with the tiniest shower, but it was fast and hot so ok.Not much cupboard space, but hey ho there was a laundrette and irons. Smooth outward crossing took ship tour Lisbon, glad we did it is a big town. Did all Canary Islands on our own. Got to Azures stayed on board 1st island as were to walk a lot in Porta Delgada. BUT Captain came over tannoy at1550 and said Porta Delgada cancelled as bad weather due in Bay of Biscay and we MUST get to Dover in time. Some people had had this said on 2 previous cruises so were not pleased. It was rough about 24 hours later and lasted for 30 hours. It was stranged to go to dinner and have just a tablecloth on the table (everything else just fell off!!(I had had room service earlier in the day, I did not trust myself walking around the ship, as all the code alpha announcements put you off. But for over 2 days we then crawled in flat calm seas not even making foam at the back of the ship and could have been in Dover 2 days early. My husbands birthday was lovely, starting with celebration breakfast in cabin. Could not be faulted. All food good and hot plenty of choice, either formal or self service. Staff in self service were friendlier than the formal. Cabin though small was kept spotleaa by cabin girl. The downside was the clientelle were so old so it was very quiet from 11pm when the show stopped.Some "young retiries" called it "Gods waiting room", Too many sea days, and not enough mixed age group, and certainly not enough to do on the many sea days.

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My wife and I are both retired. I was a wine consultant and my wife a medical professional. We both enjoy the sun and we both enjoy Cruising. Because of when we had to book in at Gatwick, we stayed overnight at the Gatwick Worth Hotel and left our car at Gatwick. We flew from Gatwick to Montego Bay to join our ship Fred Olsen's Braemar. This was to be our third cruise on this ship and our second aboard Braemar. The ship was "stretched" a few years ago, with a new piece inserted in the middle. This on deck 5 is where the library is found easily by the sound of snoring. There are 7 or 8 bars around the ship from pool bars to quiet club bars. Also 3 Restaurants, one of which is buffet style. Wherever you eat the food is superb. Michelin style.The waiting staff were excellent, attentive and friendly. There was an excellent wine list, reasonably priced.There are two entertainment areas so there could be two different shows on at the same time.The shows were excellent, West End standard. Other features are 2 pools, 2 jacuzies a golf driving range and other sporting activities including carpet bowls, shuffleboard and putting. a fully equipped fitness centre and beauty salon. Plenty of shops with reasonably price goods. There is an internet room, and other activities such as Quizzes, Lectures and special interest subjects plus talks on ports of call. Like all cruise lines their excursions are expensive. We did 2. In Cozumel I visited Mayan Ruins while my wife took the scenic tour. In Cuba we toured panoramic Havana taking in a rum factory.At every port we could get off ship and do our own thing. We did this a lot with other passengers hiring mini-bus taxis. By doing this we could go and stop where we wanted. We did this in Tortola, Martinique and Bermuda. Other ports we just wandered around the local area. The cruise finished in Bermuda where we disembarked. This was done very efficiently by deck. We then were taken to the airport to fly home.This was a super cruise on a super ship that I would recommend to anyone.

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We went on this cruise because we were very attracted by the golf package. We enjoyed playing on 4 different course with the group of 18 golfers. The professional golfer was very pleasant, but several ladies agreed that he should not have just gone off and played with low handicap men, but spent some time with each group. Suite 7031 was excellent, huge suite and balcony. We had canapes each evening, some very good, some a bit ordinary and stale. We eventually opted for 8.30 dinner, we did not like either choice (6.15 or 8.30)and will always in future only go with cruise that offers free seating. It was rather late to eat and had one 'less than fun' occupant on our table. Food varied. some excellent steaks, sometimes 2 had good meat and 2 had poorly cooked same choice. eg Lobster tended to be a small amount with lots of pasta . At night the boiled potatoes were dark blue and horrid. We had one excellent departure where the group played on the aft deck, but why not for most ports. The aft deck has very large area for smokers which made it less pleasant for non smokers. The one late sailing was from dominica on a sunday, which was total waste of time, NOTHING was open except one very grotty bar.

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As this was our first cruise I had nothing to judge it against. We were both somewhat dubious what to expect as my wife and I both like to relax on holiday but like to 'dress up' for formal occasions. It turned out that cruising was the idea option. Boarding Embarkation at Dover was extremely easy. Hardly any wait time and were kept informed about what to do and what was happening. As soon as we reached our room suitcases arrived. Room The room was very comfortable if what 'snug'. A large, uninterrupted view, window was an unexpected bonus. When booking always check what your view will be. Single beds very comfortable. Bathroom, again snug, but clean and functional. I would not describe the accommodation as luxury but certainly comfortable. Ship Staff The ship's staff were always very friendly and accommodating. Food Food, in my humble opinion, was very good. Several seasoned passengers thought it was not up to the standard of lines such as P&O but we both thought it was very good - excellent. Would definitely rate at 4* Entertainment Probably the poorest part of the cruise. The lounge is very small, furniture unsuitable and uncomfortable. Entertainers were of holiday camp standard - certainly not West End! Excursions Due to the size of the ship our mooring points were always within easy walk of the nearest town. We saved a lot of money by going D.I.Y. They only excursions were in St Petersburg. Disembarkation As easy as boarding. A half hour wait in a lounge but once moving, very quick and the collection of luggage was very slick Overall An excellent introduction to cruising and extremely good value for money

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