Hotel Reviews

Private Rentals

Photo Galleries

Cruise Reviews

Resort Reports

Discussion Forums

Safe & Sound

Accom Only

Looking For The Safe and Sound Brochure Click here to download your free copy

Got a holiday question? Visit our discussion forums by Clicking Here

Sunny Says there are 62 visitors online Sunnys' Hints: Did You Know? The services of Holiday-Truths are FREE to everyone!

Click Here To Go Back To Cruise Ship Listing Boudicca Cruise Ship Reviews And Reports Don't Forget To Add your Own Report If You Have Sailed On This Ship

	Boudicca Cruise Ship Reviews
	Boudicca Ship Information Former Names: Grand Latino, Royal Viking Sky This is a sleek comfortable but older ship will be fitted with new engines and refurbished with more balcony cabins, spacious public areas and a restful décor. Fred Olsen staff are friendly and attentive. Passengers on the Boudicca tend to be 50+ and mainly British. When all cabins have double occupancy, the ship provides a space ratio of 33.3 tons per passenger and a crew to passenger ratio of one for every 2.7 passengers. At full capacity the space ratio is 31.5 tons per passenger and the crew ratio is one to 2.8 passengers.

Holiday-Truth Readers Reports
Magsy from Alloa sailed on Boudicca with Gill's Cruises on a singles holiday. There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2006
Magsy rated the Boudicca as follows: Ship Cleanliness Crew Ship Food Onboard Entertainment	Magsy said: I travelled on Fred Olsen’s Boudicca on her West African itinerary on 24th November 2006 and it turned out to be a very unfortunate trip in many ways, the main reason being the appalling weather during our three week cruise. Very little time was able to be spent on deck, mostly due to very strong winds, reaching gale force on many occasions! In all I would estimate that there were six days when it was warm enough to sit comfortably outside. Strangely, the Captain’s log for our trip doesn’t mention the Gale Force 12 storm which we endured; the highest mentioned was Gale Force 8! Nor does the log mention that we failed to dock in Gambia or Lanzarote! The weather of course cannot be blamed on anyone, just our bad fortune! (Incidentally, the weather was not the reason for not docking in Gambia!) Embarkation was quite slow and when one did board, there was no one to guide you to your cabin which I thought was quite poor. Arriving in my cabin I was pleased that it was of an adequate size with good storage, however, I had received an upgrade from a single to a twin cabin and the space and storage would have been very tight for two people on a three week cruise! There was absolutely no secure storage for toiletries in the bathroom with the consequence of flying toiletries in inclement weather (until I learned to wrap them in towels and wedge them under my bed!) Personally I found the beds very narrow indeed, certainly not standard 3ft single beds. (Another passenger told me he had measured his and it was 2ft 3” but I cannot verify this) My main concern however was the fact that it was very grubby which shocked me! I have never ever experienced this on a cruise before and I did take pictures of everything!. While mentioning grubby, not once did I see the stair rails/treads being cleaned, nor the lifts – again, I have never before been on a ship where this wasn’t being done constantly! (Foam hand cleanser was always used in restaurants and when tea/coffee was served in lounges) Outside of meal times, do not expect tea or coffee to be on tap! It is served from 10.45am to 11.15am and from 3.45 to 4.30 and 7.30pm to 9pm. There are however tea/coffee making facilities in your cabin, otherwise you can buy them in a bar. Beware the queues for morning and afternoon tea! Fortunately for me, I was able to fill quite a lot of time playing cards with like minded individuals. Fred Olsen provided Bridge tuition for both beginners and improvers. There is a lovely Card/Games room, but this is also the library which I consider to be very bad planning indeed. Libraries should be quiet places but this is impossible when it doubles as a games room. Boudicca is a small ship and I fail to see why Carpet Bowls were played on the lift/stair landing on Deck 9 where it interfered considerably with both passengers accessing their cabins or the Observatory Lounge. Having explored the ship quite thoroughly it is my opinion that Carpet Bowls should have been given a complete miss! I have no complaint about the food on board the ship and generally the service was good. I did find it a little odd that breakfast and lunch in the main restaurant was a mixture of buffet &/or waiter service! I have never experienced this before on any ship before, especially when there are other buffet eating venues on board! I believe bar prices are reasonable for standard brands – Brandy £1.95 Rum £2.05 Vodka & Gin £1.90 with no charge for mixers. Beer was £2.30 Boddingtons, Stella & Guinness and £2.20 for Bitter. Surprisingly though measures are used for spirits. You may also buy alcohol for use in your cabin at £11 per litre bottle and 15cl cans of mix at 50p each. Cans of beer (50cl) are also available at £2.20-30.You may not bring alcohol aboard - should you buy any at ports of call it will be confiscated and returned to you at the end of the cruise. Taste is of course subjective but the interior refit of Boudicca did not impress me at all. Mock wood, acrylic light fittings, psychedelic carpets and 40s style furniture are not to my taste! Chandeliers, generally a trademark of cruise ships, were noticeable by their absence! Fred Olsen ships have an amazingly loyal following and I would suggest that the company rewards these people with upgrades, instead of giving them to people who bought last minute cruises! Would I rush back or return year after year? Absolutely not!
B. Draper from Inverness sailed on Boudicca with Cruise Connections on a couples holiday. There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9 2006
B. Draper rated the Boudicca as follows: Ship Cleanliness Crew Ship Food Onboard Entertainment	B. Draper said: Travel arrangements to join the ship were 1st class. By booking early we had free flights to Gatwick and a private car hire to the ship.I have not travelled on a smallish ship before. Our timing was a bit wrong as the cruise to the Baltic should have been done in warmer weather. The food started off a bit hit and miss but by day two had improved a lot. The choices were very good and the staff were excellent. Entertainment very enjoyable. Bar staff took the trouble to learn their customer's names, and remember their particular drink preferences. The tours programme was varied and most interesting. On board games were a bit lacking unless one played bridge. Whist or even a Casino would have filled the days at sea.(it was too cold for deck games) The only complaint I have was the air conditioning in the theatre which could be very chilly. I would sail with Fred OLsen at a future date
Martin Goodwin from Macclesfield sailed on Boudicca with Bolsover Cruise Club on a couples holiday. There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4 2006
Martin Goodwin rated the Boudicca as follows: Ship Cleanliness Crew Ship Food Onboard Entertainment	Martin Goodwin said: Our cruise on 'Boudicca' was only her third after refitting and joining the Fred Olsen fleet, so our expectations were fairly high. We were travelling to the Canaries via Madeira and back via Agadir (Morocco) and Lisbon, and having travelled previously with Princess, we were looking forward to the smaller, friendlier scale of the Olsen ship. In this respect we were not disappointed; staff were very helpful and approachable, and the Captain could be spotted breakfasting with passengers, and played the trumpet twice on social evenings! The public rooms have been refitted and decorated beautifully, and there's an overall impression of light and space. We also appreciated the varied entertainment ranging from classical piano to comedy, and an end-of-voyage concert by the crew. We did however have serious concerns about some areas of the ship which had still not been fitted out properly. Our cabin on Main Deck, for example, was drab, with dirty paintwork, and the bath flooded the floor the first time it was used....! There was also some engine vibration.An advertised Sauna and Steam Room did not actually exist, and expresso coffee machines did not arrive until half-way through the cruise. Olsen is apparently aware of these failures, but we feel the ship should not have sailed until properly finished.Future cruise passengers should perhaps check with the company before sailing. That apart, we had a fabulous cruise, and would be happy to sail on Boudicca again.