we joined the ship on the afternoon of the 29th of april .
the ship had docked two days earlier from its last cruise because of the novovirus bug and underwent a really deep clean, it must have worked there were as far as i could find out there were no reported cases well done to all concerned.
the food on board was good ,but we only used the buffet rather than the main resturaunts ,there was too much to do at night time and we did not want to waste it .
the staff were really fantastic they looked a little bit tired at first but soon recovered (well done).
the on board entertainment was suberb, a really great big thanks to michelle/amy/ mary/andrea.
who helped make my cruise the best ever (they are the ships hostess)can not thank them enough ,the singers.dancers well what stars they were .brilliant

sailed on 3 week med cruise on boudicca,but went down with norovirus in the first week,so missed out on ports of calls.so many passengers were getting ill everyday the captain stated we were on red alert for norovirus,crew tried hard to keep ship clean,but it is very old and tired,like many of the passengers,some did not realise there are new modern clean ships out there

We were on the Boudicca for a short 4 night cruise. Lets just say up front that we have previously been on a Royal Carribbean Cruise and so maybe that spoilt us in terms of expectations. Also, I don't think we were the target market for Fred Olsen as the ship was mainly full of older couples and we were a family with two teenage girls.

We boarded the ship straight after the cruise where over 200 people went down with the Norovirus, so I was a bit worried. Cleaniness seemed to be taken very seriously with hand cleaners almost everywhere, but despite this, both my wife and daughter managed to catch it and were confined to their cabins. It seems to me as if the ship needs more than a few hours 'deep clean' to eradicate it.

The food was adequate. Breakfast was buffet style and lunch/dinner were either waiter service or buffet. One pleasant surprise was the price of the drinks. Very reasonable and one area where R.C. could vastly improve.

Staff were fine, mostly coming from the Phillipines. Our waiter did his job, but was very quiet. A more talkative waiter would have made a lot of difference.

The entertainment was good. We had two comedians and the in-house dance team who were good. You could also watch the shows in your cabin if you wanted to.

Overall the ship is targetted to a particular age group and I think that's fine. Myself, it's RC next time as almost everything is bigger and better.

This ship is tired the staff did the best with what they had I do not feel it was deep cleaned as they had promised as the noravirus broke out after 2 days which leads me to believe that it was caught on board. When we got up on our last day the bed was made up for the next passengers within half an hour of our getting up I would call this inappropriate as they were not aired and not enough time was given to cleaning for new occupants.I was very sick on this trip but because we went through a force 11 gale they told me it was seasickness it was not another member of our party had the evening of our return. The entertainment was excellent but we missed our last port of call and Our visit to Malaga was cut short so we missed our one and only all day trip. Someone suggested it was because they had a job to dock because of the virus but we were told it was the storm not sure I believe that the last visit may be but we travelled very slowly that last night back. I would not travel with Fred Olsen Again having spoken to friends who have travelled with other cruise liners. Floating Old peoples home sorry

Did Taste of Norway. What a great first cruise, my partner is a whelchair user, adapted cabin excellent. All staff very friendly and helpful. The cabin was kept spotless the food was superb the waiters couldnt do enough. The entertainment was not my cup of tea but they tried hard. People on board very friendly. The ony drawback was the handling of my partner and her w/chair getting on and of the ship the staff did theyre best but were not very skilled and my patner felt very unsafe during theses operations. Fred Olsen should train the staff better to handle w/chairs more safely. This did not spoil a super cruise and we will definately be going again with Fred Olsen. The Boudicca may be small but its a lovely place to spend a holiday

We have traveled on Black Watch and Braemar previously and were not disappointed with Boudicca. Accommodation is a little cramped in a standard double cabin for a 3 week cruise but quite adequate. The ship is comfortable and seems spacious. The food was excellent , but lunchtime buffets often meant queuing although the waiters would fetch food if asked. The soups on all Olsen ships are excellent. The staff were excellent apart from the Rep. on board who refused to countenance complaints about smoking in some of the bars which can be very irritating.
We thoroughly enjoyed out cruise and are going again this year on the same ship

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!

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

What can I say about Boudicca? Well in comparison to Black Watch, Excellent! However in comparison to Braemar, not so good! Cleanliness aboard Boudicca was at one of the highest standards, and the ship also appeared pristine when ashore. I found that the ships food was Okay, however I wouldn’t go to the extent of saying that it was good, because I personally thought that the food was quite bland, and their was a limited choice for vegetarians such as myself!

Once again, in most cases the staff were very polite and efficient, however I felt that the waiters virtually objected to asking the chef to make me an omelette, which was very irritating! In all honesty, I thought that the cabin which we had was excellent, as it was very homely, the picture window was much larger than the windows on more modern cruise ships and the cabin had all of the amenities we expected and more! I would have happily rated our cabin a 4, without question!

The entertainment aboard Boudicca was as average as the entertainment aboard Braemar. I felt that once again the entertainment was targeted more at the elderly passengers, rather than those who were middle aged. For those people who may be considering booking a cruise with Fred Olsen Cruises, I strongly advice that you think again if you have children, as Fred Olsen do not target children in any way whatsoever!

Overall I was satisfied with Boudicca, however in my opinion it is clear that improvements are required in certain areas e.g. at least three vegetarian options on a menu instead of one! I would cruise aboard Boudicca again, however Braemar remains my favourite Fred Olsen ship!

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.