Go Cruise with Jane

09/06/2024

Mr C made a video of the amazing Andrea Bocelli performance at the Official Naming of Cunard Queen Anne at Liverpool Waterfont last week.
Andrea Bocelli performs Canto De La Tierra and Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye)
Enjoy!

Andrea Bocelli performs Canto De La Tierra and Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye) at the official Naming of Cunard Queen Anne. Liverpool Monday 3 June 2024...

04/06/2024

Cunard Queen Anne. Oh what a night. A fabulous firework send off for Queen Anne last night.
What a day!
Cunard Travel Agent Sales

03/06/2024

Cunard Queen Anne. What a day so far!
Amazing afternoon tea at Panoramic34 hosted by Cunard Travel Agent Sales. So privileged to be invited. Invited access to the Naming Ceremony areas too.
Emma Willis & Matt Willis were the perfect hosts. They were so sweet together 🥰
Andrea Bocelli was amazing.
And Melanie C, Natalie Haywood, Ngunan Adamu, Jayne Casey and Katarina Johnson-Thompson smashed it - literally 🍾
Fireworks later 🎇 to round off the day 🥂 Looking at the ship made me a tad emotional 🥹
So privileged to be able to say we sailed on the Maiden voyage and attended the Naming Ceremony as an invited guest. I love Cunard ❤️

03/06/2024

Well we’ve been waiting months to find out who will name Queen Anne and it turns out they’re letting everyone here do it!! I’ve always wanted to name a ship!!

01/06/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette Little Skippers Club
Several of you asked about the Children’s Club onboard our recent Fred Olsen cruise.
Fred Olsen are family friendly but they don’t have specific children’s facilities, and we were fully aware of that before we took Kate along.
We knew that children didn’t have a dedicated room or area of the ship, but we had read that during school holidays, and busier cruises, a room is usually set aside for their use. This wasn’t to be the case during our cruise.
At the parents meeting in the first evening it was explained that they hadn’t set aside a specific room for children, and different activities would take place at different venues so always check the Little Skippers activity sheet that was delivered to the cabin each evening. The Hotel General Manager and Entertainment Manager were also at the meeting and advised that children were welcome anywhere on the ship 😊 so very family friendly.
There were four children’s hosts onboard for this particular cruise (teachers on half term break I think)
Now, Kate has high expectations for kids club, with 8 previous cruises under her belt her bench mark is high! Kate loves to go to kids club straight after breakfast, nags to go back after lunch, and often protests if we try to take her out before 10.00pm in the evening. She likes a choice of lots of activities to join in with or just make friends and play.
You will see from the attached photos of the daily Skippers Club leaflets that sessions were few and far between, and was often to watch a show or a film.
Some sessions were not hosted by the children’s hosts, and just advised of family friendly activities around the ship where a parent also had to attend.
Our biggest bug bear was the timing of some of the activities, especially the evening ones. We were often having to start a meal with Kate, then lizy leave between courses to drop her off for a 45 minute session, then pick her back up again before the meal finished. Timings for evening sessions didn’t seem to work for either the early or the late dinner sittings.
Little Skipper Leaflets for the next day were delivered during evening turndown service which meant we couldn’t plan ahead. An overview at the start of the cruise would have been more helpful.
I don’t want to be over negative. I think I was more disappointed for Kate, than Kate was herself, but with four hosts onboard specifically to organise some children’s fun and activities during the 5 day cruise it fell short of the mark. No excuse really for arranging a session of board games only to have not asked for the games cupboard to be unlocked!
Kate did have a lovely time. She loved coming to the spa with us. The pools were heated, certainly not as chilly as Queen Anne’s pools, she made use of the whirlpool baths with Mummy. Kate was happy to sit and read her book, or play on her tablet, play shuffleboard or bagatelle in the Morning Light pub, do some twirling, or have a dance.
Kate was made very welcome everywhere onboard the ship. The restaurant staff in all of the eateries onboard went the extra mile and a half to make sure Kate had exactly what she wanted at meal times. The bar staff knew to bring her a glass of water so that she could make her own squash. The ladies in the craft room said she was more than welcome to go in there any time she wanted.
So despite the actual children’s activities falling short of mine and Kate’s expectations, Kate did have a lovely time onboard Bolette. She had enough to keep herself entertained with her bits and pieces to that she had chosen to pack for her cruise, which included soft toys, felt pens and Guest Services happily provided the paper, Nintendo switch, kindle, reading book etc. So pack accordingly if travelling with little ones.
There were other children onboard, but with lack of organised activities Kate found it harder to find a little friend. But Mummy and Nanny time is always a good thing. I think it’s only because we, as a family, have experienced very different kids clubs over the years, on all sorts of cruise lines, that we are naturally going to compare.
This is not a criticism,but more of a full explanation following many questions and comments received.
Hope it helps when it comes to making a family cruise choice.

31/05/2024

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31/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. I realised I hadn’t shared any pics with you of our cabin onboard Bolette.
We were in Balcony Suite 6173 on deck 6.
We had loads of storage, good wardrobe space with shelving and hanging space, plus 13 good sized drawers. 13 drawers! If only they designed cabins the same these days.
Bathroom with whirlpool bath and good shower above. Towels were huge and very soft.
Beds were really comfy. I’m still wondering what the point of requesting twin beds is, because in our experience it is always made up as a double and we don’t have the heart to give them extra work and ask them to change it.
The sofa was made up as a bed for Kate.
Suite Dreams package gave us the added benefits of bottled water, carafe of water replenished daily, fruit basket, daily newsletter, flower, use of binoculars, use of bath robes, luxury towels for poolside, slippers, umbrella for use ashore, insulated flasks to use onboard daily canapés.
The fridge was stocked as a mini bar, and snacks, nibbles and red wine also available at passions charge.
Gina kept the cabin s***k n span and the beds were turned down each evening and a different chocolate on the pillow.
The balcony was a really good size.
If we have tempted you to give Fred Olsen a try don’t hesitate to give us a call ☎️

30/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. And that’s a wrap! Our office at sea is moving back on to dry land for a while 😉
I’ve added a few more photos of around the ship to share with you. We never did get time to use the craft room, or visit the aft pool. Maybe next time!

29/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. We had another Spa morning. A nice relaxing morning enjoying the scenic cruising past Dutchman’s Cap, Finnigans Cave and Iona. Everyone was wrapped up on the Forecastle Deck below. We were overheating in the spa. Kate enjoyed some quiet time reading her book.
I escaped the packing and went and enjoyed a nice latte in the Garden Room. I do like that room. Lizy has been making the most of the glorious sunshine this afternoon on the balcony. The weather has been really kind to us considering how far north we have been.
Canapés have just arrived 😋

29/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. Yet another fabulous dining experience onboard Bolette last night. We dined in Colours and Tastes, and yet again it was superb! The chilli beef was excellent, delicious 😋 Kate sat and read her book during the meal. There was no disturbing her. I’m convinced the staff think we don’t let her eat. They kept offering ice cream and treats for her, but she just wanted to read her new book.
Our pre dinner drinks were in Piano Bar. Everywhere seemed busy last night. The Ocean Room was standing room only for the Jazz Club.
We had a bit of silliness on the stairs by the clock. I blame the fizz! I nipped in the loo but was disappointed to find that it was just a loo. Meanwhile Kate made a public announcement that she had found a duck, oh what luck!
We went outside for some air and the most stunning skyline greeted us. We have seen some lovely sunsets at sea this cruise. It definitely warranted a twirl.
We had promised Kate some games in the Morning Light pub, I won at dominoes. The shuffle board was too difficult for me, I kept gliding the discs down the table too hard.
Night cap was taken in the Observation Lounge. It was busy in there too with one of the show singers singing his songs his way.
On the way back to bed we checked on the bears in the pool. They were ok. And then onto the balcony to check that skyline again. Beautiful.
I’ve just added a few more photos of the actual Colours and Tastes Restaurant.

28/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. We had a very enjoyable morning ashore on the Isle of Skye. Very pretty place. It is of course where the fairies live but we decided to leave them in peace and not go and investigate their habitat. Earlier wewere serenaded while waiting for our tender ticket number to be called to go ashore. I was impressed to have such entertainment so early in the morning. As it turned out it was just a sound check for later this evening 😂
We just went for a little wander around Portree and had a nosey in the gift shops. Kate was a little freaked out by the Grannie in the back of one of the shops. She was a bit scary! Kate got a new reading book and so far hasn’t put it down.
Hot chocolate was available at the tender station ashore 😋 people were declining thinking there was a cost involved.
We were back in time for lunch and I grabbed you some pictures of what’s on offer from The View Buffet. I opted for the satay chicken stir fry, freshly prepared.
I think you will agree it’s an impressive buffet for lunch time.
I’ve been catching up with a bit of work this afternoon. No rest for the wicked.

28/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. What an absolutely fabulous dining experience we had last night! We dined in Vasco the Goan Cuisine restaurant. Exceptional! And the cover charge? Only £10 if you pre book, £15 if you book onboard. I will let you taste with your eyes. It was all delicious and definitely a recommendation.
We will were treated to some stunning scenery as we left Stornoway too so it was the perfect evening to dine there.
Kate had a mocktail making class and bought me back a lovely fruit punch.
Ooh I nearly forgot to share the canapés with you. They were very good again. Big tick for Fred’s canapés.
After dinner our venue of choice was The Piano Bar. Service was exceptional. One waiter seemed to be serving the entire room and he was on it. Couldn’t fault the service at all. Two pianist entertained us throughout the evening. Cocktails, and later, the Southern Comforts flowed.
Most amusing highlight of the evening was when we had ordered the first drink, then lizy nipped off to find a loo. The waiter returned and asked if my daughter was old enough to drink because he couldn’t serve a Margarita to someone under 18. Poor guy nearly fell to his knees with embarrassment when I informed him she is 35. He couldn’t get over it and must have apologised 20 times. It tickled me 😆
Talking of loo’s Lizy returned with a full blown video tour. It was certainly a loo with a view! A proper powder room. So I had to go for a nosey too. I’ve added some photos.
A visit to Bookmark Cafe was on Kate’s to do list. I thought we were going along to purchase a chocolate for her. Turns out she needed a bag full. Now I understand why Nanny had to take her.
The sail along to the Isle of Sky was stunning, and we were at anchor before 10.00pm and still daylight when we headed for bed.
Let’s see what today has in store for us.

27/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. Stornoway, Scotland. I will be honest, I thought we had docked in Digger Land when I glimpsed through the curtains this morning. It didn’t look very appealing. Turns out they are constructing a new deep sea port to accommodate bigger ships. There was a smaller ship berthed over in the town.
By the time we had pulled ourselves out of bed and had some breakfast the shuttle bus queues were too long so we waited onboard. I managed to catch up with a bit of work, which took a bit of concentration given that there was a crew drill in progress. My head did not appreciate the seven or more long blasts!
We did eventually make it into Stornoway on the shuttle bus. It was as expected. I think we were supposed to go and see Highland cows or visit a castle if we wanted a bit of excitement, but there were some interesting little shops and Kate befriended a dog so it passed an hour away. It was too cold and rainy to make it pleasant to stay ashore so we headed back to the ship.
We were welcomed back onboard with a hot chocolate, that’s a new one to me, but much appreciated.
I had room service. I was impressed with the speed and freshness of my sandwich. Very nice.
Kate and Lizy went swimming after lunch so I took advantage of the situation and had a much needed Nanna nap 😴

27/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. Formal night on board Bolette last night. Well, it was formal (optional) must be a new Fred thing, I will investigate. (UPDATE: cruises of 5 nights or less are formal optional. Cruises of 3 nights no formal night)
Our evening started with some dancing in the Ocean Room. Kate loved it. Then it was onwards to dinner in the main dining room. Kate came along for the first 30 mins because the only Little Skippers activity was to watch the show at 9.00pm in the Neptune Lounge. Not very helpful to parents to have to walk to the other end of the ship just as starter arrives. Anyway, the good news is Kate has fully reviewed the magic and illusion show and said it was really good.
Dinner was good too. Crepe suzette for desert, what’s not to love. I had a coffee just to review the petit fors for you all. They scored highly.
Another race to the forward end of the ship for 9.45pm to collect Kate, so as we were at the forward end of the ship we decided to head up to the Observation Lounge to watch the Karaoke. It was good, especially the star of the show Tom who was described by the ents team as “what Dr Who would look like if he did Karaoke”
It was a very fun evening.
The sun didn’t set until after 10.00pm and it was still light when we went to bed.
Some twirling before bed was a given we were in our twirling dresses.
Oh and stop press news 📰 Fred Olsen stocks Southern Comfort! Other ships don’t seem to stock it anymore. My favourite night cap, so I drank it on the balcony and toasted another good day at sea.

26/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. What a way to spend a Sunday at sea. We had a very enjoyable couple of hours in the Thermal Suite. Kate loved her first Spa experience, and was very good at keeping Nanny & Mummy cool on the thermal beds with sprinklings of ice cold water. We hired the entire place for our exclusive use, which also included an outside area with steamer chairs. Nice saunas, whirlpool bath, hot beds, mist showers. We will be doing that again for sure!
Kate and Mummy had a nice swim in the heated pool, and then lunch at the Poolside grill.
I had a nice vanilla latte at Bookmark Cafe and resisted the most delicious looking cakes 😋

26/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. Oh what a giddy night that was!
We met at the top of the clock after dinner when Kate had finished at little Skippers. We like the top of the clock!
Then we somehow ended up in the Morning Light pub doing the quiz! Wouldn’t be my usual first choice of things to do in a cruise but it was fun. We would have done better in the quiz if a certain daughter had believed that her Mum does have a few brain cells.
Kate enjoyed Bagatelle. None of us understood the rules.
Me and Kate checked out the lovely Sky from the balcony before bed.
I checked the bar bill for yesterday and it would appear that a good time was had by all, and not as expensive as I would have imagined 🥂
Dinner last night was also very good, although we found out this morning we should have been in a specialty restaurant. Fred was very understanding and we are now rebooked. I blame the fizz 🥂

25/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. Well, the night is yet young and who knows what we might get up to!
We enjoyed a lovely bottle of fizz at sailaway. Canapés were delivered and they were impressive. Another tick in the box for Fred.
Lizy’s just gone to kids club meeting and I’m in a room at the top of the clock 🕰️ and it’s fun. In other words I have no clue where I am 😂 Jolly bar tenders, gentlemen dance hosts and good tunes.

25/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette. We are settling in nicely. I’ve got my Harvey Wallbanger and it was as good as it was in the 90’s🍹
Lunch was very good in The View Buffet. I had a lovely chicken stir-fry cooked to order.
Kate and I stopped by the Bookmark Cafe for a latte, well I had vanilla latte, Kate had a bag of milk chocolate truffles - £20 for a coffee card of 7 coffee or hot chocolates plus a bag of truffles. Not a bad deal I thought.
I’m unpacked. Lizy’s is work in progress. Let’s see what the evening holds 🥂

25/05/2024

Fred Olsen Bolette 🚢
Well, it’s been a while since the last cruise. Cocktail of the day anyone? It’s a good one 🍹 Who remembers a good old Cocktail of the day? I’m excited to see Harvey Wallbanger on the cocktail menu - been a while since I had one of those.
So, yes the GocruisewithJane ladies are working hard again, researching all things Fred Olsen Cruises for you

22/05/2024

P&O Cruises announce their new Caribbean flight partners ….
“Getting our guests’ holidays off to a flying start is so important to us. That’s why we’re pleased to be partners with TUI Airways, Norse Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic for our Caribbean fly-cruises in the winter 2024/25 season”

Tui Airways will operate Friday and Saturday flights to Barbados from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester as well as regional flights from Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Bristol, Bournemouth, Glasgow and Newcastle on select dates.
Virgin Atlantic will operate a whole plane charter to from Heathrow to Barbados every 14 days.
All flights will include inflight entertainment across all cabin classes and premium seating options, neither of which were offered on Maleth Aero, the line’s airline partner for the 2023-24 season.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “We recognise that flights are a key part of the holiday experience and so I am delighted that we are continuing our longstanding partnership with Tui Airways and that we are introducing a bespoke inflight proposition with Norse Atlantic as well as fortnightly flights with Virgin Atlantic.

Good news 📰 ✈️ 👍