Just back from my cruise highs and lows!

[Loopylooloo]

Am just back from a fabulous five night cruise on Fred Olsen’s Braemar, thought I would share some photos etc with everyone, I was too busy to do a live report, and being at sea means no wifi for me as I prefer to just switch off my phone and enjoy the peace! I went with my three friends, as our annual girls getaway, and we were going to be sharing one cabin, which could be interesting! We had a group discussion before we went, about who would have the top bunks (mostly based on who had the strongest bladder!) 😂 I am pleased to report I got the top bunk (which was a bit hairy to get into sometimes but hey ho!)

We embarked in Southampton, and went straight to the spa, to book our treatments, then in our usual tradition, straight to the bar for a sail away cocktail.

The ship is small, but very friendly, and we found the food was fantastic. Our waiter was called Steven, he was from Mumbai and was lovely.

Dinners were just amazing, we could choose an appetiser, then soup, salad, main course, dessert then cheese! It was like a food marathon every day but we gave it our all!

[Loopylooloo]

Our first port of call was Amsterdam, and we went to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, it was the 70th anniversary this year of the park being open, and the theme was ‘Flower Power’

I volunteered to escort one of the coaches, it just meant counting everyone on and off, and keeping a first aid bag handy, here I am with my special paddle! I would love to escort tours for a living one day, so its good practise.

We travelled just under an hour to the park, arriving around 9am, it was already very busy, and despite the weather being brisk, we were very lucky not to have any proper rain. The park is easy to walk around, it flows with water features, and carpets of flowers laid out so beautifully we just couldn’t take it all in! Here are a few of the best photos...

I felt the tour really delivered, it was just fantastic, we returned to the ship tired but exhilarated, and shared photos for hours.
That evening, I had a special song sang for me at dinner, as it was my 22nd wedding anniversary and my friends delighted in telling everyone around us that I had left my husband at home! 😂
After dinner, we went to the ‘Silent Disco’ this was so much fun, everyone had headphones, and three channels of music to choose from, we were all giggling, singing and dancing away it really brought everyone together on the dance floor.

[Loopylooloo]

Our second port of call was the beautiful city of Antwerp in Belgium, we docked right in the centre of town, right below the Antwerp eye, and just crossed the road to find all the lovely shops and the Grote Markt area. It has so much character and is a wonderful place to just walk around on your own, no tour needed!

We stopped after an hour or so for cake, and coffee, as we were feeling hungry (food reserves get low after around two hours on a cruise!)

Then we explored all the shops, old and new, there are a lot of very quaint boutique style shops and then a modern indoor mall, and also an old favourite, C&A! We had a good look round there, before deciding we were hungry again, so we tried that belgian classic, chips and mayonnaise! Yum.

A quick nap was needed before dinner, and then the show, we found the entertainment to be such a high standard given the space on the ship, we saw a fantastic magic act, a comedian, and the dance shows were really incredible!

[Loopylooloo]

On our last day we had a grand gala buffet at lunchtime, with ice carvings, and every kind of food imaginable it was just incredible.

And that was it! We all enjoyed our spa treatments, afternoon quizzes, dancing, and we found sharing one cabin was actually ok, we all managed really well despite it being ‘cosy’!
Just wanted to finish with a photo of my new Mia Tui travel bag which I bought after seeing a post here on the Dibb, it was great and I love the feature where it slides over the suitcase handles! Brilliant! Thanks to who ever recommended.

We cannot wait to cruise again, the only low is going home and having to cook for ourselves! Cheers!

[mickeyspal]

What a great little report, looks like you had a great time. We love cruising but have never been with Fred Olsen as always thought the clientele would be too old. But if there's a silent disco ,maybe I'm wrong.

[stecee]

It looks and sounds like you had a great time
You must be very organised, I can only imagine what it was like trying to get ready

[OB1LukeLucas]

Sound like you all had a wonderful trip, I love all your photos.

[spenners]

What a fab trip report, thanks for posting 😁👍🏻

[Loopylooloo]

Originally Posted by mickeyspal

What a great little report, looks like you had a great time. We love cruising but have never been with Fred Olsen as always thought the clientele would be too old. But if there's a silent disco ,maybe I'm wrong.

See more...

If you choose a shorter cruise, it always attracts a younger crowd, but dont write off the older people either they had plenty of life in them! This cruise was over a bank holiday meaning people needed less holiday from work to take it. I would recommend freds especially for fjord cruises as they can get right in where big ships can’t.

Originally Posted by stecee

It looks and sounds like you had a great time
You must be very organised, I can only imagine what it was like trying to get ready

See more...

Took me a week to pack! Thank goodness for packing cubes sounds silly but they keep me focused!

Originally Posted by OB1LukeLucas

Sound like you all had a wonderful trip, I love all your photos.

See more...

Thank you 😊

Originally Posted by spenners

What a fab trip report, thanks for posting 😁👍🏻

See more...

Thank you 😊

[Bats]

Love silent discos, too much fun!

Thanks for the trippie

Joa