DESTINATIONS CRUISE |CARIBBEAN
TRIED & TESTED
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Braemar
Being an older ship, Braemar may lack a certain wow factor when moored alongside gleaming new-builds – despite a dry-dock refurb in 2019 – but on board its old-school charm is unmistakable. With capacity for just 929 passengers but no shortage of space, it has a distinctly British ambience. The public areas are light and comfortable, and pleasingly lack the excessive glitz of modern ships. The food and service in main restaurant Thistle was unfailingly good, but it was trumped by speciality dining venue The Grill. I also lapped up the entertainment in the Neptune Lounge – a singer, magician and band – plus there’s a good gym, pool, library, blackjack table and Wi-Fi throughout (from £26 per hour). But beyond the facilities was something else: a tangible sense that crew and passengers alike had found their home at sea. Book it: A 16-night Islands of the Caribbean sailing on Braemar, departing Southampton on December 6, 2022, starts at £1,799 based on two sharing an interior cabin, including flights from Barbados.
fredolsencruises.com
ABOVE: Agents on Turners Beach, Antigua, during Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ mega-fam The 18-mile journey provides magnificent views of the
island’s lush interior and spectacular coastline, whether you are seated upstairs in open-air carriages or downstairs in air-conditioned comfort. The remnants of brick chimneys, scattered across the island on former plantations, are a reminder of the sugar cane era that spanned 400 years. The chimneys were used to boil the cane juice, before it was fermented and crystallised into sugar. The journey was enlivened by the train’s four singers, who periodically regaled passengers with the likes of Christmas carol Joy to the World and calypso song Shame and Scandal in the Family. In Barbados, more soft adventure was on offer, this time underground. Harrison’s Cave is a network of caverns packed with spotlighted stalagmites and stalactites. The attraction has been lavishly modernised in recent years and helmet-wearing visitors are carried through the 1.5 miles of passages by tramway. One stalagmite-stalactite pair – still some four metres
apart – are due to fuse in 20,000 years’ time. Free entry was promised for any visitor who returns then.
ADVENTUROUS EXTRAS Other adventurous excursions during the cruise included river tubing in Grenada, deep-sea fishing in St Kitts and racing in an America’s Cup yacht in Saint Martin. These sorts of options complement the mainstay sedater tours, such as rum tastings, museum visits and cookery demonstrations.
30 25 MARCH 2021
33It’s been great for agents to experience a small ship in the Caribbean and see the variety of excursions and destinations
The Braemar passengers I spoke to liked the diversity
of tours offered by Fred Olsen across the six Caribbean islands, even if take-up of the more energetic options was rather limited. But for Fred Olsen, it’s all about giving passengers
more choice in ports of call. Three years ago, the line introduced rib boat excursions to “take passengers even closer”, and each of its four ships now carries two of these boats. Kayaking is also offered in some destinations. And the options aren’t limited to set tours.
Kate Wooldridge, the line’s sales services and communications manager, explained: “Our destinations team in Ipswich can create bespoke excursions for individuals or groups. Agents just need to contact us.” Referring to the seven cruise specialist agents on the mega-fam, Wooldridge added: “It’s been great for them to experience a small ship in the Caribbean and to see the variety of excursions and destinations.” Like the nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves that abound in
Grenada, Fred Olsen is making a good job of spicing up its Caribbean cruises.
TW
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Mike Walsh
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