Short break on Braemar

I have often spoken of the fact that I didn't really like my only Fred Olsen experience on Balmoral - although to this day I can't exactly put my finger on why. I therefore decided to give them another go with a short break to Rouen on their baby ship - Braemar - especially with the offer of a superior twin for sole occupancy with no single supplement! My friend had later decided to join me when a single cabin became available.

I travelled down to my friend at Hythe on Wednesday afternoon and arrived about 4.15pm. We had both received letters advising us that Braemar was arriving straight from Hamburg following a refit and that we should adhere to our check-in times (4.30 for me, 6pm for her) as she would not arrive until mid afternoon.  As we watched Braemar arrive early at noon, we decided that she may start boarding earlier and so set off for the ferry at about 1.30, arriving at the Ocean Terminal at 2.15. Interestingly she didn't sail in via the deep water channel with the sharp turns at Calshot, but sailed straight in via the North Channel.

 

Check in was swift but then we had a long wait of about 2 hours before finally being invited to go through security. Knowing how sensitive the security scanners are at Ocean, I was dreading having to take my boots off but thankfully the woman there suggested I try and go through the scanner and see if my boots set it off, in which case I would have to return, take them off and go through again – they didn’t! We finally got on board about 5.30 and set off to our cabins – mine on deck 6, Caryll’s on deck 2. I had a superior twin for sole occupancy, with obstructed view and best of all – no single supplement!  It was a nice welcoming cabin with bed, sofa bed, very large window (with tender outside), twin wardrobe with safe in one half, three drawers and the smallest bedside tables I have ever seen! There was excellent storage in the bathroom with a corner mirrored cupboard and shelf under the basin. The large flat-screen TV was interactive and mounted on an adjustable arm. There was a hairdryer mounted by the dressing table and a tray with tea and coffee making facilities. Caryll’s cabin was not so nice, although it had all the same facilities. It was in the middle section of the stretched ship and had better wardrobe space and coded safe unlike mine which was opened with a key, but required a card to activate the lights etc. The trouble was that there were no pictures and acres of empty space where they had just taken a bed away to make it a single cabin.

 

Our luggage was there so we unpacked, changed and explored the ship before muster drill at 7.15pm. Dinner had been changed to an open sitting that night, with the restaurant closed while muster drill took place. My muster station was in the Coral Club and it was nice to sit with a drink while it took place! Finally, with all aboard, Braemar set sail as we settled down to dinner in the Thistle Restaurant. We had a table for four on this occasion, with a brother and sister (on her first cruise). After dinner we did a quiz in the Morning Light Pub but didn’t stay up too late as I wanted to be out on deck for the sail up the river Seine the following morning.

The new Café Venus

 

 

As a PS to the first day I later read this story in the Southampton Daily Echo, that a lady had got locked out on her balcony on Deck 7 and had to call the coastguard!

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/shipping/11616986.Cruise_ship_passenger_calls_coastguard_after_getting_stuck_on_balcony/?ref=mac