Black Watch cruise appraisal

My wife, Carol, and I booked a 54-night cruise on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Black Watch, leaving Jan. 5, 2005, from Southampton, England, and arriving Feb. 28 in Sydney, Australia.

We booked this cruise because of the ports of call: Málaga, Spain; Malta; Alexandria, Cairo and Port Said, Egypt; the Suez Canal and Sharm el Sheik, Egypt; Salalah, Oman; Mumbai and Cochin, India; Phuket, Thailand; George Town, Malaysia; Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Brunei; Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and Cairns, Hardy Reef, Brisbane and Sydney, Australia. There were 2-day stays for Cairo, Mumbai, Phuket, Singapore, Cairns and Sydney.

As it turned out, a port call was canceled at Phuket because of the tsunami and at Ho Chi Minh City because of bird flu. These were replaced with Port Klang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Darwin, Australia.

We booked a superior outside cabin with an unobstructed view window. This would be in the upper mid-range of cabins offered on the Black Watch. The cost was $24,500, without airfare. The cabin met our expectations.

We realized when booking the cruise that because of the ship’s age (it was built in 1973) and the fact that the Black Watch was booked for a refit in May 2005, the ship could be shabby. The Black Watch is also very noisy compared to newer ships.

What we didn’t anticipate was the antiquated state of the plumbing and the waste-disposal system. During our 54 days at sea, to our knowledge, at least six cabins were flooded with broken water pipes. Furniture had to be dried out in the hallways and the carpets replaced.

Several times during the cruise, toilet flushing or water supply to the cabins ceased entirely. At other times we were requested to reduce water usage. Once, in the port of Singapore, all the toilets were shut down for some eight hours, resulting in a very strong odor permeating the entire ship.

Not infrequently, the odor of sewage could be detected in various parts of the ship, both inside and outside, especially when the wastewater was being taken off by trucks at the ports.

The following is how we rated various aspects of the cruise.

The seamanship was excellent. The ship was on time arriving and departing the ports and was handled very efficiently. One exception was when the above-mentioned sewage problems forced the ship to head out beyond restricted waters for dumping, causing us to be three hours late at the next port and creating great confusion regarding shore tours, with many tours having to be canceled.

The food was generally very good and quite ample. Our one criticism was that the fresh fruit lacked variety and, often, quality. Service in the dining room, the garden restaurant and on deck was efficient and pleasant.

Our cabin stewardess was pleasant, helpful and efficient. She cared for 17 double cabins, which was a higher number than those of our previous experiences. She rotated the order in which she made up the cabins each day; consequently, on many days it was well after lunch before our beds were made. The beds were laid out during dinner, so they were in the sleeping arrangement a good part of the time.

Except when we were close to Europe, outside television programs and news broadcasts did not come through on the onboard TV; even in downtown Singapore and Sydney there was nothing. Shipboard TV programs consisted of advertisements for the ship’s services and a repetition of old movies.

The front desk staff was very efficient and available 24 hours a day. The hotel management staff seemed to have to refer all problems back to the London office.

We were pleasantly surprised by the entertainment on board, considering the small passenger complement, fewer than 800. The production team of singers and dancers was very professional, and the special entertainers, singers, comedians, classical musicians, ventriloquists, etc., were generally very good. The permanent staff orchestra, lounge entertainers, etc., were also better than we expected.

The onboard chaplain did an excellent job providing services for those who wished to participate. He also circulated well and was readily available on a casual basis.

The usual deck sports, bridge classes, dance lessons, etc., were available. There were some limited exercise programs free of charge, but most programs carried an additional charge of £5. (What an incentive to get passengers fit!)

Onboard computer services were very basic and expensive compared to those of other ships we have been on. There were six computers with no facilities to plug in laptops or digital cameras, etc.

Particularly at the beginning of the cruise, explanations of the various events (either in person or through the daily bulletin) were skimpy. Explanations of the sights we were seeing were often nonexistent. For example, during our Suez passage there was no commentary. The number of staff in the cruise director’s department seemed to be very large.

The quality of the lecture program was uneven. We had some outstanding presenters, though in our opinion they could have been more focused on the areas through which we traveled. Each cruise segment had at least one former BBC employee reminiscing, which we found a bit tiring.

For shore tours, talks about each port were excellent — very informative for passengers wishing to purchase tours as well as for those wishing to explore independently. The shore tours were well organized and, on balance, as good as could be expected. The price of shore tours was somewhat on the rich side compared with our previous experiences.

Following are some quirks of the Black Watch.

Regarding security, the normal procedure of swiping passengers’ cards for entry and exit was used. At some ports, incoming hand luggage and parcels were screened; at others they were not.

Ship maintenance schedules seemed to have the crew chipping and painting outside during outside mealtimes and vacuuming foyers and stairs when passengers were moving from dining to entertainment areas. It seemed that continuous elevator repairs also occurred at peak times.

Generally, the swimming pools were well maintained. When at sea, they were drained and cleaned. On one occasion, at Darwin, when it was very hot, the pools were closed for two days for painting!

Also, no staff members were assigned to deck and chair pad supervision. Consequently, the annoying problem of long-term deck chair holding with towels and books was prevalent. It also meant that there was no one to help the disabled or elderly passengers with towels, chairs and chair pads.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines advertises their cruises and cruise segments as other lines do, by the number of nights. For many, the advertised number of cruise nights includes a flight back to London, but this is not included in the price for cruises sold in North America. For us, what was advertised as a 54-night cruise was in reality a 53-night cruise and we were expected to leave our cabin after one night in Sydney. After much discussion, they agreed to let us stay the extra night, but we had to change cabins.

The Black Watch has a predominance of elderly British passengers, and we would suggest that younger couples might be bored. The dress code is also very formal. Informal nights meant jacket and tie for the men, and in very hot weather this seemed ridiculous.

In general, we enjoyed our cruise, and it was mostly what we had expected. For anyone contemplating a cruise on the Black Watch, if the itinerary is your chief focus and it’s not available elsewhere, then go for it. If the itinerary is not your chief focus, I would say better cruising value can be obtained from other cruise lines.

JACK SNEDDEN
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and received the following reply.

We would thank Dr. and Mrs. Snedden for their detailed account of their first experience of cruising with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. I am pleased that they enjoyed their cruise overall. Whilst I cannot respond to all the comments made, I will attempt to reply to their main concerns.

It is appreciated that the ultimate decision to forgo the scheduled visit to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was a considerable disappointment to almost all on board at the time. This is particularly after our initial optimism that the call could cautiously take place, despite numerous and obvious concerns regarding the Asian pandemic avian “bird” flu.

Reviewing the issue on a daily basis with both the World Health Organisation and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office websites, it became ever more worrying that the problem was on the increase, just as we were preparing to depart Singapore. The number of deaths among the human population was increasing to a significant level and the mass slaughter of the entire nation’s poultry had been ordered. At this juncture, it certainly looked as though the situation might decline significantly further before it showed any sign of improvement.

We trust that it will be appreciated that we simply could not afford to take the risk that by the time we called in Australia, nearly two weeks later, the situation would not have continued to deteriorate. The decline could easily have been so significant that the Australian authorities would take a real exception to any foreign vessel that had recently called at a port at the centre of the issue, whatever assurances were given in regard to the curtailment of passenger activities while ashore.

I note Dr. and Mrs. Snedden’s comments with regard to the plumbing problems on board Black Watch. In fact, during this cruise the decision was made to start converting the ship’s plumbing system from the old water-driven system to a more modern and reliable one.

It was planned that the work would take place in relatively small undertakings — a few days in one section of one side of one deck, followed by a few days on another section of another deck — wherever possible corresponding with days when the ship was in port, when the vast majority of passengers would take the opportunity to explore ashore.

While we believe that we as a company did all possible to minimise any inconveniences arising from the work required to be undertaken on board, there were inexorably some knock-on effects such as resonant noises and lingering smells and times when the water supply had to be temporarily interrupted. I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

With regard to comments concerning the pool areas, it is correct, we do not have the manpower to designate anyone to supervise these areas. Passengers are requested not to leave items unattended on sun loungers for long periods of time, but this is a very difficult policy to enforce, and we rely on the goodwill of our guests to ensure that as many people as require them have access to sun loungers for all members of their parties.

I understand that Dr. and Mrs. Snedden were disappointed that they were only due to spend 52 nights on board, as the length of their cruise is shown as 53 nights. This is because, for the majority of passengers who reside in the U.K., one night of the holiday is spent on the flight home. I believe this situation was resolved on board, as the Hotel Manager arranged for Dr. and Mrs. Snedden to spend one extra night in another cabin.

Details of our dress codes are published in our brochures and reiterated in our “A-Z Guide to Your Cruise Holiday,” which would have been sent to the passengers prior to joining. We cannot be seen to compromise individual requests with regard to this matter for fear of so many reprisals from passengers who would announce that traditional standards are slipping. It is considered to be one of the particular attractions of Fred. Olsen’s style of cruising that such traditions are maintained.

It is always most disappointing to learn when any person has not enjoyed a Fred. Olsen cruise as much as we and they would anticipate, but we trust that Dr. and Mrs. Snedden will appreciate that a majority of causes of their concerns were for isolated and regrettable reasons.

VIVIAN SPARKES, Customer Service Manager, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Fred. Olsen House, White House Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5LL, U.K.