March 30th - Montego Bay, Jamaica

Awoke to another very hot and humid day in Montego Bay. Went to the buffet for breakfast and had a wander around the decks. Booked a spa treatment for Sunday and will be out and about in the Sierra Maestra mountains on Cuba tomorrow. Today is a rest day, doing nothing and recharging after yesterday.

I discovered a Jamaican stowaway on a lounger this morning, a huge moth, it allowed me to get right up close to it so I took a photo of it...huge great creature with black, grey and orange wing markings, wingspan of around 5".

We all did the muster drill at 1630 and then had a wonderful sailaway party at 1700. Now whoever says that the Caribbean is a calm sea destination should be on Braemar at this moment.....

We left Montego Bay a little under an hour ago and we have 4m/12ft seas and a strong headwind. However, despite her lack of size and bulk, Braemar is coping extremely well in the fairly heavy seas. There are a few passengers who aren't handling it quite so well......just wait til we hit mid Atlantic in a few days time....

My table for evening meal is the Hotel Manager, Leo Hubsch's table which should be an experience no doubt.

I am sat here at the desk in my cabin, waves breaking not too far below my portholes and the bridgecam on the telly. I have ordered some soft drinks, orange juice and Pepsi for consumption in the cabin, you can also order wine, beer and spirits along with ciggies and cigars too. Room service provide tea and coffee 24hrs a day and there is an extensive menu available too that is available up til around 2300 every night. Those wanting late night snacks can get them at Palms Buffet til 0030.

We are due to arrive in Cuba at around 0700 tomorrow, whilst there I will ask the immigration people about US passport holders on an Olsen ship regarding whether they can get off on Cuba for sightseeing or not.

So far the ship and her crew have exceeded expectations, most know me by name and always greet with a smile and hello....something you rarely get on the megaships. Something else those of you who go on Carnival, RCI, Princess will miss when travelling on an Olsen ship...there are very very few announcements on the PA system...the ship is very peaceful, very relaxing....

Freedom of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas were with us for a short time yesterday...the PA systems booming out across the bay constantly...definately not my cup of tea...nor is the Freedom class or Voyager class...too big and brash...no style or character.

I will be having a quiet evening in the Coral Lounge where the bar staff know what I drink and have it ready before I even find somewhere to sit....THAT is small ship service....


March 31st - Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Anyone who says the Caribbean is nice and calm seas hasn't been tween Montego Bay to Cuba. Last night was awful weather and the first time I have ever been seasick...felt terrible as we arrived in Santiago de Cuba so cancelled my planned shorex up the mountains. Thankfully Braemar is not running full, so I was able to move from my forward outside cabin on deck 3 to a twin outside on deck 2. So today I had a few wanders around on deck, took a few photos of the dock area and basically been resting. I might manage to go to evening meal tonight...I haven't managed it so far this cruise.

The new cabin is a nice midships one, so shouldn't get so severely affected by rough seas and its on a lower deck too.

Cuba has been a lovely island, very friendly. We had an alpha call yesterday while in Montego Bay and today we had a medevac, a gentleman was transferred to a Santiago hospital for surgery this morning and his wife has been put up at a local hotel and they will fly home when appropriate to do so. So far there has been no word on his condition and he is quite elderly. Olsen's have been very good and have sorted everything out and assisted with getting the wife to and from hospital and dealing with all the arrangements too.

The captain has arranged to leave Cuba later than originally planned, we now sail at 2200 for a full seaday before reaching Nassau on Monday.


**UPDATE** The information that I was able to get was that no US passport holders can visit Cuban soil...there are no provisions for 'humanitarian' visits either, so anyone with a US passport will need to contact their local consul and request further information there. Those with US passports can, however, remain onboard ship during Cuban visits.

April 1st - Seaday

Today is a nice relaxing seaday...bit bouncy bouncy for the morning but finally calming down for the afternoon and evening. Whoever says the Caribbean is flat smooth is telling fibbies...cos it isn't, it acts up like the Bay of Biscay!

I went for my hot stones massage this morning, it was wonderful, 75 minutes for a very reasonable £60...felt like a new woman afterwards LOL.

Tonight is the first formal night of the cruise...choices of what to wear driving me mad already.....that is if I am awake long enough to actually go to evening meal tonight at 2030...it will be the first since boarding.

There is a fair mix of ages on the ship, from teenager to around ninety.....and we are travelling light with just 650 passengers so the crew have been even more attentive than usual...which is hard for them to do as they already go out of their way to be helpful. Most know everyone by name and I still go into any bar onboard and my drink is ready before I get to sit down....they have even got to know my cabin number, so no fumbling about for the keycard!

Not many other ships out and about today, a couple of containerships and a small tanker...oh an in the far distance I think I saw a tallship, but can't say which it was though as it was several miles away.

There are lots of first timers on this cruise, I cannot get over how they have chosen a long cruise to see if they actually like cruising or not.....most have been very positive with just the odd one or two who have found the experience boring. Cruising isn't for everyone.....

Well according to the clock on my laptop it is 2150 now at home.....it's 1750 here on the ship....almost time to get the posh frock sorted and make myself look presentable for the Captain....

We are due to arrive in Nassau at 0700 tomorrow, there are sposed to be other ships in dock with us, including Disney Wonder, so I shall be out on deck snapping away with my camera and listening out for 'When you wish upon a star'....

April 2nd - Nassau, Bahamas

We arrived in Nassau a little ahead of schedule this morning. HAL Westerdam arrived ahead of us and we were joined around 2 hours later by Disney Wonder, which gave the signature tune on her horn when she had docked. Nassau is very crowded with the 3 ships in port, I dread to think what it is like with more ships here....definately NOT my favourite port of call.

We are due to depart Nassau at 1600, so hopefully have calmer seas outward than we did inward......definately a taste of the Bay of Biscay over here at the moment.

Last night was our first formal night, I had the Hotel Manager sat at my table and the meal was a really nice experience, the food was excellent as was the service provided. Tonight it is British Night, all red/white/blue.

I have also got myself onto the bridge visit list, this will be at 1530 on Wednesday 4th, so really looking forward to that. I will be able to compare the bridge here on Braemar with that on Norwegian Crown (soon to become Balmoral).

We now have sea days until reaching Bermuda on the 5th April....

April 3rd/April 4th - Seadays

Following an overnight refuelling stop in Freeport, we are on another seaday today, one of two seadays in a row. The sea is flat calm for once, its very warm and sunny. Just had lunch in the Thistle restaurant, a la carte rather than the buffet that is also available in the Thistle.

Should be a nice relaxing couple of days, so not much to report on here...serious snoozing in the sunshine to be done.....

April 4th brought a rare experience on any cruise ship thesedays. I was part of a group of 13 who were allowed to visit the bridge on Braemar. Fascinating to see the differences tween Braemar and Norwegian Crown, not just in size but equipment too. Norwegian Crown has seperate rooms for the security/safety and radio etc, whereas Braemar its all in one large area. he Officers were very good at answering the many questions, especially those regarding overboard passengers and crew and if a distress signal came through from another vessel and so forth. I had my name down for the visit some days ago but it was about 5 mins before time that we all knew for definate that it would all happen. Very enjoyable experience all round.

We have another formal night tonight...posh frocks at the ready.....

April 5th - Hamilton, Bermuda

Today we sailed into Hamilton, Bermuda. I went on the tour of the island which had a delayed start due to arriving in Bermuda later than planned and then having to wait for the authorities to clear the ship for disembarkation.

A few whingers present, but that goes with the territory....

Once on the bus we had a lovely guided trip towards the Royal Dockyards. Our driver was FC Bullen, he was a very large and jovial man with a great sense of humour (which he needed as my bus had more whingers than most on it). Bermuda is very colourful in more ways than one...its houses, its people...everyone seemed genuinely happy to see us and waved at us as we passed through the neighbourhoods. The Royal Dockyards were very well preserved, although it is a shame, IMHO, that the main buildings have been turned into shopping malls, bars and restaurants, thus losing what history they must have had. I spose that is progress and what cruise passengers expect though...I just found it rather tacky....

Anyway after a stay of around an hour at the Royal Dockyards, we made our way back into Hamilton and to the ship. The Thistle restaurant had been kept open for all who were on the tour buses, which was very welcome.

We departed Hamilton at 1600, the weather was overcast for much of the day and alot cooler than of late, which was a refreshing change.

The ship takes us to Ponta Delgada next....4 seadays away.....

April 6th/10th - Seadays

We now have a few seadays before reaching our last port of call. The journey from Bermuda to the Azores is just under 2000 nautical miles. Although fairly calm, the sea is now a full on Atlantic grey colour...very different from the cobalt blue of the Caribbean now far behind us. Wildlife at sea has ranged from fascinating flying fish, seabirds, whales, porpoises & dolphins.

Everyone had a reminder of being on the homeward leg of the cruise last night... disembarkation procedure sheets were on the pillow...along with the choccy....I wish I could stay onboard, the cruise has been wonderful so far with many highlights and despite the efforts of the whingers, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself on Braemar again and can't wait to return to her in August. I truly regret not being able to go in May with John, Mary, Stacey & Chris.....(I really hope that you love Braemar as much as I do).

The Atlantic is being well behaved again today, with the added bonus of blue skies too. Maintenance is an ongoing job onboard, we have been painted a couple of times, lots of welding and other repairs, including wallpapering the stair towers.

There have been several sightings of whales and dolphins in the last couple of days as we head closer to Ponta Delgada.

So tomorrow we are in Ponta Delgada, our last port of call before arriving home in Dover......I DO NOT WANT TO GET OFF THIS SHIP!!!!!!!!!


April 10th - Ponta Delgada

Our visit to Ponta Delgada started with a bump....literally.

Braemar, under the 'control' of the pilot reversed right into the dockside, thankfully there were no injuries and only fairly minor damage to the ship's paintwork...it could so easily have been alot worse. I imagine there was alot of Norwegian and Portugese swearing on the bridge though.....

We had our 3rd medevac today too. A gentleman had a heart attack the day after we left Bermuda but due to the excellent medical facilities and Paul, the doctor onboard, he was stabilised enough to continue onto Ponta and was then transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital for further treatment before he and his family are flown home to the UK. So now we have had one serious fall and an appendicitis and a heart attack...they say everything comes in 3's, hopefully there will be no more medical emergencies onboard tween here and Dover.

Just before meeting up for our trip into the mountains I had a short chat with Aasmund Neilson, our Captain & Leo Hubsch, our hotel manager, sadly Leo won't be on my next cruise but Aasmund will be, so I am definately looking forward to seeing him and hearing 'its me again from the bridge' weather/navigation announcements in August. The crew for Balmoral has yet to be announced, so all the crews across all four ships are, unsurprisingly, on tentahooks to see who will be chosen to be the first full crew aboard her in January 2008.....very exciting times for all the staff & crews.

The town of Ponta Delgada is very pleasant, whitewashed walls trimmed with volcanic rock...as we drove out of the town the island showed its true colours...GREEN & PINK!!

The greenery was amazing...very lush fields and trees with wild pink azaleas growing along the roadside. We reached the crater lakes of Sete Cidades, incredible views down onto the lakes and craters...absolutely breathtaking, especially as we were lucky enough to have a perfect spring day with warm sunshine and hardly any clouds.

Opposite the viewpoint for the lakes is a very sad looking hotel, built in 1990, opened for one week in 1991 and closed down. The owners went bankcrupt and the hotel has stood derelict ever since. Great shame as it commands wonderful views of the lakes and the sea beyond. Even the matresses are stacked up inside all cellophane wrapped...I was quite amazed that some big hotel chain hand't snapped it up and reopened it again as the views are the best in the island...maybe one day, who knows....

On the way back to the ship we stopped at the Arruda Pineapple Plantation. Fascinating place to visit as you get to see the various stages of growing pineapples and you get to taste the pineapple liquer too...and believe me...that was VERY NICE!!!

We then stopped at the public botanical gardens, beautiful and cool on what was quite a warm day. Stunning volcanic rock formations and a fabulous selection of trees and plants from all over the world.

So then we returned to Braemar, her damaged stern looking as good as new yet again after some hasty painting and repairs. As I type this, we are getting ready to depart at 1800. Ponta Delgada is one port of call that I definately want to return to...it's been my favourite place on the cruise, very unspoilt, charming and incredibly lush & green.

Three more seadays til we reach Dover.....AND I STILL DO NOT WANT TO GET OFF THIS SHIP!!!!!!!

April 11th/14th - Seadays til Dover - Disembarkation Day

As has been for the last 4 days at sea before reaching the Azores, the North Atlantic is still not behaving in it's 'normal' fashion at all, this morning it is virtually flat calm outside my portholes...very unusual and has me thinking that we are likely to pay for the good weather at some point....probably at Biscay which will be around Thursday night/Friday morning.

Another flat calm morning today.....this is totally out of character for the north Atlantic...although it does have to be said that when I cruised the south Atlantic, the sea was alot calmer than normal too. Last night's evening meal had a Norwegian theme, I had roast leg of Rudolf (reindeer) and it was really very good, milder than the usual venison and just as lean and succulent...gorgeous and I highly recommend anyone to give it a try.

Tonight is our final formal night, Captain's farewell drinks and dinner.

The temperatures have dropped significantly now and after a few 23 hour days everyone is feeling quite tired...or over-relaxed perhaps LOL

I think the difference on this cruise to other long ones I have taken is that seeing as almost all the seadays are at the end of the trip, 4 days then 3 with a port inbetween, the cruise hasn't rushed past as is usually the case. It has made it all very enjoyable and extremely relaxing, I don't think I have slept this much in years...having breakfast in the cabin and falling back off to sleep til late morning, afternoon napping and bed almost immediately after evening meal at around 10pm. You just don't realise just how tired you are til you take a cruise like this, the entire body goes on strike!!

Tomorrow (Friday) will be packing day....really don't want to get off the ship at all. Infact, had I a spare £595/$1000 I could have stayed on for another 14 nights western Med cruise. I don't think Enrique could have handled that though....not to mention John, Middy, Mary and the others onsite at CT.

I have however, got a contact to call at Olsen's in Ipswich to discuss becoming a permanent cruiser on either Braemar or Balmoral. There was a permanent cruiser on Braemar up until New Year's Eve last year called Alan. Sadly he passed away after living onboard for several years. Once I speak to my contact in Ipswich I will have a clearer idea of the costs and other implications involved with living on the ship full time. If I go ahead I will probably sell off most of my furnishings etc and use that to live on the ship and allow my disability benefits to quietly grow in the bank and then use them to top up the costs of living onboard. It has already been proven to be cheaper to live on a cruise ship than at home in the UK as there are no overheads such as utility bills, rent, rates etc to pay, plus all the food is included too, so no more fighting your way around the supermarkets etc either.

So that is a job for next week.

We are approaching the Bay of Biscay and the entrance to the English Channel now, so not long before we reach home. I have changed my method of getting home, instead of the train from Dover to York via London, which on a Saturday would be awful, I am now on the coach back to Manchester Airport and will just get on a train to York which is a couple hours away. Hopefully be home around midnight on Saturday.......however, as with all things, we shall see.....

A little bit about the crew here on Braemar....

Allan Tait who is our CD is a smashing guy, really jovial and friendly, he has worked his socks off to please everyone...even when the Bermuda immigration caused delays, he was still smiling and making sure that everyone was kept informed....he has been on one of my previous cruises too, and I can honestly say he has been exceptional. Lydia & John in the shorex desk, both lovely people, never too much trouble to help anyone and great personalities too...also the shop staff, again great personalities and extremely helpful. CJ is the future cruise consultant and she too has taken alot of flack for no reason whatsoever. Lovely bubbly girl who is on her first ship board deployment, there are some passengers who give her a rough time and to me that is entirely uncalled for, Paul is our ship's doctor, he has been a little busier than I guess he would have liked but always greets everyone with a smile & a hello. Leo Hubsch is the hotel manager, he sits at my table on formal nights, very charming man with a great sense of humour, Aasmund Nilsen is our Captain, he is quiet and reserved but very friendly and polite....he gives us weather reports twice a day over the PA system and always starts with 'its me from the bridge'.......The exectutive chef is Siggy Weich again, as it was on my last Braemar cruise. He is a very funny and talented young man...always smiling and always greets everyone with a nod and a 'ello'. Up in the spa on deck 8 Gillian and Natasha are extremely friendly...it was Natasha's 21st birthday on the 9th April...both work hard along with Max and the other girls in the spa to keep people happy. Another member of the staff aboard for this trip, seeing as it's an Easter cruise, is Robin, our ship's Chaplain, he is a really lovely person, very light hearted, great sense of humour and just not the usual stereotypical Chaplain at all...he is brilliant, he and many of the crew have mastered the art of making light of everything and bringing a smile. The girls in the bars, Sheila, Carolyn and all the other bar staff have been fantastic, Deanna and her reception crew equally superb, always bright and bubbly, greeting everyone with a smile and an 'ello'. In the Thistle restaurant I had table 52, looked after by Melvin and his team...exceptional service every night, always happy & smiling. The entire crew is too big to mention everyone but they have all made a wonderful cruise experience, absolutely superb...they are all the very best of the best and it shows that they are happy on the Olsen ships and their cheerful disposition almost always transfers over to the passengers. (Hi guys, I know that some of you will be reading this online, so a huge thank you to all of you for making the cruise so thoroughly enjoyable, see you again in August!!!!)

Leo will still be hotel manager for the 4 night mini cruise in May...I am sure that John, Mary, Middy & Chris will enjoy his and the rest of the crew's company a great deal.


Last night (12th April) was quite a night. The final formal and the Captain's farewell cocktail party, formal dinner, crew show and gala buffet. The entire evening was fantastic, the dinner was the usual superb food and service, Leo was at our table for the last time on this cruise, and he was as charming as ever. Then it was to the Neptune for the crew show, stunning Philippine and Thai dancing, some great singing and a dance routine from the decklads and engine room staff that should surely be seen on television...they danced to YMCA & Too Sexy..absolutely brilliant!! The entire crew that took part all were amazing and they had a very very much deserved standing ovations too. We also had a chef parade with Siggy introducing us to his team leaders...all of whom have looked after us like royalty. Then it was to the Thistle to see the Gala Buffet...WOW!!! what an amazing sight to see...intricate ice, butter, vegetable and fruit carvings, wonderful displays of every type of food available. Well worth the effort of staying up til midnight to see and photograph.

Well, its Friday 13th April...packing day....I have a feeling there will be a few tearful goodbyes over the next 24 hours...the staff and crew of Braemar have been exceptional, Braemar herself has been a superb home for the last 16 days and I am genuinely sad to have to leave tomorrow morning. I know I will be back in August, I just wish that I could have been back as planned in May too.....

My overall feeling about this cruise experience is a very positive one...the ship and her crew & staff have been faultless, the itinerary couldn't have been better (although the timings had been adjusted for an unscheduled refuelling stop, it was perfectly fine in my opinion)....the food, atmosphere and feeling of well being has been excellent.

I would recommend Braemar, and Fred Olsen, to anyone wanting a quiet and leisurely cruise on a small and intimate ship. Those wanting the all singing & dancing cruise experience will feel a little underwhelmed as Olsen's offer the quiet, non obtrusive and traditional style of cruising of many years ago.

It is said that there is a ship and/or cruise line to suit everyone...well Olsen's and Braemar (hopefully Balmoral) suit me just fine and I hope to be able to continue cruising with them for many years to come.

John, Mary, Stacey (Middy) & Chris....I truly hope that you enjoy Braemar, her crew and staff as much as I do in May and that you return many times in the future too.

Ship's log.....

Captain Aasmund Nilsen

Chief Officer Trond Killi

Chief Engineer Torkel Fintland

Hotel Manager Leo Hubsch

Safety Officer Jaime Padamada

Cruise Director Allan Tait

Senior 1st Engineer Oleg Lapshov

Ship's Doctor Dr Paul Mervyn Darragh

Total distance sailed 5160 nautical miles.

Executive Chef Siggi Weich

Humans consumed...

14844 eggs
2147kg pork
1399kg beef
3078 litres milk
989 litres cream
2646kg potatoes
5777kg fresh fruit
7473kg fresh vegetables
2492kg fish
511kg lamb
1853kg poultry
471kg cheese
2240 litres soup
2056kg flour
1077kg ice cream
531kg butter

Braemar consumed.....

640 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil (refuelled 3 times, Jamaica, Bahamas & Azores)

3520 metric tonnes of water.

Addendum to the medevac's...

We had 5 in total.

1 - Cuba
1 - Nassau
1 - Ponta Delgada
1 - en-route Dover this morning by airlift
1 - Dover

Apparently, although this can't be confirmed, 3 of the medevacs were for heart problems and one for appendicitis, the 5th is unknown.

Thoughts go to the passengers and their families and hope all recover fully and return home safe and well very soon.

Paul and his medical staff were kept quite busy with some nasty emergencies. However there were no cases of Noro or any other viruses.