Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
This ship provides really good value for mature-age cruisers
The Ship. The ship’s name is taken from the famous Scottish Black Watch regiment. There is a good amount of open deck and sunbathing space, and a decent health and fitness area high atop the ship, as well as a wide walk-around teakwood promenade deck with wind-breaker on the aft part of the deck.
The interior decor is quiet and restful, with wide stairways and foyers, soft lighting and no glitz anywhere, though the artwork is a little drab. In general, good materials, fabrics (including the use of the Black Watch tartan), and soft furnishings give a pleasant ambience and comfortable feeling to the public rooms (most of which are quite spacious, with high ceilings), located on one deck in a user-friendly horizontal layout.
An observation lounge, The Observatory, displays nautical memorabilia and has commanding views. Draft beers are available in all bars, and the whole ship indoors is a smoke-free zone.
There is a good 3D-equipped cinema (few ships today have a dedicated cinema) with a steeply tiered floor.
A popular meeting place is the Morning Light Pub, close to the restaurant, although it becomes overly busy at afternoon tea time. It has a self-help beverage corner for coffees and teas, comfortable chairs, and large ocean-view windows along one side. The Library/Card Room is pleasant, and an adjacent room contains two computer terminals. There is a self-serve launderette, useful on the longer cruises, with washing machines, dryers, and irons.
Although it is being well maintained, this ship is now over 40 years old, so little problems such as gurgling plumbing, creaking joints, and other idiosyncrasies can occur, and air conditioning may not work well in some cabins. But the ship (refurbished in 2016) still looks good. The company suggests gratuities of £4 (around US$5) per passenger per day.
Black Watch offers a moderate standard of service from a friendly, mostly Filipino staff that provides decent, though not faultless, service. There is ample space per passenger, even when the ship is full. Port taxes are included for UK passengers.
Passenger niggles include: cutbacks in food variety and quality; packets of butter, margarine, and preserves; very poor coffee; long lines at the cramped buffet; poor wine service; and too few staff for the increased passenger numbers after the addition of more cabins.
Black Watch is a comfortable but not luxurious ship best suited to well-dressed, mature-age travelers seeking a British cruise environment. Cruises are well organized, with interesting itineraries and free shuttle buses in many ports of call.
Accommodation. There are many cabin price categories (plus one Owner’s Suite, whose price is not listed in the brochure). These include four solo traveler cabin grades. The range goes from spacious suites with separate bedrooms to small, no-view cabins. While most accommodation options are for two, some can sleep up to five. Some 27 balconies were added to cabins on the Lido Deck in a 2015 refit.
All accommodation grades have hairdryers, duvets, cotton towels, personal safe, mini-fridge, and wall-mounted soap and shampoo dispensers in the bathrooms. Suite-grade occupants also get a cotton bathrobe and cold canapés each evening, plus priority seating in the restaurants.
The suites and cabins on decks 7, 8, and 9 are quiet units. A number of cabins in the aft section of decks 3, 4, and 5 can suffer generator noise, particularly those adjacent to the engine casing. The room service menu is limited.
Outside-view and interior cabins. Spread across decks 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, all cabins are quite well equipped. Some bathrooms have awkward access.
Deluxe/Bridge/Junior Suites. Each bathroom has a tub and shower (cabin 8019 is the exception, with a shower only).
Marquee Suites. These have a large sleeping area and lounge area with bigger ocean-view picture windows, a refrigerator, more hooks for hanging bathrobes and outerwear, and a bathroom with tub and shower.
Premier Suites. Each of these suites is named after a place: Amalfi (9006), Lindos (9002), and Nice (9004), each measuring 547.7 sq ft (50. 9 sq m); Seville (9001), Singapore (9003), Carmel (9005), Bergen (9007), and Waterford (9009), each measuring 341.7 sq ft (31.7 sq m); and Windsor (9008), measuring 574.8 sq ft (53.4 sq m).
Owner’s Suite. This measures 819.1 sq ft (76.1 sq m).
Dining. The 340-seat Glentanar Dining Room has a high ceiling, a white sail-like focal point at its center, and ample space at each table. The chairs have armrests, and are quite comfortable. The Orchid Room is a small offshoot of the dining room, and can be reserved for intimate dining. While breakfast and lunch are typically in an open-seating arrangement, there are two seatings for dinner.
Brigadoon, with 54 seats, is a small, more intimate restaurant with a light, breezy decor.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has above-average cuisine that is attractively presented, with a good range of fish, seafood, meat, and chicken dishes. There’s a good selection of cheeses, plus vegetarian options. There is also a decent range of wines, at really moderate prices, but few of the stewards are very knowledgeable about them.
A 80-seat poolside Grill Restaurant costs extra for dinner, but menu items include premium steaks and lobster, and the surroundings are pleasant.
Entertainment. The Neptune Lounge seats about 400, but some sight lines are obstructed by pillars. The entertainment consists of small-scale productions presented by resident singers/dancers, and end-of-pier cabaret shows. There is plenty of live music in several lounges, and good old British singalongs.
Spa/Fitness. Facilities are located at the top and front of the ship, which is inaccessible for wheelchair users. There is a combined gymnasium/aerobics room, plus steam rooms, saunas, and changing rooms. Some fitness classes are free, while some cost extra. Sports facilities include a large paddle tennis court, golf practice nets, shuffleboard, and ring toss.