cruised to cape verde islands,very dissapointing ports of call.even at captains party he asked if anybody had done the trip before,about six said yes.to which he replied,what are you doing here again? still 4th world and very windy.not reccomended to visit on a cruise ship.stick to the med

Our experience of the Black Prince was not one I would want to repeat. I know the weather cannot be helped, but this ship was tossed about like a cork all the way from Liverpool to Portugal. Most of the passengers were at some point seasick and my husband and I lived on seasick pills for the whole of the twelve days we were on it. The staff were very good and the food was reasonable. I felt that the entertainment was akin to something you would get at Butlins. Alot of the trips ashore were cancelled so you were limited to what you could do. The Tour Manager was totally disinterested and almost rude if you wanted to speak to him. The cleanliness of the bed linen was questionnable. The pillows were stained and the linen was changed only once in twelve days. Some friends of ours went on another Fred Olsen ship at the same time and said their's was changed three to four times over the same period of time. The heating/air conditioning also is not efficient as there were cold and hot spots immediately following one another and the heating in our cabin packed up completely near the end of our holiday and we had permament cold air blowing through. My husband had to visit the doctor on our return with severe muscle pain and a high temperature. It was suggested that he had picked up a virus on the ship due to the air conditioning. At the moment, we feel that we never want to go on another cruise and will certainly never travel again with Fred Olsen. The whole experience was to say the least traumatic. We feel that the fact that this ship is going out of service is reflected by the lack of interest shown in it although Fred Olsen are still taking good money for a holiday that is not up to par.

l fully realise this is a small ship and will roll, we sailed out of liverpool and some people are prone to sickness,l thought 3 nights dress up is a bit harsh and planters dress code should be brought into play more.even though l did not require the injection l thought prices are too high for this treatment. it is a good kept ship with the price right so dont expect the impossible. we on the outside door certainly made the best of it and our laughter was a happy corner ,god bless to all the puffers happy days

we sailed from liverpool december 2007, the outward crossing was awful ,almost 50% of people suffering severe seasickness myself included, i vowed to leave the ship at the last port of call & return to the uk by plane!Once over this(had the injection) what a fantastic holiday, this was for me (47) & my mum (76),the crew were wonderful, the food was amazing, they call this the little boat with a big heart, & it was.
Our 1st port of call was Madeira due to the bad crossing we were late arriving so the captain arranged an unscheduled party with free punh & entertainment as we docked, we were the tiniest ship in the harbour & by the time we docked madeira knew we were there!
The people were friendly, there were tons of things to do on board. i cannot recommend this highly enough.
No i did not fly home & we've booked again this year- the enjoyment of the cruise obviously outweighed the seasickness.I cannot recommend this highly enough.

my wife and myself departed liverpool for a cruise called secrets of norway,we had never experienced like it in our lives,the sceenery was breathtaking. the ship was ideal ,bar prices very reasonable,entertainment superb,the black prince showband don,and helen with their dancers could grace any stage in the world,ray and the prchestra could do likewise and the pianist along with the other stars should be earning millions. officers to cleaners are so helpful. so pleased we have already booked for a med sunshine cruise 26 8 09 i only have one worry. the smoking policy ,last year it was not
























a problem none smokers enjoyed our company and us theirs surly common sense will prevail,we spent about 2000 on board ,this year withnot being allowed to smoke inside having a early morning cocktail without a fag is clouding my enthusiam

This is a small ship with a REAL ship feeling, it was very clean, food plentiful and always something to suit, the staff were wonderful and always polite and helpful. The entertainment was very good. If you want to sail on a 'block of flats' this is not for you.

Many thanks to Ron and all his wonderful staff onboard The Black Prince for making what was truely a great onboard party from start to finish. From The Chevys Showband and all the entertainers who appeared on The latest Gerry Anderson Cruise. Many thanks to Deirdre Grant and Mickey Magill for making it possible.
You can view all pictures and video footage by visiting www.thechevys.com
Looking forward to the next one.

my friend and i had a great time except it was too long from leaving dublin until our first port of call,but it will not stop us going again ,keep up the good work. Dorothy and Dorothy

i went on a trip sailing from belfast in october 2007
we went to portugal spain and france the cruise was excellent the food and crew were outstanding fely who sang with the orchestra was wonderful one of the best singers i have heard

We felt we would like to try a smaller intimate ship, but no this was not to be the case.
Yes it is smaller, well compared to the old SEACAT is it bigger!
This cruise ship, ( IF you care to call it that) is locked in a time warp in every way, including the food, decoration, entertainment and in fact just about everything one could imagine.

Having cruised for over twenty five years, we thought , smaller will be fun !After being tossed around like a sack a spuds for a day and a half, we re surfaced to find the possibly 90 % of the passengers had never cruised previously and actually though this was a cruise ship.

I can not really fault the staff .However the days of one dining room, and set meal times are a thing of the past.

We do not need to cruise to pull out mouth eaten evening dresses to try to impress the passengers and a Captain that has seen it all before.

The food is passable but unadventurous and it was so so funny to actually see other cruise line guests take photos and laugh at the this of this so called Cruise Ship that really should be gently laid to rest.
Canberra knew 18 years ago to gracefully depart...so please Black Watch join her.

We actually cut short our trip after seven night and really could take no more of the terrible entertainment, and some Irish imported singers etc.

To reinstate our love for cruising we booked the the Royal Caribbean . Vision Of Te Seas again.

It graces the sea's with nine eating houses, all day every day lift the phone room service (totally free ) all night coffee shops, sport's bars, well being retreats, amazing HOTEL accommodation, Ice rick, 2000 seater Vegas Shows, clocks in at 180000 as opposed to 11000 tons...
No wonder we rocked!!
But not in the way we wanted to.
Unless you have never cruised before , and are happy to basically float , and eat in second rate style when give it a go.
It's cheap, and it needs to be.
Sorry Black Watch , but you are well past your sell by date today.