We travelled on the North Cape (Norway) cruise, leaving Greenock on 18 June.

We picked this cruise primarily because the Black Prince is a smaller ship, able to get right into the fjords and into the shallower channels between the islands. After the trek across the North Sea towards Norway on the second day we were never out of the sight of land. We were not disappointed with the scenery - the itinerary had obviously been planned with this in mind. Another advantage is that the waters are calmer in the narrow channels between the islands and the mainland - not that we needed this, as the weather was just about perfect. But it could have been very uncomfortable in open seas in a force nine gale in a ship of this size!

The ship's decor is dated and beginning to look a little shabby in places, but everything is kept spotlessly clean, and the crew were often seen painting areas on deck that looked fine. We had to use foam wash on our hands every time food was served - afternoon teas as well as in the restuarants - but you soon get used to this.

Being our first cruise, I was worried whether the dress code (which is stricly adhered to) denoted a pompous attitude, but it seems to be just an excuse to dress up - or down, as appropriate. The theme nights are tied in with the shows and help to create a fun atmosphere. And no, the Captain's cocktail party was not a stuffy affair with lots of dowager duchesses dripping with diamonds - the Black Prince doesn't seem to attract that sort of person!

The food was superb, I really don't know how they manage to provide such perfectly cooked and presented food in such quantities. Cuisine was broadly mainstream European (the head chef was French) with local delicacies such as Reindeer on the menu occasionally (we also had salmon in some shape or form most days). The Yorkshire puddings were a bit weird though! Special diets including gluten-free are available on request and looked to be just as varied and tasty; vegetarian options are on the standard menu and do not need to be ordered in advance.
The last night we were treated to a real spectacle, of an elaborate buffet with carved fruit and vegetables, even the bread rolls were artistically arranged. It all looked far too nice to eat!

As others have said, the crew are predominantly Filipino; most speak excellent English and they are all incredibly hard-working and really try to be helpful. They are also very friendly - none of this "them and us" attitude you sometimes get. You have the same waiter every night at dinner, and he will remember your name & whether you prefer tea or coffee. They are also an incredibly talented bunch, as the last night's Crew Show proved. (The captain himself is no mean performer on the trumpet.)

The resident entertainers were very professional & did a good range of fairly middle-of-the-road West-End type shows. We had a guest artiste who sang and played the violin in a variety of styles from folk to classical; I thought she was very talented but she didn't seem to appeal to all of our fellow passengers. The other guest artiste was described as a "multi-talented comic and musician" - he did a good range of vocal impersonations but really needs to work on the comedy banter. Personally I've seen better in working men's clubs. But given their entertainment budget, on the whole the standard was pretty good, you just can't please everyone all the time. In any case, there is insufficient seating in the Neptune Lounge for everyone to see the same show!

We were treated to a special "Crossing the Arctic Circle" event staged by the Cruise Director and some of the entertainers, which was hilarious. Again, this added to the sense of fun and helped make this cruise so memorable for us.

For me, the outstanding feature was the weather - glorious sunshine in the Arctic circle, and no rain at all the whole time. I know this is beyond the control of the Captain but it really does make a difference!

We had done our research first, and knew what to expect. What the Black Prince lacks in facilities and decor is more than made up for by the friendliness of the crew and the quality of the food. This sort of cruise may not appeal to everyone, but for us it was just right. We have heard that the Black Prince is to be retired in another year or two. We feel this will leave an enormous gap in the market, and we will miss her.

We had a fantastic trip around the Canneries, Lisbon, Vigo and Belfast. We sailed from Greenock Scotland. There were five of us a mixed group of a girl of 6 and teenager of almost 18 and a 28 year old and two pensioners.

We all had a great time the Black Prince is a small ship by the standards of many ships on the Market Today. But this was one of the reasons we picked it all areas rated excellant. It has a fantastic indoor leisure centre which features a very spacious Gym, Saunas, changing areas and indoor pool. Also table tennis is also played by the pool which to me seems a little odd as the balls were forever landing in it. There is a outdoor marina area with speed boats, inflatables etc but this was never used on our trip. In this area is also a large area for basket ball, football, carpet bowls and badmington which was well used throughout the trip by the 8 or 9 teenagers and kids on board as well as the adults.

There are three lounges with bars very different atmospheres but all pleasent. There was a show every night and all the show were excellant bar one and this was done by an outside group who came onto the ship during our visit to i think it was Lanzarote they were Flamenco dancers but believe me I wish I hadnt bothered althought the six year old thought they were good but she has never seen a proper flamenco show. The other entertainers were fantastic and consisted of a comedian playing piper, a violinist and Jazz duo (who played mostly during the day) as well as the ships own theatre company who sang and danced on a number of evening throughout the cruise. The BP Ochestra also did a big band show which was good. There was also dancing, dance competions, quizes and a late night disco throughout the evening. The Best evenings were the Crew show and the British night. There was also three cocktail parties during the cruise.

During the day there were dolphin races kids all thought this was fantastic, the usual how to demonstrations, port lectures there were also guests lectures from a gentleman on climate change, Also Tom Owen Actor and son of Bill owen (known to most of us as compo in last of the summer wine) did several lectures and talks on his career his father and of course last of the summer wine. There was also the Jazz Consorts, quizes and Sail away parties, art classes and exercise classes. As well as deck tennis, deck quoits, shuffleboard and various other sport activities including tennis and carpet bowls. There was also dancing lessons and tea dances. There was also a very special guest on board the Easter Bunny who came to give the kids and egg and to also attend the captains easter cocktail party that night.

There are three Restraunts Babylon open for breakfast and lunch, fleur d lurs (or something like that) and the Royal Garter the largest of the three and the main dining area which was open breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night buffet. Babyalon was open for breakfast and lunch and the fleur dye lyre usual just for dinner. Breakfast was open seating buffet which was good with a wide variety of foods on offer from full breakfast to rolls and toast or cereal. Lunch was again open seating in either babylon or royal garter. Babylon was buffet style and the Royal garter was a mix you could have waiter service, help youself from the buffet or mix of the two. Good variety of food on offer. Dinner was served in two sitting in the Fleur dye lyre (or whatever its called) and Royal Garter there were several courses with various options for each course and special diets catered for. There was the midnight buffets which were good as well as biscuits for morning coffee and cakes and sandwiches for afternoon tea.


Ships staff were all fantastic really good, professional, curtious and helpful at all times. I notice that an earlier reviewer said that staff didnt seem to like you unless you bought wine. Well I didnt buy one glass or bottle and all staff were still fantastic. All right sometimes it took them around 5-10 mins to bring your order but there are another 400 and odd passengers on board all wanting served as well. Lucy the hostess deserves a special mention here as she was absolutely fantastic with my niece as was Beth the other hostess. As were all the waiting staff in the fleur du leur restraunt particulary Jess, Spike as he told her to call him (think his name is actually Joseph) and Don who I think was the head waiter he was certainly in charge in this Restraunt. Everyone of the ship staff new her name (for the right reasons). Oh and Jess your a good waiter but you should give it up and take up singing full time because you have a fantastic voice.

The ship also take cleanliness very seriously and you must wash your hands with foam before boarding the ship, going into any of the restraunts and before touching anything on the table for afternoon tea etc.

Cabins we had two cabins both of which were good although one was on the small side the other (mine was a lot more spacious although it was for 4). All cabins have tv and radios, drawers and wardrobes and ensuite shower rooms (some have bath tub) our 4 berth cabin also had a mini bar and a fridge. There were moives shown at various times througout the cruise which could be watched on your cabin tv and all shows were shown on cabin tv as well.

The people who travel on BP tend to be over 50 some being in there 80s there was however a good mix on this cruise of younger and older people due to this being the easter holidays.

One final note our 6 year old loved this ship as she was the center of attention because she was the youngest on board and is very friendly by nature. She loves swimming and spent lots of time in both the pools as well as taking part in some of the games such as putting and carpet bowls. However I think that its important to point out BP has no actual child facilities on board although they are made more than welcome. Therefor I would only recommend this ship for children under 10 who dont mind making there own entertainment or not being surronded by lots of other kids.

On April 10 2007 I returned from a ten night cruise on Fred Olsen’s Black Prince and apart from weather considerations, it was an enjoyable experience on the whole. I would not advise anyone who suffers from motion sickness to sail on her through notoriously choppy seas! (i.e. the Irish Sea and the Bay of Biscay!) My cruise sailed from Liverpool to Dublin and then to Portugal, Spain and France so the first three days consisted of a lot of staggering about the ship! I was more fortunate than many who were confined to their cabins! Thankfully we had fairly calm seas for the remainder of the cruise although I must say that this little ship feels the slightest ripple which is not good news for poor sailors! She also suffers from more noise and vibration than larger newer ships.

The ship (11000 tons) is small and quite intimate and comparatively easy to find your way around and excellent for those who have mobility problems in that all public rooms are more easily accessible than on larger ships. Most public rooms are on the same deck with the exception of the only public smoking venue, the Lido Lounge, which is one deck above. The Casino consists of a Roulette and a Blackjack table situated in the Aquitaine Lounge. There is a well stocked Library and a Card Room.

My cabin, an inside single, was perfectly adequate in that it had a fixed single bed plus a sofa (Pullman type) and a large bathroom, but I did hear complaints from couples who found themselves in cabins with a Pullman sofa and an upper berth plus a small bathroom! A word of advice to anyone travelling on this ship, take coat hangers! There are ten provided which I consider too few for a lady on a ten night cruise or for a couple! The one glaring omission is a telephone which makes arranging to meet people a little difficult! (There is however a room service call button so one is not totally isolated!)

Personally I didn’t really enjoy the food but this is a matter of personal taste and I heard many people who had very high opinions of it! I was always able to find something that suited me though! I didn't starve!!! Breakfast and lunch were a mix of buffet and waiter service so were more acceptable. The Bablom Conservatory on the top deck is a delightful venue for breakfast and lunch!

The Staff throughout the ship were friendly and efficient.

Embarkation/disembarkation were both quite speedy but the Cruise Terminal in Liverpool Dock leaves a lot to be desired!

Embarkation no problem, we sailed from Liverpool, the cabins are a lot better than the brochure pics, comfortable and clean, the ship in general is very clean.

The food on board was not the best we have had, during the day breakfast and lunch failed to reach the standard of a works canteen, breakfast consisted of cold greasy bacon,sausage and beans plus a few slices of cold meat, the chef would cook one egg at a time leading to lines of people just waiting,then lines of people waiting for a table, it looked as if they are trying to save money on every thing, lunch was just as bad, if you did not get breakfast by nine am that was it till lunch time, unlike other ships they have some thing on offer all day and night.

Night times it was very hard to get a drink with your meal, we only managed it on one night, the Maitre'D said we could go to the bar and get our own if we wanted to.

On other ships the waiters are waiting to take your order but not on this one, all the staff had a could not care less approach.

The on board entertainment was as second rate as the food and waiters, it gave the feeling every thing was done on a shoestring and once the show had started forget any ideas about getting a drink no one would serve you.
The ship was full with 450 passengers on board, in the show lounge I counted 53 people I can only assume the others had gone to bed to escape the boredom.

I have done 14 cruises and this was the only time I have felt ill (seasick) but it was the smallest ship I have ever been on, if this had been my first cruise it would have been my last.

I did meet some people who had done 7 cruise's on this ship, however they had not sailed on any other

WARNING the one lift has no inner door,you can see the floors go by, do not allow children any where near, it is very scary to say the least,
so endeth my first and last cruise with Fred Olsen.

Hope I don't win a cruise with them.

Excellent, in fact we enjoyed it so much we are going again on 6th Jan 2007.

The trip was to the Canaries and sailed from down south. The ship coped with the sea admirably. The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The food was excellent at every meal.

The outdoor pool was heated to 30 degs and was available most of the time. There is an indoor pool, sauna and small gym.

The customers were mainly 50+ but as we are in that age range too then it suited us down to the ground.

Fred Olsen run a good ship.

Bounced around like a trampoline

Excellent relaxing trip to the Baltic with visits to Oslo, Hellsenburg, St Petersburg overnight , Tallin, Copenhagen , and Kirkwall as final port due to bad weather of Denmark . Ship can jump around a bit in heavy /med seas but more than makes up for this by berthing as close as any ship can tie-up, to the centre of town All main centres above, a short walk away and can be reached on foot within a few minutes walk orlocal service bus,tram etc. Onboard staff were excellent in all departments Ship was clean shipshape, Bristol fashion ,Look forward to Top Quality Meals and service something for everyone Lounges comfortable and spacious for number of passengers onboard .Plenty of deck space for a walk or lounging about Drink prices very reasonable Entertainment Good ,Irish Violinist excellent All in All a relaxing country house atmosphere with very good company , Food & drink. Cruise took me back to the 60s and Union-Castle 1st class South African service & As then , Great cruising