31 August 2023

We set sail to Norway from Newcastle on Ms Bolette, the flagship of the Fred Olsen fleet, with only 1338 passengers onboard she fely more intimately, elegant. Although smaller she felt spacious, a variety of different bars &lounges to choose to relax before or after dinner. There was live music from singers to string quartets & the favourite quizzes held twice a day & bingo. My favourite lounge was the Observatory with spectacular panoramic views, we had afternoon tea on our last day at sea with a string quartet playing in the background, was a wonderful way to enjoy spectacular views sailing through the fjords.. Bolette doesn’t have a children’s club but there is a pool with retractable roof and jacuzzi tubs. Bolette still felt very family orientated and very caring and we felt home from home. Plenty of board games, shuffleboard, tv’s showing sports and talks given by astronomers and experts on the Northern lights, Norwegian life & history. Live shows, twice an evening put on by Ms Bolette’s entertainment team. Whilst on board I took visits to the spa and had amazing treatments. A massage cost £98. Card games and in particular Bridge, tournaments are held in the dedicated card room. The entertainment team have a daily programme of activities. dancing lessons, tea dances, cooking demo's and also hosted traditional games of quoits, deck tennis & shuffleboard. Daily Times was dropped every evening for all happenings onboard. The crew were amazing & speaking to other passengers all felt the same. Returning to the ship after excursions we were welcomed back, made to feel warm & at home with a cup of hot chocolate or something stronger. We stayed in a lovely balcony suite, port side on Highland deck, had a separate sitting area & balcony to relax. On arrival we had beautiful flowers & handmade chocolates. Our steward cleaned & made beds each evening, left more chocolates on our pillows & towel art arrangements on our beds. Staying in a suite category gave added complimentary benefits, canapes at 5pm daily to the suite! I would highly recommend a balcony. Breakfast & lunch could be taken in our suite or in the buffet restaurant which had amazing views, there was always a good variety of different dishes to suit everyone. The food was always a good standard. Drinks packages could be purchased but we chose to pay as we went, prices were similar to your local pub or restaurant. Typically, gratuities are charged at £5.00 per person, per day for guests aged 12 and over. This amount is split equally between your stewardess and restaurant waiter and is automatically added to your on-board account. Gratuities are voluntary, could be adjusted or removed at Guest Services, you are welcome to tip personally. you can also pre-pay them. An excursion booklet was sent out to us several weeks before departure. I'd strongly advise any bookings be made asap. Trondheim is a Fjord-side city, the third largest in Norway which has established itself as a leader in innovation and is known as Norway's capital of knowledge, it is well worth visiting and was one of the most important cities in Norway during the Viking Age. We took a leisurely walk into Trondheim from the port and passed the beautifully coloured, historic timber houses and visited the magnificent Nidaros cathedral, Norway's national shrine & northern Europe's most important pilgrimage site. The cathedral is built over the tomb of Olav the Holy, a Viking king who Christianized Norway and became the entire country's eternal king. We finished off with lunch in a local café (MacDonalds for our 9 year old) and did some window shopping. The weather was cold -4 but sunny with blue skies, snow everywhere but all paths were cleared. Alta we took a Reindeer sleigh ride Excursion, a 15-minute coach ride from the ship, temperature -8. We visited the Sami village and were met by the tribe’s leader who welcomed us to their home. He took us into the village where sleighs and reindeer were waiting. The sleigh ride took us off into the beautiful snow-covered wilderness and was truly like a scene from Narnia. The reindeers were very cute. Sleigh ride was approximately 20 minutes. After the ride we were taken into a Lavvo, a traditional Sami home, like a wigwam tent, inside was a warm fire where they chatted to us about their traditions and sang songs and told us stories about their culture & the lights. We tried dried reindeer and were given a warm drink and local cake. Northern lights excursion in Alta, we took a coach from the port to Paeskatun, the northern lights camp on a plateau, high up on the mountain side of Pæska. A fantastic view over the valley of Alta and the town and fjord visible in the horizon, far away from any artificial light pollution which makes an excellent location for photos and was only a 20 minutes’ drive from the cruise port. Alta has a dry climate which can provide many nights with clear skies. We were given an interesting and informative 15-minute talk about the lights, in the warm with tea, coffee and more local cake and taken outside with experts to look for the Aurora and to take photos. We saw the lights and although they were faint, we were extremely happy to have seen them. We took a shuttle bus from the ship into the centre of Tromso & wow! It's is known as the capital of the Arctic as the sun never sets, it’s also known as the Paris of the north and it’s not hard to see why. The backdrop of beautiful snowcapped mountains on a beautiful deep fjord it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We walked to the Arctic Cathedral which is the most northern Cathedral in the world, a landmark visible from the Tromsø Sound, the Tromsø Bridge. The 11 aluminium-coated concrete panels on each side of the roof provide the cathedral’s form, reminded me of the Sydney opera house. We ate at six which was our designated dinner time and after headed back to our suite in the hope we might get a call from the bridge to go out on deck for a sighting of the Lights. Not long had we arrived & an announcement was made, from the balcony there they were, so beautiful, all colours over snowy landscapes, lights making different patterns & dancing so clearly. Top deck was colder -20. The lights were all over the ship and stayed all night. Short walk into Bodo a visit to the cathedral a couple of shops we headed back to the ship. My advice would be to take an excursion. Special memories to last a lifetime..

07 March 2019

I was excited and lucky enough to have been invited to the launch of the brand new MSC Bellissima for an overnight stay on the 3rd March, 2019 I took a direct train from Birmingham Grand Central station and was then transferred by a quick luxury coach from Southampton Train station to the docks at Southampton Port. Check in and security ran very smoothly and there were many staff on hand to help and guide us at the terminal and onto the ship. On entering Bellissima and her bright, beautiful atrium on deck 5 we were met by a beautiful Grand piano in the infinity bar, stunning Swarovski staircases leading to higher decks and stylish bars. Further on beyond the atrium and in full view is the heart of the ship, an impressive 96 metres long indoor promenade covered by a spectacular LED "sky dome" with exclusive boutiques and speciality restaurants and bars to tempt and enhance everyone's holiday experience. Bellissima is effortlessly elegant, designed to meet every need of today's cruise guest with the world’s first virtual cruise assistant Zoe in all 2217 cabins, taking the art of hospitality to the next level of innovation. Zoe can answer over 2.2 million questions and even recognises 30 different accents in 7 different language. I had fun asking Zoe lots of questions, with her recognising my Brummie accent and showing me weather forecasts on the TV in the cabin. On board I stayed in a tastefully decorated Balcony Cabin which was midship on deck 10 it was very comfortable and very spacious with everything you need. The balcony was large and had two sun loungers with a table for your comfort whilst looking out to sea, enjoying views of new ports or star gazing at night. My favourite dining experience on board was sitting at one of the four demo cooking tables watching the chefs cook at the Kaito Teppanyaki restaurant. The food was amazing, and the sushi was so good. We sampled food in all five speciality restaurants for lunch and even ate in the buffet restaurant, there was plenty of choice to cater for everyone and even a "kids only" buffet which is a genius idea for anyone with younger children. Bellissima has so much choice you cannot possibly get bored of food or restaurant choice. We ate in one of the main restaurants for dinner which was ala carte and the service and food was exceptional. The facilities for families of all ages is extensive. With children's clubs spread over 7 rooms catering for all age groups from babies to 17 years olds. The Lego rooms are fantastic. The Arizona Aquapark with waterslides is just brilliant and so much fun! From a bowling complex to an interactive cinema and VR Maze, Bellissima is just one great big adventure. We took in the spa, hair salon, barbers, the exclusive solarium at the top of the ship with stunning sea views and premium deck space. If that's not enough there is a casino, cinema and theatre showing the popular Cirque Du Soleil show. After dinner we sat in the sky lounge listening to a wonderful piano trio playing classical music, relaxing, drinking cocktails before we headed down to the atrium to listen to Craig David's DJ set. I checked out of my cabin on Monday and headed to the buffet breakfast where there was an extensive choice. Checking out was smooth, quick and easy with staff to guide you to your onward coach transfer back to the station. I had a great time on board and would thoroughly recommend Bellissima and MSC cruises. I had a fantastic experience and the only negative was that I did not have a longer adventure.

01 August 2018

We had a 10-hour flight from Manchester to Cancun and the transfer from Cancun airport to the hotel was two hours by coach. Mexico is five hours behind UK time. It was June, and my husband Matt and I visited the resort of Tulum in Mexico staying for two weeks at the amazing Dreams Tulum hotel on the Riviera Maya. Overall the weather was beautiful, with a few tropical storms during our stay. Tulum is the most beautiful, tropical paradise with an extensive white powder sand beach surrounded by stunning rainforest and perfectly situated near to the town of Tulum with its fascinating ancient Mayan ruins. The Dreams hotel is set in immaculately kept gardens which are stunning and rival a botanical garden. As we walked out of the front of the hotel through the gardens to the beach we knew we were somewhere very special. We stayed in a deluxe junior suite with garden view which was in very tranquil surroundings. The hotel is all-inclusive with unlimited luxury meaning almost everything is included, reservation free dining and wristband free! There were six gourmet a la carte restaurants to choose from plus a buffet restaurant and a speciality coffee shop which were all outstanding. The French and Japanese were our favourites. Drinks were unlimited, and all drinks and spirits were internationally branded. We had 24-hour concierge service and the best beach and pool waiter service from Benito! All taxes and tips were included. They had a daytime and evening entertainment programme with everything from salsa dancing and tequila tasting to cooking tortillas. There’s an explorers club for children where they could camp out on the beach, toast marshmallows or have a movie under the stars! The hotel caters well for teenagers and younger children also having great babysitting facilities. The hotel is perfect for couples, weddings, honeymoons, families with children of any age and golfers. Excursions Chichen Itza: one of the new seven wonders of the world. One of the largest ancient Mayan cities to have been uncovered and standing at the foot of the city is the awe-inspiring temple of Kukulcan, an impressive and well-preserved step pyramid. From the Riviera Maya it was a drive through the jungle by coach. On the return from Chichen Itza we stopped at a cenote to dive and swim in the crystal-clear waters. A truly amazing memory. Tulum Ruins: We visited the archaeological site of Tulum near the hotel, the only Mayan site built next to the stunning and very vivid blue Caribbean Sea. From Mayan murals to the well-preserved structures of Tulum it was a fascinating insight to the Mayan civilisation. Coba: We travelled deep into the Mexican jungle to see the ancient city of Coba which features the tallest temple pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. We took zip wires over the jungle canopy and it was truly breath-taking. The highlights of our adventure were: * Visiting and learning about the ancient Mayan civilisations and seeing the pyramid at Chichen Itza. * Swimming with dolphins * Swimming in Cenote * Banana Mamma cocktails, turkey dogs, 24-hour room service and Benito! Mexico is certainly a destination to include on your bucket list. You could return year after year as there is so much to see and do and the service is so good you will never want to leave.