If it’s something small and beautiful you want…

If it’s something small and beautiful you want…

Big cruise ships may be big business but there’s still room for the smaller-sized, intimate cruise holiday. Kirsten Bowling reports from Zebrugge and Honfleur

DESPITE the trend for bigger cruise ships, offering a multitude of facilities for the younger market, there is still a place for the traditional cruise.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Black Prince falls into thiscategory.

The ship tends to attract the older passenger but even the younger customers prefer the intimate, more familiar atmosphere on board.

The 11,209-ton Black Prince was built for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in 1966 and hasn’t changed much since then. Despite being refitted and catering for 412 passengers, the Black Prince still retains many original 1960s features, such as the James Bond-style piano bar and the interior décor of individual cabins.

The ship offers a year-round cruise programme from the UK to destinations including the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Canary Islands, the Norwegian Fjords, the Baltic and Africa.

The company also operates three or four-day mini-cruises, which are particularly popular with families and first-time cruisers.

The most recent mini-cruise, at the end of last month, sailed from Dover to Southampton, docking at Zebrugge, in Belgium and Honfleur, in France. Additional stops included day trips to Bruges or Ghent in Belgium, and Honfleur.

Regular Fred Olsen passenger Celia Goncalves from Petersfield, Hampshire, has been on Black Prince six times. She said:”I just love the Black Prince and I chose to come on this mini-cruise because I wanted to bring my mum and let her enjoy the experience. It’s so relaxed, it’s really like a home from home.”

The vessel offers something for everyone. Passengers can take part in one of the many daytime quizzes in the Neptune Lounge or enjoy a bit of cabaret by night.

And if this is not to your taste, you can enjoy quiet piano music in the Aquataine Lounge, read peacefully in the library or retire to your cabin to watch a film.

Richard and Kay Lacey from Ipswich, Suffolk, chose a short cruise so they could take the children.

“There’s actually a lot for the children to do,” said Kay. Despite the fact the Black Prince does not offer a crèche facility, young children are entertained by the daily quizzes and evening shows.

Sporting facilities to entertain adults and youngsters include indoor and outdoor swimming pools and banana boats.

“We have all enjoyed it and the crew have been wonderful – very helpful,” she added.

Black Prince: Fred Olsen’s vessel offers many originalfeatures such as the Aquitaine Lounge, left, where guests can enjoy piano music

SHIPCHECK

Accommodation: 241 cabins.

Passengers: 412.

Crew: 200.

Size: 11,209 tons.

Length: 143.45 metres.

Speed: 18.5 knots (max).

Facilities:outdoor and indoor swimming pools; indoor health and fitness beauty centre; water sports on the pontoon deck; Jacuzzis; outdoor deck quoits and chess. Passengers can also windsurf, embarking from the ship.

Entertainment: there is daily bingo, Countdown and dolphin racing in the Neptune Lounge. Evening cabaret with West End shows and a comedian. Daily excursions and tours as well as in-cabin films.

Lead-in price: a three-day mini-cruise starts at £270 for a two-berth outside cabin.