Having sailed with Fred Olsen 5 times previously, we had high expectations of this longed for trip to Italy. However, it was the first time we had sailed on the Boudicca. The first thing that was a shock was the embarkation from Falmouth, which was the first time this port has been used. I can only describe it as like going through a cattle market. It was a large storage facility on the dock, with no-where near enough seating for everyone. It was cold, draughty, with no facilities available. The check in process seemed chaotic, the security was a joke, since the customs check did not bother with many of the passengers bags. We were just waved through. Once on board, we were disappointed with the ship, again, it did not seem to have enough space and seemed crowded. We were disappointed with our cabin, which seemed dark and dingy. The boat was very noisy and vibrated the whole time, making sleeping difficult.

We could not fault the wonderful staff, or the entertainment, which was spot on, but we did think the food wasn't as good as on their larger boats. We booked the trip specifically to visit Rome and Pompeii. The trip to Rome would have been good, but for the fact that we were visiting the Vatican City, and had to stand in a 2 hour queue before even getting inside. We didn't bother in the end and just did our own thing. The trip to Pompeii was advertised as a 5 hour trip, but we actually got less than 2 hours in Pompeii. The trip to Palmero, Sicily, was awful. Was a horrible place. The whole experience this time around has put us off booking with Fred Olsen again. If we did, we would be sure to book the larger boats. Would never sail on the Boudicca again. It was also beset with illness among the passengers and some crew.