Braemar was built in the early 1990s as a new generation of small cruise ship for Crown Cruise
Line. Entering service as the Crown Dynasty she had stints with Cunard, Norwegian Cruise Line,
Majesty Cruises and even Commodore cruise line before finally being acquired by Fred Olsen in
2001. Fred Olsen have continually upgraded and enhanced the ship including a significant refit
and lengthening in 2009... Hi I'm Chris Frame, I write maritime history books and lecture aboard
cruise ships about maritime history. I also make YouTube videos on the topics of maritime
history and cruising, if that sounds like the sort of thing you're interested in please feel
free to subscribe. I was fortunate to visit the Braemar while alongside in Southampton - from the
moment I stepped aboard I felt a strong sense of affection for the ship she has a friendly and warm
on-board ambience and all the Fred Olsen staff that I talked to were friendly and professional
with Braemar set to return to cruising in early 2022 a wanted to share with you the five things
that I really liked about Braemar number one Braemar has a great amount of open deck space.
When the Braemar first entered service as the Crown Dynasty she was heralded as having a good
amount of open deck space for a ship of her size this significant open deck area stretches
from the bow of the ship right down to the stern with open deck areas offering superb views from
multiple vantage points when Fred Olsen stretched the Braemar in 2009 her open deck areas were
expanded giving an even greater sense of space onboard the ship updates also included adding deck
space to the forward bow area which provides extra space for sports such as shuffleboard and quoits.
The decks are finished in a faux wood style with a design that looks like real wood though it is
made from the same manufactured plastics found on many cruise ship decks these days it does have
the added advantage however of not requiring any trees to be cut down the open decks have
plenty of space to enjoy sail away and outside entertainment on the top deck there are two large
swimming pools they are both served by a nearby bar allowing you to enjoy a drink by the pool.
Number Two there's lots of meal choices: For a smaller ship there are certainly plenty of choices
for where you'd like to eat on board the Braemar I was really impressed with the palms cafe the palms
cafe is located at the aft end of the ship and opens up into an outdoor eating and bar area the
palms cafe is a casual space and it has plenty of buffet food available and tables of a variety of
sizes and shapes this means that diners can choose to eat alone with a partner or join a larger group
there's a buffet service area in this restaurant with crew on hand to help bring you your food to
your table and clean up after you there are also drinks machines which are in operation throughout
the day to keep passengers well hydrated during their cruise the ship's main restaurant is the
Thistle Restaurant and is located on Main Deck 4. This restaurant offers a formal dining experience
and is available for breakfast lunch and dinner other areas onboard the ship where you can grab
a bite include the Grampian Restaurant which is smaller than the thistle restaurant but has
some nice nautical touches and large round portholes the grill is found on lido deck
and it provides framework passengers with an extra tariff option this includes a specialty grill
style menu with a restaurant offering superb views over the stone of the ship a popular meal time
activity on board the Braemar is afternoon tea it's actually one of the most popular activities
on board the ship tea is hosted in the observatory a large forward-facing bar which is above the
bridge this was one of the areas that was added to the ship during the 2009 refurbishment here
a traditional afternoon tea service is offered with sweeping views over the bow of the vessel,
Number three Braemar has multiple entertainment venues: For a ship of her size, she punches above
her weight in this area as well the bar has a number of entertainment options on board the ship
has two main show lounges the Neptune Lounge and the Coral Club. The Neptune Lounge is the ship's
primary show lounge and it is here where you'll be able to watch the larger scale production shows
which are hosted in this area after dinner the Neptune Lounge has plenty of terraced
comfortable seats and a bar service that allows audiences to enjoy a drink while watching the show
there's a live band and a dance floor in this lounge making this a multi-purpose space
windows surrounding the lounge make it a bright and airy space during the day
the second main lounge is called the Coral Club it is located at the aft end of the ship
and is slightly smaller than the Neptune Lounge, the Coral Club also has a large dance floor
and a stage for live music again there is plenty of windows to offer a view outside during the day
having two main lounges mean that there's several entertainment options for guests to choose from
particularly important for the after dinner evening entertainment
in addition to the lounges bramble also offers plenty of venues for daytime activities
including a library which we'll talk about later a card room shops cafes and a fitness centre
number four the ship has lots of different cabin categories to suit a variety of different budgets
the top accommodation can be found in the ship's suites these rooms are large spacious bright and
airy suites feature a queen-size bed a separate living area a lounge area a nook for making tea
and coffee and en-suite bathroom there's also a private balcony and large windows that provide
lots of natural light the standard outside cabins also provide lots of natural light they offer
either a window or twin portholes which illuminate the area the rooms were upgraded during a recent
refit which enhance the quality of the carpets drapery and upholstery there are also inside
cabins which are kept bright and airy thanks to good lighting another great feature of the Braemar
are the dedicated single cabins on board there's options with both a window and without a window
all cabins have access to en-suite bathrooms power points flat panel TV’s and a cabin attendant
number five the ship's got a library now I might be a bit biased as an author but I really do like
it when the ship has a library I was impressed to see that despite the size of Braemar there
is a proper library onboard the ship it's quite large and spacious within the library there's
plenty of comfortable seating areas cruisers can find a quiet area here to relax and read a book
while this is also a great area to go if you wish to use the ship's wi-fi service in a quiet space
that isn't your cabin the library is decorated in a traditional style that makes it feel like a real
proper library and it also offers a unique ambience on board where travellers can get
away from the hustle and bustle of the normal shipboard life so those are the five things that
I liked most about the Braemar but what about you have you cruised on the ship before share
your thoughts in the comments below if you're interested in more of my top five favourite lists
check out my top five playlist thanks once again for watching and until next time I
hope to see you on board. [Happy Music Outro]