Dear Sharon,

We'd just like to express to the team at Cruise Select how pleased we were with our recent holiday. From the moment we began to discuss our requirements with you the experience has been faultless. All our needs were catered for, any questions and concerns were dealt with speedily and efficiently.

It was a lovely surprise to find the wine waiting for us in the cabin - such a nice touch.

We have not yet discussed future holidays but as soon as we decide on a cruise we hope that we can book it through you. We have already passed on recommendations for Cruise Select to our friends.

Once again many thanks.

Yours faithfully

R & S Ross, Flitwick - 27/01/2012

Evening Julie,

We received your letter asking after our recent cruise. Thank you, it was great! Olsen could not do anything about the weather (which was wild, wet & windy) but the rest of the trip was great. The food was excellent, the entertainment not bad, the speakers were mixed (some good one not) and the staff friendly.

We have cruised before & this was our 3rd with Olsen so if you get any particularly good deals (even short notice ones) do let us know. We have plans for this Spring but there are another 9 months in the year ....!

Yours sincerely

P. Ellender & S. Palmer - 13/01/2012

Dear Julie & Team

Thank you so much for your gift of wine which awaited us in our cabin when we boarded the 'Balmoral'. That was very kind of you.

We had a lovely time and it proved to be a good thing to do.

Thank you again,

Mr & Mrs K Firth - 13/01/2012

Sharon

We are home after an enjoyable cruise with Fred Olsen.

The ship responded to our 'special request' and we had a great time.

Thank you for your advice on cabin selection and your overall very professional service. The wine was a very nice touch.

Regards

Linda & Vic
- 08/12/2011

Dear Tracey

Thank you for your welcome home letter. We had an excellent cruise. We were very lucky with the weather, in fact it was rather hot in some places but we enjoyed the sunshine. As we had been to all the wonderful places available for tours we were able to just sit and relax. The journey through and back through the Suez Canal was very memorable. We met a lot of very nice people.

The one criticism we would make was the entertainment was not as good as we have had on previous cruises. We objected to the comedian on the first leg and did not go to see him when we appeared after. The magician, Mark Shortland, on the first leg and the flautist, Simeon Wood, on the second leg were very good. Friends who have cruised a lot said that Colin 'Fingers' Henry and Nicky Martin gave the same performance that they had seen a number of times.

Having lasted a whole 28 days at sea we now look forward to next years cruise to the Canadian Seaway.

All the best,

D & M Jones - 03/11/2011

Firstly we would like to take this opportunity to say how thrilled we were to have won such a great prize which also came with temporary celebrity status.

The service we received from Julie our escort while we were on our Iberian cruise was first class, she was always on hand to answer any questions or concerns.

We would also like to say a big thank you to Sharon for her expert advice.

Overall the service we received from your company was excellent.

We are now looking forward to our future cruise.

Kind regards,

Mr & Mrs Dore - Bedford - 26/10/2011

Dear Julie

Thank you for a super holiday

From
J & C O Hear - Milton Keynes - 18/10/2011

Hi Sharon

Firstly i would like to thank you for arranging the most amazing cruise. We saw so many amazing places; thank you also for the bottle of wine that was waiting for us in our cabin - that was a lovely touch.

We loved the ship and the weather was perfect!

Yours sincerely

C. Woolston - 13/10/2011

Dear Sharon

I acknowledge receipt of your recent letter and can confirm that I had one of the most enjoyable cruises I have experienced in my time.

The service supplied by Fred Olsen was very well organised with good facilities, food, and entertainemnt. Also the staff/crew were helpful throughout the cruise.

We were extremely lucky with the weather and conditions of the seas and the various ports where we stayed provided a very useful bus shuttle service to reach the city and town centres.

At present I have planned some holidays next year which will take me through the months from March to August, but I may be interested in another cruise later in the year.

Yours sincerely

E. Bowen - Bedford - 13/10/2011

Dear All,

Sorry for delay. Just to say we really enjoyed our Fred Olsen Cruise over May Bank Holiday - thank you for hassle free organisation!

Regards,
Mr Agnes - 20/09/2011

Dear Sharon

Just a note to express our thanks for your part in our trip on the Balmoral 18 Aug - 1 Sept.

We had a wonderful time! The weather, the food, the trips, the ship were all wonderful.

We shall certainly be looking out for an opportunity to have another cruise.

Thank you and your staff again.

Yours sincerely

M. Cotton
Leamington Spa - 13/09/2011

Dear Julie,

Thank you so much for the wine voucher which we found in our cabin on the Grand Princess. It was a lovely surprise and much appreciated.

With grateful thanks!

P.S. We had a fantastic cruise and the balcony was fabulous!

From
M & J Roberts
Bedford - 06/09/2011

Dear Tracey,

Thank you for your 'Welcome Home' letter. We did enjoy our sail on Boudicca. Your service was first class but we did find that Boudicca was not as comfortable as we found on Braemar. The places to sit when the ship was completely full was at a premium, especially at change over at meal times! Of course it was the Glasgow Fair!

We did find that your help in deciding which cabin and deck to choose was spot on. I had asked you if we would be better to have deck 8 and balcony cabin instead of the one we decided on deck 7 and superior cabin. You were right in suggesting that deck 7 with the Promenade just outside and a very good cabin was the correct choice.

We thank you for all your help and look forward to speaking to you in the future.

Kind regards,

D Stephens,
Stranraer - 16/08/2011

Hi Julie,

Thank you so much for the bottle of wine in our cabin! It was a lovely surprise!

We had a wonderful time.

Thank you so much for all your hard work.

Kind Regards,

J Lawson

- 26/07/2011

Dear Bella

Thank you for your letter dated 17 June.

I wish to express my thanks and gratitude for the work and effort which enabled me to enjoy a really special holiday exploring the Norwegian Fjords. I give special thanks to the Captain who was able to arrange a spectacular visit along one particular fjord - a unique journey!

I have just got back my photographs and have realised how difficult it was for me to sleep with all the sights to see in the land of the midnight sun. The whole trip was really wonderful and did me a lot of good.

Once again. my thanks to all of you and the ships crew.

Kind regards,

L Stopani
Stoke on Trent - 19/07/2011

Dear Julie,

Thank you for your welcome home letter of 7 June.

Yes, our holiday on the Braemar was a most pleasant one, helped greatly by our table companions, and in part by the efficient service given by you and Cruise Select.

Although we have no immediate plans for another cruise you can be assured that we will return to you for information and advice and we will recommend Fred Olsen to our friends.

One thing you could do for us, we completely forgot to buy a Braemar fridge magnet. Can you help? They cost about £1 and we would certainly pay for it.

If you have not been on a cruise yourself, we recommend you try it.

Kind Regards,

J.P Bolton
Derbys. - 24/06/2011

Dear Sharon,

Thank you for your letter welcoming us home. As usual Fred Olsen came up to all our expectations and were only equalled by the standard of your service.

Re-creating a journey that we last made in 1956 we saw many changes in Norway but we still recognised the ports that we had previously visited - and our friends in Trondheim.

Your arrangements and instructions for car parking etc.were clear and concise and we had no difficulty with the journey to Southampton. The only quibble that we have is that, although the arrival the car parking arrangements were excellent, as was the delivery to the Balmoral, the collection on return could have been better. The collection point at the docks could have been more obvious and the average waiting time seemed to be about 20 minutes - with no seats! It seemed to be an underestimate of the numbers involved and a shortage of drivers as there were at least 3 mini-buses standing idle at Marchwood. We enjoyed the Balmoral but on balance we still preferred the Black Watch.

You can still add us to your list of satisfied customers and congratulations upon the efficiency, and courtesy, of tour service.

Best Wishes for the future

Mr & Mrs Blower,
Coldfield - 21/06/2011

Dear Bella,

Thank you for your below mail. We booked the cruise through Virgin Holidays Cruises because we were informed at the time of enquiring that we would be able to claim a discount of 5% because of our Frequent Virgin Club (FVC) membership, making it cheaper than your quotation. However, on receipt of the invoice and confirmation we noted that this discount had not been applied and have now been told that it the agreement with FVC no longer applies, we are currently awaiting a call from them to resolve this issue.

If they offer to cancel the booking and refund monies paid (which I doubt, but you never know!) we would still be interested in booking through Cruise Select.

You have been very helpful in answering queries and providing detailed quotations (two agencies we contacted have never bothered replying to our enquiries) and we will certainly recommend you if any of our friends wanted to take a cruise.

I will drop you an email to confirm our situation as soon as we have received a response from Virgin.

Best Regards,
Anne - Bedfordshire - 14/06/2011

Julie

YOU’RE A STAR.

I spoke to Rachel this afternoon just as she had received the email from Regent telling her that they had decided to waive the 75% penalty and take only the normal 25% cancellation fee.
We are both delighted at the outcome – and I am sure the insurers will be as well as they had a potential up to £10000 liability (you were absolutely right on this when we checked the terms.)
We cannot thank you enough for your efforts in getting this excellent result.
You have done a grand job.
Thanks again.

Barry & Betty
Bedfordshire - 06/06/2011

Dear Bella

I am writing this to thank you for your reply to my letter moaning about off site parking etc - it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and the whole cruise and experience was a great success so thank you for your help. I will certainly contact you again when I next wish to book a cruise.

Best wishes and regards,

Mr J McNulty
Herts - 20/05/2011

Dear Sharon
Please find enclosed signed booking forms as requested.

May we also take this opportunity of thanking you for your efficiency and manner in dealing with all aspects of our cruise.

You are a credit to your company

Mr Mrs Hall
Surrey - 16/05/2011

Dear Shelley

Thank you for your excellent service.

Yours Sincerely

S Manson
London - 11/05/2011

Dear Bella

May we just take this opportunity to write and thank you for your efforts to send us and our family on holiday. We have just returned after having a wonderful time and really enjoyed ourselves. In addition of course, you also managed a late name change for us which went smoothly much to our relief, so well done to all of you there, as at different times I dealt with most of the staff I would think.

The subject of late changes got us thinking that this may well be a more frequent occurrence than one would expect and we were wondering if you have any sort of last minute offers for cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances. Perhaps you may even have a shortlist of customers who would or could take a holiday at extremely short notice? My point being that if you do then please add our name to it as we think that we could be available say within 7 days or so.

Anyway that notwithstanding, thank you once again for your expertise and professionalism in dealing with not only our last holiday but the others that we have taken previously, so well done and when we decide to go cruising again you will be our first port of call.

Yours Sincerely

Val & John Trill
Isle of Wight - 02/05/2011

My wife and I have just returned from a 35 day cruise on Boudicca to the Amazon and Caribbean. I should like to thank you and the Boudicca crew from making the celebration of our 55th Wedding Anniversary whilst on board so memorable. The flowers in our cabin on arrival were lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed the Champagne, canapes and cake (with accompanying music) on the gala evening we selected for the celebration. The cruise was also memorable for all the fascinating places we visited and also for the high standard of food and service throughout our time on board. This was our seventh cruise with Fred Olsen, and one of our best

Alan
West Byfleet - 30/04/2011

Dear Shelley

Just back from our 'quick getaway' on Arcadia.

Had a great time (not including cough and cold)

Thanks for all your expert help arranging this trip - it was truely outstanding and we are all very appreciative of your time and effort on our behalf at such short notice.

We will be back seeking your input to our 'cruising holiday' when next we fancy a break.

Wonderful service.

Thanks again.

Margaret, Jim, Maureen & John
- 12/04/2011

Dear Tracey

My wife and I would like to thank you at Cruise Select for the most efficient way you organised our 60th Wedding Anniversary recently.

From the time of arrival on board Braemar, when your very kind gift of a bottle of wine in our cabin was awaiting us, to the end of our cruise, everything went like clockwork, as it usual with Cruise Select.

Again, many thanks to you all for helping to make the occassion such a memorable time.

Yours sincerely
Jim & Hazel
Ashby de la Zouch
- 06/04/2011

Dear Tracey,
We would like to thank you for arranging our cruise to South America and for obtaining the upgrade to an outside cabin. This was not a holiday, but an incredible journey. We saw some wonderful places and had many fantastic experiences. The memories will stay with us for always. We loved the Black Watch and the food was excellent.

Thank you again for your help in making this possible for us

Mary and John - 05/04/2011

Dear Rachel & Bella
Thank you very much for your letter of 15th and 26 October and for the arrangements which went smoothly. I have written to the managing director of Cunard Line, of of which I enclose.

When we are next booking an ocean voyage, you will be hearing from us.
Yours sincerely

Mr Mrs Eason
Cumbria - 09/03/2011

Dear all,
Having just about recovered from a twelve hour time difference we would like to thank you very much for the bottle of wine awaiting us in our cabin onboard Balmoral on arrival in Peru.

We had a wonderful trip and successfully used your tip of No 555 free bus in Sydney.

Once again, thank you for your help and service and look forward to being able to deal with you in the future

Yours sincereley
Brian and Patricia
Shefford, Beds - 09/03/2011

My dear Rachel
In harbour, Barbados. This is just to say how very much we have enjoyed our cruise which was in a large part due to your very efficient arrangements. We had a lovely cabin, lovely weather and the company of two very dear friends from Sydney, Australia.

Thank you very much indeed

With very best wishes
Terry and Angela - 07/03/2011

Dear Shelley

Enclosed please find the signed copies of my cruise booking. Hope they are ok. Thank you for your help on the telephone you make it all sound so easy

May - 07/03/2011

In case you have not kept a copy, this advertisment in the Telegraph from January 1998, which we answered and as you know we have used Cruise Select ever since!

In 2011, the adverts are somewhat different

Mr Tooke - 07/03/2011

Dear Sharon and Co.

I received your letter on my return. Happy to say everything went very well this time. Only cloud on the horizon, I lost the wristwatch bought for my 70th birthday by my late husband.It disappeared on the last sailing day before we docked at Santarem.

I was determined not to let it's loss spoil my holiday and the rest was every bit as good as I'd hoped.

All your arrangements went perfectly as usual. I have now ticked off the trips I had in mind and need to start thinking what to do next.

Maybe a trip to the Arctic circle with Fred Olsen next year. Need to save up again. Will keep looking at your offers in the meantime.

Many thanks once again

Best wishes to you all

Cynthia - 24/02/2011

Attn.: Rachel Wright

Many thanks your letter and enclosure.

Happy to confirm all went very very well - no complaints at all - an excellent introduction to cruising.
Balmoral a very comfortable ship - staff all excellent.
Soon start looking for next opportunity.

Many thanks to you and your staff for arrangements etc.

Regards - Mr Mrs Pullen

(Bognor Regis) - 17/02/2011

Thank you! Is was an excellent cruise on a superb ship. Despite the 3150-3600 passengers – it never felt crowded. A special pat on the back for Forlette our steward in the deck J restaurant, all the staff in the Horizon Court & International Café and the remarkable cruise director who ‘held the show together’. The food was quite the best of all our cruises, thanks to Guiseppe Pollara ( I ate too much)

Yes! May I book through you again?

Mr Ferris (Kent) - 05/02/2011

Dear Tracey
We enjoyed a really good cruise. Thank you for all your help. We were really impressed with ‘Relyon’ parking. We look forward to booking our next trip through you

Best wishes R & S Grant (Bristol) - 31/01/2011

Happy New Year and many thanks for all that you do to give me special holidays

E Driver - 10/01/2011

Dear Mrs Wright
My wife and I have just booked a holiday on QM2 through your excellent company, and i would like to go on record in offering my unstinting praise to Shelley Smith for the quite magnificent service she has given us.

We looked at quite a few options for this most important vacation, to celebrate my 70th birthday and each time Shelley went to every possible effort to get all the relevant information together and send it to us, until we finally decided on the present arrangements.

Shelley has done an absolutely super job for us, and is a real credit to your company. We shall lose no opportunity in booking all future holidays through Cruise Select (cruises and non cruises, if you do them) and in recommending you to our friends.

We do hope that you will pass on our thanks to Shelley, and perhaps show her this letter.

Kindest regards
David
London - 05/11/2010

To everyone at Cruise Select
We would like to say thank you for organising our trip to Norway on Balmoral. We were impressed with Fred Olsen’s latest ship.

The off port parking with Reylon was very easy, both going and coming back, they even went back for my mobile phone I’d left in the car!!

The holiday was very relaxing just what we needed, with superb scenery, scenic train trips and many waterfalls. We will not hesitate to use Cruise Select again
Thank you

D.Webb Kent - 09/09/2010

Dear Ms Wright,
I recently booked a cruise aboard the MS Braemar in February,2011. Throughout the whole booking procedure I have dealt with one of your assistants, Rachel Smith and have been most impressed by the service she has offered. I thought it appropriate to draw this to your attention. My wife and I take many cruises but the service offered by Rachel certainly prompts us to choose Cruise Select again and to recommend your Company to our friends.

Kind Regards!
Mr Shore - 17/08/2010

Dear Tracey
Thank you very much for your help and kindess in sorting out our South American cruise in 2011. We do appreciate it.

We will speak to you soon and thank you again

Mr Mrs Callender (Notts) - 17/08/2010

Dear Sarah

We had a marvellous trip on the Balmoral. Everything was first class including your arrangements. Even the weather was great, except the day in Greenock.

A. Turner – West Sussex - 02/08/2010

Dear Rachel & Shelley,
We would like to thank you for arranging our cruise on the Braemar to the Baltic which was a great and thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Also a big thank you for the bottle of wine which awaited us in our cabin with your good wishes.

We hope to book with you again sometime. You helped to make our 50th wedding anniversary a truly memorable one.

Mr Mrs A Walker
Tyne & Wear - 01/08/2010

Dear Julie

Just a short note to let you know that we had a fantastic time cruising the Baltic with Star Princess. We had a hassle free holiday from start to our return home. In particular we would like to thank you and your colleagues for the bottle of wine. We were pleasantly surprised and quite touched at your thoughtfulness, it was very much appreciated. Thanks again Julie for your kindness and for being so helpful when we booked our holidays. We look forward to seeing you again in the future

Mr Mrs Michel (Bedford) - 09/07/2010

You’re a Star
Just a card to thank you
And a line to tell you, too
Nothing could have been more welcome than the letter received from you

The contents made us happy more than you will know and we will smile and think of you as on our cruise we go!

Thank you again, Tracey

From Mary & John - 11/06/2010

Dear Rachel
Having recently returned from our cruise on Aurora, we would like to thank you all particularly Shelley for your usual excellent service which you provided us. We do hope that we will be able to avail ourselves of cruise arrangements again in the not too distant future

Mr Murray
Lowestoft - 07/06/2010

Dear Julie

Thank you very much with all your help booking our holiday. Our cruise was perfect in every way, the cabin was lovely. Everyone on Ventura was wonderful, hope to do another cruise some time

Yours sincerely, Mr Mrs Brown (Bedfordshire) - 17/04/2010

Dear Julie
Our sincere and grateful thanks for resolving our US visa waiver problems. It was a delight to speak to you, and we did appreciate your patience and hunour, whilst dealing with two computer illiterate oldies.

Again many thanks

M & C Bird - 26/03/2010

Dear Rachel

Many thanks for your ‘Welcome Home’ letter.

We thought that we would let you know that the ‘Black Sea Cruise’ was one of the best ever.

Many thanks for your organisation, and also for the very welcome bottle of wine waiting for us in our cabin.

Here’s to the next cruise.

Yours sincerely

Mr & Mrs Coulson, Leics - 19/10/2009

Dear Rachel

Thank you so much for the way you dealt with everything concerned with my booking on the Braemar Cruise to Latin America.

From my initial enquiry you could not have been more helpful and efficient. All the paperwork came when expected and the tickets arrived before the two weeks you promised.

I am happy to tell you that my first solo holiday went really well and I have already started to think about my next one.

The weather could have been better but the places visited were all I had hoped for and the friendliness of staff and guests on the ship was all I had come to expect from Fred Olsen travellers.

I shall watch your adverts in the Telegraph with great interest later in the year. Everyone told me that I should visit the Eastern islands where the distances are not so great and it should be more settled, so I will bear that in mind for my next Voyage.

Again many thanks to you and the girls for your help in putting together this lovely holiday for me.

Sincerely
Cynthia (Huddersfield) - 11/02/2009