World cruise on Balmoral

We have been looking at the itinery for Balmorals World cruise 2014 and it really appeals going to lots of placescwe both want to go to, we're not wealthy by any defiinition so if we did it it would be a once in a lifetime thing for us and make a big hole in our savings so we are deliberating carefully because we've never cruised with Fred Olsen before. Of the cruises we have done we enjoyed P&O, Cunard and to a lesser degree Celebrity but hated MSC. Any help and advice from FO cruisers would be very welcome. Thank you.

Best advice would have to be that you really should take a shorter cruise on Balmoral before committing to a world cruise on both a ship and a cruise line you have never experienced before.

I can't comment on the prospect of a cruise of that length, I'll leave that for others, but do work out the total cost of likely extras (drinks, tips, laundry etc.) to factor that into your budget as it will mount up over such a long period ...

We have been looking at the itinery for Balmorals World cruise 2014 and it really appeals going to lots of placescwe both want to go to, we're not wealthy by any defiinition so if we did it it would be a once in a lifetime thing for us and make a big hole in our savings so we are deliberating carefully because we've never cruised with Fred Olsen before. Of the cruises we have done we enjoyed P&O, Cunard and to a lesser degree Celebrity but hated MSC. Any help and advice from FO cruisers would be very welcome. Thank you.

Hi, we cruise with Fred Olsen and also P and O, we like them both.

Remember FO passengers will be in the range 60 plus.

The Balmoral is lovely we enjoyed a 7 day cruise on it.

A World Cruise is a big commitment I think. We cruised on a section with P and O, Dubai to Hong Kong and you could tell the World Cruisers they seemed to have a "feel" about them.

Another cost we noticed on our section was the cost of visas.

I think it's a great idea for you to test the Balmoral on 7 day cruise.

Have a great time whatever you decide.

Good advice being left here. They are right. Book yourself a short cruise to see how you like it.

Balmoral is significantly smaller than any P&O or Cunard vessel (except Adonia) and consequently has fewer activities. She is also beginning to show her age a bit - but we have been on her twice and loved it.

I think doing a 90 odd day cruise would drive you mad. You would see all the shows about 6 times. The dolphin racing would drive you completely insane. Maybe if you had a suite might be doable. But then whereever we are we think 2 weeks is plenty enough and are looking forward to getting home after that.

The food on Fred is equivalent to P&O.

Staff are friendlier.

Very British.

But they are right - give it a go first.

Hi, Brian & Georgina. Good advice to try a shorter cruise on Balmoral. We've done a number of cruises with FO (including one on Balmoral) and went for the World Cruise just gone.

We pretty much knew what to expect and were not disappointed.

You won't see the same shows 6 times over.

It seems that some of the ships you have cruised are much larger than Fred's. Could you cope with a smaller ship where, perhaps, you won't have some of the frills that come with the bigger ships?

Bear in mind also, FO do have a large number of repeat passengers. Think of it as mainly British, good food and service, maybe entertainment on a smaller scale than you are used to.

100 days + didn't phase us. Could you cope with that?

Good luck with your decision making.

wft:)

We have cruised P & O, Cunard, Princess and Fred Olsen and our most recent cruise was on Balmoral, a leg of the last world cruise from Sydney to Bangkok. We booked an inside cabin as we don't tend to use balconies, and it's much cheaper :D We had a cabin in the new central section of the ship, it was cut in half and a new section added, on deck 5 having been moved from deck 4 because of the noise, there was an air conditioning unit right next to the cabin. The cruise was excellent, the ship was excellent and I would have no hesitation in cruising on her again. We have sailed now on Black Watch and Balmoral and have a cruise booked next year on Boudica. Fred passengers are very loyal to the line, I think that is one of the best adverts for any cruise line.

Hi We have done 4 cruises all on FO and we have another 2 booked also on FO.

We have only sailed once on the Balmoral and think she's a lovely ship. So much so that we have booked one of FO's Grand Voyages in 2015 on the Balmoral for 119 nights.

I do agree with the other comments, book a short cruise and try Balmoral out to see if you like her, I'm sure you will.

Susan

Hi Invincible, I was curious what you ended up doing.

Keith

We have done world cruise segments before we did a full world cruise.This can be a good insight to world cruising.

However if money is an issue

I would say go the whole hog and do the full world cruise, as a segment can cost a fair amount of money. Although often booking late can be cheaper on segments.

If you have sailed on P& O and Cunard you will have loyalty points. These are useful perks on a world Cruosr Cunard are better than P&O.

Cunard give you a better deal as tips are included, plus other things. Shop around snd compare your benefits.

We have done a world cruise on both these lines and I. can assure you Cunard are the best of the two.

A world cruise is a magical experience everyone should take if given the chance. Go for it! You are only here ones. Good luck and have a fabulous time.

!

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I am doing the first leg of that cruise out to Dubai. Really looking forward to it. Personally I wouldn't do a world cruise on any ship. Too long to be away.

We have only sailed once on the Balmoral and think she's a lovely ship. So much so that we have booked one of FO's Grand Voyages in 2015 on the Balmoral for 119 nights.

We are on that cruise too! See you on board .......... :)

Cheers

Hi Calloo it is so nice to see somebody else is going on the same cruise

especially as it is quite away off.

Maybe next year we can start a roll call.

Susan

Hi Calloo it is so nice to see somebody else is going on the same cruise

especially as it is quite away off.

 

Maybe next year we can start a roll call.

 

Susan

We are just looking at Balmoral world cruise, the itinerary is really great. We have only done P&O world cruises but their itineraries are not as good as Fred's. we are just looking at the pros and cons of both.May be taking the plunge with FO as many people seem happy. The TV programme was a bit off putting!

Hi Sal1946, this will be our first World Cruise but we have been on Balmoral before and she is a great ship.

We have only cruised on FO so nothing to compare to but we have enjoyed all the cruises and the passengers too.

I would take no notice of the programme as it wasn't a good reflection of a FO cruise.

Susan

We are on that cruise too! See you on board .......... :)

 

Cheers

Hi Calloo

We to are booked on The WC on Balmoral 2015 as well as some friends of ours. Our first time on Fred Olsen but like others have said the itinerary is much better than P & Os or Cunard. I have started a roll call

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1837258