Sewso

We were in this cabin in June 2017. The cabin has a reasonable amount of floor space mainly because the beds are in an l-shape. There is a lifeboat/tender outside the window which restricts the view on sea days. Wardrobe space was more than adequate for us. For our next Balmoral cruise we decided to splash out a bit more (as if adapted cabins aren't already pricey!) and have booked 8057 which has a balcony.

I can't help with excursions, sorry.

Thank you Gill, that's very helpful.

F.OCL, thanks for that information. At the moment we're waiting for the results of tests before we pursue a further booking. I was really sorry to have to cancel less than a week before sailing especially as we booked in April 2014 when the cruise was first made available.

Thanks Gill. Can I be nosy and ask what the cabin number was so I can find it on the deck plan? Apart from the slight lip around the shower, would I get my wheelchair in the bathroom?

Thanks

Avril

I'm hoping someone can help. I am a wheelchair user and I've sailed twice with FOCL, once on Boudicca and once on Black Watch. On Boudicca our cabin was light and spacious with ample room for my chair and I could get the chair into the shower-room but on Black Watch the cabin was narrow, dark, had a ramp inside and I couldn't get my chair in the shower-room. On that basis I'd not choose Black Watch again although everything else was fantastic.

We should have been on Boudicca in the Arctic at the moment but had to cancel, on medical advice, because my husband had a severe gastric problem. We hope to book another "northern climes" cruise but wonder what the adapted cabins on Balmoral are like to extend our choices.

Has anyone used the adapted cabins on Balmoral and how well are they adapted? Thanks for any advice.

Avril

Thanks again, we have stayed in a Premier Inn at Glasgow and it was very comfortable and reasonably priced so I'll have a look at that in the morning.

Thanks everyone. I have lots of options to explore now.

Thanks both, we did think about the car hire but I sometimes struggle to get into cars because of my mobility problems (I have one leg which has restricted movement) and the car we have is just the right height to use with a slide board. The "rent-a-driveway" is worth considering.

I did try looking at long term airport parking but they need a flight number.

My husband and I are sailing on Boudicca in August from Newcastle on a 27 night cruise and I was shocked when I found out how much car parking would cost. We have no option but to travel by car from home (near Aberdeen) since we need to carry enough luggage and my wheelchair plus some essential equipment.

Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative to the offer on the FOCL website? I'm not mean but it comes to more than £250. Thanks for any help.

Better description of accessible cabins would be much appreciated with dimensions and photographs. On my last cruise I could not get my wheelchair fully into the bathroom/shower-room and there was a ramp INSIDE the cabin. I'd never have booked the cabin if I'd known.

As said before, why so few accessible cabins? There are no last minute bargain prices for these cabins.

We had the AI package on our last Baltic cruise in 2013 and found it a good deal. At dinner we bought a more expensive wine since we got that half price. Most afternoons on sea days I would have a tonic water with lime juice which was included in the AI deal or a cappuccino at half price. After dinner port was half price too.

I have no idea about internet charges.

Hi Peter, I've only had experience of these cabins on Boudicca and Black Watch. Our first cruise was on Boudicca in cabin 7029. The cabin was more spacious than we'd expected with loads of room for my wheelchair. In comparison our cabin on Black Watch (also 7029) was a disappointment. It was narrow and dark. There was a steepish ramp inside the cabin which was very difficult to push my chair on. The bathroom was almost impossible to access in my chair.

Have a look at the section of the FOCL website on "Disability & Reduced Mobility" where it says that Boudicca is probably the best adapted ship.

If I can answer any specific questions the don't hesitate to ask.

Avril

I've only been on Boudicca and Black Watch and Boudicca is my favourite of those two. The food was better on Boudicca and our cabin was better too despite being the same grade. We're booked to go on Boudicca again.

Wow, what a great review. We are going on the "Exploring the Arctic" cruise in August 2015 which includes Iceland and Greenland so the information will be very useful. Thanks for the tip on parking. We sail from Newcastle and I think the port parking is nearly £10 per day.

Thanks so much xxoocruiser. That looks like exactly what we need.

I'm going on an Iceland cruise next year and wonder if anyone knows how accessible things will be. On our last cruise to the Baltic we arranged private tours via the cruise line and whilst they were good they weren't cheap. Can anyone suggest possible tours or operators. Thanks in anticipation.

We were on one of the Black Watch cruises affected by Norovirus. Coffee was available in the lounge area outside the restaurant but wasn't self service. I quite often had tonic or soda water with lime in the Lido Lounge and that was in the AI package and if I had a cappuccino then that was 50% off.

I'd forgotten about the sparkling wine which was OK. We were part of a winning quiz team one evening and a bottle of the AI sparkling wine was the prize. What a swizz!

I can't remember which canned beers were included but I think the draught beers were Stella and Boddingtons. There was a list in the information pack in our cabin. The house wine choices were red, white and rose. I tried the red once and never again! The white was passable but the rose was the best of the three.

Like Mark T, we mainly used the 50% discount on "better" wines from the wine list, capppucinos and after dinner port or liqueurs. I think that because it was included we sometimes had house wine with lunch where we wouldn't normally have wine.

I was on the Black Watch cruise prior to the one L3GWG's mother is on. During our cruise there was no self service at buffets or self service coffee and until the last couple of days the public toilets were all closed.