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Balmoral


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Lovely ship, not too big or too small. Comfortable cabins, very good food and entertainment. As on all Fred. Olsen ships the staff are charming, friendly and helpful. I have sailed several time on this ship and would strongly recommend:D it.

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Lovely ship, not too big or too small. Comfortable cabins, very good food and entertainment. As on all Fred. Olsen ships the staff are charming, friendly and helpful. I have sailed several time on this ship and would strongly recommend:D it.

 

 

 

Thanks so much getting excited now[emoji2]

 

 

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I agree with everything Parsman has said. The Balmoral is our favourite Fred ship, we think it is just the right size; with a choice of things to do, small enough for staff to remember you plus a nice atmosphere and layout.

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  • 5 weeks later...

We went on Balmoral this year with very high expectations of very friendly staff and a friendly atmosphere across the ship from all that we had read, but sadly it did not happen for us.

Maybe it was because it was a mini cruise? Who knows? But it was the first time I had ever come across so many surly waiters ( one even mimicking a guest as she had left the restaurant) and staff in uniform avoiding eye contact as they walked amongs the guests on the ship.

I wasn't the only one and one lady had noticed 'something different' in the attitude in the cruise before ours, so maybe something had happened.

Hope you have the experience that all the others talk of :)

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We went on Balmoral this year with very high expectations of very friendly staff and a friendly atmosphere across the ship from all that we had read, but sadly it did not happen for us.

Maybe it was because it was a mini cruise? Who knows? But it was the first time I had ever come across so many surly waiters ( one even mimicking a guest as she had left the restaurant) and staff in uniform avoiding eye contact as they walked amongs the guests on the ship.

I wasn't the only one and one lady had noticed 'something different' in the attitude in the cruise before ours, so maybe something had happened.

Hope you have the experience that all the others talk of :)

 

 

 

Oh Dear

Hope our cruise is fine

This is the only post that said it’s bad

Feeling a bit down now

Tony & Sandra

 

 

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I do hope you enjoy your time on Balmoral. We had a lovely time in October on the Baltic cruise. The staff, domestic and entertainments, were friendly and attentive. This is our 4th cruise with Fred and we have no complaints about any of them.

We always have an inside cabin and have had a couple which were looking a bit shabby but this year’s was fine.

The show company this year were very good but they left as we did.

We have always found them very friendly as they are usually involved in quizzes etc during the day and around the ship.

We don’t participate much in those activities but enjoy watching them.

I enjoy most of the lectures and my husband likes the gym and bridge particularly.

Lastly, the food was good. I think sometimes the portions were smaller at dinner this year but that was no problem. I like Fred because of the set times for food rather than a constant source :)

We used the restaurant for self service breakfast and lunch and late sitting dinner suits us very much.

As I wrote earlier, I do hope all goes well for you. I don’t like recommend cruising to friends because we all expect and like different experiences.

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We enjoyed our August cruise to Norway on BALMORAL with great service, food and a good itinerary. The ship suffers from and will continue to suffer from insufficient lifts. It is popular and often sails full or nearly full. The lifts that they have are thus too slow and too small for the typical clientele of Fred Olsen cruises, many of whom don't walk very well. It only takes 2/3 restricted mobility passengers with a helper to clog up the lifts at the restaurant end at peak times and many older passengers need the lifts.

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Oh Dear

Hope our cruise is fine

This is the only post that said it’s bad

Feeling a bit down now

Tony & Sandra

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Aw, please don't let my comment worry you Tony and Sandra... I am sure yours will be absolutely fine. As you say, mine is the only comment that says anything negative, so you will probably see no problem.

We did have a very nice short cruise overall despite the disappointment in this respect. There were some lovely highlights on Balmoral like the layout of the deck area and the top deck with the Marquee Bar and the Observatory and the bar staff up there. And the Afternoon Tea in the Observatory :)

 

The ship was very clean and comfortable -our cabin although a bit tired, was exceptionally clean and well maintained. The food overall was very good and the waiter on our particular table was lovely. Entertainment was excellent..

 

Given the right itinerary and price, I would be happy to consider Fred Olsen and Balmoral again especially for the port

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Going on Fred Olsen Balmoral just wanted to know what the ship is like Food , entertainment , rooms,

Thanks

Tony & Sandra

 

 

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Dear Tony & Sandra

There is a review of Balmoral on Cruise Critic: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=433

Thanks

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There are a number of reviews accessible from that link and like any review site, they are mixed. However, don't let the bad ones put you off. A cruise is what you make it. We sailed on Balmoral from Newcastle to the Fjords in September and it was great.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
going to South America on the Balmoral in January. Can't find a roll call. Anyone know if there is one?

 

Hi, I think I’ll be on the same cruise ( Rio). I haven’t found a roll call for it either. Not sure what the protocol is, who starts the threads?

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Hi, I think I’ll be on the same cruise ( Rio). I haven’t found a roll call for it either. Not sure what the protocol is, who starts the threads?

Anyone who wants to!! I find that often people are pleased when someone else starts a thread (which means they don t have to!)

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We were booked on the cancelled Oriana We had a thread and over 40 on a facebook group which was good to keep in touch with everyone. Will try to look how to start a roll call but it doesn't seem anyone is interested!.

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We were booked on the cancelled Oriana We had a thread and over 40 on a facebook group which was good to keep in touch with everyone. Will try to look how to start a roll call but it doesn't seem anyone is interested!.

I have started the roll call for our first Fred Olsen cruise in January but I don t think it is as popular with people who regularly cruise with Fred as it is with P and O cruisers though it does vary a lot between cruise to cruise.If you start the roll call you might be pleasantly surprised to see how many respond!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Avon or Spey restaurant - anyone dined there and comments please? Our cabin is on same deck (Highland). Both are considerably smaller than the main dining room. Booked on Christmas Markets 2018. Our first time on Fred. Thanks for comments

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