Claire's Balmoral Review

Claire has been with Cumbria Cruises for many years, and works is in Business Development. She went on Balmoral's Norwegian Fjord Explorer cruise, departing on 16 August 2008 for 7 nights, in a D grade outside cabin.

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Introduction:

Balmoral is the newest ship in Fred Olsen's fleet and fresh from an extension and recent refurbishment is a real joy to cruise on.

With a gross tonnage of 43,000 and an excellent guest to crew ratio, the service standards were second to none.  It was nice to see that some of the crew from the Braemar, which I had sailed on the previous year had now transferred to the Balmoral for 2008 and greeted us like long lost friends, even remembering what we had to drink!  A great testament to the Fred Olsen's motto, " It's all about the people" Which  extends to staff and passengers alike.

The beginning of a journey:

Check-in was smooth at Dover, with dedicated lounge area for Fred Olsen passengers; each of us was given a boarding number to ensure a hassle free embarkation.  There was also plenty of hands on deck to help anyone who may have needed assistance such as wheelchair users.

Once onboard we were ready to explore the ship, and the helpful staff helped us find our cabin quickly, we were very impressed that two of our suitcases were already outside the door waiting to be unpacked.  Now that's fast! The other one followed about ten minutes later. 

Cabins were extremely spacious and well appointed, with plenty of wardrobe space for hanging clothes and the bathroom had lots of storage space to put toiletries etc.  In the cabin we had a flat screen television which gave us, apart from the TV channels, the full programme of events for the day, a view from the bridge and also access to Fred Olsen Interactive (FOI) TV where we could order your wine for the evening, send messages to other guests cabins, view shore excursions and even order movies, there was a choice of approx 40 films which were charged to our onboard account at £2.95 per film; these could then be saved to the television to view as many times as we liked.  Kung Fu Panda was my children's choice and kept them amused each night whilst we got ready for dinner.

The inside cabins that I viewed were decorated to a high standard and were an excellent size. Other cabins viewed were Balcony cabins which were decorated again to the same high standard, most of these had been refurbished with soft furnishings. The obstructed views were again excellent with some only having partially blocked views, ideal for clients who like to have some natural light but wish to choose the more cost effective option. I also saw the Balcony Junior Suite which were new cabins to this ship and were an excellent addition to the extensive accommodation range already offered onboard.

Smoking Policy Onboard:

As I was travelling with a smoker (my mum) she was very keen to find the designated areas in which she could smoke. We knew that Fred Olsen have adopted a non smoking policy on Balmoral for the cabins including balconies. So the Lido bar on  deck 8 was a smoking bar  along with the Horizon Bar, on deck 11 which was linked with the Observatory Lounge and home to the disco after the evening's entertainment had finished. Also designated deck areas at the back of the ship between Lounge deck and Marquee deck also were equipped with smoking facilities.  This gave a happy balance for the comfort of all guests.

Dining Options:

We had chosen second sitting and were allocated the Ballindalloch restaurant which is the main dining room onboard. This has two sittings, the first at 6.30pm and the second at 8.30pm, there is waiter service and the tables are in 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 configurations. The a la carte menu was excellent each evening and catered for everyone's taste – there was even a diabetic desserts section. Children were also given their own special menu to choose from.

For breakfast the choice was either buffet or a la carte, and was served between 8am and 10am, and lunch was from 12 noon to 2.00pm. 

For guests who prefer to dine casual, the Palms Café is a restaurant which has a 24 hour tea and coffee making facilities. Breakfast is from 7am till 9.30 most days and lunch on open seating from 12noon to 2pm. The Palms café was also the venue for the themed cuisine evenings such as Thai or Chinese which were fantastic with all of the staff in traditional dress. This restaurant also offered the option for families travelling with children to dine early in between 6 -7pm in the "kid's corner" which I myself found a great help as the food catered for fussy eaters!

Avon and Spey Restaurants:

These restaurants were both al la carte of an evening but offered the buffet breakfast and lunch during the day.  These are situated towards the back of the ship on Marquee deck and have lovely large windows to give the best view when sailing in and out of port.  Both furnished differently but are given access to the same food choice. I did notice that they did have quite a large choice of fish on the menu as well as other options.

We sampled all of the restaurants onboard and first class service was given by the hard working staff,  all food was clearly labelled and replenished regularly to ensure quality of food in the buffet; it was a real heaven for "foodies".

Onboard Services:

There is a cruise shore tours desk where shore excursions can be booked which are then added to the onboard cabin account; but one tip: make sure you don’t leave it till the last minute to book your tour! Many of the tours were quite booked up when we decided which ones we wanted to do, so (and especially if you are cruising in picturesque areas such as the Norwegian Fjords) be sure to book early. Transfers are usually provided if you want to make your own way into town, check with the tours desk where they will be able to advise you.

Children's Facilities:

Compared with other cruise lines, Fred Olsen isn't well known for its child facilities onboard. However, the facilities that they do have onboard Balmoral are very well set up and professionally run. They encourage the children to forge friendships and take part in the full programme of events, which cater for children aged from 5 upwards. Children are looked after by qualified staff who keep them busy from ten in the morning until ten in the evening. 

Activities such as arts and crafts, games, treasure hunts, baking cookies with the Head Chef (complete with gloves and chef's hat), pyjama parties, and movie showings all help to keep the children busy.  The children loved it and were sad when it was time to go home.

The highlight of the cruise is when the children (no grown ups allowed) get to meet the captain up on the bridge and have a bridge tour, check out the equipment and are given an experience that no one can forget -  my son is still telling the tale now. I would recommend the children's facilities on this ship to anyone travelling with children.

Spa and Wellbeing:

An excellent area on Marquee deck provides any guest who wants a pampering experience, including a beauty salon, Fitness centre, Steam room and Sauna.

Internet Services and Card Room:

There is a large spacious area on Lounge Deck where you can access the internet, (at a charge) read in the library and the lounge outside it makes a peaceful location for catching up with that book or magazine.

Shops and Boutiques:

The main shop onboard sells a range of perfumes, cruise wear, designer handbags and essential items that may have been forgotten.  The Jewellery shop opposite sells a fantastic range of watches, jewellery and other delicate items, Top tip:  keep an eye on the cruise news if you wish to purchase onboard as they will have a promotions on with a % off so you may be able to avoid paying the full price.

There is also a photo shop onboard where photos and DVD's which have been taken during the cruise can be bought.  They also sell camera's and items related to photography as well as providing a studio service where you can go and have that special portrait taken, I had some black and white portraits taken which were extremely high quality and very reasonable to purchase. On formal night this service is also offered to capture everyone in their formal clothes.

Entertainment:

The variety of entertainment onboard really did cater for everyone's taste.  From the Neptune lounge where cabaret took place with the Balmoral Show Company, (who were of West End calibre) to the Morning Light Pub which was home to British Night, pub lunches and traditional sing alongs, this was a very popular bar with a friendly and informal atmosphere.  A full programme of events is put in place and communicated through your cruise news left in your cabin on each evening.  So you can do as much or as little as you please.

The Neptune lounge displays two shows in the evening, one to accommodate the First Sitting guests and another approx 10.30pm to accommodate the Second Sitting guests. The Coral Club also provides entertainment usually in the form of the resident band, which were also very good.

Pool Areas:

There was two pool areas' onboard, one on deck 6 with a reasonable size pool and two Jacuzzi's which were filled with sea water and kept at a comfortable temperature. The other pool area is on deck 11 which is slightly livelier and used by the families onboard,  this had again a good sized pool and two Jacuzzi's. All were kept immaculate and there is plenty of sunbeds around each pool for everyone.  Towels for the pool areas are provided in your cabin for your convenience.

Tips and Gratuities:

It is a shipboard tradition to show appreciation for service required.  As a general guide, Fred Olsen recommend that you allow £2 per person per day for your Restaurant Waiter and a similar amount for your Cabin Stewardess, who do work extremely hard to ensure you are looked after.  You may wish to reward other staff if they have given exceptional service, the envelopes are available from reception on the second to last night so that you can reward your chosen staff on the last night of the cruise.

Drinks:

Drinks onboard are charged at similar prices to what you would find in your local pub.  They do have special's on throughout the day and also have happy hour and cocktail of the day where you can enjoy specific drinks at cheaper prices.  Any purchases of bottled water, speciality coffee, soft and alcoholic drinks are chargeable to your onboard account, water is provided free with your meals and there is the complimentary tea and coffee from the Palms Café as mentioned above.

All in all a very enjoyable experience was had by all of us on Balmoral, and would definitely recommend the ship and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines to any client.  My mum who was very wary of cruising and was embarking on her first cruise, thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and wants to know when we are going again!  She was particularly impressed with the choice and standard of the food presented to us, and found the cruise experience completely exceeded her expectations.  The staff were very friendly and would go out of their way to ensure our cruise was one to remember. In particular I would single out the excellent manner which the staff interacted with the children and made them feel centre of attention at all times as a major plus point.

Anyone holidaying with children will agree that as long as the children are enjoying themselves you can relax and enjoy your cruise.  We would gladly urge anyone who has yet to try cruising, to take the plunge and book.

Why not ask a question or submit a comment about Claire's Balmoral review?