Now if your the kind of person that loves the more traditional things in life and is proud to be british then the Fred Olsen Fleet are the cruise ships for you. I have been lucky enough to go on the Balmoral ship and can honestly say it was a fantastic experience. As the ship is quite small ,( it actually holds just over 1300 passengers) i found myself finding my way round the ship very easily after the first few hours of checking in and it isnt long before you feel right at home.

 There was no dramas of coming out of the lifts and wondering aimlessley down the corridors trying to find your cabin and the restaurant is such a nice size you get a very good atmosphere in there. Are waiter who served us was very friendly and really got to know us all , which again with the smaller ships is easier for them to do as not as many faces to try and remember. You are definately a face rather then a number onboard the freds line.Dont worry if you think small fleet means no facilities as this is not true at all , you still have plenty on offer such as the gym where you can partake in a fitness class , practise your swing on the practise golf nets , indulge in a spa treatment , play a few rounds of bridge , do some duty free shopping , enjoy a cabaret show or stand up comedy the list goes on and on.The practical element of the fred Olsens fleet being on a smaller scale also means that they can take you into some ports where the huge superliners would not , so you get a much more interesting itinerary to tempt you as well.My conclusion of Fred Olsens after I disembarked was that this cruiseline is perfect if you are looking for an experience that is very personal , relaxed and individual to anything else thats out there. Nothing is to much bother for there staff and you do get the sense that you are onboard a ship that is family run and the customer is at the heart of everything. The ease and benefits of cruises from Southampton or Dover just makes it so much less stressful then a flycruise and you get the added bonus of taking as many handbags and shoes as you can cram into your suitcase !!!