Fred. Olsen Cruises - Balmoral Cruises Reviews

Thursday 9th Feb 2012

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Cruise Reviews

Fred. Olsen Cruises

Balmoral

An Enjoyable And Varied 26 Days - Thank You!

An enjoyable and varied 26 days - Thank You!

Reviewed By: Cave, Nailsea on 12th Feb 2010
Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises	Times cruised before: 10+
Cruise Ship: Balmoral	Sailed: January, 2010
Destination: Panama Canal	Age: 65+
Cabin: Inside

We travelled (again) on Fred Olsen's Balmoral for 19 nights, part of the first sector of its World Cruise. We missed the first part from Dover to Barbados, which only included one stop at Maderia where we understand the weather was terrible. We also missed the outbreak of norovirus that occurred on that transatlantic crossing! We were aboard from Barbados to San Francisco, going through the Panama Canal. Being part of a World Cruise there were two sea days for every post day. Balmoral is kept in very good shape by the crew with constant maintenance both inside and out. The cabins are well attended by staff - though some of the lower cabins lack the surely modern standard of twin beds which can be converted into double beds by moving them together. A holiday should not mean that married couples have to sleep 3 feet apart! The food was as always very good in quality, taste and variety. The waiting staff very attentive. The entertainment was varied and excellent generally. Days at sea were catered for with a variety of interests by crew or guest 'experts'. However the quality of these latter varied - the handicraft lacked decent teaching to those who needed help, and the port talks were very short of positively helpful information. The Information/Help desk staff were always very efficient and helpful. There was care to reduce the incidence of norovirus with frequent cleaning of handrails, the requirement to use bacterial handgel on entry into the dining room and the show lounge, and when returning to ship - and there were tissues available to open the toilet doors with a notice suggesting that people should use one - and they did. The awareness of passengers to the need to wash their hands after going to the toilet was nearly 100%. The library was popular, especially for paperback books which passengers had brought on board and left for others to read. The weather was kind - very hot until Los Angeles and San Francisco. The day travelling through the Panama Canal was incredible. The deal we were on included two nights (it should have been one) in Barbados - the first night was room only, the second all inclusive (very enjoyable!), and then in San Francisco, after one night on Balmoral we had two more nights in a hotel room only. San Francisco is a wonderful city and easy to get around on the varied public transport - we bought three day passes at $20, and used them about 20 times - cable cars, buses, trams.
Quality of Food

Entertainment
The best? A musician who played flute, pan pipes, metal recorder - and would have played more instruments but his case containing them was lost by the airline for the duration of his time on the ship. Musically he was very good, and he was an excellent communicator with his audience. Second the Balmoral Show Company. The worst? A comedian who started off thinking that passengers, who were mainly over 60, needed 'sex comedy'. He improved after his first show!
Shore Excursions
Best 'excursion' was going through the Panama Canal - a whole day's trip - it was awesome. Lots to see - and no mosquitoes!
Staff
The Cabin attendant, Somkit, was excellent.
Children's Facilities	n/a

Onboard Activities

Cabins
Expectations? Yes - but it had single beds which couldn't be moved to form a double bed. That alone makes the cabin less that acceptable in today's market. However we were expecting that as we were on a cheap deal with no choice of cabin. The other aspects of the cabin were fine.
Overall Rating