showgirl 23 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Recently cruised on the balmoral on the 27th sept had a fabulous time, the crew were amazing and lots of lovely passengers. Food great, good atmospher, great entertainment, really enjoyed. Anyone else out there had the same brilliant experience? rachel and loz6 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WAVES 125 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 I would love to try Fred Olsen! just a little worried the ships are old? What did you think? Tally 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boushki 15 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 The ships are smaller but perfectly formed. They are large enough to have all the facilities you would want in a classic cruise ship but small enough to make getting around and getting on and off the ship effortless. The staff are wonderful and make for a delightful holiday. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loz6 136 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Where did you sail to? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
showgirl 23 Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 thank you waves for your reply, the ships are older but they are so nicely maintained, the carpets look so clean and fresh not one bit was to be found on them and the same for all the furnishings around the ship. What I did like is the actual wooden decks very nice. Balmoral also has a beautiful lounge where people can sit quietly and have a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and buy individual chocalates to go with it. The pub also is very comfortable with an excellent keyboard player and singer. The shows excellent really good, including the crew show which all enjoyed. I agree with boushki it was easy to navigate and for easy for anyone with walking difficulties WAVES 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
showgirl 23 Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 hello loz6, we sailed to spain and portugal, places I have been to before and enjoyed, again very easy straight off the ship to the shops and bars, it was nice and warm as well, not so hot its hard to move around but very pleasantly warm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loz6 136 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Aww I bet that area is really nice in September time like you say you can get around easily wothout it being too hot but then it's not too cool either. Sounds as though you have had a lovely time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Hi I always enjoy my cruises with Fred Olsen. I have tried all the ships and there's little to chose between them although I do prefer Braemar even allowing for the unusual layout of the theatre. In my opinion they are one of the better cruise lines sailing out of the UK and I would advice anyone to give them a go although many cruisers do seem to dismiss them mainly due to the ageing fleet. However, Cunard and P&O et al would like to have the high number repeat cruisers Fred Olsen attract so they must be doing something right. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oldworldtraveller 2225 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 I always enjoy my trips with Fred Olsen. I have never had a bad meal with them, unlike some others I will not mention. The ships may be older but they are in excellent condition. They offer an excellent product at a reasonable price and as already referred to by Land Ahoy they have a repeat business rate of which other cruise lines can only dream. At a press launch this year it was announced the repeat rate is 66% for normal 7/14 night cruises rising to 72% for long voyages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
angel 121 Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Love Balmorel one of my favourite ships. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loz6 136 Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 What is the entertainment like on board? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Hi The production shows are enjoyable, the staging is not as impressive as those performed on modern ships but the choreography and the vocals are well performed, in addition, they use a live orchestra rather than backing tapes with is becoming more common on some cruise lines. On both Balmoral and Braemar offer a second show in a separate lounge due to the size of the main theatre. The lounge acts are of similar standard to those on other cruise lines. Daytime activities are the usual cruise fare but they do have quite good guest lecturers. Oldworldtraveller 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loz6 136 Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 thank you Land Ahoy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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