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Sounded like a good itinerary, so hope it was enjoyed as well. So let us know how it went - would love to hear, if only a few brief comments.

 

Barbara

Edited by tring
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Sounded like a good itinerary, so hope it was enjoyed as well. So let us know how it went - would love to hear, if only a few brief comments.

 

Barbara

 

Would definately want to know as we board on Tuesday

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Yes we left the ship in Newcastle on Thursday having also been on the ill-fated "bug" cruise to Norway last May. No problems this time I'm pleased to say plus good weather helped make it a very enjoyable experience. Spoke to quite a few first timers who all seemed quite impressed. Embarkation at Newcastle was we found the fastest ever; arrived about 30 minutes before the appointed hour, parked car, cases taken, checked in, through security, short transfer bus, all within 45 minutes. OK we are Oceans Gold but never managed this at Southampton or Dover, certainly not recently.

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Thanks for that, glad you had a good time and the weather was good.

 

I deleted the rest of my post as I thought the cruise to America had just finished and did not realise you were on a short cruise after that. Oops!

 

Hope people did manage to enjoy the previous cruise to an extent though.

Edited by tring
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Yes we left the ship in Newcastle on Thursday having also been on the ill-fated "bug" cruise to Norway last May. No problems this time I'm pleased to say plus good weather helped make it a very enjoyable experience. Spoke to quite a few first timers who all seemed quite impressed. Embarkation at Newcastle was we found the fastest ever; arrived about 30 minutes before the appointed hour, parked car, cases taken, checked in, through security, short transfer bus, all within 45 minutes. OK we are Oceans Gold but never managed this at Southampton or Dover, certainly not recently.

 

We were also on that cruise last year which makes us very apprehensive about going on board this Tuesday. However thanks to your post we are feeling a bit better. Thanks for posting. Do you happen to know if the Premier inn at the ferry terminal is an easy walk to the Terminal

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Even though it is free of bugs now does not mean it will stay that way - these things are usually brought on by passengers so stay vigilant, pay attention to hygiene and enjoy the cruise !

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We were also on that cruise last year which makes us very apprehensive about going on board this Tuesday. However thanks to your post we are feeling a bit better. Thanks for posting. Do you happen to know if the Premier inn at the ferry terminal is an easy walk to the Terminal

 

Yes the Premier Inn (and Brewers Fayre) are within walking distance of the terminal, between the retail park and the terminal. We thought of staying there but found a cheaper Premier Inn further out which was fine as we had a car anyway. Some people left their car at the Premier Inn but the port parking is secure.

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That's good to hear, glad you enjoyed it and lets hope it stays clear of infection.

 

Did you happen to catch the entertainment in the Lido Lounge during your cruise. When we were on board in April it was 4th Dimension who became 3rd Dimension when the female vocalist suddenly disappeared, apparently left the ship according to rumour. Do you know if they have been replaced.

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Daily Times lists Mood Indigo - Karla, Christopher, John and Robert in Lido Lounge. Unfortunately didn't manage to catch them. 5 nights not really enough to sample all the venues.

Neptune Lounge had 2 Team shows, 2 guest artists, and on first night, main entertainment was.............wait for it.............a film at 10pm. Bet that impressed first time cruisers.

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Hi, we have just come off the Balmoral Yesterday. Norovirus is definetly still on board, however the staff are super in keeping everithing as clean as possible. They even have sponges soaked with antiviral to clean the pen before handing it to you for signing receipts. We were lucky enough not to catch it altough our neighbouring cabin did, however my feeling is that with a bit of paranoia (we cleaned the room top to bottom with dettol on arrival) and constant use of antiviral foam (we used boots') the risk of catching it is so minimal is not Worth the worry.

Edited by cruisevirgin1971
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Hi, we have just come off the Balmoral Yesterday. Norovirus is definetly still on board, however the staff are super in keeping everithing as clean as possible. They even have sponges soaked with antiviral to clean the pen before handing it to you for signing receipts. We were lucky enough not to catch it altough our neighbouring cabin did, however my feeling is that with a bit of paranoia (we cleaned the room top to bottom with dettol on arrival) and constant use of antiviral foam (we used boots') the risk of catching it is so minimal is not Worth the worry.

 

 

That's very odd! Both pools and all the hot tubs were open throughout the cruise. Buffets were all self serve each day except on embarkation day, as was the tea & coffee station. We never had any waiters cleaning their pens or heard of anyone being ill. Public toilets were open as normal (except when faulty). None of this would have happened if Norovirus was on board.

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I think there need to be a minimum number of people having it at any given time for the ship's facilities to be closed. I agree if the couple in the next cabin had not had it we would have not noticed as well, although it was odd that the captain's welcome cocktail was done on the last night and that the officers specifically asked not to shake hands with any guests, so we might have cottoned on then. Also Guest services confimed the cuise prior to us still had Norovirus cases when we boarded, so we were extra careful.

 

The cuise was lovely and we loved the Balmoral. I don't think the Norovirus has anything to do with Fred Olsen specifically, I believe it just happens on cuise ships now and then. In fact we're going back on Balmoral before the end of the year. As per the waiter pen, they have a Yellow sponge next to the receipt pad and clean the bit of pen you touch every time you give it back. We wold not have noticed as well, but we were chattting with the waiter on Lido deck about fear of Norovirus (she apparently had it when they were in Canada) and she showed us the little sponge. I guess that's what we loved about the staff. They do a lot and keep the ship clean, but don't necessary show it to the guests, so we can stay relaxed in our ignorance.

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