Balmoral, fjords Aug 2016

Hi,

We're thinking about booking the above for Aug 2016

We've previously only sailed with Thomson so would appreciate a comparison.

Particularly interested in prices of trips as Norway is quite expensive but any info on which cabins to avoid etc etc would be very much appreciated

Gracias

Hello Pedro

Both myself & Malch have recently returned from FO cruises having also travelled with Thomson & we have put together a 'comparison' of the 2 lines - link is here.

Which type of cabins have you had on the Celebration as this may help us to help you!

We have already booked to sail again with Fred & off again soon on a mini cruise too

Jules

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2239319

We just got back from a similar cruise on Balmoral and here were our excursion prices:

On the trail of the Vikings £60.00

Intro to Bergen & Mt Floien £40.00

Kjenndalen Glacier & Lovatnet £60.00

Flam Railway Ticket £55.00

The only one that I would say felt 'expensive' was the Flåm railways ticket. Ordinarily you can book direct to save a little on the price but on the day we were there there was also another huge cruise ship in together with a large number of coaches that brought in people from elsewhere so there were no tickets available from the rail company at all.

Hi Jules, Thanks for the link.

Going to check that out now thankyou!

Pedro

Hi Mark,

Thanks for these trip prices. We generally say 2 Excursions per week on a cruise ship.

This will help with our budgeting thankyou.

Norway is beautiful.

What were the trips like? Would you recommend all the trips you did?

Did you sail from Newcastle? What was the crossing of the North Sea like?

So many questions sorry!

Pedro

Hello Pedro

 

Both myself & Malch have recently returned from FO cruises having also travelled with Thomson & we have put together a 'comparison' of the 2 lines - link is here.

 

Which type of cabins have you had on the Celebration as this may help us to help you!

 

We have already booked to sail again with Fred & off again soon on a mini cruise too

 

Jules

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2239319

Jules,

We've normally booked 3/4 Cabin mid ship on Celebration. We love that ship but our son has decided he'd rather not fly hence the UK sailing which just happens to be a 10 mile drive to the Port (very appealing)

Going to check that link now

Pedro

What were the trips like? Would you recommend all the trips you did?

The only one we might reconsider with hindsight would be the Flåm railway.

If you buy just the railway tickets, you travel up the line, stay on the train and travel back down the line, with a photo stop at the same place in each direction.

It was a very scenic journey, but nothing you will not see in many other places during your cruise. This is not some old steam train or anything that adds to the character or the experience, just an hour up, about the same down and the trip is over.

Did you sail from Newcastle? What was the crossing of the North Sea like?

We went from Southampton and the sea was as flat as glass the whole trip, hard to tell you were even on a ship most of the time :)

I sailed to Norway in 2004 in July & the seas were fine. A lot of the Norway ports are easy to DIY - we intend to DIY a lot ourselves in the spring next year. Certainly Stavanger & Bergen are very easy to get off & wander around.

We had a cabin on the Balmoral near the front on deck 6; our friends had one at the rear on deck 6 & mid ships on deck 4 - all inside. They were all good cabins with no problems with noise or sea movement.

Plenty of storage space in all & shower rooms are slightly bigger than the Celebration with more storage & certainly a bigger shower. Nice shower Gel & Liquid soap provided too!

The only one we might reconsider with hindsight would be the Flåm railway.

 

If you buy just the railway tickets, you travel up the line, stay on the train and travel back down the line, with a photo stop at the same place in each direction.

 

It was a very scenic journey, but nothing you will not see in many other places during your cruise. This is not some old steam train or anything that adds to the character or the experience, just an hour up, about the same down and the trip is over.

 

 

 

We went from Southampton and the sea was as flat as glass the whole trip, hard to tell you were even on a ship most of the time :)

Thanks for this info Mark....it's great to get some info before we book 😀

I sailed to Norway in 2004 in July & the seas were fine. A lot of the Norway ports are easy to DIY - we intend to DIY a lot ourselves in the spring next year. Certainly Stavanger & Bergen are very easy to get off & wander around.

 

We had a cabin on the Balmoral near the front on deck 6; our friends had one at the rear on deck 6 & mid ships on deck 4 - all inside. They were all good cabins with no problems with noise or sea movement.

 

Plenty of storage space in all & shower rooms are slightly bigger than the Celebration with more storage & certainly a bigger shower. Nice shower Gel & Liquid soap provided too!

Thanks Jules 😉

Pedro (Pete 🎤)

Jules,

Seabea forwarded me the entertainment contact details so thankyou! 😀

Pedro

Jules,

 

Seabea forwarded me the entertainment contact details so thankyou! 😀

 

Pedro

You're welcome - good luck ;) :)

Thanks

During the booking stage it asks you which Restaurant?

Which is best?

Avon, Ballondallich or Spey?

Not an easy one to answer.

Based on experience last week I'd say avoid 'Spey' and possibly 'Avon'.

They are the two smaller venues on deck 10 and while I normally prefer to avoid the main dining room, the service levels in the Spey were generally quite poor last week, due mostly to the number of tables FO are expecting the staff to cover and the more limited space up there.

The food coming out of the smaller kitchen that serves those two restaurants also left a lot to be desired. It was rarely completely inedible but was nowhere near the quality we've had on previous FO cruises.

Not an easy one to answer.

 

Based on experience last week I'd say avoid 'Spey' and possibly 'Avon'.

 

They are the two smaller venues on deck 10 and while I normally prefer to avoid the main dining room, the service levels in the Spey were generally quite poor last week, due mostly to the number of tables FO are expecting the staff to cover and the more limited space up there.

 

The food coming out of the smaller kitchen that serves those two restaurants also left a lot to be desired. It was rarely completely inedible but was nowhere near the quality we've had on previous FO cruises.

Thanks Mark,

Pleased to say we've now booked! We've chosen the main Restaurant and cannot wait. Only a year to go.

Can't believe we've paid less than £300 for our 15 year old son!!

Thanks a lot for your help

Pedro