Just returned from Balmoral Cruise

[bobstheboy]

A quick review of our cruise to the Canaries on the Balmoral.

 

We liked the ship, a classic older style cruise ship, well stabilised in rough seas and we had some !

 

We liked the service from very friendly staff in the bars and restaurant.

 

We liked the food at all meal times and the choices offered.

 

We enjoyed the majority of the shows in the Neptune lounge and the resident band and entertainment team of dancers and singers were very good.

 

We met some lovely people and made friends we will keep in touch with.

 

Now for the negatives.

 

I am 67 and my wife is 55. The average age of the passengers I would guess at 75+ Some were like us, sociable and friendly, many were grumpy, miserable and rude. I could quote many examples but one that sticks in my mind is on sea days when walking through the shopping area, it was full of passengers sat reading books. Wow betide you if you were having a laugh with friends because you got looks and tut tuts as if you were walking through a library. At dinner our "neighbours" were more interested in listening to our table conversations than there own. I could go on but you get the picture.

 

Another point which annoyed me with Fred Olsen was some passengers, who had paid top dollar for their cabins, were charged £2 a day per person to guarantee 1st or 2nd sitting.

 

I could go on but suffice to say we will not return to a Fred Olsen Cruise. I might be an OAP but I do want to see fellow travellers enjoying themselves and not whinging and pulling faces all the time. Just a last comment which typifies some of the passengers. I was told by a member of staff that a couple complained to reception because the Captain gave the wrong weather forecast ! In Lisbon he said there would be early rain, followed by clear skies. The rain had cleared away by the time they had gone ashore and they had unnecessarily carried umbrellas and rain coats. How pathetic.

Edited November 13, 2013 by bobstheboy

[Cruising Nomads]

The £2 a day charge is only on Anchor Fare bookings. These are late deal prices certainly not the top dollar fares.

[ladylemondrop]

Indeed, this is only an optional extra on Anchor Fares (which are heavily discounted) and only applies if people wish to ensure late or early dining, it is not compulsory by any means.

 

With regard to the grumpy people, not a lot Fred Olsen can do about that one! :D Cannot imagine why anyone cruising would have anything to feel grumpy about, I only experience it when I have to go home!

[LondonTowner]

I think that old people are often grumpy, can't do much about that. We did a Balmoral cruise to the Baltics in September and really enjoyed it. We had excellent dining companions and had lots of laughs every evening.

 

What did annoy me a bit was that seats were taken beside the windows by people reading books or asleep when I would have liked to have sat there and admired the scenery.

 

There were also a lot of daft people in the lifts not knowing where they were going, in, out, up, down, but I suppose it was their age and it gave us a laugh.

 

We will go with Fred again as we like the smaller ships and their reasonable drinks prices.

[1160451]

A quick review of our cruise to the Canaries on the Balmoral.

 

We liked the ship, a classic older style cruise ship, well stabilised in rough seas and we had some !

 

We liked the service from very friendly staff in the bars and restaurant.

 

We liked the food at all meal times and the choices offered.

 

We enjoyed the majority of the shows in the Neptune lounge and the resident band and entertainment team of dancers and singers were very good.

 

We met some lovely people and made friends we will keep in touch with.

 

Now for the negatives.

 

I am 67 and my wife is 55. The average age of the passengers I would guess at 75+ Some were like us, sociable and friendly, many were grumpy, miserable and rude. I could quote many examples but one that sticks in my mind is on sea days when walking through the shopping area, it was full of passengers sat reading books. Wow betide you if you were having a laugh with friends because you got looks and tut tuts as if you were walking through a library. At dinner our "neighbours" were more interested in listening to our table conversations than there own. I could go on but you get the picture.

 

Another point which annoyed me with Fred Olsen was some passengers, who had paid top dollar for their cabins, were charged £2 a day per person to guarantee 1st or 2nd sitting.

 

I could go on but suffice to say we will not return to a Fred Olsen Cruise. I might be an OAP but I do want to see fellow travellers enjoying themselves and not whinging and pulling faces all the time. Just a last comment which typifies some of the passengers. I was told by a member of staff that a couple complained to reception because the Captain gave the wrong weather forecast ! In Lisbon he said there would be early rain, followed by clear skies. The rain had cleared away by the time they had gone ashore and they had unnecessarily carried umbrellas and rain coats. How pathetic.

 

Hi bob I think all the pluses you list for your cruise far outweigh a few grumpy oap's but that's just my thoughts.

If I had a pound for every tut tut We have had on a cruise I would be rich.

So I suppose some people on CC might have posted about those noisy people on table xx. A cruise is like everyday life some people are quite and want to read in the library, others tend to burn the candle at both ends.

We all just have to rub along together nobody is right and nobody is wrong.

Happy cruising which ever line you choose.

[heywood]

Hello,

 

we also just returned from that cruise and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I have previously posted that we booked as a result of the Parish at Sea programme and were not put off by that programme.

Whilst the majority of passengers were in the older age range, it was what we expected but there were some 'mid age' range people and a couple of families.

There were also a sizeable group of people who used walking aids etc from across the age ranges.

I agree with you re all the positives.

I never felt that there was any disapproval of any kind of behaviour - yes the main walk through lounges did resemble an old folks home at times with sleeping residents but I only noticed that on the last sea days when it was a bit bumpy!

We also met lovely folk at mealtimes and also sitting around in the lounges on occasion.

My husband was so pleased that there were tutorials and duplicate bridge and I enjoyed the Agatha Christie theme input.

I was quite surprised at the number of passengers who dressed for the theme nights - more than I have seen on other ships.

I also thought it good that there was no pressure to purchase wine at mealtimes or drinks from the bar staff in general.

I thought the atmosphere was very good and there was a real friendliness and fondness between the crew and passengers.

The smaller ship also made it easier for embarkation and disembarkation which was another plus.

Yes - we would certainly look for another Fred Olsen cruise.

Edited November 13, 2013 by heywood
added a word

[bobstheboy]

We are all different and therefore look for different experiences on a cruise. For us the overwhelming impression during and after this cruise is old grumpy people and that will stay with us. Even on good weather days, we found people on the upper deck were frowning at our laughter, maybe we were wrong and just should have got a book out and kept quiet.

 

Not wanting to put anyone off Fred Olsen but some people will want a more diverse range of passengers enjoying themselves.

[heywood]

Yes, we are all different. It is interesting that two experiences of the same cruise can be viewed in diverse ways- whichever the cruise line.

I was very reluctant to try FO and was persuaded to try it. I was quite surprised at the range of passengers - more physical range than age. You can meet grumpy younger folk and really fun older ones.

I did notice on the upper deck, the numbers of folk determined to get a tan - if they were quiet, they were probably concentrating and ready to turn over for a grilling on the other side :)

I did forget to say earlier that my husband also enjoyed the gym very much - that was another plus.

I do realise that if we went again with FO, it might be a different experience but that applies to any other cruise.

I can honestly say though that I did not see any disapproval, tutting or grumpiness on this holiday and thankfully on others we have experienced.

[bobstheboy]

Yes, we are all different. It is interesting that two experiences of the same cruise can be viewed in diverse ways- whichever the cruise line.

I was very reluctant to try FO and was persuaded to try it. I was quite surprised at the range of passengers - more physical range than age. You can meet grumpy younger folk and really fun older ones.

I did notice on the upper deck, the numbers of folk determined to get a tan - if they were quiet, they were probably concentrating and ready to turn over for a grilling on the other side :)

I did forget to say earlier that my husband also enjoyed the gym very much - that was another plus.

I do realise that if we went again with FO, it might be a different experience but that applies to any other cruise.

I can honestly say though that I did not see any disapproval, tutting or grumpiness on this holiday and thankfully on others we have experienced.

 

We did have a good holiday and I'm pleased for you that you enjoyed yourselves.

 

I am not going to keep on the same subject and bore everyone but on a serious note there were some passengers who were too infirm to be on a ship. As we were making our way off at Southampton we found a man, traveling alone, who had fallen by a lift. He had two walking sticks and had fallen earlier in the cruise. We got a chair from a cabin and sat him down. He refused our offer to call the medical centre, left him and reported his location to an officer we met on the next deck. We saw many instances of very infirm people and wondered how they got insurance cover. Most were with wives or husbands who were able bodied but elderly themselves and struggling, especially on sea days. They is no way I would want to go on a cruise in that condition.

[dsrdsrdsr]

We saw many instances of very infirm people and wondered how they got insurance cover. Most were with wives or husbands who were able bodied but elderly themselves and struggling, especially on sea days. They is no way I would want to go on a cruise in that condition.

I think perhaps you ought to wait until you are in that condition before being so dogmatic. If you're old, infirm, and only going to get worse, you might consider going on holiday and making the best of it is a better option than sitting at home waiting to die.

[bobstheboy]

I think perhaps you ought to wait until you are in that condition before being so dogmatic. If you're old, infirm, and only going to get worse, you might consider going on holiday and making the best of it is a better option than sitting at home waiting to die.

 

If you had seen the man with bruising all over his arm and having to attend the medical centre every day and clearly incapable of looking after himself you wouldn't have made that comment. I am all for elderly people going on holiday when they are infirm if they are looked after by a carer, but when on there own and clearly having difficulty coping with everyday life, then no.

[RivaDiva]

Well Bobstheboy how lucky you are to be in a position to be irritated by the less able bodied.

My father fought in a war so that we could live in an inclusive society.

I for one admire the guts and determination of people who find life more challenging than I do and good for them if they decide that a cruise is what they are going to do. They are not from a generation where making a fuss is normal. So what if you can't get past someone on a zimmer or wheelchair, chill, your on holiday. If they tut when you make a noise then so what, does it matter? I have to say that my husband was extremely noisy playing the deck games. (very competitive!) and got a few looks. Water off a ducks back to him.

We avoided the lifts and used the stairs.

As for insurance, then I imagine there were quite a few exclusions, a massive excess and premium.

I apologise if I have misinterpreted your last posting but I do find it most offensive.

[bobstheboy]

Well Bobstheboy how lucky you are to be in a position to be irritated by the less able bodied.

My father fought in a war so that we could live in an inclusive society.

I for one admire the guts and determination of people who find life more challenging than I do and good for them if they decide that a cruise is what they are going to do. They are not from a generation where making a fuss is normal. So what if you can't get past someone on a zimmer or wheelchair, chill, your on holiday. If they tut when you make a noise then so what, does it matter? I have to say that my husband was extremely noisy playing the deck games. (very competitive!) and got a few looks. Water off a ducks back to him.

We avoided the lifts and used the stairs.

As for insurance, then I imagine there were quite a few exclusions, a massive excess and premium.

I apologise if I have misinterpreted your last posting but I do find it most offensive.

 

You certainly have misinterpreted my last post. My wife and I were not at all irritated by elderly infirm people, just couldn't understand why some were in an environment that was frankly dangerous. If you think being on a ship which is rolling in a force 8 is a safe place for elderly infirm people on there own, struggling with two walking sticks, then I find you offensive.

 

Did I state we were annoyed because we couldn't pass a wheelchair or zimmer ? Please accept my concerns for the elderly infirm are in there own interest and do not jump to conclusions .

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you had seen the man with bruising all over his arm and having to attend the medical centre every day and clearly incapable of looking after himself you wouldn't have made that comment. I am all for elderly people going on holiday when they are infirm if they are looked after by a carer, but when on there own and clearly having difficulty coping with everyday life, then no.

How would seeing that man have made any difference to my comment? I believe that many old people would rather go on holiday, when they aren't really fit, because it's better than stopping at home. The gentlemen you refer to is pretty much preoof of what I said.

 

Clearly as soon as you feel like you're getting old, you will cancel all holidays and book yourself a nursing home so as to be no bother to anyone else. Good for you. I doubt I will be so noble - if I have the chance of a cruise holiday, even though my health isn't as good as it was, I'll be going on holiday. Sitting at home watching telly for 52 weeks a year can be overrated.

[bobstheboy]

How would seeing that man have made any difference to my comment? I believe that many old people would rather go on holiday, when they aren't really fit, because it's better than stopping at home. The gentlemen you refer to is pretty much preoof of what I said.

 

Clearly as soon as you feel like you're getting old, you will cancel all holidays and book yourself a nursing home so as to be no bother to anyone else. Good for you. I doubt I will be so noble - if I have the chance of a cruise holiday, even though my health isn't as good as it was, I'll be going on holiday. Sitting at home watching telly for 52 weeks a year can be overrated.

 

So you approve of elderly infirm people on there own going on holiday in an unsafe environment and injuring themselves - good for you. As for your comments re a nursing home, well I shall leave my thoughts to myself.

 

Some of the posts in reply to my honest observations are frankly bewildering. I wouldn't want my wife onboard a ship on her own in the frail condition of the man we saw and helped, whilst others walked by. My concern isn't for myself but others who need the decision as to whether they are well enough for this type of holiday, to be taken out of their hands.

 

I believe there is a wider Health and Safety issue with cruise lines allowing infirm passengers, on their own, into an environment potentially dangerous. In the event of an emergency they are risking their lives and others who would be trying to help them.

 

This is my last post because obviously some are misconstruing my comments and not realising I only mean well for these people.

[cruisecampo]

Bobstheboy

Many thanks for your post and your observations. As we are due to sail with FO for the first time in the near future and aged 63 and 55 we found it useful.

Thanks

[dsrdsrdsr]

So you approve of elderly infirm people on there own going on holiday in an unsafe environment and injuring themselves - good for you.

 

...

 

This is my last post because obviously some are misconstruing my comments and not realising I only mean well for these people.

No. That is not what I said, and I can't really see how you thought it was. But just in case you're still reading, I'll try again.

 

You said, "Most were with wives or husbands who were able bodied but elderly themselves and struggling, especially on sea days. They is no way I would want to go on a cruise in that condition."

 

To which I replied that you ought to wait until you are in that condition until you make that statement, and later said that people who are eldderly, infirm, and won't get any better, might want to make the best of what they have got and enjoy what they can rather than sitting at home waiting to die.

 

I did not make any judgement on whether they're right or wrong to do so.

 

As for meaning well for these people, I'm sure it's very kind of you. but it's also very patronising and interfering. They may be old and infirm, but even old and infirm people (I speak from experience) have minds of their own and do not need to be told what to do by random strangers. Who knows, there may even be a time in your own life when you don't want to be told what to do by someone you've never met. If I looked at your dinner plate and gave you helpful advice about changing your diet, would you be any less annoyed because I meant well?

[heywood]

This is a difficult situation which I have read about also on other forums and it does seem as though there is a misunderstanding and direct criticism has not been made.

I was on the same cruise and have written earlier of my delight that the cruise was not what I thought it might be - 'God's waiting room' as it was described by a passenger in the tv programme.

With regard to the dinner plate/diet situation, unless I was going to have a heart attack at the table because of the food I ate, it wouldn't impinge on your safety or well being.

I am full of admiration for those folk who overcome their health issues and enjoy a holiday in a safe evironment where they are treated respectfully by fellow passengers and cruises staff.

However, there must be safety considerations which presumably FO and other cruise lines have to consider re any likely evacuation in the extreme, or general day to day experiences - coach trips, moving around the ship etc.

It was very bumpy on the last two days when it was difficult to move around and there were a few accidents where people fell.

I think Bobstheboy reported as he found the ship and the holiday - many good points.

We loved it and enjoyed many chats with people of all ages and abilities and also experienced some people who we didn't particularly hit it off with but I am sure they thought that about us :D

However, we didn't experience any disapproval.

Cruisecampo, I do hope you enjoy the break- we found much to enjoy and hope you do too.

[jeanlyon]

We did our first cruise with FO on the Braemar last year and all your plus points were the same on there. Some of your negatives were the same as well, people asleep in the lounges particular during inclement weather. However, we met some younger folk as well and one older single lady of 77 who has become my firm friend and we have visited each other's homes twice now. She is fit, works out, has a superb singing voice. The three of us are going on Balmoral in January out to Dubai. So lovely to make a new friend.

 

We are 66 and 75, and enjoy all activities on the ship, well apart from bridge and quizzes. Grumpiness amongst passengers is everywhere. I met some 'orrible people on our recent cruise on Oriana, but our Table for 8 was just super with friendly fun people. So you can't say never again to Fred O for that reason any more than you can say never again to P&O. We like smaller ships so that means, it's either P&O or Fred, so then the itinerary comes into play.

 

As for the elderly and infirm not going on a cruise, I disagree. It's probably the only type of holiday they would enjoy, as flying is probably out. So the man fell, it was bad luck.

 

Jean

PS, some of the most overbearing women I have ever met were in the choir on Oriana! LOL

Edited November 18, 2013 by jeanlyon

[bobstheboy]

"So the man fell, it was bad luck."

 

He fell on his second day on board and was badly bruised, being treated in the Medical Centre daily. He fell on his last day, badly bruising himself. He could hardly put one foot in front of the other. He was walking with two walking sticks. He was on his own.

 

Bad luck ? I believe he should not have been on the ship and I saw him.

[jeanlyon]

But that's his choice and it's not going to spoil your holiday is it?

[bobstheboy]

I had no intention of posting any more on this thread but some of the replies are incredulous.

 

I firmly believe that there are many elderly infirm people traveling alone on Fred Olsen ships who are a danger to themselves and others. It is their choice but sometimes in life people make stupid decisions that have to be corrected by others. I will repeat what I posted previously, in an emergency these people are putting their lives in danger and others who may go to assist them.

 

Fred Olsen have obviously built up a good return customer business and will let anyone on board judging by the poor health of some I saw. Whilst there are no incidents which will cause bad publicity they will get away with it.

[RivaDiva]

I expressed my views in an earlier post so I won't bang on any more.

I can't agree with Bobstheboy but I am curious to know what happens on other lines though. Saga for instance specialise in holidays for older people. What about P&O and RC? Do frail and elderly people travel with them?

My cruising experience is very limited with 1 week on a Thomson ship and 3 cruises on Fred's Balmoral.

[1160451]

We have cruised with Fred, P and O, Thomson, RCI and HAL.

A good cross section.

Just how a cruise line is supposed to determine a persons ability to withstand rough seas is beyond me.

I agree with the OP, there are many frail and elderly people on many cruises but I bet the Hospitals in Benidorm during the Winter are full of Elderly people with falls, fractures and other ailments.

Yes I agree some people, in reality, are a danger to themselves but how on earth are the cruise lines, the airlines or the hotel industry going to decide a persons suitability to withstand the possible rigours of a holiday.

As I said before we all have to rub along together. So if somebody falls and hurts themselves well so be it. That's life, like it or not.

People fall for all manner of reasons some self inflicted others due to capability.

If I see an old and infirm person fall on a cruise I would help them, if there was an emergancy then I would leave it to the appropriate personnel.

I am not a callous person just a realist.

To add a spot of humour is been old taken over from Dress Codes....?

[jeanlyon]

Yes, they are a danger to themselves, but they are no danger to anyone else at all. yes, if you saw someone fall, you would try to help or call the doctor. It's not rocket science, it's just like anywhere else on the planet. I have seen elderly frail people on my aircraft when I was a stewardess. I was surprised they would travel, but they do. So what?