All things Balmoral

[collinH45]

This is a freestyle board only for the Fred Olsen Balmoral. It seems like a ship for the adults. We never been on the ship. We talk about everything about the Balmoral. You can comment down below if you want to.

Edited September 27, 2014 by collinH45

[collinH45]

The Balmoral also sounds like a good ship for adults

[Parsman]

The "Balmoral" is a fine, well maintained and comfortable ship. I have sailed on it several times and, in fact, I disembarked from it last Friday after a splendid cruise to Canada and the USA.

It is, of course, an older ship like all the Fred. Olsen vessels and does not have all the amenities of some very modern ships. I have found the cabins comfortable with plenty of storage space, good air conditioning and (in many cabins) lovely picture windows.

There are three venues for dining, the main one "Ballindalloch" on the main deck and two more intimate ones (Spey" and "Avon") on the Highland deck, high up on the vessel. The food is very good indeed with pleasant and friendly service. There is also a self-service restaurant, the "Palms" cafe, which is good for more casual meals.

The international staff are renowned for their friendliness and I can vouch for this.

Daytime entertainment is a mixture of lectures and an assortment of practical activities. The classical recitals are very good and a pleasant way to spend the odd hour at sea. There are, of course, the usual sessions of bingo, horse racing etc. Evening entertainment is mainly cabaret type shows in the Neptune Lounge although some smaller performances take place in the Lido lounge. The quality of the cabaret acts varies enormously but this is a matter of personal taste. Some performers are excellent whilst other are well past their "sell-by" dates.

The great things about the "Balmoral" are the wonderful itinereries varying from world cruises to shorter voyages to a wide range of interesting destinations. On the world cruises they are divided into sectors so there are always a good selection of fly-cruises included in the ship's programme.

As it is a relatively small ship with limited facilities it is not ideal for children or teenagers.

It is a ship to be recommended.

[Willow1686]

I was on the Balmoral for the last leg of the world cruise this year, coming from San Diego, down the west coast and through the Panama Canal, round the Carribean and then across the Atlantic home to England; I had a great time!

 

It's not a big ship and it's traditional in its outlook; I agree with Parsman that it's a ship for grown ups. It's also a ship for people who enjoy being at sea; I get the impression with the huge new ships that they're designed for people who don't want to know that they are afloat :D

 

I'm in the 'some are past their sell by dates' camp on the cabaret as well; there was a very noticeable gap between the very good and the frankly pretty awful acts, but this is a very personal thing. I advise sitting at the back so you can make a discreet exit should the need arise.

 

I also enjoy the fact that there are no hard sell tactics; I have been on cruises where people would harass you all the time to buy things. It's not their fault because it's imposed by management but it's impossible to relax when people are constantly in your face; Fred Olsen doesn't do that.

 

If you're looking for interesting itineraries then again I would recommend the Balmoral; I very much enjoyed the visit to Acapulco where we were treated like royalty. The big cruise lines had dumped Acapulco because of perceived pickpocketing but since I live in a large city I automatically take precautions anyway; I find it difficult to sympathise with people who wander around with their wallets in their back pockets and then complain when they predictably lose their wallet. There were large numbers of the tourist police around and one very kindly stopped the traffic so I could cross the road; I doubt that I will ever again have that happen again :)

[collinH45]

I was on the Balmoral for the last leg of the world cruise this year, coming from San Diego, down the west coast and through the Panama Canal, round the Carribean and then across the Atlantic home to England; I had a great time!

 

It's not a big ship and it's traditional in its outlook; I agree with Parsman that it's a ship for grown ups. It's also a ship for people who enjoy being at sea; I get the impression with the huge new ships that they're designed for people who don't want to know that they are afloat :D

 

I'm in the 'some are past their sell by dates' camp on the cabaret as well; there was a very noticeable gap between the very good and the frankly pretty awful acts, but this is a very personal thing. I advise sitting at the back so you can make a discreet exit should the need arise.

 

I also enjoy the fact that there are no hard sell tactics; I have been on cruises where people would harass you all the time to buy things. It's not their fault because it's imposed by management but it's impossible to relax when people are constantly in your face; Fred Olsen doesn't do that.

 

If you're looking for interesting itineraries then again I would recommend the Balmoral; I very much enjoyed the visit to Acapulco where we were treated like royalty. The big cruise lines had dumped Acapulco because of perceived pickpocketing but since I live in a large city I automatically take precautions anyway; I find it difficult to sympathise with people who wander around with their wallets in their back pockets and then complain when they predictably lose their wallet. There were large numbers of the tourist police around and one very kindly stopped the traffic so I could cross the road; I doubt that I will ever again have that happen again :)

I'm glad you had a good time on the Balmoral.:)

[collinH45]

The "Balmoral" is a fine, well maintained and comfortable ship. I have sailed on it several times and, in fact, I disembarked from it last Friday after a splendid cruise to Canada and the USA.

It is, of course, an older ship like all the Fred. Olsen vessels and does not have all the amenities of some very modern ships. I have found the cabins comfortable with plenty of storage space, good air conditioning and (in many cabins) lovely picture windows.

There are three venues for dining, the main one "Ballindalloch" on the main deck and two more intimate ones (Spey" and "Avon") on the Highland deck, high up on the vessel. The food is very good indeed with pleasant and friendly service. There is also a self-service restaurant, the "Palms" cafe, which is good for more casual meals.

The international staff are renowned for their friendliness and I can vouch for this.

Daytime entertainment is a mixture of lectures and an assortment of practical activities. The classical recitals are very good and a pleasant way to spend the odd hour at sea. There are, of course, the usual sessions of bingo, horse racing etc. Evening entertainment is mainly cabaret type shows in the Neptune Lounge although some smaller performances take place in the Lido lounge. The quality of the cabaret acts varies enormously but this is a matter of personal taste. Some performers are excellent whilst other are well past their "sell-by" dates.

The great things about the "Balmoral" are the wonderful itinereries varying from world cruises to shorter voyages to a wide range of interesting destinations. On the world cruises they are divided into sectors so there are always a good selection of fly-cruises included in the ship's programme.

As it is a relatively small ship with limited facilities it is not ideal for children or teenagers.

It is a ship to be recommended.

I heard thst it is a luxury ship. I already know that it is not ideal for children and teens.

[jeanlyon]

We did the first leg of the Worldie last January and had a great time. Entertainment ranges from awful to very good, but just got back off Oriana and felt the same!

[collinH45]

This is a freestyle board only for the Fred Olsen Balmoral. It seems like a ship for the adults. We never been on the ship. We talk about everything about the Balmoral. You can comment down below if you want to.

You can also talk about your experience and how you like the Balmoral.

[worldfamoustravellers]

The "Balmoral" is a fine, well maintained and comfortable ship. I have sailed on it several times and, in fact, I disembarked from it last Friday after a splendid cruise to Canada and the USA.

It is, of course, an older ship like all the Fred. Olsen vessels and does not have all the amenities of some very modern ships. I have found the cabins comfortable with plenty of storage space, good air conditioning and (in many cabins) lovely picture windows.

There are three venues for dining, the main one "Ballindalloch" on the main deck and two more intimate ones (Spey" and "Avon") on the Highland deck, high up on the vessel. The food is very good indeed with pleasant and friendly service. There is also a self-service restaurant, the "Palms" cafe, which is good for more casual meals.

The international staff are renowned for their friendliness and I can vouch for this.

Daytime entertainment is a mixture of lectures and an assortment of practical activities. The classical recitals are very good and a pleasant way to spend the odd hour at sea. There are, of course, the usual sessions of bingo, horse racing etc. Evening entertainment is mainly cabaret type shows in the Neptune Lounge although some smaller performances take place in the Lido lounge. The quality of the cabaret acts varies enormously but this is a matter of personal taste. Some performers are excellent whilst other are well past their "sell-by" dates.

The great things about the "Balmoral" are the wonderful itinereries varying from world cruises to shorter voyages to a wide range of interesting destinations. On the world cruises they are divided into sectors so there are always a good selection of fly-cruises included in the ship's programme.

As it is a relatively small ship with limited facilities it is not ideal for children or teenagers.

It is a ship to be recommended.

 

I would second everything Parsman said. I think FO have stopped World Cruises on Balmoral, at least for the time being - I'm guessing that's because of the cost of the Panama Canal transit????

 

We would certainly sail with her again, although nothing booked at the moment.

 

Hope this helps.

 

wft

[grjbyfleet]

I have cruised several times on Balmoral, and find it to be a great ship. One of the nicest things about the crew as they all seem to have a permanent smile. They cannot do enough for you.

We have gotten to like sea days as my wife and I love to read. Even in the evenings the various lounges are well lit so you can read.

[collinH45]

I have cruised several times on Balmoral, and find it to be a great ship. One of the nicest things about the crew as they all seem to have a permanent smile. They cannot do enough for you.

We have gotten to like sea days as my wife and I love to read. Even in the evenings the various lounges are well lit so you can read.

I'm happy you had a good experience. We've never got on the Balmoral. If you have pictures, you could post them in this thread. Thanks

[TJR_0323]

Question about the Balmoral "casino"..... it appears there are two gaming tables, are there any slot machines ?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

[tring]

11 hours ago, TJR_0323 said:

Question about the Balmoral "casino"..... it appears there are two gaming tables, are there any slot machines ?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

Casinos are not popular over here, so not on the UK ships in the way they are in some other country's cruise lines.  As you say there are two gaming tables which are, in fact, little used and tend to be just put in a corner or wide corridor somewhere on all Fred's ships.  One is a roulette table and the other a card game -  I think it is called Black Jack.

 

Do you realise this thread dates back to 2014?  It is good you have obviously searched the boards before posting, but this is perhaps a tad outdated 🙂

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by tring

[TJR_0323]

12 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Casinos are not popular over here, so not on the UK ships in the way they are in some other country's cruise lines.  As you say there are two gaming tables which are, in fact, little used and tend to be just put in a corner or wide corridor somewhere on all Fred's ships.  One is a roulette table and the other a card game -  I think it is called Black Jack.

 

Do you realise this thread dates back to 2014?  It is good you have obviously searched the boards before posting, but this is perhaps a tad outdated 🙂

 

Thanks Tring for your reply, as always most helpful. I did see this thread was a bit old but the thread's name seem like a good place for my question.

 

[tring]

10 hours ago, TJR_0323 said:

Thanks Tring for your reply, as always most helpful. I did see this thread was a bit old but the thread's name seem like a good place for my question.

 

 

No problem starting a new thread, even if just for one simple question.  It is possible to follow at particular forum so notifications appear if a new thread is created on that forum, so can be helpful, though I did see your post by chance and was able to answer.

 

Happy cruising,

 

Barbara