First time cruiser - Balmoral 2022

[annethered]

Planning our first cruise in November 2022 Norwegian Fjords on the Balmoral.
I have never been on a proper cruise but have not had great sea legs on ferries etc in the past. I KNOW it will be very different from cross channel ferries (!) but any advice you can give me would be appreciated.

We are thinking a room with a balcony. I know it will be cold but hubby likes the idea of being able to get some fresh air. I read somewhere that midships is best for motion sickness but beyond that I know nothing. Had a bit of a browse at cabin availability and found Lido deck BC Cabins 8046 or 8047. I am a light sleeper so didn't want to be too near the lifts!
Also, is it best to book direct with Fred Olsen?
I am sure I will have a million other questions but first I need to book the trip!!
Thanks!🙂

[tring]

2 hours ago, annethered said:

Planning our first cruise in November 2022 Norwegian Fjords on the Balmoral.
I have never been on a proper cruise but have not had great sea legs on ferries etc in the past. I KNOW it will be very different from cross channel ferries (!) but any advice you can give me would be appreciated.

We are thinking a room with a balcony. I know it will be cold but hubby likes the idea of being able to get some fresh air. I read somewhere that midships is best for motion sickness but beyond that I know nothing. Had a bit of a browse at cabin availability and found Lido deck BC Cabins 8046 or 8047. I am a light sleeper so didn't want to be too near the lifts!
Also, is it best to book direct with Fred Olsen?
I am sure I will have a million other questions but first I need to book the trip!!
Thanks!🙂

 

Welcome to the boards.

 

I would be quite happy with those cabins.  As you say mid ship best and it is often said lower down is better as well, though you will not get a balcony there and none of Fred's ships are that high anyway, so doubt there would be much difference.  Regards any noise it is always a good idea to look at what is above, below and to either side, which looks fine to me in this case.  I do not know what the white space opposite those cabins is, but is not directly adjacent to the cabins, so I would not worry much about that.  Being a bit to the front of centre is a location we usually choose on Fred's older ships as getting nearer to the back does often mean vibration will be felt from the engines, though that is always more noticeable on the lower decks.  Those cabins are not big at 180 square feet and I feel Fred's photos may show a strange perspective, but it should be big enough for the purpose.  Fred's balconies do tend to be rather expensive, sadly, in fact all his prices are at present.  If you are unhappy with a cabin for any reason, do mention it to guest services asap, since they will move you if they can and you will get help for the move from crew (a wheeling hanging rail brought along).

 

It is not normal to have Fjords cruises in the winter, so looked up your itinerary, which in fact is a Northern Lights cruise.  The fjords are further south, in what I think of as the "head of the lion" on the Norwegian map and the ports you have there are the coastal ones of Alesund and Molde.  Hence you will not have the lengthy sail into and out of the Fjords.  With Fred's smaller ships though, there is scenic cruising as he goes up the inside passage, which can also mean avoidance of some of what can be rougher seas at that time of year.  I have not done that route with Fred in the winter, but suspect it may be more likely that there will be mist around, spoiling some views, but you would still likely see something.  I have done the sail in to Tromso on another cruise line and that was very scenic as there was a lot of snow around.  I think the most likely time to see the Northern Lights is around the equinoxes, though TBH it is a little hit and miss at all times, so be aware that is a risk.  Also, to have the best chance of seeing the lights you will need to go on a ship's tour to a remote location without light pollution.  So there will be extra costs, though once there you do need to make the most of it.  We did a "reindeer sledding and visit to a Sami village" tour with P&O, which I would recommend (tours tend to be similar on all lines as run by a local company).   It could get very cold so you will need to take different clothes and footwear than you would normally wear at home and consider things like shoe grips to go over boots, even if just walking around a port, if there is snow on the ground (Yaxtrak are good ones).

 

Always best to take a seasickness prevention with you on case (we use Stugeron), so perhaps speak to a pharmacist nearer the time. I always take something like oat cakes or cream crackers and oxo cubes to make up a savory drink to sip, as I find that useful in bad seas if I do not want a normal meal, though you can also order room service if you want.  If you do become ill a ship's doctor can administer an injection to help, but really you should only need that if you are very bad and hopefully all will be well, so enjoy your cruise. 

 

For future reference a lot of information can be found in various article, including on this site, so can probably do a search for them, or even a search of past posts may give info., but you can spend a lot of time trawling through it all.  There is a ports of call section as well.

Edited March 18, 2021 by tring

[ovccruiser]

Hi Annethered, my wife and I also suffer from sea sickness, my wife more than I. We use wrist bands for our remedy and for us they work fine unless it is really rough when my wife just looses her appetite, no sickness just loss of appetite, strange 😄  We don't really like taking pills so hence the wristbands. Eating or drinking ginger in one form or another is also another non pill remedy, but having been on the Balmoral, she is quite a stable ship. Enjoy your cruise.

[1160451]

Hi. Agree with everything everybody has posted.
To add though Balmoral is our favourite Fred Ship. Well it was, we haven’t been on the two new ones under the Fred Flag.

We always go for midships cabins both ways if you understand. 
As for the Itinerary, we have been on a Northern Lights cruise with Fred on the Boudica. It was fantastic. The Northern Lights we saw on two occasions and I will remember them for the rest of my life. 
The shore excursions were really good.
In fact we are looking at going again Jan 2023.

We use bands and Stugeron if it gets a bit Rocky. 
Freds passenger profile is more to the 55 plus. 
Not as high tech as some other Cruise Company’s but more like an English Country House atmosphere.

Have a great Cruise.

 

 

[1160451]

We always book direct with Fred 

[terry2]

14 hours ago, 1160451 said:

We always book direct with Fred 

 

 I always try and make the booking via topcashback, as I get a bit back that way.

[1160451]

That’s interesting 👍