Fred Olsen Balmoral Reviews

Summary:  Excellent ship and crew with very good facilities but rather noisy in stormy waters.

Summary:  Ship clean as ever but is definately ready for it's refurb in December

Summary:  Ship and most of the crew excellent. The main dining room staff are not as good as they could be Food on the whole excellent.

Summary:  Have just returned from a Spain Portugal and Canaries cruise aboard the lovely Balmoral, Everything, was as we had expected, the food staff are all a credit to Fred Olsen.

Summary:  My first ever cruise was on board the Balmoral for 32 nights in October 2017 and I had a wonderful time. I have recently returned from a 2 week cruise on the same ship to the Canaries and Portugal and I was very disappointed. The cabin was very tired looking, in my opinion it needed a paint job and scrub down. The breakfast and lunches were very good, however the evening meals were no where near as good as they were last year. The entertainment was OK but nothing special. It didn't help that the 4 piece band who played in the Lido Bar were taken off the ship at a port of call for being drunk, and as a result, the last 4 nights of the cruise there was no live music in the Lido Bar, not even a DJ, just background Disco music. On the plus side, the staff were once again absolutely superb. A very disappointing cruise.

Summary:  We have just returned from a 12 day mystery cruise. It was a really good holiday. The ship was comfortable, very clean and reasonably warm in the public areas, the food was excellent, the entertainment was first rate and the staff were exceedingly polite and responsive. The other passengers, who were mainly British and in our age group (50+), were very friendly. Getting on and off the boat was very easy. Our inside cabin on deck 4 at the rear of the boat was spacious, clean, warm with a good shower, but it creaked and groaned a bit when under way.

Summary:  The staff were amazing. They work incredibly hard. Very disappointed to see them ignored or dismissed by so many on board. The ship is comfortable but this cruise ship is really only suited for British people who just want peace and quiet. The tours were far too expensive for what you got. The average age seemed to be late 70's to 80's. This ship really caters to a very small demographic but it is perfect for that group. The cabin was very comfortable and although the view was partly obstructed by life boat it did not feel hemmed in. Iglu made sure we were aware of this during booking. Would only recommend this particular ship to those who are British, over 75 etc. I think it is very well catered for people with limited mobility. There were many walkers, scooters and wheelchairs. This is wonderful for them. Again, the staff go out of their way to accommodate those with limited mobility. I cannot praise the staff highly enough.

Summary:  Have made quite a few cruises on the lovely Balmoral, every single one of the outmost cruise experience you could wish for.. Have read several of the reviews saying staff only just fair, food not good, do not know what ship they were on, although they say it was Balmoral, not really fair comments.

Summary:  Another excellent cruise due to quality entertainment on board, happy helpful staff, essential dance hosts good food, and friendly passengers. All this despite missing Swedish promised views and Visby due to bad weather and suffering extreme cold temperatures.

Summary:  Staff excellent. However our cabin 5171 was far too noisy. The engine noise was unbearable. We were moved to 5149 after 2 nights, unfortunately this one was not much better. The cabins are old and dour, and the bed configuration was bemusing. On the plus side, the drinks package was good value.