Balmoral Reviews

Balmoral proved to be the friendliest ship we have ever been on, both crew and passengers. The entertainment and activities were generally good though the comedian's jokes could be dated at times!

Happy, safe, staff that offer brilliant service. I’m very happy to travel with Fred in fact it’s like going to spend time with family and friends I’m always looking forward to seeing you all, so much happiness on Fred’s ships, we have just become gold members so happy about that. Wishing all staff healthy happy wonderful new year hopefully see you soon.

Had a wonderful time aboard The Balmoral. Super itinerary, great weather, lots to see and do on the ship and friendly, efficient and competent service. The 28 days flew by.

Very impressed with ship; service, food & cleanliness. Great to travel from Rosyth. Cabin small, inside (i.e no window) but perfectly adequate, absolutely spotless & beautifully maintained throughout the cruise. Several restaurants to eat in, choice of a la carte or buffet at every meal. Shows of high quality & something for everyone every day. Trips expensive but you can choose from many. Overall, excellent value

Fantastic crew and every expectation of ours was surpassed. Carmelita our friendly cabin stewardess anticipated our every need. Chef Rosalio prepared excellent food to our individual tastes. Waiters Rene and Melchor made service look effortless and fun. The show team gave us hours of really quality theatre extravaganzas. Well done Fred Olsen and all the crew on Balmoral. We will be back soon.

We wanted to do the Christmas Markets and found a cruise on the Balmoral. Having never cruised with Fred before we didn’t really know what to expect. Couldn’t fault it - from embarkation to disembarkation, there were no issues at all. The staff were brilliant and just can’t do enough for you. We had a superior suite which was spacious and very comfortable. Food was top notch and evening entertainment very good. Great stops and always not too far to go to get into the towns and the markets. We enjoyed it s much we have booked to do it all again in 2020.

This was our first cruise with Fred Olsen and having just returned from a 10 day Mediterranean cruise with Azamara, we weren't sure what to expect. However, we were not disappointed! Our cabin was surprisingly large and a very substantial bathroom! We were very fortunate in that we had amazing weather sailing from Scotland to Orkney and Shetland and even on our day at sea, we were unaware we were sailing. There were many features on the ship itself which were pleasing - my husband loved the carpets and liked the general decor on the ship. The food was good and the service efficient. For us, it was a huge bonus sailing from Rosyth - only a 40 minute drive from home!

Well appointed ship with varied passenger groups leaning towards older. The food was excellent and well presented and there was little or no queueing for anything. Good entertainment and superb staff!! Fair prices in all outlets however shore excursions were very expensive.

This was my first ever cruise and I chose Fred Olsen for the destination and departure port. We had a very smooth check-in, embarkation and luggage delivery - you couldn't fault it. The suite was spotlessly clean and fresh, and was a very comfortable place to spend time. When underway you really had to strain your ears to hear any engine or internal noise at all. There were plenty of different public areas, but they were a little bland in appearance and all looked alike. The service, whilst overall very good, was lumpy. Breakfast and dinner were well executed but lunchtime had no finesse or style to it whatsoever. On several occasions, with just two of us dining, one person's plate was removed as soon as they finished and the next course served,straight way, which left us having different elements of the meal at the same time. The restaurant wasn't busy and there was no reason not to pace the service so that each diner was enjoying the same course at the same time. The Marquis Bar, on the top deck, had very poor service, and more often than not you had to go to the bar and order yourself. The Lido Bar at the back of the ship was, in contrast, somewhere where you wanted for nothing. What really let the ship down was the quality of the daytime and evening entertainment. It was beyond words. Daytime entertainment consisted of nothing more than 'Crafts with Marjorie' (that's a direct quote), Bingo, Carpet Bowling, or other mind-numbing offerings. The evening shows, with the exception of the ship's dance and singing troupe were equally dire, with several 'comedians' working hard to raise a laugh. The lesson to learn from that was to bring your own entertainment, for there was nothing to be found onboard. That said, we enjoyed it enough to decide to go again, as the overall journey, service levels, cabin environment etc were really enjoyable.

We had a brilliant time, the food, the entertainment and the staff all excellent. The Fjords were blessed with 30 degree temperatures every day, result.