Balmoral reviews

The Balmoral is an excellent ship. Outstanding crew, good entertainment and an all round experience such that we have booked two further cruises on her this year with plans for more in the future. Our only error was booking through Planet Cruise where the service is atrocious and the entire experience execrable. By all means book a Fred Olsen cruise- I thoroughly recommend it; but be careful to book it direct or through a better agent

We were lucky with the weather and the northern lights. The food on the ship was good The ship was very clean and all the staff and crew were very friendly and helpful. As for the itinerary, we would have preferred 2days at Tromso in place of 2days at Alta.

Nice ship, just the right size with a great crew. I had a problem with my cabin floor being uneven and uncomfortable to walk on. When I complained I was offered another cabin but this was unacceptable. The carpet and underlay was replaced the next day. Otherwise no problems. Weather was very good overall. Food onboard was very good and accommodating to my diet.

Everything was excellent. Staff were amazing, food was really good. Cabin, and in fact the whole ship, was scrupulously clean. We had a wonderful time.

We enjoyed fantastic scenery and the cruise exceeded expectations. For us, the strengths were the excellent service on board shown by all staff, plus the quality of the food. We also enjoyed the quality and variation of all speakers on this trip. The trips were generally good, with the Birksdal glacier trip an excellent experience. And, the standard of classical musicians was first rate and we enjoyed both the classical guitarist and the string trio.

Could not be faulted.

Our short cruise on board Mv Balmoral was almost a last minute decision, but a good one. The on board accommodation was as good as on many larger ships, as was the service. The food was first class and the entertainment . ore than acceptable. We took only one shore excursion to Monet's house and garden and despite being towards the end of the season, this was very worthwhile and obviously extremely popular with others. Our visits to Rouen and Honfleur were most enjoyable.

All good except one excursion that did not live up to what was advertised.

Weather was limiting, tour taken via fred olsen was disappointing. Did not think that Oslo worth the stop, many tourist sites were closed. All cities visited were interesting but very expensive. Would have liked more time in St Petes rather than stopping at Oslo. Enjoyed Tallin, lovely old town.

Our first time with Fred Olsen in 26yrs of cruising. We went because we are not keen on the mega ships which are now prevalent in cruising and were not disappointed. First class food and service with excellent entertainment delivered in a professional manner. It took us back to how cruising should be and not the 'Butlins at Sea', which many ships seem to be turning into. One lovely thing was 'NO' piped music blasting your ears everywhere on the ship. We will be sailing with Fred again.