At last, only four months after I was due to get a first glimpse of Balmoral, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' new ship, I am on board.
Formerly Norwegian Crown, the vessel was acquired from Norwegian Cruise Line last year and has been stretched - literally it was cut in half and a new bit inserted - so it takes around 400 more passengers.
It was due to set out on its maiden voyage under Fred Olsen colours in January but the work overran and the first cruise was delayed until February.
Is it Fred still? Actually yes. Despite being bigger, it does have that oh so British Fred feel that ageing Olsen groupies know and love. Not quite so intimate though, and there are more lost souls aged over 60 wandering around, still not sure where everything is.
More interesting still... yes, you can see the join.
Jane Archer
Comments (1)
Have cruised with Fred previously on Braemar (twice) and Boudicca.
This was the first time on Balmoral. UK/Amsterdam in October 08.
Good point was an excellent sized cabin and a well appointed Neptune Theatre.
Layout not so hospitable as Boudicca with a lot of wasted space in a mid-ships "gallery".
Also no chance for Bridge visits as with previous ships - would have been interesting.
Lack of access to buffet really spoilt the breakfast and lunch offerings - this restriction being due to the rampant gastric bug on board, which may have lead to other activities being curtailed.
The staff did well to cope with the extra service required in this situation, but it inevitably lead to delays - one breakfast in the Avon Restaurant taking 70 minutes!!!
Food was OK, but probably not as inventive and well presented as on previous cruises.
Cabin staff were adequate, but we did have to make frequent requests for the tea/coffee kit to be replenished - told on the SECOND day that they were short of biscuit packs etc!!!
The Entertainment Manager/Cruise Host was gauche and irritating - not nearly as good as Jo (on Boudicca) during the last cruise.
The resident song & dance troupe were unfortunately REALLY second-rate and not nearly as good as on previous cruises, however the feature entertainers - Comedian, female Singer and "Melody Lane" (who we have seen on 3 cruises now) almost made up for this.
Another good group was the Rosario Trio who became so popular that seating in that deck area became really crowded.
Deck 11, with good tea service staff in the afternoon and a most excellent jazz-style pianist in the evening, proved to be a bonus. However a little spoilt by the smoking allowed in part of this lounge which inevitably drifted across most of the area.
Windows were filthy both in the cabin and restaurants.
Noticed that some little touches, such as bathroom hospitality kits etc were missing - could be economy on Fred's part?
Posted by Patt | October 22, 2008 3:24 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 15:24