Did I enjoy it?? Not particularly! Would I do it again? Almost certainly not. We were on the Balmoral (Fred Olsen) and were on the Norwegian Fjords trip in January.
Firstly the good:- The embarkation was a dream and a mile away from the hassle of airports! The food was incredibly good - most of the time. The grill room was amazing though and eating a meal with new found friends in a force 10 will stay with me forever. The quality of the Beef used was exceptional. A galley team of 93 consistently produced all day food and cakes that were superb! (I suspect many still thought they were dining at a Michelin restaurant and expected even better).
The service from the likes of the 2 here Danilo and Bancha, and our Cabin Maid Emma was exceptionally, exceptionally good. Always smiling, always happy despite seemingly being there from morning to night! Nothing was too much trouble. Great ambassadors for 'Fred'. As were so many of the team aboard the ship. You were met with those smiles most of the time from most of the team.
We did (despite my comments to follow) also meet some quite lovely people who I believe we will remain firm friends with.
The entertainment far exceeded my expectations and the young troupe of dancers/singers were very good as was the dance duo Epic Moves and the comedian Micky Zany. How they all managed to perform in the rough seas I will never know. Yet still I heard moans about that! Talking of rough seas - it was January/February and guess what? We had rough seas but the Captain was incredible at keeping us on as smoother path as possible. However, the moans and groans from some passengers at not being able to go on deck was amazing!!
Norway itself for the little I saw was beautiful and the friendliness of the people was amazing. The trips were I thought expensive initially but actually were hardly any more expensive than booking it yourself. The Northern Lights were beautiful - not once but three times we saw them - as were the killer whales and dog sledding. All magical memories!
But there was much I didn't like...............I couldn't bare the culture of boastfulness of many of the clients and wow some of the arrogance of the 'cruisers' was incredible. For example - Flo and Fred (not their real names) were dining guests with ourselves and some new friends and the thought of having been saddled with them for 15 nights filled me with dread - but they appeared not to like our company and we found them spirited away after just a few evenings. So if you were unfortunate to be with people who normally would not have been to your liking or company you were in effect stuffed unless you (clearly) asked to be moved! I would have liked the opportunity for more 'free' company dining for that very reason.
But the 'one upmanship' displayed was breathtaking. It almost became a joke when in conversation with guests as to 'how many cruises' and 'where'! Heavens forbid you should say you weren't sure you liked it so far! I thought I may be taken outside and made to walk the plank for daring to suggest it was less than wonderful on one occasion.
I also struggled with the sheer gluttony from some cruisers, as well as the rudeness and attitude to the staff - waiting staff in particular ....... My goodness I now know why the Brits (in particular) get such a bad press!
Lots and lots of attention to not contracting Noro Virus with a welcome when going to dinner consisting of a smile and hand gel! Great. But not when you then witnessed people picking up food from the buffet with their fingers and then eating it - bypassing the plate completely.
I found a steely glare worked wonders.........
Captains Meet & Greet consisted of a smile, hello and photos but no bodily contact in case of NV! There were even signs asking you not to touch items in the ships shops!
But oh my goodness the ship was old and tired; there wasn't the glamorous feel to it I had expected and anticipated, there were dressier evenings but it wasn't enforced so I felt little point to it. Our corridor smelt damp and the deck furniture was poor and rusting. Our cabin (not cheap I have to say) was beyond tired.
It's clear 'Fred' has a super loyal following with some guests doing back to back cruises, and many extolling the 'Fred' virtues at every opportunity.
Was I unlucky in our choice of first ever cruise? Were my expectations too high in the first place? Friends have said yes to those questions but I'm nowhere near brave enough to try another.
However, I've seen a rather nice top notch boutique River Cruise that's taken my fancy......💕
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