"Balmoral" - Caribbean

[Parsman]

I have booked a cabin on the "Balmoral" 28-night cruise to the Caribbean leaving Dover on 19 October. Has anyone else booked on what sounds to be a pleasant way to avoid the dreary Autumn weather in the UK? I was amazed at the speed of the sale of this cruise but with the discounts being offered it is not really too surprising. I like the convenience of sailing from Dover.:) My 23rd cruise with Fred. Olsen.

[uwishufish]

The poorest reviews that I haveread on this board have been about Fred Olsen. They all seem to mention long lines for everything and food of quality of less than would be expected on either Princess or RCL One post spoke of old beds. One other thing was missed ports the same ones on consecutive cruises engine trouble both times (My belief is that port charges haven't been paid so these bad engines can't make port in them).

My wife and I are so glad we read all posts before making our vacation plans.

[Guest Anorak33]

The poorest reviews that I haveread on this board have been about Fred Olsen. They all seem to mention long lines for everything and food of quality of less than would be expected on either Princess or RCL One post spoke of old beds. One other thing was missed ports the same ones on consecutive cruises engine trouble both times (My belief is that port charges haven't been paid so these bad engines can't make port in them).

My wife and I are so glad we read all posts before making our vacation plans.

 

I am so sorry you seem to have got totally the wrong idea about Fred Olsen.

 

The overall cruise quality is excellent and Fred Olsen is an ethical company which treats its guests fairly.

 

Yes FO has older ships which on occasion need some repair or updating, but these older ships are what many people treasure rather than the mega huge new ships which truly often have long lines - and I cannot remember ever being in a long line on any FO cruise.

 

It is not the case that all reviews mention long lines.

 

And the food is generally recognized as being consistently excellent.

 

As far as port charges not being paid - FO as a company has been in the shipping business for several hundred years, has a sound financial base and the cruise company is only a small part of a consistently longterm profitable organisation. Unpaid port charges would not happen.

 

You may have been misled by one post from a disgruntled troublemaker ( and may well have had some problems on a cruise but did not handle it right) who went to great length and invective to rubbish FO, he is a lonely voice in the wilderness, this is not what most cruisers who appreciate quality cruises will say about FO.

 

I see you have a low post count, maybe after you have been on the forum longer you may understand that it is never wise to judge a cruise line from a handful of poor retaliatory reviews from impossible to please passengers and who may come on forums to gain revenge.

 

If you like formal small ships and pleasant cruises you are missing out by not cruising on FO ships. But that is your choice and I respect that.

 

The area these ships operate in is hardly likely to be convenient for you in any case, and the cruises are mostly aimed at British passengers , many who cruise from their home port areas around the UK without the need for air travel.

 

Having said that I had a wonderful Caribbean cruise on Balmoral this year which was roundtrip Miami, four hour drive from my home in the US. I understand FO may not operate Miami based ships again because of US Immigration long lines and processing times.

[mufi]

I have criticised Fred Olson in the past, it does seem to be a somewhat unusual and querky line, possibly because of the influence of the "familly" and you will find yourself docked way out of town some times. And the artwork on Black Watch definitley shows sign of this.

 

But let's be fair, food is generally good for the price paid, assuming you don,t pay anyway near the original prices. Service is good and we did not encounter lines on Black Watch recently.

 

If I was looking for a cheap, but adequate cruise in these difficult times I would happily search out a Fred Olson bargain, but I wouldn't expect to get a Cunard experience.

 

David

[Parsman]

I wonder what cruises some people take. I know some derive pleasure out of looking for faults rather than having an enjoyable holiday. Of course Fred. Olsen cruises are not 5 or 6 stars but neither are their prices compared with,say, Seabourne. I have found that you get good value for money. It is also pleasant to sail on ships where are real ships not floating blocks of flats!

Why do people insist on fault finding? As someone wroe "If moaning and complaining were Olympic events Britain would win a lot of gold medals"!

[Jospen]

We recently sailed the Balmoral - Caribbean & Central America. It was our first cruise & were extremely pleased with the whole holiday. Even the US immigration was made as easy as possible by the FO crew. We could not fault the ship at all, ports were varied, excursions excellent, food delicious, entertainment fantastic. Our deluxe balcony cabin was just superb, comfortable, beds, pillows etc. Because we like to do "something different" , we have booked our next cruise on the Princess Crown to Canada & New England. I'll let you know how that compares.

[annieuk]

:) Our very first cruise was on Braemar back in 2003. I would not hesitate to recommend Fred Olsen to people who like smaller ships and good service. Yes some of the cabins are not as large as those on bigger ships but we enjoyed our Caribbean cruise immensely. We thought the food and entertainment were good and the staff could not do enough for us.

 

Don't believe all those bad reviews.

 

Annie

[zacca]

I have booked a cabin on the "Balmoral" 28-night cruise to the Caribbean leaving Dover on 19 October. Has anyone else booked on what sounds to be a pleasant way to avoid the dreary Autumn weather in the UK? I was amazed at the speed of the sale of this cruise but with the discounts being offered it is not really too surprising. I like the convenience of sailing from Dover.:) My 23rd cruise with Fred. Olsen.

 

 

 

We are seriously thinking about this cruise, waiting to see if there will be a further price reduction. It is a reasonable price already for a 28 day cruise. It would be only our second cruise with FO,we previously went on the Braemar to the Baltic.

[Parsman]

I thought the prices being offered were very competitive, certainly a much lower cost per day than on my sector on the "Black Watch" world cruise earlier this year. I don't know if prices will drop further nearer the date of departure but I know cabins were being sold at a prodigious pace a few days ago when I booked. I read today that a further increase in fuel surcharges is being implemented by FOCL on June 10th bringing it to £5 per day. If this report is correct bear this in mind.

It should be a super cruise.

[Guest Anorak33]

We are seriously thinking about this cruise, waiting to see if there will be a further price reduction. It is a reasonable price already for a 28 day cruise. It would be only our second cruise with FO,we previously went on the Braemar to the Baltic.

 

 

 

I seem to remember that we were tablemates on the Baltic cruise? You were in a party of 4 with a Welsh lady who ate slowly married to a nice guy called Tim who worked for GibAir as a pilot?

 

Or maybe its just a similar nickname?

 

I have had too many cruises this year and my memory is failing.

[Guest Anorak33]

I called the agent today about this cruise - FO have increased the price of what cabins are left and the insides are sold out.

[zacca]

I seem to remember that we were tablemates on the Baltic cruise? You were in a party of 4 with a Welsh lady who ate slowly married to a nice guy called Tim who worked for GibAir as a pilot?

 

Or maybe its just a similar nickname?

 

I have had too many cruises this year and my memory is failing.

 

You are right, your memory serves you well!Tim now works for EasyJet as they took over GB Airways. We see him and his wife Yvonne frequently here in Spain.

 

Well if the price of this cruise has increased since the initial offer then I am no longer interested. It wasnt an ideal itinerary for us, being a lot of sea days and only one week in the Caribbean(we prefer two).However, I will check it out close to sailing, there are often cancellations and therefore bargains to be had, you never know!

[editor@cruisecritic]

My first Fred. Olsen cruise -- most definitely not the last -- was on Balmoral in March, out of Miami, and despite some quirks I thought it was a lovely experience. Not sure why such negativity exists; the ship was beautifully refurbished, the artwork (as I mention in my sneak preview review) was intriguing to say the least, and one of the nicest aspects was the generous public spaces where you didn't have to order something or buy something to feel comfortable.

 

Mind you, Balmoral is the line's "newest" ship and I can't speak to Black Watch but I'd recommend it based on my experience. I'd go again in a heartbeat....

 

Here's the "sneak": http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=433

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

 

The poorest reviews that I haveread on this board have been about Fred Olsen. They all seem to mention long lines for everything and food of quality of less than would be expected on either Princess or RCL One post spoke of old beds. One other thing was missed ports the same ones on consecutive cruises engine trouble both times (My belief is that port charges haven't been paid so these bad engines can't make port in them).

My wife and I are so glad we read all posts before making our vacation plans.