Horses for courses, each to their own………..

Being a Mom of three I have spent many holidays keeping the children occupied and happy over the years, now it’s my time to do the type of holiday that keeps me happy, and allows me time to relax and unwind. I no longer need a ‘family friendly holiday’, nor do I need, or particularly like, a family friendly ship.

I have never made any secret of the fact that I like a smaller ship, I don’t need gimmicks such as ice-skating rinks, rock-climbing walls or mini-golf, just stick me on a small, quiet ship and I am happy as!

Boarding Fred Olsen’s Balmoral back in May, after a break of a few years, was like putting on a comfy pair of slippers for me. It was like going home, just the same as I remembered, happy and cheerful staff who can’t do enough for you, good food, a comfortable cabin – what’s not to like?

We were very lucky on this occasion to have a Superior Suite on Deck Nine, with a balcony. Perfect when cruising the Fjords as it allows you to keep an eye on the stunning scenery even when you are in your cabin. All the Suites have been refurbished since I was last on board and our was fabulous. No bathtub in the ensuite but a double size shower which was excellent.

The food was just as good as I remember, with just a couple of tweaks. On the ‘always available’ menu there is still the option of chicken or fish but I noticed that the Steak has been replaced with an omelette and gone are the good old-fashioned British puds, sponge pudding and custard is no more, this has been replaced to with individually plated desserts. On the whole though, great food. We certainly never went hungry, that’s for sure!

Activities during the day tend to be fairly low key but to be honest that suits me. We gave the Tai Chi (at 08.43am precisely) a miss along with carpet bowls but of course, you can’t miss the afternoon quiz and Bingo on a Fred’s cruise. I was a bit worried that we were going to be lynched by all the die-hard Bingo players at the first Bingo session we went to, my colleague Holly, honestly she has the luck of the Irish! She won the first game. We had the eyes of 200 die-hard Fred’s Bingo players boring into the back of our heads. 25 years they had been trying to win the afternoon Bingo, we walk in, the new kids on the block and Boom! Fortunately, the next few games passed uneventfully then come the final game, the big money, Holly nudges me. She only needed one number to win. I told her that if she won, she was on her own, I was out of there! The lynch mob would have had us. Anyway, thank goodness, someone pipped her to the post. And breathe……………..!!

All in all, I am still of the opinion that Fred Olsen is one of my favourite cruise lines, they just really suit me and I find them perfect for my needs, and pocket, at this time.

One of the best things about them is that you see people more than once, something that never happens on one of the giant cruise ships. You stop and have a chat, ask them how they enjoyed the show last night or did they have a great time on the excursion they were telling us about at breakfast, that kind of thing.

We were sat on a table of 6 for Dinner, with 4 older, widowed ladies, all of them very different, but what a hoot we had with them all. Great company that really was the icing on the cake on this particular cruise.

I appreciate that  Fred’s aren’t for everyone but as the title of this post says, it’s horses for courses!

For now, happy cruising!

Any questions or enquiries, you can contact me on 0330 303 8184 or email me at [email protected].