Will Balmoral be as good as I remember?

It is just over eight years since this photo was taken, frightening really as it really doesn’t seem that long. Myself and the Wilsonette’s spent eight nights on board Balmoral visiting the Christmas Markets in various cities in Northern Europe, and what a fabulous time we had, along with my colleague Louise and her Mom. Fred Olsen really does do what it say on the tin, fantastic service, excellent food and a good variety of entertainment. Yes I have to agree that they don’t have the facilities that you find on the giant new cruise ships but you know, Fred’s just suits me. I don’t need rock climbing walls and surf simulators, ice skating rinks and Disney characters popping up all over the place, just a comfortable ship with good food and service is all I need. It’s the people you meet and the fun that you make for yourself that I enjoy.

Being a couple of singleton’s, my colleague Holly and I have decided to have another little one of our adventures and we have booked ourselves on Balmoral’s five night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords at the beginning of May. I have wanted to visit the Fjords for so long and I am really looking forward to seeing all the beautiful scenery while enjoying the longer days that Norway has to offer at that time of year – mind you we will need an afternoon nap if we are going to be staying up late, it’s what we do!

The cruise departs from Newcastle which is a new one for me, only an hour longer on the train than Southampton though so that won’t be a problem and the big bonus is that you don’t have to spend a day sailing up the North Sea each way as you are so far North to begin with. The morning after embarkation we will wake up in our first Fjord – exciting to wake to all that scenery. Let’s hope the sun is shining!

I am really interested to see what life is like eight years on on board Balmoral. Will the service still be as memorable as it was last time, and will the food still be of the same fabulous standard that I remember?

We have booked ourselves into a Superior Suite on Deck Nine which will be lovely as these suites have a small balcony, ideal for checking out the view first thing in the morning, and sipping a gin and tonic before dinner in the evening 🙂 and hopefully the weather will be good enough for this! You get a few little extra perks too in the suites on Fred Olsen ships, fluffy bathrobes and slippers, a selection of spirits and daily canapes so we will be making the most of these too.

The itinerary is lovely, just two ports of call but plenty of scenic cruising which after all is what the Fjords are all about. We can enjoy it from the comfort of a lounger on deck, maybe with another small G n T! Take a look at where we are going and let me know if you have any tips for good excursions in our ports of call, that would be a great help.

Not long to wait, only four months! For now, happy cruising folks and I will catch up with you all soon.