We sailed on the Norway Winter Cruise on Balmoral. The ship is nice size (1200 passengers versus several thousand on most of the mail cruise lines today). The Embarcation lounge at Southampton in intimate but very efficient. We found Cred Olsen practiced noted British service standards, which we (group of 6 adults) appreciated. The food was much better than we have experienced on our last two cruises (Princess and NCL). The wait staff was excellent, especially Christooher, Jiddah and Ass't Maitre'D Angel. We looked forward to the meal times to interact with the staff. The cabins were adequately sized with more than adequate storage space.

Another feature we found very nice were the library and card rooms. These were actually large enough to use and enjoy. We also found adequate quiet space during the day in the various lounges to enjoy play games or cards, as well as a nice drink. Since it was a Norway Winter cruise, outdoor activities, other than walking the promenade, were limited. They did open the pool and hot tubs when weather permitted. We found the Fitness Center to be modern and sufficiently large that access was never a n issue.

Recognize that the ship is smaller, so amenities like shopping, casino and specialty dining are not comparable to larger ships, but that is not the reason that we cruise anyway. Read more