Fred. Olsen Cruise Reviews

First, I must mention a similar cruise reviewed by Alfie111 in May 2018. It appears Alfie111 was surprised that two whole days of the tour were spent at sea transiting to and from Norway. The itinerary in the Fred Olsen brochure clearly shows arrival and departure times at each port - depart Rosyth evening and arrive Norway following evening. Our cruise on the ms. ‘Balmoral’ was 7 nights ...

This was our first cruise experience and without any doubt it exceeded our expectations. Embarkation was very smooth and well organised. The staff showed great courtesy to all especially with guests with mobility problems. We had a junior suite cabin with balcony and was impressed with the size and furniture. It was well decorated and felt warm and welcoming. Dining was excellent with dedicated ...

Never on a cruise before; staff, entertainment, food, service, hygiene and gym all superb. Cabin was excellent, well appointed and serviced. The staff were very attentive and worked tirelessly. Food options were very good with a high standard of presentation. It was particularly welcome that you could get a late snack and an afternoon tea beyond the time of lunch (handy if you were out). The gym ...

Recently did the Norwegian Fjords out of Rosyth. Enjoyed it from start to finish. Check in and settling in went very quickly and extremely well organised. Cabin was a superior cabin with a walk in shower. Much bigger than I expected with plenty of wardrobe space. Beds and pillows extremely comfortable. Ship was spotless and a bit confusing to begin with. Plenty of lifts an£ signage. ...

We selected the cruise because the itinerary met our requirements, and the cruise did meet our expectations in this respect, although a storm kept us out of the scheduled first port of call. Cabin very good, as were the staff on board. Food in general good, although very bland, probably to cater for the majority of guests on board. It did feel that this was an Old Folks Home on holiday, ...

Our dinner sitting was 6.15pm. My husband's parents were also on the same cruise but had an 8.30pm sitting. We were advised to ask at the restaurant if they could change to earlier so we could dine together. The 1st and 2nd night the matre dee said no but when we offered him a £20 note on the 3rd evening suddenly a table was available and according to the other 2 people already at the table these ...

My wife had longed to see the fiords. Consequently, we booked the FO five-nights trip to Norway. We did not realise that for two whole days of this trip we would be traversing the North Sea! This is not made clear in the advertising material. The destinations (three) were dramatic but it took an inordinate amount of time to get to Norway from Rosyth and the same on the return journey. As a ...

Definitely a decline in quality of food this trip, I noticed a distinct economising in food and bar staff, but most disturbing was the immobility of passengers. Should there unhappily have been an evacuation, the the number of wheelchairs, 3 pronged walkers and very immobile passengers would have been a disaster waiting to happen. The narrower passageways would have been blocked up very badly and ...

Been on Balmoral numerous times and always enjoyed it, This time was no different. The itinerary was great. Sweden is a beautiful country and the ports of call were good, especially Visby and Stockholm. The ships crew are wonderful, very friendly and helpful. They really go that extra mile to make sure everthing is OK for you The entertainment was mixed. The visiting acts were run of the ...

For the itinerary and time of going. The entertainment in the Observatory lounge was excellent, Adam Reece who even played requests, did a great job despite people talking over his music which is very rude. The other musicians around the ship were equally as good. The staff in the Lido lounge were very pleasant and friendly, nothing was too much trouble for them. Also the girls in the Casino who ...