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Balmoral Baltic review |
| Reviewed By: Butler, Pulborough on 18th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Fred. Olsen Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Balmoral |
Sailed:
July,
2008 |
| Destination: Baltic |
Age: 56-65 |
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Having previously travelled back from USA on Queen Mary 2 I was somewhat apprehensive about the Balmoral, however I was pleasantly surprised. The crew were very friendly and helpful, the food quite acceptable and the tour itinerary well constructed. I found the the port trip lecturer very disappointing as he often got his information confused. Having taken a late booking on special offer were were allocated a deck 4 cabin near the back of the ship, and having read a previous review I was conscious that this cabin could be noisy, so we requested ( and paid for ) an upgrade to a cabin on deck 8. This I think was a very sensible move as I did hear other passengers on deck 4 staing that sometimes it was noisy down there.
The ship's enterainments were quite good some being particularly enjoyable - there was always things to do. I am not sure what entertainments were provided for children as this was not a requirement in our case, I think that it might be wise to check what is provided before booking if you are taking children along.
We took breakfast and lunch on most days at the buffet restaurant where we found the selection very good and the quality perfectly acceptable. We chose to take our main meal at the formal dining room and this was very good in all aspects. The wine selection was very good and the prices much lower than I had expected. Overall drinks prices were lower than anticipated.
The transit of the Kiel canal was most interesting and many locals turned out to see the ship as it went through the canal, apparently the Balmoral is one of the two biggest ships that can actually go through the Kiel canal. The first point of call, Wienemunde was disappointing but at least we didn't waste any money on a trip to Rostruck , which being on a Sunday, was closed. Our second port of call was Helsinki and this was very interesting and comfortable to walk around, albeit everything was quite expensive.
Onwards to St Petersburg and we found this to be exceptionally good - we took 3 different organised tours with the Peterhof / Hermitage immensely enjoyable - lots of walking so you need to be reasonably fit. The ballet was memorable (Swan Lake at the Marinski). We were able to spend some time exploring St Petersburg on our own as part of the Sights and Souvenirs trip which gave us some feeling for the town, but it would be easy for people to get lost, so if you do choose to do this ensure that you have a good map and take very careful notes of where you are - it might also help if can read Russian as this at least enables you to read the road signs (fortunately I could).
Our next port was Tallin - a short and easy walk from the port to the old town which is a must see venue. A gentle walk around the place for about 4 hours is well worthwhile and make sure that you have plenty of room on your camera memory to capature all of the splendid sights.
Our penultimate port was Copenhagen which again was an easy walk around, this again was a Sunday hence the shops were shut but that did not spoil our enjoyment. Finally we called in at Oslo. Again an expensive city but lots to see and do.-
Overall very good value for money and it was obvious from discussions with many fellow passengers that Fred Olsen have lots of dedicated fans.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| All restaurants | | Entertainment |  |
| Comedian very enjoyable, ships band very good, dance band somewhat disappointing | | Shore Excursions | |
| Peterhof/ Hermitage excellent. Only went on 3 organised trips - all in St Petersburg | | Staff | |
| All good | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| | Cabins | |
| | Overall Rating | |
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