There are parts of Balmoral that are

breathtakingly beautiful.

The combination of coulors is utterly enchanting.

The cruise began in Southampton on 17th September,

the first port of call was La Coruna,have been so many times, the town has lost the magic,it does not have a lovely coffee shop for me to sit and linger, so I go,walk a little and return to the ship.

Some of the desserts I have loved.

I remember every little morsel.

Some of the shoes I wear on ships.

The first entry has disappeared,

the wi-fi in Spain is rather temperamental, it may come back Still, forwards and onwards.

Sitting in what they call lounge, waiting for  a comedian  to perform.

Here are some of my favourite snapshots to date.
My allocated table 355 for every evening meal, the Spey restaurant on the 10th floor,and the boys washing the window standing on a ledge, they are harnessed, of course.

There was the special tea, £13  per person, live music, in the Conservatory on the 11th floor, quite lovely.

The chocolates and the cakes in the coffee shop to tempt us, and yes, I have succumbed, only once, but more times will come😊

The lovely red sofa is the softest of the soft leathers in the pub, where I go now and then to take a part in a quiz. We do have some very clever people on this ship.

I was proud to have guessed alone 15 answers out of 20. Two teams,each had six members, both  got 18 answers right, on a tie break the winners got a bottle of Cava.

The stateroom has two bathrooms.

It is the Owner's suite after all😊The towels are the softest of the soft.

The toiletries (Cole&Lewis) are of good quality and smell lovely.

Two televions. 

Coffee maker-excellent, the best coffee on board.

The mattress is too hard,I have asked for a soft topper and was given one the next day, not ideal, but I do sleep better.

The suite is on the 10th floor, no cabins above,no noise or flushing toilets.

 And the view is magnificent.

And talking about the toilets,there seems to be a constant problem with the  water supplying them, but then Balmoral is an old lady in great need of bringing into the 21st Century.

Balmoral.

My very first time with the Fred Olsen cruiseline.I have jumped in for 57 nights with both feet. So far so good. Oh, not perfect,but good, at times wonderfully good, like now, plonked naked on the balcony in Barcelona.

Yes, this is my balcony.Never have I had a balcony this large,nor a stateroom (Owner's suite 1026) this massive. Love it.