Fred. Olsen Balmoral cruise: Day four review

Here is what he got up to!

Day four of the Fred. Olsen Balmoral cruise was the first of two back-to-back sea days, but our schedules were still pretty packed with things to do.

Following on from Saturday, Nicole and I immediately went to the Atlantis Spa facility on board for our massages.

Just after our massage. (Image: Newsquest) I had never had a massage before, but had heard plenty of good things from my friends, so we'd booked ourselves in for a 30-minute neck, back and shoulders treatment.

Years of working hunched over on my laptop had clearly not done wonders for my joints and muscles, as the masseuse made sure to dig her knuckles and elbows deep into my back.

The view from the Atlantis Spa. (Image: Newsquest) While I was certainly a bit tender, I can't argue that I was rejuvenated afterwards and felt a bit looser after my first massage.

I was worried about it dragging but honestly that half hour flew by and I was stretching my neck freely all the way back down to my cabin.

From there, I met up with our press host Georgina at the Bookmark Cafe and we sat down with Barbara Wade, a Dalgety Bay resident who had spent the last five years photographing the various Fred. Olsen ships that docked in Rosyth.

George and Barbara Wade. (Image: Newsquest) What started as a lockdown hobby quickly became a huge part of her life and it was fascinating to hear about what she had seen and her experiences touring the world on cruises with her husband George.

After listening to her stories, I asked Barbara if she would be interested in a follow up article and was delighted when she said yes!

Nicole had been enjoying the jacuzzi on the top deck, so I joined her for a little while before we went to have lunch.

We have become familiar faces at the Thistle Restaurant on board, famed for its buffet options and wide range of food.

This time around, I picked up some of the sliced gammon with vegetables and croquettes.

The galley. (Image: Newsquest) The highlight of Tuesday was the behind the scenes tour, which Georgina had organised for the press group to go on.

We met up with Chandra from the formal night dinner who led us around some of the crew-only areas of the ship.

Starting in the galley (sea talk for kitchen), head chef Michael Bibby showed us each of the stations of the Balmoral - with staff responsible for working up every single meal for residents on board.

Stations included vegetables, soups, meats, hot food, cold food and the bakery, with Chef Michael leading us through each and every one and introducing us to the crew there.

Food storage. (Image: Newsquest) Afterwards, we made our way further down to the inventory room and witnessed full freezers and rooms that were solely to house the thousands and thousands of eggs and fruit and vegetables on board.

We asked specifically to see the 'egg room' and were blown away by the sheer amount of stock on board.

Next up was the laundry area, which we figured had to be pretty sizeable as room service changed our sheets each day.

This part of the ship worked like a well-oiled machine - some crew responsible for washing and others for drying.

The laundry room. (Image: Newsquest) Two crew members had the sole job of folding the sheets as they came out of the huge, automatic press - while one staff unfortunately had to hand iron the smaller clothes!

We travelled to the engine rooms after that and I won't even begin to try and understand what I saw there.

Computer after computer and packed with screens showing the ship's trajectory and radars and scans of what was around us.

The engine room. (Image: Newsquest) The team of engineers there tried to talk us through it but I was completely lost by how complicated it all was!

One thing that did catch me eye was four garlic bulbs placed on a shelf next to all of the screens - after asking, we learned it was an old superstition to ward off bad luck.

While the current crew said they didn't believe in superstition, they also weren't keen to remove the garlic!

Four bulbs of garlic for good luck. (Image: Newsquest) Our last part of the tour was the most exciting - up to the bridge to see the very top of the ship.

I got to stand at the steering wheel - unfortunately not like the drawings or films - and sit in the captain's chair while looking out of the binoculars.

What surprised me from this area was that ships still had lookouts - I thought in the age of technology that they wouldn't need this - but one crew member had the job of looking ahead out of the window for any danger.

Nicole and Chris with the steering wheel. (Image: Newsquest) Outside of the tour, we had some more scenic cruising - this time past the Small Isles in Scotland, the Dutchman's Cap and Fingal's Cave.

The first two were very picturesque while Fingal's Cave looked like something out of a film and it was brilliant to get so close to it.

The Isle of Rum. (Image: Newsquest) There was slight drama at the cave as a green helicopter (rumoured to be an air ambulance) looked to be carrying out an operation at the cave.

Every passenger rushed to the side decking to see what was going on - the helicopter had a box/compartment at the bottom of a long cable that was dangling underneath it.

The Dutchman's Cap. (Image: Newsquest) After a while, it pulled up into the air and flew away towards the mainland - we still don't know what had happened.

Dinner that night was back in the Ballindalloch and I had the sweet potato and coconut curry with mixed fruit quinoa - absolutely delicious!

The helicopter above Fingal's Cave. (Image: Newsquest) That evening's entertainment included Balmoral Show - an 80s themed concert with cast members performing the biggest hits of the decade - my favourite being Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar.

Sweet potato and coconut curry with fruit quinoa. (Image: Newsquest) Afterwards, Nicole and I met Mike from the Scottish Sun to take part in a game show in the Lido Lounge called Scattergories - the crowd was split into two groups and took part in a Family Fortunes style game.

Balmoral Show. (Image: Newsquest)Luckily, our team won and on the back of that, we headed to bed.