Fred. Olsen Balmoral cruise review day seven: Eden Project, Falmouth

Here is what he got up to!

We bid farewell to our press host Georgina today as she got off the ship at Falmouth, our next stop.

Day seven was an all-dayer for Nicole and I as we had booked ourselves in for an excursion to the Eden Project.

This was the most exciting sounding of all of the tours and I'd heard lots about it from my friends.

The bus to the Eden Project. (Image: Newsquest) We weren't the only ones interested in it either - Fred. Olsen had set up four busloads to take passengers over!

An hour's drive was complemented by the Falmouth tour guide telling us the interesting history of the town - including house prices, how the Eden Project came together and of the packet ships that the town initially thrived on in the past.

The only thing letting the day down was the miserable weather - we had been blessed with high temperatures and constant sunshine since leaving Rosyth but a severe cloudburst sent a lot of rain down our way!

A rainy day at the Eden Project. (Image: Newsquest) However, it didn't really matter - we were going to get wet in the biomes at the Eden Project anyway!

We arrived at the Eden Project early in the morning and after a quick briefing from the guide, we could set off.

Nicole and I purchased a map from the gift shop and headed straight for the first of the two biomes - the rainforest.

Stepping into the Rainforest Biome. (Image: Newsquest) The biomes were fascinating - a perfect replica of conditions in the rainforest or Mediterranean, complete with authentic plants and flowers all growing within the middle of Cornwall!

Additionally, wildlife also thrived at the Eden Project - we spotted exotic birds, ant colonies and even geckos hiding in a small corner of the biome.

A slice of the Rainforest. (Image: Newsquest) The thing that struck me most about the rainforest dome was the sheer size of it all - it was full of twists and turns, ascents and bridges, pathways and waterfalls each containing a little slice of a far-away climate.

I enjoyed walking across a high-up bridge which blasted steam and water particles to replicate a rainforest's waterfall.

The waterfall. (Image: Newsquest) I also braved my fear of heights to climb to the highest point of the rainforest biome, providing wonderful 360 degree sights of the full enclosure - which was fascinating once I got there, but terrifying on the way up and down!

With us at the Eden Project all day long, we stopped for lunch there and helped ourselves to the fully organic meals on offer- I had the chilli with pasta and rainbow rice, while Nicole had tomato and coconut soup with fries.

The 360 degree view from the top of the rainforest biome. (Image: Newsquest) The second biome was the Mediterranean - with wildlife and fauna spanning California, South Africa and Western Australia among others.

This one was certainly less impressive - around half the size and definitely less there but still enjoyable nonetheless.

The Mediterranean biome. (Image: Newsquest) The thing that stood out for me in this biome was the smells - it seemed everywhere you turned you'd be hit with a new one reminiscent of the section of the world you were in.

A restaurant was also present here, serving mainly pizza and Spanish food, but since we had already eaten, we gave it a miss.

On arrival at the Mediterranean biome. (Image: Newsquest) The Mediterranean biome did have a cactus walk which was rather interesting, while also paying homage to the bull fighting heritage of the cultures represented.

The last part of the Eden Project was the Core room, an art-house project that had several larger than life exhibits in them.

One was the Infinity Blue sculpture - a gigantic vase-like structure which routinely fired ringlets of smoke out from it.

Infinity Blue. (Image: Newsquest) This formed part of the Invisible World exhibit, with artwork there set to symbolise and pay homage to tiny bacteria and organisms that are vital in keeping us ticking.

It was mesmerising watching the Infinity Blue puff air out and to be honest, I could have sat for hours watching it - it carried a sense of importance about it, almost as if it commanded you to respect it.

The last sculpture here for us was Seed - an enormous, well, seed sculpture to hammer home the value of plant growth.

Seed. (Image: Newsquest) Nicole faced a disappointment at the end of the Eden Project when the rain prevented her from doing the zipline - which I wouldn't have dared attempt!

Back on the bus for the hour trip back and we were definitely feeling exhausted - upon return to the dock, I braved the heavy rain in pursuit of a local paper.

This time around, after the disappointment at the Scilly Isles, I was rewarded with a copy of the Falmouth Packet!

More fish was on the menu for dinner - can't help myself when at sea - this time around, it was sea bass, absolutely delicious.

The sea bass fillet with potatoes and mixed vegetables. (Image: Newsquest) The entertainment on offer for us was very fun - firstly, we enjoyed music from the Glenn Williams Band which got everybody off their seats for a dance.

Next up was musical bingo - instead of numbers, we had hit songs from the 1980s, which I needed help identifying!

Musical bingo. (Image: Newsquest) We played two games and Nicole and I came agonisingly close to winning each one - I was just waiting on Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) to win the first game.

For the second, Nicole was just one song away to win, but no cigar! At least my fear of shouting bingo and learning I haven't won wouldn't come to pass!

Nicole leading the room for the Slosh. (Image: Newsquest) Jukebox Sounds followed this and Nicole had a good chunk of the room up dancing to the Slosh, her signature moves.

After that, with another early start for us in Dartmouth the next day, we headed off to bed.