# Fred Olsen's Balmoral in six part BBC Do***entary



## Pompeyfan

The first of a six part BBC do***entary 'The Cruise: A Life at Sea' aboard Fred Olsen's Balmoral on her 112 - night world cruise begins on BBC 2 tonight at 2030. 

More information that I posted in Cruises & Cruising last week can be seen here http://www.cruisebusiness.com/index...oral-to-star-in-six-part-bbc-do***entary.html


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## Pompeyfan

Second of six part do***entary aboard Balmoral at 2030 tonight on BBC 2.

I thought the first was very poor, not a good advert for cruising in my opinion, too much passenger participation, rehearsing for a show and a choir, not much about the ship herself, her crew, and ports visited some not mentioned at all. The Panama Canal transit was briefly mentioned. I have transited the canal many times as crew and passenger each time being as special as the first, but the programme totally ruined this once in a lifetime experience showing very little plus speeding the tape up making it even worse.

Hopefully, it will get better in the next episode and the four after that?!.


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## A.D.FROST

adds a new meaning to a 'short time' made to much of a song and dance about it.Blink and you miss the best bits.


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## sparkie2182

It must have lost Olsen's a fortune.............I'm amazed they cleared it for screening.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=The Cruise: A Life at Sea


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## Pompeyfan

sparkie2182 said:


> It must have lost Olsen's a fortune.............I'm amazed they cleared it for screening.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=The Cruise: A Life at Sea


Many thanks for that Sparkie, some members have had trouble seeing it. Not that they have missed much so far (Sad)


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## sparkie2182

Too true.



No probs, PF.


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## John Cassels

Watching this makes me glad I've never been on a cruise !.


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## Erimus

Do cruise and enjoy it, but not good example as round-the-worlders do tend to be even older than me,and it showed........so sorry Fred O won't be with you.

geoff


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## Pompeyfan

Erimus said:


> Do cruise and enjoy it, but not good example as round-the-worlders do tend to be even older than me,and it showed........so sorry Fred O won't be with you.
> 
> geoff


I quite agree Geoff.

According to Fred Olsen, the series is about the Chaplain and his 'ocean parish', not the ship. It was commissioned by the BBC's Religious and Ethics Department. 

1.9 million are reported to have watched the first programme, but I have a feeling those figures will drop dramatically. Not only do they show little of the ship, they show little of the ports. Hopefully, they will show Auckland in the next part, my former home. But if the series so far is anything to go by, it will either be a quick glimpse, or not at all.

As I said in post #2, the first series was not a good advert for cruising, and neither was the second unless of course you like getting together with other passengers singing or rehearsing for a show. I avoid such gatherings like the plague doing my own thing aboard, and ashore. Basically, a cruise is as good or as bad as you make it especially if the ship is big enough to avoid such gatherings (Thumb)


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## ninabaker

We did a wonderful Olsens cruise on the Black Watch, now scrapped I think. We blew all the money I was left by a relative on a cruise for me, hubby and our two teenage kids, from Greenock via the Western Isles to Iceland and Greenland. It was fantastic. Yes the passenger age was oldish but a lot of folks our age, similar birdwatcher types to us.

we would definitely do another but not on a big ship.


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## Pompeyfan

ninabaker said:


> We did a wonderful Olsens cruise on the Black Watch, now scrapped I think. We blew all the money I was left by a relative on a cruise for me, hubby and our two teenage kids, from Greenock via the Western Isles to Iceland and Greenland. It was fantastic. Yes the passenger age was oldish but a lot of folks our age, similar birdwatcher types to us.
> 
> we would definitely do another but not on a big ship.


Do you mean Black Prince?.

Black Watch is still in service.


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## sidsal

Watched the second programme. It confirmed my feeling that a world cruise would bore me to tears. As mentioned - too much about elderly passengers.
(I'm 87 and would hate to be among so many geriatrics)
Like cruising but only for a week - or 2 at the most !


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## Pompeyfan

Just watched the third programme in the series. It gets worse.

They did not show my former home of Auckland, or the Bay of Islands. Unforgivable. They did show a bit of the work of the Seaman's Mission in Hobart. Each port has one, which I am sure many of us visited as crew. I certainly did, and the port chaplain often visited sick crew on my crew hospital.

I know the series surrounds the chaplain aboard Balmoral, but not only did they not show Auckland, they showed only a little of Sydney, blink, and you miss it. Yet in my opinion, Sydney has one of the best harbours in the world as well as other sights in that great city. They showed more of a passenger wanting to end it all than Sydney. Truly depressing.

I can only repeat, this series is a very bad advert for cruising.


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## sparkie2182

Certainly for cruising with Fred.


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## Pompeyfan

sparkie2182 said:


> Certainly for cruising with Fred.


I have cruised with Fred Olsen a few times, but they were not as depressing as this. I think I would have dived overboard if they had been (Jester)


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## forthbridge

Just after it started tonight there was a thunderstorm and a flash of lightning then my sky box stopped working so I did not see it. Looks like i did not miss much


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## Erimus

Awful programme, the ship should be the star not the Padre 

geoff


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## MikeK

Throat cutting stuff ! It is in the wrong time slot for it's target viewers - early Sunday evening might be better, around Songs of Praise time.


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## Chris Isaac

I am having my own personal sweep stake on how many passengers die during the voyage. (Either from natural causes or boredom)


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## Dickyboy

The real star of the program seen in The Solent yesterday. Better looking than most pax boats methinks.


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## A.D.FROST

When I was at sea the Sparky had the best job(be careful what you pray for)They should put the Padre in a box marked "Break in case of emergancy or Death"


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## sparkie2182

Well, death maybe.

Dunno 'bout an emergency.


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## A.D.FROST

sparkie2182 said:


> Well, death maybe.
> 
> Dunno 'bout an emergency.


I ment they could use the box as a coffin in an emergancy


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## sparkie2182

There is always that..............


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## sparkie2182

FRED OLSEN's were forced to make this post on their facebook page.................

" "It is important to note that the focus of the The Cruise: A Life At Sea' series is the Chaplain. The series was commissioned by the BBC's Religion and Ethics Department, under the premise of taking its hugely popular Island Parish series to sea, and as such 'The Cruise: A Life At Sea' is about the Chaplain's life on board, who he comes to meet and the activities that he undertakes in the course of his travels.

"The series is therefore a gentle, warm-hearted view of life on board and is not a promotional broadcast for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, nor the ship nor its guests and crew (the BBC could possibly have been clearer about this in its promotion of the series).

"Fred. Olsen has no ability to influence what [the BBC] chooses to film, and so the film crew on board Balmoral picked out the stories that they felt strong enough to appear in the series.

"We are very proud that Fred. Olsen has been chosen as the cruise line for this BBC observational do***entary series, and we hope that, as it goes on, viewers will get to see more of the warm and welcoming atmosphere that Fred. Olsen offers on its ships, get to meet more of the guests and entertainers on board, and come to understand more of the very special experience of taking a world cruise with Fred. Olsen."

Good luck Fred............you must have lost a fortune in bookings.


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## Pompeyfan

Last episode tonight at 2030 BBC2.


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## sparkie2182

Thank God for that.

They have been bothering him all trip.


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## Alistair94

Came across this timelapse video of her lengthening and repaint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwG7z_aowKw#t=100


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