Overview

We enjoyed a 13-night cruise to French river estuaries and Bilbao in Northern Spain in 2025. From 2026, however, Fred. Olsen are insisting that all passengers bringing wheelchairs or mobility scooters on board must book adapted cabins, the numbers of which are very small eg 9 on Balmoral out of 710. In effect, this will reduce the numbers of passengers with accessibility needs dramatically. We used a larger suite (600 sq ft) and a folding scooter on the cruise, but now we would (a) need to secure one of the few adapted cabins, and (b) accept a much smaller cabin (160-240 sq ft). We didn't use the scooter to get around the ship, so we don't understand why Fred. Olsen can't do what Saga do, which is store passengers' wheelchairs or scooters for onshore use.

Transport & Parking

We had to prepay for parking (£15 per night) a mile or so from the cruise terminal, but shuttle buses were in operation and ramps allowed scooter riders to ride on and off.

Access

On board, we folded our scooter or stored it in our cabin. Off the ship, the shuttle bus and excursion coaches stored scooters in the boot, and the drivers helped with storage.

Toilets

Our suite had grab rails in all the necessary places.

Staff

Cruise staff are excellent, friendly and patient.