Fred. Olsen Cruises have established themselves as a cruise line with an excellent reputation for interesting and varied itineraries, becoming synonymous with comfortable, friendly and traditional cruising aboard their much-loved ships. With a fleet of smaller-sized ships, as well as larger mid-sized ships including Borealis and Bolette, the country club atmosphere means that Fred. Olsen not only transports guests right to the heart of each destination, but service across their fleet is both attentive and personalised, making you feel at home from the moment you step onboard. From perfectly cooked meals to engaging and enriching entertainment, Fred. Olsen Cruises truly have it all.
21 October 2022
25 October 2022
05 January 2023
23 February 2023
04 November 2022
18 November 2022
22 December 2022
21 December 2022
24 November 2022
Dining onboard with Fred Olsen offers a great variety, designed to suit your needs and mood. Whether you're looking for a casual mealtime, waiter service or dishes delivered directly to your room, the experienced team of chefs onboard are dedicated to bringing guests some of the best dining at sea.
If you want to try something different from the main dining rooms during your cruise, each ship has a speciality dining venue, The Grill, where mouthwatering steaks and tempting desserts are served in an elegant setting.
One of Fred Olsen's most popular treats, available at a small additional cost, is the Afternoon Tea. Head to the Observatory Lounge, where classical musicians add to the ambience, while being served a selection of premium teas, from Taylor of Harrogate, along with finger sandwiches, fresh scones and pastries.
Every night Fred. Olsen Cruises provide lively and diverse onboard entertainment, ensuring an evening to remember:
Alternatively, if your idea of a memorable evening is something a little more laid-back, have a drink and make new friends in the cosy onboard bars and lounges.
Fred. Olsen Cruises depart from the UK, from the departure ports of Southampton, Dover, Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth on Med cruises, Canary Island cruises, Scandinavia cruises and Baltic and Fjords cruises. With these sailings you can avoid flying, and begin your holiday the second you step onto a Fred. Olsen cruise ship. In addition, exotic holidays with Fred. Olsen can be all inclusive for just £19pppn!
Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or would just like to burn off that extra dessert you indulged in at dinner, Fred Olsen Cruises' sports and fitness facilities are perfect for everyone. Go for a run, a row or lift some weights at the onboard gym or get involved in a group exercise class. Alternatively, the large deck space is perfect for a brisk stroll in the sea air.
Alternatively, for a holiday treat, check out the Atlantis Spa. Open from 8am-8pm, the wide range of beauty and spa treatments, including facials, hairdressing and manicures, will leave you feeling brand new.
For those free hours you have onboard, why not take the time to learn a new skill, relax with a good book or learn something interesting from guest speakers and port talks? Other activities include ballroom dancing, arts and crafts, guest speakers and quizzes.
When you cruise with Fred. Olsen you can make your freetime even more restful by discovering one of the fleet's impressive suites. With sizes varying from single suites to more spacious rooms, and most even boasting a balcony, you're sure to feel at home whichever you choose. From the single Balcony Suite, ideal for those sailing alone, to the Premier Suite which comes with a bedroom and separate lounge area, there's no better place to enjoy some peace and quiet than in your sumptuous suite.
Loyal Fred. Olsen Cruises guests can join Fred. Olsen Oceans Club to be the first to hear about the latest news and receive exclusive cruise benefits and rewards. One point is earned for each night spent onboard and contributes towards your membership tier.
Service, dining and entertainment made this cruise very special. The staff were the best we have encountered thus far and the food excellent. The entertainment was good, made exceptional by the incredible Bolette Theatre Company, easily the most talented and enjoyable troop we have ever encountered on a cruise ship. Our cabin was kept spotlessly clean by an excellent cabin stewardess but in itself was nothing special other than a very comfortable bed. Excursions were vastly over-priced and if travelling with Fred Olsen again, which is very likely, I will definitely make my own arrangements. Lectures were good but perhaps not so enjoyable as many in the past but that is probably down to personal taste in the the subject. A well above average cruise experience in general and in some areas exceptional let down only by the extortionate excursion prices that went to some wonderful places but were nothing special in their presentation. Watching the whales was brilliant but some very elderly people having to walk to the ship a considerable distance in driving snow and made to wait in same as the ship was not ready to load us was dismal to say the least.
The food, service,room and drinks choices were all excellent. The ship is a good size and nowhere got too crowded although that may have been partly due to not being at full capacity due to Covid. The entertainment was ok with an average comedian but a very funny magician. We are not big on song and dance but we heard that they were good music shows. We liked the regular quizzes as well. The excursions are like most cruises massively over-priced. If they were better value then fewer people would do their own thing (as we tended to do). While the food in all the restuarants was fabulous the 2 speciality restaurants were even better and well worth a visit. Colours and tastes was outstanding. While the service was wonderful, we were a little bit surprised that we had been charged for this. We were under the impression that all tips/gratuities were included in the price and we will be querying this with Fred Olsen.
Fred Olsen today is not like it used to be. Whilst Borealis was an excellent ship for social facilities, in my view it is let down by an 'average' menu - the self-service has a better choice of food menu than the main dining room. However, Fred no longer offers the midnight buffet with ice carvings, etc, or the 'captains' table for dining, no real problem but such things put Fred in a different category to most cruise lines. Further some of the 'dining' crew members were somewhat casual in providing service. However, overall, despite the poor weather, the cruise was enjoyable.
The staff and service I cannot fault it was excellent. My biggest issue with this cruise that it seems to cater for the older generation. I’m in my early 50’s and felt out of place and also spoke to a couple who were 65 years of age and even they felt the same. On board activities and daily entertainment gave the feeling of a retirement home and seems they are suited to the biggest clientele which is fair enough but doesn’t come across when advertising the cruise. A couple of the stops were disappointing nothing to do or see especially bodo everything was closed. The time you got ashore was very short as well so overall dissatisfied.
Fred. Olsen shore tours are not included in your standard cruise fare.
Fred Olsen Cruises is not an all-inclusive cruise line as standard but you can upgrade to an all-include package for as little as £15 per person a day on cruises over 4 nights and £34 on short cruises consisting of less. This allows you to enjoy a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day and is extremely popular with Fred. Olsen guests.
Fred. Olsen Cruises have single occupancy staterooms on all of their ships but these are limited. There are also twin rooms available for solo cruisers usually with a single supplement plus some sailings do have sole occupancy deals.
Fred. Olsen Cruises do provide facilities and entertainment for families on a number of sailings as well as providing adults-only itineraries. If on a family-friendly Fred. Olsen cruise, you’ll find Little Skippers Club for 5 to 11 year-olds in the daytime and evenings. This fun kids club is supervised by the dedicated host staff and under 5s are welcome if with a parent or guardian.
Please note, on sailings from 1st April 2022 Fred. Olsen’s child policy is:
Although mostly known for their no-fly cruises from the UK, Fred. Olsen do have a number of fly cruise packages both to the UK and to international airports from London Gatwick, Manchester and some select Scottish airports. To international destinations, such as the Caribbean or Asia, fly cruises are usually sections of a longer no-fly sailing such as a world cruise. If taking part in a fly cruise, Fred. Olen take care of your transfers from airport to cruise port and vice versa.
