ULTIMATE DESTINATION GUIDE
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
About Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
As a family-run cruise line, we really take your experience personally. While the cruise industry has gone for bigger ships, brimming with more and more people, we have always believed that smaller is better. We treat passengers as guests, we dock at smaller ports in more interesting places and we avoid overcrowding both aboard and ashore. At capacity, our smaller ships will only ever sail with between 900 and 1,200 guests.
We have a small team of specialist itinerary planners. They take great pride in handcrafting each journey, to ensure we show you hidden gems as well as highlights on each of our sailings. It is a passion that has won us the Cruise Critic award for Best Itineraries for five consecutive years.
Cruise from seven regional UK ports to hundreds of destinations worldwide in the classic style and comfort of our smaller-sized ships. For most of the year, the ships are based in Britain, with cruises departing from Rosyth (Edinburgh), Newcastle, Liverpool, Dover, Southampton, and Portsmouth.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Intro Video
Why Choose Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines believe smaller is better. The smaller size of their ships allows them access to places larger ships simply cannot reach, such as journeying through the impressive Corinth Canal, along beautiful narrow Norwegian fjords and via size-restricted waterways into the heart of fascinating cites.If you only have a small space:
Fred. Olsen has a fleet of three elegant smaller ships. Fred. Olsen love nothing more than exploring size-restricted waterways with their smaller ships.
Individual ship profiles:
Bolette: With just 690 cabins Bolette fits perfectly in Fred. Olsen’s fleet of smaller ships. She has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, timeless style, and plenty of open deck space. With two speciality restaurants, a selection of elegant bars and lounges as well as a relaxing spa, gym and two swimming pools, her smaller size does not mean a compromise on facilities.
Borealis: Sister-ship to Bolette, Borealis’ high speeds are perfectly suited for taking guests on a journey around the globe, enabling exploration in more ports in a shorter duration. Her smaller size, spacious public areas, open deck spaces and impressive array of restaurants, lounges and facilities make her perfect for longer voyages, and shorter journeys alike.
Balmoral: Beautiful Balmoral is small enough to navigate some of Europe’s most picturesque waterways so guests can enjoy hours of scenic cruising. Balmoral retains a warm, civilised atmosphere and features comfortable accommodation, stylish restaurants and plenty of open deck space.
Fred. Olsen believe a cruise is different to a holiday. A cruise is about the joy of the journey, as well as the destinations guests can visit, and exploring the world from the wonderful vantage point of the ship and the sea.That is why their onboard experience is different to other cruise lines. They want you to get beyond the standard tourist perspective, so you can discover real insights about the culture and nature of the places you are visiting.
New for 2023 sailings - Journey Navigators
Unique to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and joining them on all cruises from 2023, Journey Navigators will be on board to entertain and inspire, with their insights and stories. They will host talks, presentations and private lunches, and are available to anyone who wishes to find out more about their journey. And please don't worry, if sitting and relaxing is what you are on the cruise to do, that's fine too.
You will find these Journey Navigators, (including a Nature Scout, Culture Curator, Entertainment Host and Maritime Guide), on board every Fred. Olsen ship.
Nature Scouts
Nature Scouts are hired by Fred. Olsen for their expertise and passion for the natural world. They are on board to share their knowledge with you, helping you enjoy the natural beauty of the places they visit in a more informed and interesting way. You will often find them on deck, sometimes with visiting specialist speakers, keen to point out and discuss the most interesting aspects of the journey and help guests spot sea life.
On each Fred. Olsen ship, you will also find RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). On selected cruises, the Nature Scouts will join smaller groups on these for Scenic Safaris which allow guests to explore even closer to the coastline.Culture CuratorThere aren’t any humdrum lectures on board a Fred. Olsen ship. Instead, their charming Culture Curators help to deliver a programme of visiting speakers and inspirational activities to deepen your understanding of cultural, artistic and historical stories in the destinations they visit. They host talks in The Neptune Lounge and in The Auditorium. For any guests who want to go even further, they will also host private breakfasts and lunches in smaller groups which will give them the chance to chat to them personally.
Entertainment Host
The Entertainment Hosts are there to ensure your days and nights can be filled with an exciting programme of live music, dancing, quizzes, competitions and all other forms of fun and games on every cruise.
Maritime Guide
The Olsen family have been in shipping for nearly 200 years. The Maritime Guides on each of their ships love to share that history with you. From hosting Bridge and Galley Tours to delving below deck and hosting Q&A sessions with key members of their crew, they are on board to bring maritime traditions and the workings of their smaller ships to life.
Explore the World, The Olsen Way
Destinations overview:
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines are famous for their hand-crafted and innovative itineraries. They have won the Cruise Critic Best Itineraries award every year since 2015. Their dedicated team of Journey Planners are passionate about travel and craft interesting itineraries which visit a mixture of popular ports and hidden gems. Along with researching every port in detail, their team plan a range of sailings that coincide with seasonal and special events, such as the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, or to catch the waterfalls of Norway at their strongest in the spring.
Regional departures:Sailing from a port near you.
To make things nice and easy, Fred. Olsen plan their itineraries to sail from around the UK. In 2023 and 2024, they will depart from six local ports: Rosyth (Edinburgh), Newcastle, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Dover and Southampton. So you are never too far away from joining a Fred. Olsen cruise.
Rewards Programmes
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines believe smaller is better. The smaller size of their ships allows them access to places larger ships simply cannot reach, such as journeying through the impressive Corinth Canal, along beautiful narrow Norwegian fjords and via size-restricted waterways into the heart of fascinating cites.If you only have a small space:
Fred. Olsen has a fleet of three elegant smaller ships. Fred. Olsen love nothing more than exploring size-restricted waterways with their smaller ships.
Individual ship profiles:
Bolette: With just 690 cabins Bolette fits perfectly in Fred. Olsen’s fleet of smaller ships. She has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, timeless style, and plenty of open deck space. With two speciality restaurants, a selection of elegant bars and lounges as well as a relaxing spa, gym and two swimming pools, her smaller size does not mean a compromise on facilities.
Borealis: Sister-ship to Bolette, Borealis’ high speeds are perfectly suited for taking guests on a journey around the globe, enabling exploration in more ports in a shorter duration. Her smaller size, spacious public areas, open deck spaces and impressive array of restaurants, lounges and facilities make her perfect for longer voyages, and shorter journeys alike.
Balmoral: Beautiful Balmoral is small enough to navigate some of Europe’s most picturesque waterways so guests can enjoy hours of scenic cruising. Balmoral retains a warm, civilised atmosphere and features comfortable accommodation, stylish restaurants and plenty of open deck space.
Fred. Olsen believe a cruise is different to a holiday. A cruise is about the joy of the journey, as well as the destinations guests can visit, and exploring the world from the wonderful vantage point of the ship and the sea.That is why their onboard experience is different to other cruise lines. They want you to get beyond the standard tourist perspective, so you can discover real insights about the culture and nature of the places you are visiting.
New for 2023 sailings - Journey Navigators
Unique to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and joining them on all cruises from 2023, Journey Navigators will be on board to entertain and inspire, with their insights and stories. They will host talks, presentations and private lunches, and are available to anyone who wishes to find out more about their journey. And please don't worry, if sitting and relaxing is what you are on the cruise to do, that's fine too.
You will find these Journey Navigators, (including a Nature Scout, Culture Curator, Entertainment Host and Maritime Guide), on board every Fred. Olsen ship.
Nature Scouts
Nature Scouts are hired by Fred. Olsen for their expertise and passion for the natural world. They are on board to share their knowledge with you, helping you enjoy the natural beauty of the places they visit in a more informed and interesting way. You will often find them on deck, sometimes with visiting specialist speakers, keen to point out and discuss the most interesting aspects of the journey and help guests spot sea life.
On each Fred. Olsen ship, you will also find RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). On selected cruises, the Nature Scouts will join smaller groups on these for Scenic Safaris which allow guests to explore even closer to the coastline.Culture CuratorThere aren’t any humdrum lectures on board a Fred. Olsen ship. Instead, their charming Culture Curators help to deliver a programme of visiting speakers and inspirational activities to deepen your understanding of cultural, artistic and historical stories in the destinations they visit. They host talks in The Neptune Lounge and in The Auditorium. For any guests who want to go even further, they will also host private breakfasts and lunches in smaller groups which will give them the chance to chat to them personally.
Entertainment Host
The Entertainment Hosts are there to ensure your days and nights can be filled with an exciting programme of live music, dancing, quizzes, competitions and all other forms of fun and games on every cruise.
Maritime Guide
The Olsen family have been in shipping for nearly 200 years. The Maritime Guides on each of their ships love to share that history with you. From hosting Bridge and Galley Tours to delving below deck and hosting Q&A sessions with key members of their crew, they are on board to bring maritime traditions and the workings of their smaller ships to life.
Explore the World, The Olsen Way
Destinations overview:
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines are famous for their hand-crafted and innovative itineraries. They have won the Cruise Critic Best Itineraries award every year since 2015. Their dedicated team of Journey Planners are passionate about travel and craft interesting itineraries which visit a mixture of popular ports and hidden gems. Along with researching every port in detail, their team plan a range of sailings that coincide with seasonal and special events, such as the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, or to catch the waterfalls of Norway at their strongest in the spring.
Regional departures:Sailing from a port near you.
To make things nice and easy, Fred. Olsen plan their itineraries to sail from around the UK. In 2023 and 2024, they will depart from six local ports: Rosyth (Edinburgh), Newcastle, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Dover and Southampton. So you are never too far away from joining a Fred. Olsen cruise.