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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Small, traditional ships that reach the harbours the big ones can't, and sail from the North as well as the South.

Who Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines genuinely suits

  • Guests who want traditional maritime charm and small-ship intimacy rather than a mega-ship: dark woods, a cosy, clubby atmosphere, and a loyal, mostly British, mostly older passenger base who come back year after year.

When you'd be better off elsewhere

  • Anyone hoping for a lively, modern, activity-packed ship. The fleet and the crowd both skew traditional, and if Iona or Arvia is your reference point you will find this very quiet indeed.

What the ships are actually like

Balmoral, Bolette and Borealis, all under 1,400 guests, dramatically smaller than P&O's Iona or Arvia (around 5,200) or Britannia (around 3,600). That size is what gets them into the smaller harbours and narrower waterways larger ships cannot use, and it is why a Fred. Olsen itinerary often reads like a list of places you have not heard of.

"Old-fashioned" is exactly right, and it isn't necessarily a criticism

What one person calls dated, another calls classic maritime hospitality, and both are describing the same ship accurately. Fred. Olsen has no interest in mega-ship gimmicks. What it has instead is ships small enough to reach the little harbours and narrow channels a 5,000-guest ship has to skip, and a timetable that lets them stay.

That is the entire trade, so be honest about which side of it you are on. If you want water slides and a party deck, you will find this dated within a day. If you want dark wood, a bar where the staff know your name by Tuesday, and ports the big ships cannot fit into, nothing about it is dated.

One practical advantage the brochure undersells: Fred. Olsen is one of very few lines sailing from Newcastle and Liverpool as well as Southampton, so for a lot of the North it is the shortest drive to any ship at all.

What the fare covers

Usually in the fare

  • Full-board dining and evening entertainment

  • Leisure facilities

  • A free shuttle when the port is over a mile from the ship

  • House beer, house wine and draught soft drinks with lunch and dinner on the Freedom fare

Costs extra

  • Other drinks, unless you buy a Premium Drinks Package

  • Shore tours

  • Wi-Fi

  • Getting to and from the departure port

Read from the line's own website, October 2026. What a fare covers varies by sailing and by fare, so check your booking.

Tips and gratuities

Gratuities are included in the fare, so nothing for tips is added to your onboard account.

Extra tips for exceptional service are welcome but not expected.

Checked against the line's own website, October 2026.

Where Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines sits

Class

Premium, on our ladder from Mainstream through Ultra-Luxury.

A sample sailing

Bolette, 10 nights: Norwegian Fjords round trip from Southampton, guide price from £899pp.

Two thirds British, and the only line sailing from the North in numbers

107 of 161 sailings worldwide leave from a UK port (66% of the programme), from Southampton 53, Newcastle upon Tyne 29, Liverpool 25.

Counted 17 August 2026 against live cruise-line inventory. Sailing counts move week to week.

Where Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines boards in the UK

In the UK, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines sails from Southampton and Liverpool and Newcastle. Each guide covers who the port suits, what actually sails and how to reach it.

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