With more than 175 years of know-how behind it, this heritage brand has the expertise to deliver quality cruising with strong, customer-friendly value. It's known for its ideally sized ships and caters to a broad range of guests, including couples, solo travellers and families. It also offers a wide selection of carefully curated itineraries, from no-fly mini cruises from the UK to mystery cruises in the Mediterranean.
Sat on the rugged coastline of the Isle of Lewis, Stornoway welcomes cruisegoers with tales steeped in Gaelic lore and seafaring traditions. Its history is intertwined with the resilient spirit of its people, from ancient clans to modern-day fishermen. The climate, shaped by the North Atlantic, offers a raw authenticity, with wild winds and dramatic skies painting a vivid backdrop for exploration. Visitors seeking an escape from tourist hotspots find solace in Stornoway's unspoiled landscapes and genuine hospitality. As a unique fact, Stornoway boasts the title of the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, a testament to its significance in Scotland's maritime heritage.
Sat on the rugged coastline of the Isle of Lewis, Stornoway welcomes cruisegoers with tales steeped in Gaelic lore and seafaring traditions. Its history is intertwined with the resilient spirit of its people, from ancient clans to modern-day fishermen. The climate, shaped by the North Atlantic, offers a raw authenticity, with wild winds and dramatic skies painting a vivid backdrop for exploration. Visitors seeking an escape from tourist hotspots find solace in Stornoway's unspoiled landscapes and genuine hospitality. As a unique fact, Stornoway boasts the title of the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, a testament to its significance in Scotland's maritime heritage.
Our smallest ship, Balmoral, is a classic gem, offering an intimate cruising experience. She has wonderful facilities - five beautiful restaurants, seven bars and lounges, two pools and lovely wide open decks which are perfect for when Balmoral is scenic cruising.
Exceptional experience lasting 110 days crusing the Southern hemisphere. Cannot fault Fred Olsen. As a solo traveller special events were put on for us. Port talks were informative. Specialist speakers and entertainment was on a rolling programme. Various classes for dancing,craft,deck games, events were provided fir the whole trip. Optional port excursions well thought out. A truly wonderful experience. Well done FredOksen
We had heard so many good things about Fred Olsen we decided to do a short cruise to give them a try.
On 22nd May we boarded Bolette and were very pleasantly surprised at how spacious the community areas were.
We had a window cabin which we found quite spacious with lot’s of proper wardrobe space. There was a small refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities. The bathroom had a spacious walk in shower compared to many other ships we had been on. Believe it or not there was still a nightly turn down service which has now gone from many ships due to cost cutting.
The theatre was I think the best I had seen on any ship and they had some very good entertainment on board.
The dining room was great with an upper and lower level with very attentive staff. The menu had certain things on that were on there daily but also with quite a comprehensive menu which changed every day (unlike a lot of the bigger ships I have been on)to suit all tastes. My only disappointment was the fact that they had two sittings for dinner but I would have liked to see an open sitting scheme.
I am not a buffet person but I think this is the best buffet I have seen on any of the ships I have been on. We did not try it fully just on the first and last day.
Overall I was very impressed.
I recently went on a 5 day cruise, with Fred Olsen on the Borealis. We went to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The whole experience was great. Loved the sea days. Especially the 10am craft classes. The lady leading the class really knew her stuff. I did my own thing in Rotterdam and a Fred Olsen excursion in Amsterdam. Again very well organised and a knowledgeable guide.
Fabulous, only slightly spoiled by a faulty mooring line capstan winch that had inadequate maintenance resulting in horrid noises late at night when the sea conditions got rough, also the Portuguese dock workers strikes at the time that meant we had a day at Queta instead, which was a fabulous alternative.
The cruise was a little pricey compared to our usual Ambassador Cruise Line, and missed out on offers from FOCL of £200 per cabin free OBC by just a week when they started extra promotions to sell remaining cabins.
Our next cruise will be back with ACL as they are better in Customer considerations of the need for my wife to take a small mobility scooter on board, to enable getting about easier at the ports of call.
Most aspects of the FOCL cruise were absolutely superb, however both ACL and FOCL could improve significantly if they really looked at each others operations with little or no extra input.
Lucky we were on this ship, the weather wasn’t brilliant on this cruise to the Canaries but we were well looked after, food good (especially Colours & Tastes Asian Fusion), good shows. Fireworks in Lisbon worked better than the previous year on a different ship.
As with all cruise lines the staff were mainly very friendly. Food ok though often lukewarm. All inclusive drinks very limited although that will have changed with FO's new policy. Cabin was frankly shabby but functional. Be prepared for a very senior demographic.
