Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
To appreciate a Fred. Olsen cruise you'd ideally need to be a certain type, namely an Anglophile. It may seem strange that a Norwegian company operates such a very British product - four ships decorated like floating country houses - based mainly in British ports and catering to British tastes. Cruising, however, is only a fragment of the Fred. Olsen empire and its British market is loyal and enthusiastic. Australians and New Zealanders are also developing a taste for Fred. Olsen product and last year some 500 took a cruise with the company, mainly on the southern hemisphere itineraries but also as part of an extended European holiday.
"Northern Europe is the next most popular [destination after the Southern Hemisphere], as is fly-cruise into the Eastern Mediterranean," says Peter Marshall, sales agent for Fred. Olsen in Australia. "The older Australian clients seem to like the Britishness of the ships as many of them are ex-Brits, who are now naturalised Australians."
Fred. Olsen & Co originated in Hvitsten, a small town on Oslofjord in Norway, in 1848 when the three entrepreneurial Olsen brothers - Fredrik Christian (the original Fred), Petter and Andreas - started an international shipping company.
The family is now in its fifth generation, and is owned by Annette Olsen. The company's interests include passenger shipping, aviation, ships' crewing, shipbuilding and offshore industries. If your travels ever take you to Spain's Canary Islands, the inter-island Fred. Olsen ferries will quickly become a familiar sight.
Today the cruise division, which is based in Suffolk England, operates four ships - Black Prince, Braemar, Black Watch and new sister, Boudicca. All four share a common theme of Britishness, with pound sterling the onboard currency. The crew, however, includes Norwegian officers and many smiling Filipino hotel staff.
The company's intention has always been to operate small, friendly vessels - a brave mission in today's world of super liners and 3500-passenger giants. But Fred. Olsen has remained true to its word and even the new Boudicca accommodates a mere 839 passengers - a small number in comparison to competitors such as P&O and Cunard.
Each ship is pitched slightly differently. Black Prince, the smallest at 11,209 tons and the most elderly, is friendly and affordable. It is rated in the Berlitz Complete Guide to Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships 2006 as just two star-plus. The ship is undeniably basic as it was once a passenger and cargo ferry but to many that's its charm. If you're 60-something, looking for a cruise that is friendly, intimate and not flashy but has well-planned itineraries and long stays in port, this could be the one. The ship also has an impressive indoor pool, gym and spa area, on what was once the cargo deck. It carries just 412 in a bewildering 14 cabin grades, although its small size means that most of these have an outside view.
Black Prince (and, in fact, all the Fred. Olsen fleet) is also very reasonably priced on board. Despite the fact that you'll lose on the conversion from to pounds, drinks and spa treatments are refreshingly affordable and you'll never have the feeling of being fleeced by a 15-per-cent service charge slapped onto every drinks bill the way you do on American-run ships.
Another big bonus is that it is extremely friendly to single passengers. All four vessels have single inside and outside cabins, and Black Watch and Boudicca even have single balcony cabins. In addition, there are gentlemen dance hosts on board, making these ships a great environment for single women.
Black Watch originally sailed as Royal Viking Star in the 1970s, in what was regarded as one of the finest fleets of its time. It's quite different to Black Prince: its larger at 29,492 tons and carries 807 passengers in four-star comfort. It's slightly more formal, too. Fred. Olsen passengers enjoy their black tie nights, so pack your best gown or tuxedo.
Black Watch is named after the famed Scottish Black Watch regiment and has a Scottish theme throughout with much use of tartan and rooms with Scottish names, such as the Glentanar dining room and the Braemar lounge. The ship has sleek, elegant lines and the trademark white hull of the fleet. In 2005, it underwent refurbishment and some smart balcony cabins were added to make a total of 66. Overall, there's a sense of quiet elegance and a lot of light and space.
The vessel was built for long ocean voyages for which it's ideally suited, and the typically British design provides lots of nooks and crannies in which to sit, read and look at the view.
Braemar joined the Fred. Olsen fleet in 2001. This particular vessel was built in 1993 as Crown Dynasty and later sailed for Cunard Line as Cunard Dynasty.
Braemar fits the Fred. Olsen profile of small and friendly at just 19,098 tons with capacity for 727 passengers. The ship is different again from its sisters - its built for warm- weather cruising, offering a light, airy interior, a five-deck atrium, and a lot of outdoor space including a complete wrap-around promenade deck. The cascading sundecks at the aft are particularly graceful and when the crew offer an evening barbecue on that deck, the holiday mood becomes positively contagious.
Other facilities include an elegant indoor dining room, the informal Palms caf, a show lounge, gym and spa. There's a small children's club and although families are not the target market of Fred. Olsen, the British summer holidays (July and August) can see a lot of children on board.
In February this year Boudicca joined the fleet with great ceremony: Boudicca had once sailed as Black Watch's sister Royal Viking Sky. Fred. Olsen acquired the ship in October 2005 and spent four months on a complete refit of everything from the engines to the public rooms to create a vessel that is charming.
Instead of a Scottish name, Boudicca is named after the English warrior queen and has an English theme. Most of the cabins are outside and many have private balconies. There are three restaurants, including the pretty Secret Garden caf - a popular gathering place during the day. There is also the quiet Observatory lounge, a library, casino, beauty salon and gym.
So where can you sail on a Fred. Olsen ship? For most of the year all four are based in the UK with itineraries departing from Southampton, Dover, Leith (Edinburgh), Greenock, Liverpool, Newcastle, Belfast and Dublin. Some of these regional departures, Scotland and Dublin for example, are ideal if you're combining a cruise with touring in the UK.
The ships operate an eclectic range of itineraries, taking in anywhere from the Norwegian fjords to the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, West Africa, the Baltic and the Iberian peninsula.
In the northern hemisphere winter (the 2007 season runs from October to April), Braemar relocates to the Caribbean and operates a series of cruises out of Barbados and sometimes, Montego Bay in Jamaica. As Fred. Olsen is not an American line some of these cruises can call at Cuba, which is a fantastic travel opportunity. Braemar's October Western Caribbean itinerary, for example, spends three days in Havana. There are also Orinoco and Amazon cruises, which head deep into the rainforest.
Black Watch embarks on a long voyage in January 2007 and will spend 78 nights cruising round Africa, with some exciting ports of call including Ghana, Namibia, Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles and Oman as well as several South African ports. The cruise can be booked in sections of 16 to 25 nights.
While the itineraries may be adventurous, the entertainment on board is geared firmly to conservative British tastes. There are theme nights such as 1960s or 70s nights and themed cruises including music, dance, wine, gardening, antiques, photography, painting, wildlife and golf. These cruises are accompanied by relevant experts. But rest assured there's no pressure to join in and certainly no heavy sell. That would be most unBritish.
Written by Sue Bryant