Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines saw its most successful sales day ever on Tuesday 7th March 2017, with bookings totalling over £3 million for the day, following the launch of its exciting new 2018/19 cruise programme to its top tier of Oceans loyalty club members. This represents an increase of 15% on the same launch day last year, on Tuesday 15th March 2016. Fred. Olsen’s new 2018/19 cruise programme has gone on general sale today [Thursday 9th March 2017].
In 2018/19, Fred. Olsen’s fleet of four smaller, more intimate ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – will be visiting no fewer than 228 destinations in 73 countries around the globe, plus 91 areas of scenic cruising, on over 135 different itineraries.
Justin Stanton, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:
“Last year’s launch was a hard one to beat, so this is excellent news for Fred. Olsen! This high demand to cruise with us again follows the creation of a fantastic range of ex-UK and worldwide fly-cruises in 2018/19, which focus on providing one-off experiences that give our guests a ‘holiday of a lifetime’.
“Our new fly-cruise programme offers such a wide variety of experiences, including new exotic holidays to Arabia and India, and we will be growing on our best-selling ‘Indian Ocean’ itineraries – taking in some of the world’s most stunning scenery and giving guests a ‘closer’, more authentic experience in the destination.
“We would encourage our guests to book early to secure their places on our innovative and immersive itineraries in 2018/19, as they are selling fast!”
Fred. Olsen’s ‘Top 10’ bestsellers in 2018/19 so far are as follows:
1) Balmoral’s 17-night L1806 ‘Islands of the Mediterranean’ cruise, ex Southampton on 3rd April 2018
2) Boudicca’s 22-night D1810 ‘Rome, Amalfi, Tuscany & the Italian Riviera’ cruise, ex Dover on 30thMay 2018
3) Black Watch’s 15-night W1818 ‘The Fjords of Greenland’ cruise, ex Liverpool on 17th August 2018
4) Black Watch’s 26-night W1821 ‘Canada in the Fall’ cruise, ex Liverpool on 22nd September 2018
5) Braemar’s 23-night M1825 ‘Historic Towns & Cities of the Adriatic’ cruise, ex Southampton on 2ndOctober 2018
6) Braemar’s 16-night M1815 ‘Arctic Russia & Northern Norway’ cruise, ex Southampton on 12thJune 2018
7) Boudicca’s 14-night D1824 ‘Islands of the Indian Ocean’ fly-cruise, ex Port Louis, Mauritius on 15thNovember 2018
8) Black Watch’s 15-night W1813 ‘Exploring Remote Spitsbergen’ cruise, ex Liverpool on 27th June 2018
9) Balmoral’s 62-night L1902 ‘California, Mexico & the Panama Canal’ cruise, ex Southampton on 19th January 2019
10) Boudicca’s nine-night D1811 ‘German Waterways with Kiel Week’ cruise, ex Dover on 21st June 2018
In 2018/19, as well as an increased focus on worldwide fly-cruise holidays, Fred. Olsen will be making the most of its smaller-sized ships – which can sail right into the heart of the destination, where larger ships cannot reach – by featuring even more river, fjords and scenic cruising.
Highlights of Fred. Olsen’s scenic cruises in 2018/19 include its signature ‘Lochs of Scotland’ itineraries, along with its popular ‘German Waterways’ and ‘French Rivers’ sailings. Fred. Olsen guests can also choose to cruise along the Guadalquivir River into Seville on a 14-night ‘Authentic Andalusia & Seville Orange Blossom’ sailing on shallow-drafted Braemar in March 2018, or opt for a 14-night ‘River Cruising to Bordeaux & the Seville Fair’ itinerary in April 2018, where they can take part in the ‘Feria de Abril’ and enjoy the city’s spectacular fireworks.
