my cruise account fred olsen

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines 4+

Your cruise companion app, fred. olsen cruise lines limited, designed for ipad, screenshots, description.

Enhance your Fred. Olsen experience, before and during your cruise holiday, with the Fred. Olsen Cruise Companion. Countdown to your next Fred. Olsen cruise and complete your Guest Information Form ready for your departure day; access your Cabin Account; find out about daily activities on board and view extensive destination guides; and much more. Many features can be accessed without Internet connection too, helping you to get the most from your holiday without having to worry about additional charges. The Fred. Olsen Cruise Companion features include: • Pre-cruise countdown and your cruise itinerary details • Ability to complete Guest Information Form (GIF), book Shore Tours and view cruise history • Access to your on board Cabin Account • Digital Daily Times, detailing on board activities, entertainment and important cruise information • Restaurant and Bar Menus • Destination guides with port information, key experiences and attractions relevant to your itinerary • Plus our Ship Tracker, deck plans for our fleet of four smaller ocean cruise ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Black Watch & Boudicca – and Oceans Loyalty Club information While our app can be downloaded and used on board our ships without the need to purchase a WiFi package, some features require internet access for full functionality. These include signing into the app and completing your Guest Information Form. We are committed to further enhancing your Fred. Olsen cruise experience, and will continue to develop our app and its features. If you have any feedback, or ideas for improving our app, we would love to hear from you – please email your comments to [email protected]

Version 2.1.17

Bug Fixes and Enhancements

App Privacy

The developer, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Limited , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Developer Website
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

You Might Also Like

Ambassador Cruise Line

Mainline Taxi

NAVIERA ARMAS: reserve tickets

App for Cornwall

London Gatwick Airport

• Fred. Olsen Cruise Line

Accessin My Account on Fred Olsen website and getting luggage labels

By Dorset Cruiser , January 12, 2014 in Fred. Olsen Cruise Line

Recommended Posts

Dorset Cruiser

Have just booked our first (and could be last) cruise with Fred Olsen. Our experience, so far, with the My Account section of the website is dire. There is no mention of the actual cabin been allocated or of our flights. TA says we should have a link to go to in order to download and print off luggage labels - nothing showing. Never had these problems on any of the other cruise lines we have used and we are not getting a 'warm feeling' about booking Fred Olsen. The only thing that does show is that they have changed our dining time from second sitting to first sitting which is something we definitely did not want on our port-intensive cruise. We booked an anchor fare so perhaps it is a ploy to get the extra £2 pppn to change our dining time back to second sitting? Don't want to sound or feel negative but cannot help feeling a little disappointed :(

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

When is your cruise due to depart? I received my luggage labels showing the deck from FO about a week before I left, but the cabin allocation was still open then. I got the cabin number from my TA a day or so later.

I got the outward flight details a bit before that, but it was all done by email; if you've booked with a TA then it's the TA who should send it to you. I only used the FO website to book some excursions...

Hi   When is your cruise due to depart? I received my luggage labels showing the deck from FO about a week before I left, but the cabin allocation was still open then. I got the cabin number from my TA a day or so later.   I got the outward flight details a bit before that, but it was all done by email; if you've booked with a TA then it's the TA who should send it to you. I only used the FO website to book some excursions...

We fly on 31 January. Got our cruise ticket showing cabin number 6086 and flight tickets - both were emailed from Cruise.co.uk, our travel agent. When we queried the lack of luggage tags, they directed us to the Fred Olsen website and said we could download them from there - no luck. They are going to phone FO tomorrow to find out why our dinner sitting has changed.

Fred Olsen posts your luggage labels to you. They are proper sturdy labels, not like the ones you have to print. Your flight details are on your cruise documents which are posted 2-3 weeks prior long with the labels. Also, the invoice you received when booking your cruise will have your dining sitting on it unless you booked an Anchor Fare when you will be allocated a sitting nearer the time, regardless if what you asked for.

Fred Olsen does not have as much on line as other cruise lines do. They still post everything out to you. Don 't worry about it as you seem to be expecting everything online. I have cruised with Fred numerous times and they have never let me down but the travel agents should be doing more for you. Enjoy your cruise.

Fred Olsen posts your luggage labels to you. They are proper sturdy labels, not like the ones you have to print. Your flight details are on your cruise documents which are posted 2-3 weeks prior long with the labels. Also, the invoice you received when booking your cruise will have your dining sitting on it unless you booked an Anchor Fare when you will be allocated a sitting nearer the time, regardless if what you asked for. Fred Olsen does not have as much on line as other cruise lines do. They still post everything out to you. Don 't worry about it as you seem to be expecting everything online. I have cruised with Fred numerous times and they have never let me down but the travel agents should be doing more for you. Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks - looks like we are going to be paying the extra £2pppn then :(. Our cruise ticket and flight tickets have been emailed to us already, just the luggage labels missing.

Still no luggage labels but we have been sent a photograph of our 'view' from our superior cabin :O[ATTACH]298746[/ATTACH]

That's not so bad, at least you can see the sea and the sky...:D.

You will have a great time.

That's not so bad, at least you can see the sea and the sky...:D. You will have a great time.

Suppose not - just used to my balconies :(

Cruising Nomads

Simples book a BALCONY cabin

Not so simples - tried that today - all gone and all they could offer was a balcony suite for £1569 per person - don't think so :O for one week round the Canaries we'll put up with the lifeboat :)

Your ability to see the funny side is exactly the right attitude; you will enjoy your holiday all the more!

My reservation about FO balconies is that people smoke on them, which I would really not enjoy, so the outside view seems the best way to go, even if you have to try and ignore the bright orange thing :D

Once you've done the FO conga on the safety drill you will be even more enamoured of the bright orange things; to be slightly more serious the staff will make sure the window is cleaned on the outside as well as inside, so you will get to see the sea and the sky...

Your ability to see the funny side is exactly the right attitude; you will enjoy your holiday all the more!   My reservation about FO balconies is that people smoke on them, which I would really not enjoy, so the outside view seems the best way to go, even if you have to try and ignore the bright orange thing :D   Once you've done the FO conga on the safety drill you will be even more enamoured of the bright orange things; to be slightly more serious the staff will make sure the window is cleaned on the outside as well as inside, so you will get to see the sea and the sky...

We have sailed in all grades of cabin except full suites, so we will be fine. After 30 cruises, we just love being on a ship, any ship - well, except Independence of the Sea lol ;)

Received my luggage labels in the post today. Not heard about why they accepted us for 2nd sittng when we booked and then changed it to 1st sitting, so will try to pay the extra and be put back on 2nd sitting :(

I'm glad to hear your luggage labels have arrived; I hope you manage to get your preferred sitting. My cruise had a few sea days so the 8.15 sitting can seem quite late, but I do agree that it's the better one on port-intensive cruises.

Have a great holiday!

I'm glad to hear your luggage labels have arrived; I hope you manage to get your preferred sitting. My cruise had a few sea days so the 8.15 sitting can seem quite late, but I do agree that it's the better one on port-intensive cruises.   Have a great holiday!

Thanks - will be glad to get away from this atrocious weather for a week :(

Not sure what fare booking you made but if it was an Anchor Fare you are not given the option of sitting or restaurant.

Wish someone had told my TA at Cruise.co.uk that then as we do have an anchor fare and suppose that is why we got the lifeboat view and first sitting ;) he is pretty useless I have to say, never responds to our emails even after acknowledging them. Anything I have found out about FP and its practices, I have found out from here or by contacting FO themselves :(

Travel agent has come good - now on second sitting and he has absorbed the £28 surcharge. All set now :)

Glad to hear it, have a good cruise.:p

CRUISIN LINDA

Glad you got it sorted. Have a great time Dorset Cruiser :)

Thanks - will be glad to get a little winter sun :)

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

• Welcome to Cruise Critic
• New Cruisers
• Cruise Lines “A – O”
• Cruise Lines “P – Z”
• River Cruising
• Cruise Critic News & Features
• Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
• Special Interest Cruising
• Cruise Discussion Topics
• UK Cruising
• Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
• Canadian Cruisers
• North American Homeports
• Ports of Call
• Cruise Conversations

Announcements

• New to Cruise Critic? Join our Community!

Write Your Own Amazing Review !

Click this gorgeous photo by member SUPERstar777 to share your review!

Features & News

LauraS · Started Friday at 09:51 PM

LauraS · Started Friday at 08:47 PM

LauraS · Started Thursday at 03:31 PM

LauraS · Started Thursday at 02:21 PM

LauraS · Started Wednesday at 10:25 PM

• Existing user? Sign in OR Create an Account
• Find Your Roll Call
• Meet & Mingle
• Community Help Center
• All Activity
• Member Photo Albums
• Meet & Mingle Photos
• Favorite Cruise Memories
• Cruise Food Photos
• Cruise Ship Photos
• Ports of Call Photos
• Towel Animal Photos
• Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos
• Write a Review
• Live Cruise Reports
• Member Cruise Reviews
• Create New...

• Opening Hours:

Mon-Fri 8.30am - 6pm

Saturday 9am - 5pm

Sunday 10am - 4pm

• Toggle Navigation Menu

Cruise Search

I Took a Traditional British Cruise with Fred Olsen (Entertainment, Food & Ship Review)

I’ve just disembarked a traditional British cruise, despite very much not being a traditional person!

We had formal nights and dress codes, and I had to share my dinner table with strangers at a set time.

I also came across a few strange rules which I was not expecting!

Planning My Fred Olsen Cruise

This cruise was very different from any cruise I’ve ever taken before and we had highs and lows that I could never have predicted.

Those highs and lows were literal as well, the ship was so rocky and the seas were seriously rough! 

I usually cruise with the casual cruise lines. I love big, new exciting cruise ships, the ones that have ropes courses and waterslides. I’ve been skydiving on cruise ships and even tried surfing, which was so cool!

Taking a traditional cruise on a small ship wasn’t on my radar but when I saw an amazing itinerary sailing with the traditional cruise line “ Fred Olsen ” I thought maybe this would be my chance.

Reading their website I saw that it said:

‘If after a couple of days on board you find that it is not right for you, we will fly you home and your cruise fare will be refunded.’ Fred Olsen Cruiselines

I’ve never seen a cruise line promise anything like that before so I figured I had nothing to lose really, and I booked the cruise !

I was nervous, I didn’t know if I’d fit in, I wasn’t sure if there were lots of rules I’d have to follow. I thought I might find it a bit boring, to be honest.

I had no idea how a small ship would handle the notoriously rocky seas on the route I was taking.

Embarkation

We embarked the ship in Newcastle. Embarkation was made very easy by the fact that I’d already been sent my luggage tags and tickets pre-cruise so there wasn’t anything for me to organise myself.

With most of the big cruise lines you have to remember to print the paperwork you need – Fred Olsen send it all by post.

This was a really good sign for me that traditional cruising might have some benefits that I hadn’t thought about!

I was still nervous but only time would tell if I’d be converted to the more classic style of cruising.  

The ship that I was cruising on was Fred Olsen’s “Bolette.”

As soon as we got onboard we walked into this amazing atrium area and were greeted with a huge clock, that looked like something out of a steampunk-style movie!

There were fresh flowers everywhere and there was music playing in the background which made it all feel very classy.

This was very different from the sparkly atriums that I’m used to on more modern ships, but I personally loved it!

The carpets were so colourful too, it really felt like the ship was making a statement. Nothing about this ship was subtle!

Up until 2020, most of Fred Olsen’s cruise ships were from the 1960s and 1970s. They really didn’t interest me at all.

In 2020 they bought this ship from the cruise line Holland America and that’s when I added Fred Olsen to my ‘maybe’ cruise list.   

I recently took a little cruise on a ship of a similar age that had some serious maintenance issues so I wondered if we would find any problems like that onboard.

To find out more about that disastrous trip, read the article below:

My Cruise Was CANCELLED 4 Hours After I Boarded – Ambassador Ambience Review

I hoped that we wouldn’t, especially since we were spending 9 nights on this cruise. It isn’t uncommon to find things like broken toilets or broken air conditioning on ships of this age. 

Heading up to the top of the ship to explore we found a massive lounge that overlooked the ocean on three sides. I love lounges like this and I particularly love them when they have chairs that recline.

I had no idea that the seats did recline to start with, until I saw another guest do it. He must have been here before because he sat straight down and flipped out his legs! I copied, and it was so comfortable – I imagine a lot of people fall asleep in this bar! 

I noticed a little stage beside the bar and started to wonder what sort of entertainment would be onboard.

I couldn’t imagine that there would be much happening in the day and I very much came on this cruise ready to entertain myself.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about a lack of entertainment! There were things on the schedule that I have never seen on cruise ships before. 

After a quick Pepsi, we decided to head to the buffet for lunch. I’ve been in lots of cruise ship buffets over the years so I thought I knew how this would work.

Usually, you walk up to the food and either take the food or ask the person behind the counter to serve it to you. Then you find somewhere to sit down. 

That wasn’t how it worked on Fred Olsen, and it did confuse me a little bit at the start. As I tried to walk up to the food one of the members of crew stopped me and asked how many of us there were. I was a bit confused but I said “two” and she took us to a table.

I’ve never been seated by a crew member in a buffet before, and although it was nice to not have to find my own seat I did wonder if it might get a little annoying as the cruise went on.

I’m somebody who likes to get snacks from the buffet quite often, and I don’t always want to sit down -and definitely not with people that I don’t know!

Also, the first thing you do once you’re seated is stand right back up again to go back and choose your food. This was served by the staff. It was a little bit odd, but I appreciated the idea behind it. 

This was one of the first signs that this cruise would turn the things I thought I knew about cruising on their head. 

I straight away found Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes in the buffet – which made me very happy!

I was expecting this cruise to be very British in things like the food, because the majority of guests onboard were from the UK.

I did find some Americans later on in the cruise but at this point, I’d only spoken to other British people. 

Next, it was time to complete the safety drill that is a legal requirement on cruises. It has to be completed on the first day of a cruise and for this, we had to go and find out cabin. 

We’d booked a “balcony cabin suite” on deck 8, which meant that we didn’t have far to walk from the buffet which was also on deck 8.

On big cruise ships, I’m pretty used to walking from a cabin on deck 5 right up to decks 15 or 16 to go to the buffet! That is a lot of stairs…

Just walking down one or two flights of stairs to reach things was amazing. Our cabin was pretty central too, which was good. 

The first thing I did when I went into the cabin was run straight into the bathroom!

This might sound odd, but I’d heard a few rumours pre-cruise that some of the cabins onboard Bolette had baths. It has always been a cruising dream of mine to have a bath on a cruise! 

It’s very rare to get a bath on a cruise ship without booking a suite. When I saw one in there, my goodness, I was so happy – some would say disproportionately happy – but I can’t explain how much this bath meant to me!

To find out more about my cabin on Bolette, click here:

Fred Olsen’s Bolette – Balcony Suite Real Review and Photo Guide (I Spent 9 Days Onboard)

Our cabin felt very spacious and we had tons of storage space.

I’ve been asked a lot:

‘Were the cabins dated?’ I always find that one hard to answer…

“Dated” technically just means that you can work out the date of something by looking at it. You can tell that she’s not a new cruise ship, but having said that, nothing was broken or damaged,

It felt as though Fred Olsen had taken great care of this cabin, and for me – that’s the most important thing.

Some people love this more traditional design and some people prefer more modern-looking designs like the cabins on MSC cruise ships.

I do like the traditional thing of leaving chocolates on the pillow every night, most cruise lines have got rid of that and I definitely miss it! 

Our balcony was huge and I instantly noticed the ashtray sitting on the table.

Almost all cruise lines have banned smoking on balconies in recent years, but Fred Olsen are one of only 4 lines that do still allow it.  

To find out who the others are, read the post below:

Cruise Line Balcony Smoking Policies – On These 4 Lines You Can

There was loads of storage in our cabin, a big bed which interestingly had two separate duvets, a sofa, a TV, a kettle which I used a lot and some rather interesting art.

During the cruise, I looked at this one picture a lot as it was opposite my bed. I am convinced that I can see a little man inside this fish, and I did ask my viewers to name him.

They did not disappoint me with the funny names they came up with! He ended up being called “Jonah the Grape.”

There was interesting art like this all over the ship and every time I walked down a corridor I’d find something to make me laugh!

Assigned Late Dining!

In our cabin, I found a piece of paper that said that we had been assigned late dining. I am absolutely a person who likes to eat early, at home I eat around 5 pm but I didn’t think that would be a problem.

On every cruise I’ve ever taken, I’ve been able to change my dining time without issue so I assumed – wrongly – that I would be able to have it changed. 

Reading down a little bit more, I realised that I would be charged to change my dining time!

I am a very stubborn person, so there was no way in the world I was going to pay to change the time of my dinner!

Guests who pay for the more expensive “freedom fare” when booking their cruise do have priority when it comes to dining times, but in true Emma style, I’d booked the cheaper saver fare.

It was only £2($2.50) per person per night, but that would have been £36 ($45) in total, which is insane to me!

This may be the most ridiculous and random charge I’ve ever come across on a cruise.

If Fred Olsen are reading this, please get rid of it! It leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths on day one of the cruise, and that isn’t a good way to start.

They did have a little table map on the back of the dining times paper though, which was awesome. I wish all cruise lines did this as I like to be prepared! 

Late dining was 8.30 pm, so we had plenty of time to watch the sail away from Newcastle.

Our cruise was heading up into the Arctic Circle in pursuit of the Northern Lights, and at this point, I thought it was cold. I couldn’t have been more wrong! It was about to get much, much colder! 

Table Sharing

When we headed to the Terrace Restaurant, I was expecting to be seated at a table for two, but to my surprise, there was already another couple sitting down at the table when we arrived.

The other couple looked just as confused as we were to be table-sharing! There had been no mention of it before.

This was actually their first cruise and they weren’t expecting table sharing either!

I would usually never pick table sharing, but we were so lucky with our table mates. We had a great meal in this really cool restaurant that was split over two levels. It felt very grand and had stained glass on the ceiling. 

The food was all very good and we came away very happy from that first meal.

There were always vegetarian choices, and things like gluten-free options were clearly marked. That said, I didn’t know if I would regularly be back in this dining room, just because of our 8.30 pm timeslot.

We did tell our new friends about this so that they didn’t think we were avoiding them if we didn’t come to dinner ever again!

If you do take a cruise with a cruise line that includes fixed dining, you don’t ever have to go to dinner there at that time – it just means that if you want to eat in the main dining room, that is your space.

You can still eat in other places, or go to the buffet instead. This is included in the cruise fare.

You can eat in the speciality restaurants too, but that costs extra.

We ended up eating in the buffet a lot more than normal on this cruise, mostly because I actually got pretty seasick, so didn’t feel like eating a sit-down meal. 

When I take a lot of travel sickness medication I tend to just sleep, and I did that on this cruise a lot.

The ship was moving so much that my Apple Watch actually recorded a 3-and-a-half-hour dance workout while I slept!

(Because of how much I was moving around, it assumed I was dancing!) 

Leaving the restaurant at around 10 pm, we were perfectly timed to head to the theatre for the 2nd performance of the evening show.

The Theatre, Bars and Entertainment

The theatre onboard Bolette is called the “Neptune Lounge” so I didn’t expect it to be a big theatre.

On some smaller cruise ships like the Azamara fleet, you’ll find that they just have a lounge where they do shows in the evening. The Neptune Lounge was every bit as impressive a theatre as you’d find on the larger ships.

The show told us a little more about what we could expect from the cruise and introduced us to a few crew members.

We saw a couple of songs from the show team and were introduced to the guest speakers who would be hosting talks during the cruise.

It’s fairly common for a cruise to have a guest speaker on board, but I’ve never been on a cruise that had this many before.

There were four guest speakers on board, covering various topics from “Life In Norway” to “Photographing the Northern Lights.” All were very interesting !

Drinks Packages and Pricing

They did have bar service in the theatre which was very good, it was very fast and the crew were always so friendly.

The drinks on Fred Olsen are a decent price too!

There’s no automatic gratuity added on drinks, as you’ll find on American cruise lines.

The drinks themselves are reasonably cheap – for a cruise ship anyway.

A soft drink like a Pepsi was £2.50 and a cocktail was around £7. A pint of beer was £5 which is pretty similar to a pub on land. 

Fred Olsen does have a drinks package available which is called ‘All-Inclusive.’ Like most drinks packages, this isn’t really all-inclusive, but with it you can get soda, beer, wine, spirits and a “cocktail of the day” included.

It costs £25 per person per day, which is pretty cheap for a package that includes alcohol. In the past, I’ve paid £20 a day just for a soft drinks package! 

I spent our first sea day feeling pretty seasick and awful, so I was so happy when we docked in our first port of Alesund.

Usually, cruise ships stay in port until at least dinner time, but we were only there for a few hours.

It was amazing to be able to at least explore in the snow. We do not get much snow in the UK, so it was quite an experience. 

Our ship actually sailed away at 1 pm, so we had to be on board at 12.30 pm – which was a shame.

Other Bars Onboard

This afternoon onboard the ship gave me the chance to properly explore. We found a big bar area called “The Morning Light.”

This was a pub-type of venue, they had games here to play, and this lounge was very popular when the football or rugby was on.

They would even bring food here sometimes. I don’t watch any sports so I would tend to go to another bar, but it was very popular. 

This bar area was actually the casino when the ship was owned by Holland America Line, but Fred Olsen took out the casino and now there isn’t one onboard.

It’s actually not uncommon for British cruise lines to not have casinos, or to have smaller ones. We don’t tend to gamble as much as Americans or Australian cruisers – so I’m told! 

We also found “The Piano Bar” which would become one of my favourite bars onboard. It was small and felt modern in its design. There was a piano here as the name suggests, and they’d play live music in the evenings.

My only criticism of this bar was that they would sometimes play “My Way” by Frank Sinatra – if I had my way I’d ban that song from cruise ships!

It’s the most popular funeral song in the world, so I think most of us have been to a funeral where it’s been played. It seems an odd choice for me but it’s very popular on cruises! 

We also found another bar, which was beautiful but had no name on the deck plans! I just called it the “Garden Bar with the tearoom next door.”

These areas have been refurbished most recently, but even the parts of the ship that felt a little less modern never felt damaged or old. It was clear to me that the ship was well looked after.

There was another bar by the atrium, where they would have live music and play games. We would often get a drink from here to take to our cabin because it was just up one flight of stairs.  

The Poolside Cafe

By this point, we were getting hungry so we decided to go and grab a bit to eat at the poolside cafe.

On most cruises you’ll find somewhere by the pool that serves food – like pizza or hot dogs usually, it’s just “grab and go” but on Bolette this was a sit-down cafe.

They had similar things to most poolside restaurants on the menu but in a much more refined and classy way. They had burgers, they had fish and chips and they had Halloumi – which I ate quite a few times.

At one point I asked if I could have a Halloumi burger – which wasn’t on the menu. They said “Of course, no problem!”

The crew on Fred Olsen were some of the loveliest I’ve ever met on any cruise line!

I would often see the crew helping guests with things like putting on their coats if they needed it, and it really felt as though they had time to help their guests. Often on cruises, I feel bad when I see the crew running around, rushed off their feet.

On Bolette it felt as though they had a much higher ratio of crew to passengers. 

Fred Olsen talks about the “Fred Olsen way” :

“An experience that’s elegant and relaxed, rather than busy and brash.” ” The Fred Olsen Way ”

They talk about how the industry is changing to be all about the bigger ships and they want to keep things more traditional. 

I really felt this with the staff. I did wonder if that extra service would come at a cost though, would I have to stick to strict dress codes or find anything I didn’t like?

Would I be bored during the day? I was on a mission to find out!

Heated Pools

The cafe is located right by the inside pool. (I say inside pool, but it could be the inside or the outside pool depending on if the roof was open. )

During our cruise, the roof was closed because we were in the arctic circle, but I’ve been assured that it does open during warmer cruises.

All the pools on the ship were heated, whether inside or out. This was amazing given the chilly temperatures outside.

At one point the temperature got down to -14c / 6F. Being able to come into this area, even just to pick up a drink from the bar, was fantastic.

At the back of the ship, there is another pool that’s also heated and some people did brave a swim here.

I have to say the snow on the deck really did put me off, but some people seemed to love it and good for them! – I’m sure it’s very good for you! 

If the inside pool area was on a cruise ship owned by another cruise line it would be always full of people – and probably full of kids !

At this point in the cruise I’d only seen two children onboard, so I didn’t know if they were hiding somewhere or if this really was mostly an adult cruise.

Fred Olsen doesn’t have a lot of things on their ships for kids – like waterslides or ropes courses. They do have kid’s clubs that operate during peak seasons. 

We decided to skip having dinner in the main dining room as we’d already eaten by the pool, and this would turn into a habit that we would repeat quite a few times during the cruise. 

Life Onboard Ship

The daily schedule was far busier than I imagined pre-cruise. Every day would start with “walk a mile” -where guests and crew would walk a mile around the promenade deck.

I did walk around the promenade deck but was never up at 8 am to join in with the group!

I saw that the “Blue Nose Ceremony” was on the list one day, This is a ceremony carried out when ships sail into the Arctic Circle.

I also wanted to see the guest speakers present – but apart from that my schedule was wide open to attend any events that I thought would be interesting. 

I also knew that tomorrow was formal night, and I was nervous about how seriously Fred Olsen cruisers would take it.

I don’t mind dressing up when I cruise, but I really don’t like being told that I have to! 

I started my morning with a bath which is the absolute best way to start any day! I did find that the bath took ages to fill up with the tap so I would usually fill it by putting the shower head in the bath which was for some reason quicker.

It was incredible, It was a very small bathtub of course, but I’m going to miss that on every cruise going forward! 

We headed to the buffet for breakfast and they had the most amazing doughnuts! I ate a lot of bread on this cruise too, and I can confirm this is some of the best bread I’ve had at sea!

To me, this is very important as I’m mostly fuelled by bread, cookies and Pepsi. That’s my ideal meal right there!  

It was around now that I realised that I hadn’t heard anybody on this cruise complain about the food – which is very rare! Usually, I hear people complain about things within an hour or two of getting on board, so that was a nice treat. 

I wondered if that may be to do with who was on this cruise. Fred Olsen do have an older-than-average passenger demographic and they have a lot of repeat cruisers – more than on any other cruise line I’ve ever found.

The other guests loved to chat, especially at times like lunch when we would be seated with other people.

Other guests often told me how this was their 5th or 10th or even 20th cruise with Fred Olsen! They have so many repeat passengers, which is always a good sign!

This might be one of the reasons why I never heard anybody complain, everybody already knew what they were getting. It could also be just because the food was very good though!

There wasn’t a huge selection because the buffet on the ship isn’t massive. There were always local dishes to try as well as classic British things, like roast dinners and sandwiches.

I liked the little section that had small pots of dishes – like salads you could just pick up. They even had Crisps (Potato Chips) and Custard creams (Biscuits) at afternoon snack time – which was incredible! 

British Biscuits!

The definitions of “Biscuits” and “Cookies” does always get confusing for other Nationalities. The most important thing is that in the UK we call this a biscuit and a “Custard Cream” is the best biscuit of all time.

When I was a child I’d always come home every day and have two biscuits from the biscuit tin after school. I really can’t imagine a life without custard creams, which sounds odd – but I must have eaten hundreds of thousands in my life.

They had “Bourbons” too! Another type of chocolate-flavoured biscuit. These aren’t cookies – not by the British definition anyway. 

They had bar service in the buffet which was always pretty good and most days, this day included, I ended up eating here instead of waiting until 8:30 to go to the main dining room.

I was determined that I would go again to dinner in the main dining room during the cruise though, and I did later in the trip.

I went to the main dining room for lunch and was put on another table, sharing with strangers.

We were very lucky with our table mates once again.

In future, I’ll definitely try to stick to cruise lines without fixed dining times or table sharing – it just isn’t me!

Other Areas of the Ship

I knew that there was still an area of the ship that I hadn’t discovered. I’d seen the art gallery mentioned on the daily schedule but hadn’t found it yet, and I had heard rumours that there was another area for presentations called “The Auditorium.”

Still on my to-do list was to see a proper theatre show with the theatre team. I’d watched a Q&A with the cast about their lives onboard, which was very interesting but I wanted to see them in action.

It turns out that all of the members of the cast were on their first contracts at sea, and they seemed like such a friendly and open group. They chatted about how they got into this career, and what it was like behind the scenes. 

All of the crew onboard always seemed very accessible to the guests and nothing ever seemed like too much trouble.

One crew member even got me a blanket when I was cold at one point, which definitely is going above and beyond!

Activities Onboard

They had lots of exercise classes, golf putting, bridge classes, cooking demonstrations, and arts & crafts!

There was a small charge for a few of the activities – like the crafts where you had to pay for the materials.

I think is fair enough, but it really was a ‘small charge’ of about £2, not like some cruise lines where they say a ‘nominal charge’ of $39.99!

I got the impression from the daily schedule that if you were somebody who liked to learn, a Fred Olsen cruise would be fantastic for you .

They had quizzes too. and gameshows – as well as things like “Name That Tune” which are pretty common on cruise ships. 

The real difference on a ship like this, compared to say a big cruise ship with a cruise line like Royal Caribbean was that there were just one or two things happening at a time.

On a much bigger ship, there can be four, five or even six activities happening at once!

They have to have full daily schedules on the big ships because some ships can hold up to 7000 guests. Bolette had a maximum capacity of 1300, which in comparison is tiny. 

I did really like the lack of ‘Fluff’ in the schedule. Some cruise lines will include things like a spa discount on the daily schedule in the main list, which really isn’t an event at all! 

On the theatre schedule, I saw “Let’s Go To The Movies.” I love this traditional kind of theatre singing and dancing entertainment. It definitely wasn’t the type of big “Broadway style” show that you’ll get on the American cruise lines, but I wouldn’t expect it to be.

Bolette has a relatively small team, they had lots of colourful costumes and sang a range of songs that the audience knew.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a shame that we couldn’t see more theatre shows really.

Some theatre shows had to be cancelled due to the bad weather and the rocky seas.

Afternoon Tea

We did have afternoon tea in the observatory which was lovely. I love a good scone!

They had live music playing, the food is served to you by the crew, who wear white gloves.

I was still feeling the motion of the ocean quite a bit, and watching the horizon go up and down out of the windows wasn’t ideal – but the food was lovely.

Afternoon tea does cost extra on Fred Olsen cruises, it’s £13 per person.

If you don’t want to pay for that, you’ll find most of the same foods (including the scones) in the buffet for free. 

Guest Speakers

When I embarked on the cruise I met one of the guest speakers, David Nikel, who would be holding talks throughout the cruise. He is a Brit who moved to Norway in 2011. He now writes and presents about living in Norway.

There was a Q&A happening with him in the theatre next and I knew that I didn’t want to miss it. We took a seat on the top level and I had a great view from up there. 

If you were somebody who liked to learn, a Fred Olsen cruise would be fantastic. All the guest speakers were really interesting and knowledgeable.

Fred Olsen’s App

Fred Olsen does have an App, but this App doesn’t actually do a lot. They do have a webpage you can access when you’re onboard though, and that does a lot more. It lets you check things like your onboard account and look at the daily schedule. 

Apps vary greatly from one cruise line to another. To find out more about them, read the article below:

You Don’t Need to Pay For Wi-Fi To Use a Cruise Line App – Here’s Why

There was definitely less focus on “Tech” on this cruise than on the bigger British or American cruise lines.

It would be totally fine to take a cruise with Fred Olsen without having a phone, whereas on some of the other cruise lines this is getting increasingly tricky.

On Bolette we were given a paper schedule each day, and you had to book things like speciality restaurants at reception rather than on the App.

I did do this, and there was no queue there at all which surprised me. I never saw any queues there to be honest and I don’t think I had to queue for anything during this cruise, other than a little bit getting off the ship at busy times – but that’s to be expected. 

We decided to get dressed up for the formal night, but I just couldn’t wait until 8.30 to eat – so we ate in the buffet again and started to plan our next few days. 

Tromso and Alta

We were spending the next two days in Tromso and Alta and spent most of our evenings keeping watch on the top decks for the Northern lights.

In Alta, I went on an excursion to see racing Huskies. This was probably the best cruise line excursion I’ve ever taken!

In Tromso, we bought the most amazing snack, which is basically a Norwegian version of a British “Kit Kat” bar, but so much better!

I said earlier this cruise was about learning, and for me it was about learning that there is a much better version of Kit Kats! I’ve ordered more since I got home too, they’re addictive!

Fred Olsen did put on a free shuttle bus for us in Tromso which was great.

Many cruise lines never offer free shuttle buses, and you are always expected to pay extra.

Speciality Restaurants

Bolette has two speciality restaurants onboard and I decided to book both.

I rarely do speciality restaurants when I cruise but Fred Olsens are much cheaper than the speciality restaurants that you’ll find on the big American cruise lines.

Each Speciality restaurant cost £10 per person, which for a cruise ship speciality restaurant is very cheap – Some speciality meals on other cruise lines cost over $100 each!

As I was on the cruise for quite a long time, and didn’t want to always wait until the late dining, booking speciality meals actually worked out pretty well for us. 

I’m glad I did because somehow the team at “Colour and Taste” managed to turn cauliflower into the best food on the ship! I have no idea how! The sauce, oh my gosh, it was SO good!

The food in “Vasco” was great too, but I was absolutely not hungry enough when I went to dinner. My friend David had warned me that you need to go to Vasco with “an empty stomach and a big appetite” – but I wasn’t prepared. I did the best I could though!

I’ve been cruising since I was 11 years old and without a doubt, we had the rockiest seas on this cruise!

To find out more about what that was like, how I coped with my seasickness and whether we did actually find the Northern lights, check out this video next:

Free Insiders Cruise Line Guide

Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? Cruise lines won’t tell you this, but I will.

This FREE guide shows you everything you need to know to find your perfect cruise line.

Enter your email address below:

The top cruises for travellers with limited mobility

B ooking a last-minute trip, swinging your suitcase into a plane’s overhead locker and just going where the mood takes you is a luxury generally denied to less able-bodied travellers. 

An estimated 16 million people in the UK have a disability, whether it’s from birth, illness or ageing. And while it’s difficult enough when day-to-day living throws up a series of challenges for the less mobile to tackle, it’s even harder when holidays are thrown into the mix.

Although some holiday genres are either impossible or woefully limited for disabled travellers, one does seem to rise to the challenge more often than the rest: the humble cruise. This is largely thanks to the establishment of the Equality Act in 2010, which has meant that cruise and ferry passenger rights now generally meet EU regulations. And what a difference it’s made: according to statistics from CLIA, the official body for the cruise industry, 82 per cent of cruise travellers with limited mobility say going on a cruise is their only holiday option.

Richard Thompson, the founder of luxury holiday hospitality and leisure company IncluTravel ( inclutravel.net ), says: “Time was when ocean-going cruise ships were strewn with barriers that made life aboard extremely challenging for anyone with reduced mobility or additional sensory or cognitive requirements. But now that ship has sailed. 

“Today’s cruise ships are effectively barrier-free, enabling every passenger to enjoy and experience an almost endless variety of dining, activity, relaxation, entertainment and discovery – onboard and ashore. Statistics show that a typical passenger is likely to tell an average of five people if they like it – a disabled person will tell 50. It’s an easy win for cruise companies.”

The travel industry as a whole is moving in the right direction and companies such as Mobility at Sea ( mobilityatsea.co.uk ) provide a wide range of equipment – such as profiling beds and hoists – to cruise ports around the UK, enabling more holidaymakers with mobility needs to travel in comfort and safety. 

It’s still not easy, of course: there’s an awful lot of red tape to work through, with the complications of wheelchair size, battery capacity and specific needs to consider, and early booking is vital to guarantee accessible accommodation – but the tide is certainly changing.

“You are entitled to be very specific about your expectations and it’s best to get this addressed upfront,” says travel agent Edwina Lonsdale from Mundy Cruising ( mundycruising.co.uk ). “Whatever your needs, whether hearing loops, braille documentation or signage around the ship, wheelchair access to tenders or access to oxygen, let your agent know so they can ensure the ship you have chosen is able to look after you.”

The top 10 cruise companies for the mobility challenged

Disney cruise line.

Leading the cruise fleet for children with disabilities, Disney’s philosophy is that any child should be able to participate in all onboard activities, regardless of ability. All of their ships, including Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, have accessible staterooms (wider cabins, ramped bathroom thresholds, grab bars, adjustable bathroom fittings) and the cruise line can provide a bed board (helpful for people with a back injury or arthritis), a bed rail, portable toilet, raised toilet seat, shower stool and transfer bench. On Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay , sand wheelchairs are available, there’s an accessible cabana and a tram which can carry manual and electric wheelchairs.

Book it: The Walt Disney Travel Company (0800 171 2317; disneycruise.disney.go.com ) has a three-night cruise onboard Disney Dream from £1,403, calling at Disney Castaway Cay. The price is based on two adults and two children (aged 3-12) sharing a Standard Inside Stateroom on a full-board basis, including all fees and taxes. Departs Florida’s Fort Lauderdale April 12.

Holland America Line

Fully accessible, single-side approach and ambulatory accessible rooms are offered for guests with a range of mobility issues, as are accessible bathrooms. Holland America is also committed to providing what it calls “safe, easy and accessible adjustments for all persons with disabilities on shore excursions”, and can make alternative transportation arrangements for non-wheelchair-friendly excursions (although there may be charges for this). 

Book it: Holland America (0344 338 8605; hollandamerica.com ) has a seven-day Alaska Inside Passage cruise from £1,129 for an inside stateroom on double occupancy with an early booking bonus (inclusive of one shore excursion per guest, one speciality dining option, an elite beverage package, Wi-Fi premium package and gratuity). The round-trip cruise from Vancouver calls at Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. Departs April 27.

Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL’s mission statement says the company is “committed to providing inclusivity and access to world-class holiday experiences by continuously improving and applying the most up-to-date accessibility standards”. The company has a long history of working with special-needs passengers and consistently gets rave reviews from mobility-challenged guests. A team of accessibility co-ordinators facilitate every aspect of the cruise, but must be booked in advance – 90 days for interpreters and 45 days for other requirements. It’s also worth noting that as well as plenty of accessible rooms, all NCL ships have pool lifts, automatic doors and accessible stateroom balconies.

Book it: Norwegian Cruise Line (0333 241 2319; ncl.com ) has a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Viva from £2,607pp, including NCL’s Free At Sea upgrade which includes an open bar, excursions, speciality dining and free Wi-Fi. Calling at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Seville, Motril, Ibiza, Palma, Barcelona, Provence, Nice/Monaco, Florence/Pisa and Rome. Departures throughout 2024.

P&O 

Of all of the cruise lines I researched, P&O had by far the clearest website and information for those travelling with mobility issues. Whether it’s about accessible cabins and ship access, mobility aids and equipment, accessible shore excursions or information on travelling with various impairments and disabilities, the website is refreshingly upfront about the difficulties you may encounter. Their two excel-class ships, Arvia and Iona, have the highest number of wheelchair accessible or adapted cabins at sea, and the fact that P&O offers around 160 no-fly round-trip cruises from Southampton also makes it a good option for wheelchair users.

Book it: P&O Cruises (0344 338 8003; pocruises.com ) offers a seven-night Norwegian Fjords cruise onboard Iona from £639 per person, including children’s clubs, full-board meals and entertainment. Calling at Stavanger, Olden, Alesund and Haugesund. Departs Southampton May 11.

With a dedicated lane for a streamlined check-in, from the outset Princess promises to make every effort to accommodate guests with mobility issues. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available on all ships, as are swimming pool lifts. Service animals are permitted (with prior written notice) and the Princess wearable tech Medallion app helps guests navigate the generously proportioned ships with GPS tracking technology.

Book it: Princess Cruises (0344 338 8670; princess.com ) offers an eight-day Scandinavia cruise onboard Sky Princess from £849, calling at Kristiansand, Oslo, Aarhus, Copenhagen and Skagen. Departs Southampton May 7.

Liaising with outside companies to provide profiling beds, hoists and commodes, Fred.Olsen also provides photos of their cabin layouts, so passengers know what to expect, and explains at which ports they will be able to disembark during their cruise. If guests with mobility issues are unable to board transfer coaches, private excursions are organised.

Book it: Fred.Olsen (01473 646175; fredolsencruises.com ) has a 14-night no-fly Wildlife of the Azores & Madeira cruise aboard Bolette from £1,899 per person. Calling at Praia da Vitoria, Portugal, Ponta Delgada and Santa Maria in the Azores, Funchal in Madeira and Lisbon in Portugal. Departs Liverpool April 19.

Celebrity Cruises

As well as wheelchair-friendly shore excursions and remote control appliances for lighting and accessible room equipment, Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series ships are fitted with a “Magic Carpet” – a multi-purpose cantilevered platform on the side of the ship designed to elevate the embarkation/disembarkation process and provide an accessible tender experience for guests with mobility issues.

Book it: Celebrity (0344 493 2043; celebritycruises.com ) has a seven-night Spain and Portugal aboard Celebrity Apex from £2,846, based on two people sharing an Ocean View stateroom. The cruise will call at Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and La Coruna. Departs Southampton July 27.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean offers what it calls “a 360-degree service” for any passenger with special needs. This means they are taken care of from the airport to the shore, with early boarding assistance and accessible suites (with a 1.5m turning radius for easy manoeuvrability). There are also automatic doors and gradual incline entrances to public rooms, as well as pool and jacuzzi lifts, and accessible shore excursions. 

Book it: Royal Caribbean (0344 493 4005; royalcaribbean.com ) has a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise on Oasis of the Seas From £1,322 per person. The cruise offers fully wheelchair accessible excursion options on a round trip from Barcelona, calling at ports for Palma, Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples. Departs July 21. Flights not included.

Catering for the over-50s market, Ambassador sails from seven regional ports – meaning shorter travel distances for wheelchair users – and regularly works with Mobility at Sea ( mobilityatsea.co.uk ). Ambassador’s website is possibly the firmest in spelling out its mobility policy, which may be off-putting to some, but says it “warmly welcomes guests with disabilities, including those with mobility restrictions as well as restricted sight and hearing”.

Book it: Ambassador (0808 102 8140; ambassadorcruiseline.com ) has an 11-night Iceland’s Northern Lights cruise onboard Ambassador ship Ambition from £999 per person. Calling at Rotterdam, the Orkney Islands, Faroe Islands and Reykjavik, Iceland. Departs London Tilbury on March 15.

Carnival’s website has a full list of ports that require a water shuttle and therefore aren’t suitable for wheelchair users, which helps avoid disappointment further down the line. As with all the top cruise lines for the mobility-challenged, Carnival has fully accessible cabins, single-side approach and ambulatory accessible cabins with bigger turning spaces, plus accessible features such as grab bars and shower seats. They can also help arrange for hydraulic lift transfers to be reserved at airports.

Book it: Carnival (0800 764 7419; carnival.com ) has the eight-day Southern Caribbean from Miami aboard Carnival Horizon from £750 per person, visiting Aruba, Curaçao, La Romana and Amber Cove. Departs March 10.

Discover Telegraph Wine Cellar’s new wine club. Enjoy expertly chosen bottles at exclusive member prices. Plus, free delivery on every order.