As a family-run cruise line, we really take your experience personally. While the cruise industry has gone for bigger ships, brimming with more and more people, we have always believed that smaller is better. We treat passengers as guests, we dock at smaller ports in more interesting places and we avoid overcrowding both aboard and ashore. At capacity, our smaller ships will only ever sail with between 900 and 1,400 guests.
We have a small team of specialist itinerary planners. They take great pride in handcrafting each journey, to ensure we show you hidden gems as well as highlights on each of our sailings. It is a passion that has won us the Cruise Critic award for Best Itineraries for five consecutive years.
Cruise from seven regional UK ports to hundreds of destinations worldwide in the classic style and comfort of our smaller-sized ships. For most of the year, the ships are based in Britain, with cruises departing from Rosyth (Edinburgh), Newcastle, Liverpool, Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth and Belfast.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' Ships
More about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
STARGAZING CRUISES
Fred. Olsen is proud to work in partnership with Go Stargazing, a diverse group of amateur and professional astronomers, instrument scientists, dark sky consultants, education providers and tourism experts with a shared passion for enthusing public interest in astronomy. Their team of astronomers deliver practical stargazing sessions across the United Kingdom, showcasing the incredible dark skies throughout the UK, from Northumberland Dark Sky Park to the South Downs Dark Sky Reserve.
Viewing the night sky is a remarkable experience, but doing so away from light pollution on a Fred. Olsen cruise takes it to a whole new level. The night sky viewed from the middle of the ocean is breathtakingly beautiful, with a vast expanse of stars twinkling brightly in the darkness.
OUR SKY AT SEA SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE
As part of our Signatures Experiences, seeing the Sky at Sea is an incredible opportunity to learn more about our Universe. Go Stargazing astronomers will deliver unique and memorable experiences for our guests, such as witnessing beautiful starry skies and discovering amazing facts about our Milky Way galaxy and beyond. They will share mind-bending facts and create special moments that guests will remember for years to come.
STARGAZING SESSIONS
The stargazing sessions that Go Stargazing astronomers hold on deck will be informal, informative and entertaining. You will enjoy laser-guided tours of the constellations, learn how to identify planets and view deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae using binoculars. You can take home this knowledge and share it with family and friends.
Guests will enjoy stories of legends and mythology using the starry skies as a backdrop, just like our ancestors once did. Exciting topics such as ship navigation using stars and nautical folklore will give you a unique perspective on the relationship between seafaring and the night sky.
There may also be the opportunity to take advantage of astronomical events such as meteor showers, which occur regularly throughout the year, and conjunctions where celestial objects align to create a fantastic view.
Witnessing impressive night-time views and using incredible facts and figures from astronomical distances to the sizes of stars, our on-deck stargazing sessions are designed and delivered in a way that makes them unforgettable.
ORCA CRUISES
PROTECTING THE WORLD'S WHALES AND DOLPHINS
As part of an offical partnership, Fred. Olsen are proud to be working with marine wildlife charity ORCA, who will be sending teams of volunteers on a selection of Fred. Olsen sailings.
The conservationist team's objective will be to locate whales and dolphins, observe their behaviours, and to provide guests with a unique experience, offering you the opportunity to take an active role in marine science and conservation. The cruises will also enable ORCA to collect vital data on the species and numbers of marine life sighted and identify wildlife hotspots, feeding directly into the charity’s Cruise Conservationist Programme and its conservation work.
Pop along to one of their guest lectures, or find them on deck to ask them any questions you may have. With the help of ORCA, you may be lucky enough to spot several whale and dolphin species, whilst learning more about ORCA's conservation efforts.
213 Cruises ·
3 Ships
Cruise Regions
N Europe
Arctic
Atlantic Islands
Mediterranean
Repositioning
Caribbean
Africa
East US/Canada
World-wide
Black Sea/Med
View cruises with this operator:
Reasons to Book
OUR SMALLER SHIPS
The most wonderful way to sail the world is aboard a smaller ship. Our guests love the feeling of being on an elegant ship, close to the sea. They appreciate that our smaller ships can take them to more interesting places – to the furthest reaches of Norway’s lesser-known fjords, through narrow waterways and canals and to the very heart of some of the world’s most beautiful cities.
OUR HAND-CRAFTED ITINERARIES
Our journey planners put so much consideration and pride into crafting our itineraries afresh each and every year. That’s because we want you to sail the most imaginative routes and to visit the world’s most wonderful destinations at the very best possible times to experience them.
The Azores when the Perseid Meteor shower streaks the night sky, Mumbai during the Holi Festival and the coast of Canada during the largest migration of Humpback whales on earth. It’s why we were awarded Cruise Critic’s ‘Best Itineraries’ for five consecutive years.
THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY
We put enormous consideration into ensuring every single day you are with us is as stimulating and enjoyable as possible. Our ‘Treats of the Region’ cooking demonstrations and “Itinerary Insights” informative talks, for example, are curated specially for the regions we are visiting so that you gain the fullest understanding and appreciation of them before you get there. And our on-deck ‘Stargazing’ talks help you understand much about the universe we live in.
In short, our exceptional experience ensures your exceptional experience.
OUR PEOPLE
There is much that sets the experience of a Fred. Olsen cruise apart. But nothing more so than our people. As Mr. Olsen himself says, ‘It’s all about the people. All of it, everything”.
Because our ships are smaller, our crew are able to get to know you personally and to understand what you like. And it is the warm, attentive and more personal care our people pride themselves on that is so appreciated by our guests. Without doubt, our people are central to what makes a Fred. Olsen cruise so special.
Members Club
There are five levels of Oceans Club membership – each with their own fantastic benefits* to take advantage of – and your Membership Level is determined by the number of cruise points you have. So, the more you cruise with Fred. Olsen, the more benefits you will receive.
One cruise point is awarded for every night you have spent on board Fred. Olsen cruises that have departed since 1st January 2000, with the exception of a few exclusions. It’s worth noting that points will be added to your membership total at the end of each cruise and that points become void if there is longer than five years between the end of one cruise and the end of the next.
You will automatically become a Bronze member after spending your first night on board with us; then after 31 nights on board you will be upgraded to Silver membership. Gold membership is given to guests that have spent 101-250 nights cruising with us. Our most loyal guests will be awarded our Platinum and Diamond Elite memberships. Guests who have spent 251-500 nights on board become Platinum members; those who have spent 501 or more nights on board become Diamond Elite members – the highest level of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Oceans Club membership. For more information about each Oceans Club Membership Level and their benefits, please click here.
Your Membership Level
If you have cruised with Fred. Olsen within the past five years, you will have automatically become an Oceans Club member. To find out more about your Membership Level and your exclusive benefits, please click here and log in to your 'My Cruises' account.
Introduce a Friend Programme
As an Oceans Club member you know how relaxing, rewarding and enjoyable cruising with Fred. Olsen can be. We're sure you would want your friends and loved ones enjoy the experience too, so why not take advantage of our fantastic 'Introduce a Friend' programme?
Introducing a friend to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines couldn't be easier, and for every friend you introduce you'll be rewarded with a On Board Spend voucher by way of thanks. Click here to find out more about the programme, or to register your friends details.