Fred. Olsen to make a record 23 maiden calls in 2016-2017

Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s four cruise ships are to make a record 23 maiden calls and visit a total of 253 destinations in 84 countries in 2016-2017.

Showcased in the line’s new Worldwide Cruises 2016/17brochure, the inaugural calls include visits to European ports such as Arendal, Norway; Aabenraa, Denmark; Fort William in Scotland, UK; Tasiilaq, Greenland; Pyramiden, Svalbard; Holy Loch, Scotland; Klaksvik, Faroe Islands; Rosslare, Ireland; and Rovinj, Croatia.

The ships will also make maiden calls in the US cities of Baltimore, Gloucester and Tampa, as well as Laguna San Rafael, Chile; Isla de San Andrés, Colombia; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands; Falmouth, Jamaica; Banana Coast in Trujillo, Honduras.

In addition, there will be six ‘mystery’ maiden calls, which will only be revealed to those guests who book a place on Fred. Olsen’s first-ever ‘Maiden Call Mystery Cruise’.

“We are very excited to be launching our new Worldwide Cruises 2016/17 brochure, as it brings to life the vast array of destinations that we visit and the unique cruise experiences that we offer,” said Nathan Philpot, sales and marketing director for Fred. Olsen. “As a brand, we have a clear focus on ‘Bringing the world closer to you’: we are ‘closer’ to the market, with more regional departures; ‘closer’ to the destination, with our smaller, more intimate cruise ships; ‘closer’ to our global partners, offering our guests the best possible experiences in ports around the world; and we are ‘closer’ to our guests, with award-winning customer service across our fleet.”

In 2016-2017, Fred. Olsen’s ships will homeport at ten UK ports including Southampton, Dover, Harwich, Tilbury, Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth, Greenock, Belfast and Falmouth, a new port for the company.

For the first time, the line’s 1,350-guest flagship Balmoral will be based outside of Southampton and will instead homeport at the Port of Tyne in Newcastle. Beginning on 21 May 2016, the ship will sail a record 11 departures including a ‘Five-Night Fjords’ cruise, a five-night ‘Norwegian Festival & Fjords’ itinerary, a ten-night ‘UK Castles’ sailing, and an 11-night ‘Spain, Portugal & Guernsey’ cruise.

Boudicca will cruise from the port of Falmouth for the first time, offering a 12-night ‘Canaries & Portugal Spring Break’ (adults only) and a ten-night ‘Land’s End to John O’Groats’ voyage. The ship will also sail 15 cruises from Liverpool including a 16-night ‘Rugged & Rural Canada’ journey and an 18-night ‘Canaries Christmas & Funchal Fireworks’ sailing.

In January 2017, Black Watch and Boudicca will embark on two ‘Grand Voyages’, visiting a total of 67 ports in 38 countries between them.

During her 107-night ‘Around the World’ cruises, Black Watch will sail to Hanga Roa (Easter Island), Bora Bora in French Polynesia, and Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington in New Zealand. Meanwhile, Boudicca will sail a 77-night ‘South American Discovery’ itinerary, which includes calls in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Chilean fjords and Laguna San Rafael.

The line will also offer 20 cruises for guests over the age of 18.