Fred Olsen to offer record cruise capacity in ’08

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will be offering record cruise capacity next year with the addition of a fifth ship and the extension of two others.

The introduction of Balmoral next January and the lengthening of both Balmoral and Braemar will enable the line to offer a wider choice of cruise destinations and departure ports.

The line has also opened an online trade booking system, F.OCAL (Fred. Olsen Cruises Agents Link) with a competition for agents to win an iPod Nano every day for four weeks until August 16.

Caribbean fly/cruises wil be offered from two different homeports – Barbados and Miami – and the number of regional airports included in the fly/cruise programme has also been extended to 21.

In addition to Gatwick and Manchester, passengers will be able to fly to a Caribbean cruise from Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster/Sheffield, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Newquay, Norwich, Stansted and Teesside.

The use of regional UK departure ports continues to be an important part of the overall programme, and in 2008-09 Black Prince will operate a programme of cruises from Liverpool and Greenock.

The extensive 2008-9 cruise programme, detailed in a new brochure, offers the greatest ever number of ports of call at 306 in 116 different countries, with around 21 ports new to the company.

Highlights include:

• Two long voyages – Black Watch’s 97-night world cruise and Balmoral’s 104-night world cruise
  
• Mediterranean fly/cruises, based in Civitavecchia (Rome) – both Balmoral and Braemar will operate a season from this port
  
• Caribbean fly/cruises based in Miami – Balmoral will operate this programme in March and April 2008 and Braemar from mid-November 2008 to April 2009
  
• Boudicca’s first regional cruise programme, with cruises from Leith and Newcastle in summer 2008
  
• Boudicca’s Caribbean fly/cruise season based in Barbados from November 2008 to April 2009

• Balmoral’s cruise in autumn 2008 to Canada and New England, and two cruises from New York.

Brochure prices start at £94 per person for Black Prince two-night mini cruises in November 2008 and April 2009.

General sales manager Lol Nichols said: “The extension of our fleet has allowed us much more scope for innovative cruises and itineraries.

“We can offer more long cruises and a host of new ports of call with the increased capacity at our disposal.”

by Phil Davies