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Fred Olsen to spend millions upgrading three ships
Three Fred. Olsen cruise ships will undergo multi-million pound refits this winter.
Braemar and Balmoral will be refurbished before Christmas with the third, Boudicca, upgraded in March 2018.
A fourth ship, Black Watch, was improved at the end of last year.
MD Mike Rodwell said: "We are very proud of our smaller, classic cruise ships and we recognise the importance of investing in ongoing upgrades to ensure that our guests can continue to enjoy them at their best.
"The refreshed Black Watch has been very well received by both new and existing guests so we are delighted that the rest of the fleet will also benefit."
The upgrades will include new restaurants and gelato bar on Balmoral, a new dining room on Boudicca, a new buffet restaurant on Braemar, and cabin enhancements across the fleet.
The 929-guest ship Braemar will set sail from Southampton to Hamburg on November 23 for a nine-day dry dock at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany.
Her first sailing after the refit will be a 16-night M1730 ‘Voyage to the Caribbean’ cruise from Southampton December 5.
Balmoral will arrive in Hamburg on December 10 for a nine-day dry dock, before the 1,350 guest-ship departs on a 16-night L1728 ‘Canaries Christmas & Funchal Fireworks’ sailing from Southampton on December 21.
The 880-guest ship Boudicca will undergo a more extensive 13-day refurbishment in spring 2018, entering dry dock on March 16, before leaving from Dover on March 29 on a five-night D1804 ‘Mystery Cruise’.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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