Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Reviews 12,481

The organisation was slick and efficient. The cabins were comfortable. Food quality was excellent, particularly in the evening. The staff gauged their clients well, were impeccably mannered, friendly, efficient, and helpful. The decor and fitting of the public areas was tasteful. Of particular note was the afternoon food and wine event. It was well worth the money with excellent food and wine pairings.
Less satisfactory for us was the entertainment programme. We were on the late sitting for dinner and the evening shows were too late starting for us.
I was also dismayed by the unseemly haste to get us off the ship at the end of the cruise.
All in all an interesting first cruise and we would happily consider doing another one with Fred. Olsen.

As you know we have been with Fred Olsen before.
It is always a friendly, relaxed holiday.
Right from the beginning - the booking up of the holiday, services whilst on board, help with luggage
etc - we cannot find fault at all.
We hope to enjoy many more cruises with you in the future.

The booking process was quite easy and staff were able to answer any questions. The food and service was very good and cabin staff always ensured the cabin was excellent. The ship is not brand new and is showing it's age but generally very well presented After sales service and handling queries was speedy and very satisfactory. 4STARS seems appropriate

Fjords & Falls of Norway in Five Nights cruise from Newcastle.

Our itinerary was changed four weeks before departure, supposedly to "enhance our experience" due to port congestion. We accepted this, as we researched and was happy with the change but the real issue happened on embarkation day.
After passing through security, we were handed a piece of paper as we entered the ship announcing another major route change-this time to Oslo due to weather conditions.The cruise line deliberately withheld this information until we were physically boarding. By letting us clear security and step onto the ship before notifying us, they denied us our right to refuse the changes and choose not to board . We did not board until 2.30pm. They made the change well before this and had been monitoring the situation for 2 days prior. Our holiday was now a slow boat to Oslo and back. We explicitly booked for tranquility, scenic cruising, and the natural isolation of the deep fjords.
Following a formal email complaint, while on board the company replied offering us a 20% discount on a future cruise. Shockingly, this voucher is only valid for six months. The audacity to assume customers can easily afford to book another cruise within half a year is insulting,. The email says Oslo is highly rated by passengers. To find equal value in a expensive city destination just because other passengers enjoy it is entirely unacceptable. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of why we chose their cruise line. We were denied the holiday we paid for and trapped into an itinerary we did not choose.
The only good thing was the staff on board who were absolutely lovely.

Very good cruising experience. Ship excellent and kept very clean, food very good and plenty of choice. The staff are fantastic, nothing is too much trouble and they always have a smile and greet you warmly. Service as it should be but seldom seen anymore! Only downside is Bollete moves base base to Newcastle next year.

Excellent service. Very helpful and attentive staff.

The ship was great the staff were wonderful the buffet vegetarian food good and the entertainment too
The problem was that the cruise to the Norwegian fjords didn’t happen and we only went to Oslo on a bank holiday with everything closed
The company knew but didn’t tell us about the bad weather until we were in
Our cabin
The ship went at half speed to Oslo stayed there a day and came back to Newcastle very slowly not stopping anywhere else for a break or sightseeing
Ie Sweden or Scottish islands
Very disappointed

Trip to Iceland - strongly recommend this. Been on many Fred trips around the world and this one was another success.
Thank you to the team

Friendly, polite and helpful crew. Excellent service.
Loved all the on board entertainment, particularly the games eg baggo, table tennis etc
Enjoyed the line dancing and the ballroom and Latin dancing.
Was often disappointed by not being able to get on some of the exercise classes, particularly pilates.
Lovely destinations, but many have become overcrowded when you get 2or 3 larger ships docking.
The variety and choice of food was very good.
The tours we did were disappointing.
But overall we had a good time and can’t wait to sail with Fred Olsen again

My first solo cruise and I was nervous but it was brilliant. Your staff could not do more, were polite and professional, even when dealing with awkward customers. The ship was comfortable, clean with lots of space and nearly always a seat.

Hi we went on a cruise 30th jan to Norway northern lights. This is the first time I’ve been well enough to do a review. On the Balmoral cruise ship the day before we left, they said they were having a deep clean as they had an infection on board. An outbreak of Nora virus gastroenteritis ,  you would think a deep clean meant the whole shit was not infectious anymore . Wrong , the Saturday morning we were told the toilets onboard would be closed off, the only toilet we could use was in our cabin, that toilet was blocked 4 times, that’s not good, when you and your friend has gastroenteritis . Sickness and diarrhoea most severe , my friend had it twice, we spent most of the 2 weeks in our cabin, afraid Togo too get incase we needed the toilet, the food we were given was tasteless and most times cold, I was asked to write a letter about my experience, i did that and took it into the shop in Hythe, I’ve. Not heard a thing from Fred Olson, I paid a lot of money for a cruise, that was a complete nightmare, then on the last night we were given black tags for out luggage and told to wait until all other passengers had left the ship , then we could get off. I paid for ocean view , well the first day a guy come into our cabin and closed it, no explanation nothing. I’m still waiting for someone to get back to me.. that experience has put us both off cruising for ever. Never again. Mr Clive Walcroft. 

The fact that it sailed from Liverpool.THe ship was clean and tidy .The staff were more than helpful

Lovely ship great food and service from all crew and super ports to see all in all great cruise

Boarding was quick and easy, with plenty of staff available to help. Cabin well laid out with plenty of cupboard space. Food was excellent with so much choice with the option of both served or buffet meals. Lots to do during sea days, or nothing at all! Good range of shore tour options though one of mine was altered and I was not informed until on the cruise. That is an ongoing matter and I am still waiting to hear from them. Good shuttle bus services at ports for those who want to explore by themselves .All in all a very good cruise experience. Disembarkation was well executed if not a little earlier than indicated.

The staff were all lovely and so helpful . Great to seeing Chris doing so week as depute entertainment cruise director
I would suggest you serve smaller portions. So much waste . Sustainable portions. Older people do not eat as much. Seeing such big portions definitely puts a curb on the appetite.
Always enjoyable. Balmoral is our favourite ❤️

It is the staff who make the holiday so great. They all seem so happy to please and work well together as a team throughout the ship from the Captain to the most junior member of staff.
Our cabin stewardess and table waiters went out of their way to be helpful.
We particularly enjoyed the wine tastings with Dee. There were interesting talks and the shore trip team organised alternatives when we could not go to Portofino or go the theCinque terre villages

Another great cruise with Fred Olson. we loved the
suite, the ports were very interesting, great entertainment and great staff.

My partner and I have chosen Fred Olsen for most of our cruises because we like the service, the staff, entertainment and the ship, Borealis. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff. The food is generally very good in all the dining areas and there is a good choice. There was one occasion on the last trip when a steak was tough, another was promptly cooked and served. The replacement was excellent. Having wine included with the meals was a real treat. New entertainment shows were presented on our latest trip, all very enjoyable. We have booked another cruise with Fred Olsen sailing in October.

I had a wonderful cruise. The itinery lived up to my expectations calling at some smaller intereresting ports. The ship was friendly with a great crew and lots to do on seadays to suit a wide range of interests. The cabin was clean and comfortable and I enjoyed food. It had everything that I had hoped for.

The Fred Olsen staff really made our cruise special. Their friendliness was genuine and nothing was too much trouble.
The standard of food was exceptional and the varied entertainment was very good.
All of this, made for a very relaxing holiday and we would not hesitate to recommend Fred Olsen to others.