Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has announced its 2020/21 itineraries.
During this period, its Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch ocean ships and it's river cruiser Brabant will be visiting 277 destinations in 90 countries, across six continents.
This embraces 104 areas of scenic cruising on 170 different itineraries.
In addition to the UK departure ports of Southampton, Dover, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh (Rosyth), Fred. Olsen will also offer a programme of fly-cruises.
Fred. Olsen's 2020/21 ocean cruise programme will feature 144 different itineraries, including the following nine maiden calls:
- Beppu, Hiroshima, Kochi and Nagoya in Japan
- Fakarava and Raiatea in French Polynesia
- Savusavu in Fiji Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and
- Surabaya, in Java, Indonesia.
River cruising
Its European river cruise ship, Brabant, will take in the Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers on 26 itineraries.
It will be visiting 43 ports of call, in 13 countries, covering 14 areas of scenic cruising and 10 maiden itineraries, and 10 maiden calls:
- Trier and Nierstein in Germany
- Grevenmacher and Remich in Luxembourg
- Cetate, Galati and Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Romania
- Donji Milanovac in Serbia
- Enkhuizen in The Netherlands,and Vukovar, in Croatia.
Closer' cruising
By making the most of its smaller-sized ships it can sail closer into the heart of the destination, where many larger vessels cannot reach.
The shallow-drafted Braemar, for example, will be repeating itstransit of Greece's Corinth Canal – which spans less than 25 metres at its narrowest, lowest point.
This will be a highlight of its 25-night 'Corinth Canal & Greek Islands' itinerary in April 2021.
Boudicca's inaugural 14-night 'Authentic Japan' fly-cruise from Tokyo in January 2021 is one example, where guests will experience a range of shore excursions.
Black Watch's 32-night 'Idyllic Islands of the Caribbean' in November 2020 takes in lesser-known parts such as Mayreau in the Grenadine Islands, which has a population of under 300.
Fred. Olsen's 'Scenery & Wildlife' themed cruises in 2020/21 include :
- Boudicca's 14-night 'African Wildlife Adventure' from Cape Town in December 2020, and
- Balmoral's 10-night 'Icelandic Wonders & Wildlife' itinerary, in June 2020, that takes in the waterfalls of Godafoss and Gullfoss, and offers guests the opportunity to search for humpback whales along the Eyjafjörður, Iceland's longest fjord.
Fred. Olsen will also be operating more of its 'Five-Night' cruises, including :
- Balmoral's 'Five-Night Fjordland Discovery', and
- Braemar's maiden 'Delights of Devon & Cornwall' short getaway in August 2020, calling at St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly.
Other highlights of Fred. Olsen's new 2020/21 ocean cruise programme includes :
- Black Watch's nine-night 'Mystery Cruise', in April 2020 (adult-only, 18+), where only the Captain knows where the ship is heading, and
- its 'Fjords of Greenland' in August 2020
- Balmoral's nine-night 'Winter Fjords with Shetland' cruise in January 2021, and
- Boudicca's 14-night 'Vietnam, Hong Kong & Singapore' fly-cruise, via Hong Kong in January 2021.