• Home
• News
• Cruise Ships
• New Ships
• Cruise Lines
• PSA

Early booking opportunities as Fred Olsen 2012 summer cruises go on sale

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has launched its 2012 Preview Brochure - the first publication of its cruise programme for summer and autumn 2012.

The preview offers early booking opportunities and the chance to take advantage of competitive prices. Cruises went on sale on February 17.

Early bookers will be able to secure a preferred itinerary and accommodation, ahead of the publication of the main 2012/13 brochure, planned for late May.

One of the highlights in 2012 is Balmoral’s return to Eastern Canada

All four Fred. Olsen ships are included, and destination areas are the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Baltic, Norway and the Fjords, Canada, the Canary Islands and West Africa, Iberia, UK and Ireland.

There is also a selection of thee and four-night mini cruises.  Cruises depart from six different regional ports:  Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Greenock (for Glasgow), and Rosyth (for Edinburgh).

Ports of call include many old favourites, as well as some less well-known destinations, which may appeal to seasoned cruisers: Banjul in the Gambia, Kalundborg (Denmark),, and Dundee (Scotland) are just a few, showing the enormous variety of ports visited by Fred. Olsen cruises.

There is a maiden call into Aviles in Spain – home to the new Oscar Niemeyer Centre – and the beautiful town of Seville is now also accessible by ship since the dredging of the Guadalquivir River.

One of the highlights of the programme is Balmoral’s 28-night ‘Canada’s Eastern Seaboard’ cruise departing Southampton on September 5, 2012. This is a return to a very popular itinerary, and includes visits to Quebec City, Montreal, Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, and an overnight stay in Saguenay, with the opportunity for whale watching.

Prices start from £3,179 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin bedded cabin, and the price includes accommodation, all meals and entertainment on board and port taxes.

Eight mini cruises are featured, from Dover, Southampton and Rosyth, to destinations including Amsterdam, Dublin, Bergen and Rouen; the perfect taster for anyone new to cruising, with prices from £329 per person.

Lol Nichols, general sales manager for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “Key selling points will be the opportunity for customers to secure their first choice of cruise and cabin – and, of course, if they upgrade to a suite they can benefit from all the added benefits offered by our ‘Suite Dreams’ package.”

Many cruises also offer Flagship Golf, Fred. Olsen’s exclusive package for golfers, charged at £375 per player. This is a combination of four rounds of golf, played at selected courses ashore, onboard professional tuition, practice sessions, and social activity for golfers and non-playing partners.  It must be pre-booked and is fully commissionable.