Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines occupies a particular shelf in the British cruise wardrobe. The fleet is small by current standards, the ships are quiet enough that you recognise faces by the third evening, and the rhythm of a day still circles around the Main Dining Room rather than a queue for a burger bar. Three ships sail from Southampton, Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral, and from January 2026 the line has returned to a single inclusive Freedom Fare as standard, putting house wine, gratuities and UK port taxes back inside the ticket price.
Embarkation day on a Fred. Olsen ship is calmer than the equivalent on a 5,000-berth resort hull. There is no theatre of escalators, no neon arches, no announcement system competing with a steel band. The fleet’s Southampton departures share the city’s working cruise port with the larger lines but use whichever berth the harbourmaster allocates on the day, and your cruise ticket, sent roughly three weeks before sailing, names the exact terminal you should head for.
What follows is a walk-through of how a Fred. Olsen embarkation day actually unfolds: the ship and the terminal, the Oceans Club welcome, the suite categories, the steps from car park to cabin, and the shape of your first afternoon aboard.
Your Ship and Terminal
Three ships make up the Southampton roster. Bolette is the flagship, 62,735 gross tonnes and 238 metres long, with 690 cabins and a double-occupancy capacity of 1,338 guests. Borealis is the slightly larger sister in passenger terms, 61,849 gross tonnes, 237.9 metres, 702 cabins and 1,353 guests at double occupancy. Balmoral is the smaller classic of the trio, 43,537 gross tonnes, 218.91 metres, 710 cabins and 1,250 guests. All three sit well below the size threshold at which a cruise ship starts to feel like a small town, which is precisely the point.
Bolette’s public rooms revolve around The Bloomsbury Restaurant and the Terrace Restaurant for main dining, Colours & Tastes for speciality evenings, The Observatory lounge for the long view forward, the Atlantis Spa, and the Lido Bar with its retractable-roof pool, useful when Biscay is in one of its moods. Borealis works to a similar template with the Aurora and Borealis Restaurants for main dining, The View for casual meals, Fresco for Mediterranean-inspired dinners, Colours & Tastes for speciality, and the panoramic Observatory Lounge over the bow. Balmoral, the more traditional ship, runs three main dining rooms: Ballindalloch, Spey and Avon, with the Thistle as the casual option, Colours & Tastes for speciality, an Observatory lounge, a Marquee Bar and Lido Bar, two pools, four jacuzzis and the Atlantis Spa.
The terminal itself is the variable. Fred. Olsen does not name a single dedicated berth in Southampton. Passengers are asked to check their cruise ticket for the assigned terminal, which varies by sailing. On-site car parking is available at the working cruise port and Baggex offers a door-to-port luggage delivery option as an alternative to bringing cases yourself. Coach transfers are offered for longer voyages, with arrangements confirmed at the time of booking.
The practical consequence: read the ticket carefully when it lands, set the postcode on the satnav from that document rather than from memory, and allow a little slack for Southampton’s port traffic if you are arriving inside the peak Saturday morning window. For parking, the train and road approaches, and what each dock gate leads to, see our Southampton Cruise Port guide.
Fred. Olsen has no permanent berth in Southampton, so the terminal changes from sailing to sailing. The cruise ticket, which arrives roughly three weeks before departure, is the only document that names it. Set the satnav from that rather than from a previous cruise, because the Eastern and Western Docks are a genuine drive apart once port traffic builds on a Saturday morning.
Oceans Club Loyalty Tiers
The Oceans Club is Fred. Olsen’s loyalty programme and it works on cumulative nights at sea. Membership is automatic from your first night aboard, and the tier ladder is straightforward: Bronze covers 1 to 30 nights, Silver runs from 31 to 100, Gold from 101 to 250, Platinum from 251 to 500, and Diamond Elite kicks in once you cross 501 nights with the line.
Bronze members can pre-book future cruises up to 12 months in advance with a 5 per cent loyalty discount, and receive a £25 Introduce a Friend on-board credit when they bring a new guest into the line. Silver adds 5 per cent off on-board purchases and pre-booking 9 months out, with the same 5 per cent loyalty discount and £25 Introduce a Friend credit.
Gold opens pre-booking 6 months ahead with the 5 per cent discount, keeps the 5 per cent off on-board purchases, adds 5 per cent off pre-booked shore tours, and continues the £25 Introduce a Friend credit. Platinum is where the perks start to materially change a holiday: pre-booking 3 months in advance, 10 per cent off on-board purchases, 7.5 per cent off shore tours, and a £35 Introduce a Friend credit.
Diamond Elite is the long-haul tier. Members can book any sailing at any time with the 5 per cent loyalty discount, and take 15 per cent off on-board purchases and 10 per cent off shore tours. The tier also brings complimentary laundry, a speciality dining voucher for every 28 consecutive nights aboard, and coffee mornings on voyages of 14 nights or more. On top of that come streamlined embarkation, a confirmed dinner table for the duration of the cruise, and a £50 Introduce a Friend credit. The streamlined embarkation is the most visible perk on the day itself; the laundry and dining voucher are the ones that quietly add up across a long voyage.
Of the five Oceans Club tiers, only Diamond Elite carries a boarding benefit, and that needs 501 nights with the line. Bronze through Platinum improve your discounts and how far ahead you can book, but they do not move you up the queue on the day. Suite guests with the Suite Dreams Package receive priority check-in whatever their tier.
Suite Class: Olsen and Premier Suites
Fred. Olsen’s suite hierarchy is short and sensibly graded, with the major step happening at the top.
The Owner’s Suite, branded as the Olsen Suite and coded category SO, is the headline accommodation on Bolette and Borealis. It measures around 1,275 square feet, with a king-size bed, sofabed, separate living and dining rooms, a dressing room, a pantry, a mini-bar, a full whirlpool bath and separate shower, a guest powder room, and floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a step-out balcony. It comes with the Suite Dreams Package: priority check-in, welcome sparkling wine, fresh flowers, a daily fruit basket, daily afternoon canape service, complimentary pressing for formal wear, and laundry discount vouchers.
The Premier Suite is the practical sweet spot for guests who want suite-level space without the full Olsen footprint. It runs to approximately 575 square feet with a separate sitting area, king-size bed, en-suite with full whirlpool bath and shower, and floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a step-out balcony. The Suite Dreams Package is included.
Balcony and Junior Suites, categories BJ and JB, sit at the entry point of the suite class. They run from about 245 to 285 square feet, with a separate sitting area, two single beds convertible to a queen, an en-suite bathroom with whirlpool bath and shower, and a balcony. Suite Dreams Package amenities apply here too, so the welcome sparkling wine and priority check-in are not exclusive to the very top of the ship.
At the Terminal
The shape of a Fred. Olsen embarkation day is straightforward, helped by the fact that the line is moving roughly 1,300 guests onto a ship rather than three or four times that number. The peak boarding window typically runs through the middle of the day, and the queue at the door builds and then disperses rather than churning continuously the way it does on the larger fleets.
Arrival is the first decision. Guests driving in can use the on-site car parking at the working cruise port, with the relevant address printed on the cruise ticket. Those who would rather not handle cases at all can pre-book Baggex, which offers a door-to-port luggage delivery service in the days before sailing, with bags delivered to the ship side and waiting outside your cabin door later in the afternoon. Coach transfers are offered for longer voyages, organised through the line at the time of booking.
Whichever way you arrive, the sequence inside is familiar: hand over checked luggage to the porters at the terminal door, walk through to security with hand luggage and travel documents, present your passport and cruise documents at the desk, collect your cruise card, and walk through to the ship. Diamond Elite members benefit from streamlined embarkation, which in practice means a separate line and a quicker passage to the gangway during the busiest part of the boarding window.
For guests in the Olsen Suite and Premier Suite, and for Balcony and Junior Suite occupants entitled to the Suite Dreams Package, priority check-in is part of the welcome. It is not the only fast lane, but it noticeably shortens the time between car door and cabin door.
Online Check-In
Online check-in is completed through Fred. Olsen’s My Booking portal in the weeks before sailing. The cruise ticket, which the line sends roughly three weeks before departure, confirms the terminal, the boarding window and any final practicalities for the voyage. The ticket is also where the formal nights for your specific sailing are spelled out, which is useful at the packing stage.
The pre-boarding admin itself is the standard sequence: passport details, emergency contact, any medical notes the crew should be aware of, dietary requirements for the Main Dining Room, and confirmation of any pre-booked extras such as the Premium Drinks Package, Wi-Fi, speciality dining bookings at Colours & Tastes, or shore excursions. Anything you pre-book before sailing is generally cheaper than the on-board price.
The Premium Drinks Package is worth a moment of arithmetic. On cruises of 1 to 5 nights the pre-booked rate is £44 per person per night. On the 6 to 27 night sailings, where most passengers will sit, it is £40 per person per night when pre-booked and £44 on board. On longer voyages of 28 to 69 nights the pre-booked rate drops to £36, and on Grand Voyages and World Cruises of 70 nights and more it falls to £32. The package covers cocktails and mocktails; soft drinks, mixers and juices including Pepsi, 7Up, Tango, Fever-Tree and J2O; branded spirits across rum, gin, vodka and liqueurs; all branded lager, ale and cider; red, white, rose and sparkling wines by the glass; sherry, Madeira, port and vermouth; selected whisky and brandy; and alcohol-free alternatives. It also brings 25 per cent off wine and premium spirits by the bottle, and 10 per cent off Champagne. Excluded are 750ml glass bottles of mineral water, Red Bull, speciality coffees, and drinks from the Bookmark Cafe and Serenity Tea Room.
On the 6 to 27 night sailings most passengers take, the Premium Drinks Package is £40 per person per night pre-booked against £44 bought on board. Over a fortnight that is £56 a head, or £112 for a couple, for making the decision before you sail rather than at the bar.
The Freedom Fare itself already covers a good deal. Dining runs to full board across the main restaurants and buffets, five-course a la carte dinners, afternoon tea, and self-service tea and coffee at selected venues. With lunch and dinner it includes selected house beer, red, white and rose wine by the glass, and draught soft drinks. The fare also takes in crew gratuities, all UK port taxes and port fees, a complimentary shuttle bus when the ship docks more than a mile from the port gate, luggage porterage, and room service. On the entertainment side there are guided social strolls in selected ports, evening shows, cabaret and live music, enrichment lectures on cruises over 14 nights, and on-board fitness classes. Flights are included on fly-cruise bookings. Speciality dining at Colours & Tastes, premium drinks beyond the meal-time selection, spa treatments, shore excursions, Wi-Fi and laundry sit outside the Freedom Fare and are billed separately on board or pre-bookable in advance.
Your First Hours Onboard
Cabins on Fred. Olsen are usually ready as guests board, which means the first hour aboard tends to compress nicely: drop hand luggage in the cabin, do a fast inventory of the wardrobe, then head up to the Lido or the buffet for a quiet lunch while the porters work the corridors with the checked bags.
On Bolette the natural first stop is the Lido Bar by the retractable-roof pool, useful in Southampton weather of any persuasion. On Borealis, The View serves a casual lunch with the bow-on perspective the lounge is named for. On Balmoral, the Thistle handles the casual lunch service, with the Marquee Bar and Lido Bar opening as the afternoon progresses. The Observatory lounges on all three ships are worth a brief reconnaissance: they are where many guests settle for a quiet hour with a book during sea days, and arriving with a clear sense of where they are saves a small navigation later.
The muster drill is the one piece of formal business on embarkation day. Guests are directed to their assigned muster station for the safety briefing and a check-in against the cabin manifest. The drill is short, and once it is complete the afternoon is genuinely your own until the sailaway. Checked luggage usually appears outside the cabin door during the late afternoon; clothes for the first evening can go straight into the wardrobe, and the rest can wait until after dinner.
Checked cases are delivered to the cabin door through the late afternoon and sometimes into the early evening. Anything you need before dinner, smart shoes included, should travel with you through the terminal rather than with the porters.
The first evening sets the tempo for the rest of the cruise. The Captain’s Welcome falls on a different night depending on the length of the voyage, so the opening dinner is usually a smart-evening rather than a formal night. Smart evenings call for smart dresses or skirts, chinos or smart jeans, button-down shirts or stylish tops, and closed-toe shoes or smart sandals. Shorts and beachwear are not permitted in the Main Dining Room after 6pm, and that rule is enforced gently but consistently across the fleet.
Formal nights themselves scale with cruise length. A 5 to 6 night cruise carries one formal night. A 7 to 12 night voyage carries two. A 13 to 20 night cruise has three formal nights plus a Welcome Party. From 22 nights upwards the line runs one formal night per week alongside the Welcome Party. The dress code on formal nights asks for a dinner jacket with bow tie, dark suit with formal shirt and tie, or kilt and sporran for men; and a ball gown, elegant dress, evening suit, or stylish top with smart trousers or skirt for women. Guests who would rather not dress formally are asked to dine in the casual restaurants on those nights and cannot attend the Captain’s Cocktail Party. The exact formal nights for a specific voyage appear on the cruise ticket sent about three weeks before departure.
Guests who would rather not dress for a formal night are perfectly welcome, but they are asked to dine in the casual restaurants that evening and cannot attend the Captain’s Cocktail Party. Shorts and beachwear are not permitted in the Main Dining Room after 6pm on any night. The formal nights for your specific voyage are printed on the cruise ticket, so you can pack to them exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fred. Olsen does not name a single dedicated terminal in Southampton. The fleet sails from the city’s working cruise port, but the specific berth varies by sailing, so passengers are told to check their cruise ticket for the assigned terminal. The ticket is sent roughly three weeks before departure and is the document to rely on when setting a postcode for the satnav.
From January 2026 the standard Freedom Fare includes full-board dining across main restaurants and buffets, five-course a la carte dinners, afternoon tea, selected house beer, red, white and rose wine by the glass and draught soft drinks with lunch and dinner, self-service tea and coffee at selected venues, crew gratuities, all UK port taxes and port fees, complimentary shuttle bus when the ship docks more than a mile from the port gate, guided social strolls in selected ports, evening entertainment, on-board fitness classes, luggage porterage at the port, and room service. Flights are included on fly-cruise bookings. Speciality dining, premium drinks beyond the meal-time selection, spa treatments, shore excursions, Wi-Fi and laundry are not included and are billed separately or pre-bookable in advance.
The Oceans Club is automatic from your first night aboard. Bronze covers 1 to 30 nights, Silver 31 to 100, Gold 101 to 250, Platinum 251 to 500 and Diamond Elite from 501 nights upwards. Every tier carries a 5 per cent loyalty discount on future cruises and an Introduce a Friend credit. From Silver onwards there is also a discount on on-board purchases, which rises from 5 per cent at Silver and Gold to 10 per cent at Platinum and 15 per cent at Diamond Elite. Diamond Elite additionally receives complimentary laundry, a speciality dining voucher for every 28 consecutive nights aboard, and streamlined embarkation.
The pre-booked rate depends on voyage length. On 1 to 5 night cruises it is £44 per person per night. On 6 to 27 night cruises it is £40 per person per night when pre-booked and £44 on board. On 28 to 69 night cruises the pre-booked rate is £36, and on Grand Voyages and World Cruises of 70 nights and more it is £32. The package covers cocktails and mocktails, soft drinks, mixers, branded spirits, all branded lager, ale and cider, wines by the glass, sherry, port, Madeira and vermouth, selected whisky and brandy, plus 25 per cent off wine and premium spirits by the bottle and 10 per cent off Champagne.
The number scales with cruise length. A 5 to 6 night cruise has one formal night. A 7 to 12 night voyage has two. A 13 to 20 night cruise has three formal nights plus a Welcome Party. From 22 nights upwards there is one formal night per week alongside the Welcome Party. The exact formal nights for a specific voyage are confirmed on the cruise ticket. Guests who prefer not to dress formally can dine in the casual restaurants on those evenings.
Bolette is the flagship at 62,735 gross tonnes, 238 metres long, with 690 cabins and 1,338 guests at double occupancy. Borealis is similar in scale, 61,849 gross tonnes, 237.9 metres, 702 cabins and 1,353 guests, with a slightly different restaurant line-up that includes The View and Fresco. Balmoral is the smaller and more classic ship of the trio at 43,537 gross tonnes, 218.91 metres, 710 cabins and 1,250 guests, with three named main dining rooms in Ballindalloch, Spey and Avon. All three carry the Atlantis Spa, an Observatory lounge, and the Colours & Tastes speciality restaurant.
Where Fred. Olsen Sails From the UK
Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral run shorter, more port-intensive itineraries than the big-ship lines, often reaching anchorages and quays the Royal-class ships cannot.
British Isles and Ireland
Eight to twelve-night round-Britain sailings are a Fred. Olsen signature, mixing scenic cruising with the small Scottish and Irish ports below.
Belfast · Edinburgh (Queensferry) · Greenock · Dublin · Cobh · Liverpool · Invergordon · Kirkwall · Lerwick · Falmouth · Holyhead · Portland
Background: British Isles route guide.
Norwegian Fjords
Smaller drafts let Fred. Olsen ships work further into narrow fjord arms than the big-ship rotation.
Bergen · Stavanger · Geiranger · Flåm · Ålesund
Background: Norwegian Fjords route guide.
Baltic Capitals
Two-week Baltic itineraries call at the cluster below, often with overnight stops to extend evening time ashore.
Copenhagen · Stockholm · Tallinn · Helsinki · Riga · Klaipėda · Gdańsk · Visby
Background: Baltic Sea route guide.
Canaries and Iberia
Winter and spring repositioning itineraries head south to the Canaries via the Iberian Peninsula.
Lisbon · Cadiz · Vigo · Porto · Funchal · Tenerife · Las Palmas · Lanzarote · Fuerteventura
Background: Canary Islands route guide.
How We Verify This Guide
We aim for practical, low-risk guidance. Before publishing and during updates, we check core planning details against official sources and current operator information.
What We Check
- Berth and terminal details, including whether the port is walkable or requires a transfer
- Transport options and realistic return timing for different port types
- Details that change frequently, such as fares and schedules, with up-to-date notes where relevant
Typical Sources
- Official port authority and terminal updates
- Cruise line port notes and day-of-call instructions
- Local transport operators and official tourism resources