Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines celebrates record-breaking launch of its news 2016/17 itineraries

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is celebrating breaking its record for the highest-selling day ever, taking an amazing £2.1 million in revenue on Friday 6^th March 2015, following the launch of its new 2016/17 cruise programme, which went on sale on 5^th March 2015.

Saturday 7^th March 2015 was also the highest-selling Saturday that Fred. Olsen has ever experienced, taking revenue of £1.6 million on that day alone; Fred. Olsen also recorded the highest amount of revenue that it ever taken on a Sunday, on the 8^th, with £800,000 in sales being generated.

Fred. Olsen’s ‘Top Sellers’ for 2016 are as follows:

1. ‘German Waterways’

2. ‘Exploring the Fjords of Greenland’ (adults only)

3. ‘The Croatian & Italian Coast with Venice’

4. ‘Old England to New England’ (adults only)

5. ‘Maiden Call Mystery Cruise’ (adults only)

6. ‘The Wonders of Spitsbergen’

7. ‘Rivers of France & Spain’

8. ‘Islands of the Adriatic with Venice (adults-only)

9. ‘Barcelona, Monaco & the Island of Elba’

10. ‘Sun, Sea & Monaco Grand Prix’ (adults only)

The ‘Top Sellers’ for 2017 are as follows:

1. ‘Central America & Mardi Gras’ (adults only)

2. ‘The Best of the Caribbean’ fly-cruise

3. ‘Canaries & Madeira Winter Warmth’

4. ‘The Caribbean with Panama & Venezuela’

5. ‘Amazon River Adventure’ fly-cruise

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“It is fair to say that we were expecting a very encouraging start to the launch of our exciting new 2016/17 cruise programme, but these levels of customer demand are quite unprecedented.

“What these excellent booking volumes show is that – as I said at our PR Launch event in London last week – Fred. Olsen is all about ‘destination, destination, destination’, and this is what cruise customers are most interested in. It is not about the ship; it is not about the amenities on board; it is about where guests can go and what they can experience.”

In 2016/17, Fred. Olsen will be visiting a record 253 ports in 84 countries around the globe. A key factor in Fred. Olsen’s booking success is its focus upon ‘bringing the world closer to you’, sailing from a total of ten convenient, regional UK departure ports: Southampton, Dover, Harwich, Tilbury, Falmouth – a new addition – Liverpool, Newcastle – where flagship Balmoral will be based in 2016 – Rosyth (for Edinburgh), Greenock (for Glasgow) and Belfast.

Coming in as the Number One best-seller in Fred. Olsen’s new 2016 cruise programme is Braemar’s ten-night ‘German Waterways’ cruise, which will sail along three German rivers – the Elbe, the Weser and the Trave – as well as taking in a canal and a fjord, at Flensburg.

Another hit with Fred. Olsen guests (adults only) in 2016 is its 15-night ‘Exploring the Fjords of Greenland’ adventure on Boudicca, which will take in over 16 hours of scenic cruising through Greenland’s fjords, as well as stopping in Tasiilaq, a maiden call for Fred. Olsen.

Fred. Olsen’s longer Adriatic scenic cruises are also booking well. Braemar’s 28-night ‘The Croatian & Italian Coast with Venice’ cruise is rated Number Three in the top cruises for 2016; guests can take in beautiful the Croatian gems of Split and Dubrovnik, sail the Bay of Kotor, spend two romantic days in the magical city of Venice, and call into ports in Spain, Montenegro, Malta, Slovenia and Italy. Boudicca’s 25-night ‘Islands of the Adriatic with Venice’ sailing is for adults only, and visits seven countries and 12 ports, with an overnight stay in historic Venice.

A firm favourite amongst Fred. Olsen guests in 2016 is the ‘Maiden Call Mystery Cruise’ – yet another ‘first for Fred.’, and possibly for the cruise industry as a whole! On this nine-night ‘cruise to the unknown’, every destination that Braemar visits is a maiden port of call! All that guests will know is that this ‘cruise to the unknown’ will take in six destinations, four countries and five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Two fantastic US adventures on board Balmoral are also selling extremely well: a 34-night ‘Old England to New England’ sailing in 2016, which incorporates two calls in Bermuda, six American states, three maiden calls and three overnight stays – including Boston and the ‘Big Apple’; and a 46-night ‘Central America & the Mardi Gras’ cruise in 2017, where guests of 18+ can visit the NASA rocket launch sites, enjoy traditional Southern hospitality and join in the fun at the colourful and vibrant ‘Mardi Gras’ in New Orleans

Adventurous Fred. Olsen guests are also snapping up Balmoral’s 14-night ‘The Wonders of Spitsbergen’ cruise, with its snow-capped mountains, glaciers and elusive wildlife. This exploration cruise will make a maiden call at Pyramiden, in Spitsbergen (where the new Sky Atlantic blockbuster ‘Fortitude’ is based), which was once a Russian mining town, but is now eerie and deserted.

Guests are also keen to take advantage of Braemar’s shallow draught to enjoy a 14-night ‘Rivers of France & Spain’ cruise over Easter in 2016, with calls to charming French and Spanish cities and over 300 nautical miles of stunning scenic cruising along the beautiful Guadalquivir, Gironde, Garonne and Seine Rivers.

Caribbean fly-cruises are also proving a hit with guests looking forward to some sunshine in 2017, with two ‘The Best of the Caribbean’ getaways appearing in the Top Five best-sellers, and ‘The Caribbean with Panama & Venzuela’ fly-cruise adding a slightly different twist.

To view the video of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director, giving his presentation of Fred. Olsen’s exciting new itineraries for 2016/17, go to Fred. Olsen’s dedicated TV channel Fred. TV at http://www.cruisewithfred.tv/

For further information on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, visit the website at www.fredolsencruises.com Book online, call Reservations on 0800 0355 242 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm; Saturday, 9am – 5pm; Sunday, 10am – 4pm), or visit an ABTA travel agent.