Press release - 22 May 2020 14:49

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ virtual cruising programme shows consumer confidence as guests look ahead to future sailings

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ inaugural ‘virtual cruising’ programme has been hailed a success, with traffic to its website from its social media accounts up by more than 250% since the ‘sailings’ began.

Fred. Olsen set sail on its first virtual cruise on 9^th April, taking in the highlights of Norway, with destinations since then featuring the Canary Islands, Macronesia, Iceland and Greenland, the UK and the Mediterranean.

Since the start or the virtual cruising programme, the number of visits from Facebook to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ consumer website have increased by 252% on the same period last year, with more than 31,800 unique views to ‘The Bridge’, the dedicated section of the website hosting virtual cruising content, while bookings for 2021 are up by 11% year on year.

Ben Williams, Head of Digital at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“When we started our virtual cruising programme, it was to engage with our guests and to give them the opportunity to enjoy all the joys of cruising at a time when we are unable to travel.

“It has been so rewarding to see guests share their memories from the various ports we have called into, tell us their tales from aboard our ships and

“What it has also done is demonstrate that there is still an appetite for cruise, and that so many, like us, can’t wait to get cruising again as soon as the world is ready.”

Each week, Fred. Olsen’s virtual cruise takes in a different destination via a series of videos, images, blog posts, whilst also celebrating the onboard experience by offering ‘onboard lectures’, videos from entertainment acts, tutorials and live quizzes.

Fred. Olsen’s virtual programme will continue next week with a focus on the Baltic, with a full itinerary to be posted across its social media channels at the start of the week.

For further information on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, or to join the virtual cruising experience, search for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on Facebook, or visit www.fredolsencruises.com/the-bridge

Topics

Regions

England

Fred. Olsen Cruise Line operates in the UK with four intimately sized ships for a more personal cruising experience.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Contacts

Ellis Orchard

Press contact Public Relations Manager Public Relations ellis.orchard@fredolsen.co.uk 07557672265

Georgina May

Press contact Public Relations Executive Public Relations georgina.may@fredolsen.co.uk

Lauren Gardner

Press contact Public Relations Manager Public Relations lauren.gardner@fredolsen.co.uk 07546807099

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

At Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines we are very proud of our smaller ships – Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral - and the imaginative and unusual itineraries they allow us to offer. Every cruise is hand-crafted from scratch by our team of in-house Journey Planners to make sure you are not only visiting the best destinations, but at the best time to experience them.

For us, it’s not just about where we go but how we take you there. We put as much time into planning scenic cruising as we do in choosing the destinations themselves. On board, our Signature Experiences showcase the history, culture, nature and flavours of the destinations you’ll visit – from Treats of the Region, where you can enjoy local delicacies, to our Sky at Sea star-gazing sessions where you can relax with a hot toddy out on deck while our astronomer talks you through the night sky.

Plus, with each ship carrying 1,300 guests or less, our ships are small enough for us to offer a warm, friendly and personal service where nothing is ever too much trouble, as we visit a host of exciting ports in every corner of the globe.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines