Cruising around the UK – Day 10 (Fancy a ‘Fred’?)

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Monday 21 September 2026

Morning all! It’s our final day on the Bolette, the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

Thanks to all of you who found time to read my daily Posts – just under 500 reads so far and still climbing! 👍😁. We’re currently heading for disembarkation in Liverpool and should be there by ‘early doors’ tomorrow, Tuesday.

As promised, today, I’ll spare you the usual photos of food, food and more food and instead offer a summary of our experiences over the past 10 days at sea. Whether you’ve never cruised or you’re already a salty ol’ seadog, I hope these few words are helpful!

Ten Days aboard the ‘Bolette‘

Read more about the Bolette
HERE.

Overall
In short – a fantastic experience!

We’ve been fortunate enough to travel with most of the Cruise lines over the years – P&O, Cunard, Holland America, Celebrity, Oceania, Windsurf and Royal Caribbean – and even the mighty (expensive) Azamara, so we think we’re in a good position to know what a good cruise looks and feels like. For us, this was definitely one of them! In spite of that, this one may not be one for you based on the age demographic.

The Company
Fred. Olsen Lines is somewhat unusual in that it’s a small player in a big pond. It’s also unusual in that it’s a family-owned and run business.

Fred. Olsen Cruises knows its market and doesn’t attempt to be ‘all things to all guests’. This is not a cruise for youngsters by any means. There were none on board at all, and the daily programme did not cater for them. If there were any, they were locked away somewhere, or I think they probably would have jumped overboard within the first couple of hours having spotted so many mobility scooters and walking sticks!

The Crew
From the moment we stepped on board, it felt different – and in a good way. All cruise lines employ staff who are friendly and helpful, but it was extra special here on our planned 10-day journey around the UK.

Literally, every one smiled and spoke to us, from the Deck Scrubber Orderly to the Officers – and all those in between. It always felt natural, never forced or enforced. Everyone looked genuinely happy with their lot, and there was a real sense of family. This was even more evident on Day 8’s ‘Crew Night’ entertainment, where the staff got to perform on stage.

The Destinations
For us, it was a mix of the destinations and the overall feel of the Cruise that attracted us. However, unlike Britannia, Mother Nature rules the waves, meaning some changes in the itinerary are always inevitable.

This happens on many cruises, but it’s how they deal with the change that matters. Bolette managed the switch, firstly, with profuse apologies followed by instant credits to our accounts (and it was instant!).

They also created a completely new programme for the affected days in double quick time and offered organised tours for the short-notice ‘new’ destinations for those who needed organising.

The Food
The food is always a big part of the overall cruise experience – and Bolette punched well above its weight.

Not only was it presented in a way that would rival top restaurants, the meals were also always mouth-wateringly delicious – even the sausage baps! The Buffet, so often the ‘troughery’ of the ‘onboard food offer’, was well above the standard that we’ve experienced elsewhere – on par with Azamara, I’d say – and more tempting than, say, the modern ‘mass catering feel’ of P&O.

The service levels were one of the best we’ve ever experienced. As a result, we didn’t feel the need to visit any of the speciality restaurants on board.

The Accommodation
The Cabin (or stateroom as they’re often known) is also a critical factor in whether the overall experience is a success. We’ve seen a few over the years… some big, some small, some enormous. Unless you have money to burn, they’re always a compromise!

Fred was an exception. We deliberately went for the most basic of Cabins, as in the course of any cruise, you don’t spend a lot of time in them. Amazingly, even though ours lacked a porthole (which can often make them feel claustrophobic), ours felt airy and spacious.

There was plenty of room for all our bits plus my tech bag that’s increasingly approaching the capability of launching a Space Shuttle (just as well as things turned out due to a major web incident back home where I was needed).

Ask me about ‘Beryl’ next time we see you – it’ll revolutionise your connectivity options, saving you a fortune on internet costs when aboard.

The Tech
In our 30+ years of cruising, some things don’t change; generally speaking, connectivity aboard any Cruise is a lottery (aka a pain!), especially if you plan to do more than post the occasional social media post or check your emails.

The connectivity on our ship, although mostly stable, relied on the latest Elon Musk’s low-orbit satellites. In theory, that should have given us a much faster speed than we’ve seen aboard other Ships. It didn’t, and therefore any serious online activity was a big challenge (but you know me, I do like those!). The Ship said 10 mbps, we mostly maxed out at 2.

The Entertainment
We’re very fussy about our onboard evening entertainment. The in-house ‘song and dance’ entertainment teams – the main staple of the performances on so many cruises – rarely ‘does it’ for us (with a few minor exceptions).

It was no different here on the Bollette. I’m not sure what it is (or isn’t) about them, but they always feel ‘cheesy’ and have increasingly become more Americanised – and therefore louder and more ‘shouty’. Instead, give us an old-fashioned, down-to-earth comedian any time! (and they did!). He was spot on! He read the room, he did his thing, and as a result, had us laughing until our teeth hurt! Oh, and he had a great singing voice too!

The Creature Comforts
I think we spotted more comfy chairs here on board than at your largest DFS, and there were also separate parking spaces for walkers and walking frames in the Restaurants. The beeping of mobility scooters therefore became a familiar sound during our 10-day trip! Fred certainly knows his market, where the Ship had a higher proportion of public rooms than we’ve seen anywhere else on a Cruise Ship!

This was most definitely the equivalent of an ’80-130′ holiday where most mornings, after breakfast, the majority of guests could be found on their 47th coffee, doing the daily crossword, reading their newspaper or simply staring out to sea.

Oh, one more thing! The Ship is happily free of slot machines – and there’s no Casino either!

The Challenges
Part of the fun when cruising is finding your way around! I’d say that in spite of the effective signage, we always found someone – even by day 10 – looking like a lost sheep wondering whether they were on the right deck… or even the right ship. Yikes! The only other major challenge was deciding what to eat each evening – yes, it’s a tough life at sea!

And so…
If you’re looking for a Cruise where you can party til 4am, and sit around the Pools all day, this ISN’T it, but if you’re after a very relaxed, ‘feet up’, gentle affair, with far too much food, you’d do well to consider Fred! This smaller-sized ship means it can get to places that the bigger ships just can’t – and that means a more varied itinerary. We’re pretty sure we’ll be back (after I’ve mastered the mobility scooter).

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