Cruising around the UK – Day 1

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Saturday, 12th September

Morning all! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship, err, Ship, of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. We said goodbye to Liverpool earlier, after a two-day stay in the city.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 in Liverpool
Day 2 in Liverpool

Today is Day 1 of our 10-day sea route around the UK. It’s a little unusual for us to be taking a cruise around our home territory, but we decided earlier in the year to make 2026 the year that we discovered (and rediscovered) more of what our islands have to offer.

Our Uber was early (thanks Neil) and we were soon unloading our cases and heading for Fred’s Correction Collection Facility, aka ‘Club 80-130’ 😮😮.

Boy, I know most Cruisers tend to be on the mature side, but we’re clearly the youngest here by a good few years! It’s not true that Ann was asked if she was looking for the onboard Creche – as a participant! 😉

Ahoy ship-mates, tannoy announcement: “Cabins ready by 1.30!” – that’s a great start! 👍

As seasoned Cruisers will know, one of the first tasks is one of orientation – which way to the front/back/where are the loos and most important of all: ‘how do I find my way back to our Cabin? 

No? Just me then!! 😳

We got ahead of the game and downloaded the deck plan beforehand and studied it at length. Then, after a quick nibble on Deck 8, we tested our navigation skills and headed for our Cabin (3414) on Deck 3 – ‘The Prom Deck’ – conveniently sandwiched between the lifts and the ship’s propeller and rudder.

Success! 👍. No doubt, helped by our bright yellow suitcases, patiently parked outside our Cabin.

We set sail this evening at around 4.30pm, so plenty of time to learn about the itinerary – our next stop? Well, the open sea (obviously) and then arriving in Portland on Monday.

But before we actually sail anywhere, let’s talk about the Ship itself. Built in 2000 as Holland America Line’s MS Amsterdam, the vessel was acquired by Fred Olsen in 2020 and modernised into a classic, mid-sized cruiser. It’s a little ‘old school’ (nothing wrong with that), so there are no water slides/observation lifts nor Disney characters – this is about relaxed sea travel at its most obvious.

For number junkies, here are her vital statistics…

• 690 cabins
• 1,338 guests
• 690 Cabins
• 642 crew
• 62,735 gross tonnes
• 24.5 knots max speed

Why name the ship: Bolette? It’s named after the Norwegian great-great-grandmother of company chairman Fred. Olsen Jr.

To accompany the Ship’s stats, here are some quick photos taken around the Bolette as we continued to work out which way to the ‘front’ and which way was ‘behind’ (a natural mariner, me!) 😁

We were in our Cabin in record time. Sharmain introduced herself to us as our Cabin Steward and will therefore be looking after us for the duration.

Our Cabin is just fine. It feels wider than the usual layout and therefore it gave a feeling of more space.

Time to check out the action for tonight! We obviously need to get used to the name ‘Cosmic Lemon’ – they’re the resident Band!

As part of our orientation, 3½ laps of the Prom Deck is a mile (we almost tested it!) and we could see our Hotel in the distance. We followed the instructions to confirm we’d watched the evacuation video and sat awhile on the Lido Deck only to be accosted by a rather assertive member of the waiting staff, eager to sell us Champagne & Strawberries, the Fred Afternoon Tea and pretty much anything/everything else! 😵‍💫😮

Cue a sharp exit! 😉

Sail Away

Just after 4.30, the Captain signalled our sail away and Bolette began its manoeuvring (a 180° turn, no less), signalling our departure from Liverpool. Thanks for seeing us off, Oli! 👍😘

Evening Meal

There are two main eateries onboard towards the back end of Bolette plus two speciality restaurants towards the front. Tonight, we ‘slummed it’ and headed for the Bloomsbury Restaurant at the rear! For the really ‘can’t be asked’ there’s the ever-reliable Buffet on Deck 8.

We headed for our reserved Table, where our Waiter, ‘Sri’ introduced himself and took our order. “Sundar” was our Assistant Waiter, who in reality was i/c Bread Rolls and Desserts.

The dress code was ‘smart casual’ tonight meaning no need for a suit/tie/dickie bow – but shorts were definitely a no-no, as were baseball caps! (thank goodness!!) 👍. Tomorrow will separate the ‘sheep from the goats’ – it’s a formal night! 🤵

75 minutes later, it was all over (until tomorrow!), and we both felt it had been a great start! If all the food is this good for the rest of the trip, we’ll a) be the same size as the Ship and b) not be getting off! 😋😋

We spent the rest of the evening chilling out in one of the lounge areas. We skipped the Show too (something about ‘Swingers’, but sadly, we hadn’t brought our car keys!). Oh, those sort of Swingers..! 🤔🔑😈

Sunday is our first full day at sea as we head towards Portland. Depending on the wi-fi connection (and it’s been a bit flaky since we got on board!), there MAY be a ‘Day 2’ Post, but if not, see you when we get to Portland on Monday.

Nighty-night! 💤💤