Fred Olsen TALKING CRUISING
NATHAN PHILPOT SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR FRED OLSEN
Q. Where do you see the major growth in your summer programme? We continue to focus on Norway. It’s our home, it’s where the majority of our officers are from and if there is an iconic image that customers relate to then it is one of our ships against the backdrop of the fjords.
Q. Are ex-UK cruises selling well? Fred. Olsen cruises will depart from 10 UK and Irish ports in 2013, a testament to the fact that ex-UK sales continue to do well.
Q. Have you added any new ports of call this year?
of 93 excel themselves with culinary creations which could easily grace many of the world’s top hotels.
Cruising Food for thought Balmoral has four restaurants:
Ballindalloch, on the main deck; the smaller Avon and Spay restaurants on Deck 10, all offering the same menus; and the Palms Court Café offering an alternative menu in the evening. There are two sittings to choose from, which is done prior to boarding, and guests are allocated a table for dinner. The food on offer is of such an
excellent standard that choosing is a very difficult but pleasant task, with at least four choices normally on the restaurant menu. Breakfast and lunch are on an open-
seating basis in any of the restaurants. This provides the opportunity to meet more of your fellow travellers. With morning and afternoon coffee served with sandwiches and pastries, etc, served in the Marquee and Palms Café it is possible to get something to eat at any time of the day – and hot drinks are available all day! For most cruisers the highlight of the
trip will be the variety of ports visited. If you don’t like one stop there's the guarantee that there will be another
along shortly that provides a whole new set of experiences. Our cruise called in at Lisbon, Vigo, La Coruna and Bilboa, with each stop preceded with a lecture on-board that's designed to provide a flavour of the area. There is no pressure to join one of
the organised trips once the ship is in port, but if you don't it means missing out on so much of the local flavour. From Lisbon a coach trip, along with
a local guide, took us to Sintra (adored by Lord Byron) and Cascais (a quaint Portuguese fishing village with an English square). We also visited Vigo for a visit to Soutomaior Castle (an imposing Galician Castle with stunning views) and a winery ( I hadn't realised you could get so many different wines from one grape!). Then it was on to La Coruna (where
Sir John Moore led a gallant retreat at the start of the Napoleonic Peninsula Wars), Santiago de Compostela (along with Jerusalem and Rome one of the three most sacred pilgrimages for Christians, and simply breath-taking); and to Bilbao, which included a visit to the Guggenheim Museum (simply a must for modern art lovers). With each stop having a choice of
five different tours the hard part is trying to decide which one to join. The choice is wide and varied and there is usually something to interest everyone. In conclusion, cruising might not be
to everybody’s taste, but it is too easy to dismiss it without trying it. For to do so would be to miss out on a holiday which might not turn out to be the holiday of a lifetime, but will certainly give you memories to last a lifetime. Convince your cruising-sceptic clients to try it – they might just like it!
FRED OLSEN CRUISES 01473 742424
A similar itinerary in 2012 for Balmoral is 'L1219', a cruise of seven nights that departs from Southampton on October 27 2012. This cruise visits La Pallice (for tours to La Rochelle, France), Getxo (Bilbao, Spain), Aviles (Spain) and La Coruna (Spain), before returning to Southampton. Prices start from £719pp, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin- bedded cabin, Grade ‘I’, and include all food and entertainment on board, and port taxes.
www.fredolsencruises.com
Opposite page: The Balmoral's Jacuzzi; John Gore in Santander; Shopping in Vigo. This page: Casa de Santa Maria, Cascais
Haugesund and Brønnøysund in Norway, Vaasa in Finland and Boulogne-sur-Mer on a mini- cruise with Guernsey – a must for anyone in search of good food and beer!
Q. Are many of your cruises themed? We have two themed Norway cruises in 2013, around health and wellbeing, and others which provide insight into trolls and Vikings.
Q. What are people looking for on a Fred Olsen cruise?
According to PSA research, 75% of clients choose a cruise on the basis of the itinerary and destinations. Our guests, however, like to explore with a community of like-minded guests combined with friendly and intimate service, which is what we provide.
Q. Do you offer mini-cruises? We have 13 mini-cruises during 2012, and from a variety of UK ports. Destinations include France, Holland. Belgium, Ireland, Norway, and the Orkneys. Most first-timers want a ‘taster’ cruise and these do just that.
Q. Looking ahead, what is you major focus for 2013? We need to ensure that we promote cruises at the right time, full in the knowledge that it is a late booking market. Our popular Baltic summer cruises are only now beginning to fill up – far later than ever before.
www.sellinglonghaul.com • May/June 2012 21
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