Jane Archer sails the Norwegian coast aboard the cruise line’s new ship, formerly Holland America Line’s Rotterdam
The middle of a pandemic, when shipping around the world was forced to a standstill, might not seem the best time to buy a cruise ship. But 20 months after announcing that it had bought two Holland America Line vessels, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is reaping the rewards.
Feedback for service, food and ambience on Bolette and Borealis (formerly HAL’s Amsterdam and Rotterdam) is better than pre-Covid times, says Fred Olsen Cruise Lines managing director Peter Deer, and there has been a “significant increase” in the number of passengers saying they would recommend the company to friends and family.
“We are very pleased with the new ships,” he says. “They are bigger than the ones they replaced, but have more facilities and are still small and friendly.” Each holds fewer than 1,400 passengers.
Deer says both vessels fit the company’s ethos of appealing to adventurous travellers who are cruising as much for the love of what they are seeing and doing as for the ship itself.
The ships’ names were chosen to reflect the line’s family roots and also its Norwegian heritage. Chairman Fred Olsen Jnr’s great-great-grandmother was called Bolette, while Borealis takes its name from the northern lights that flash across Norway’s sky each winter. Or at least they do sometimes.
In a perfect but not-entirely-unplanned coincidence, I am cruising in search of the lights, correctly called the aurora borealis, on Borealis. And after several nights in the frozen Arctic, they are proving elusive.
My cruise starts in Liverpool, Borealis’s home port, and after a quick stop in Belfast steams on to Ålesund, a small Norwegian town that makes money from fish (as do most Norwegian towns, I discover). It’s also famous for art-deco buildings, which arrived at the turn of the century after hundreds of houses were burnt to the ground in a devastating fire.
I am cruising in search of the lights, correctly called the aurora borealis, on Borealis
Temperatures have already started to tumble, but the next day, as we head north through the islands that guard the Norwegian coast, past dramatic snowy mountains and across the Arctic Circle, things get seriously chilly.
There are 794 of us on board (well below the ship’s 1,360 passenger count to allow for physical distancing) and we’re on our way to Tromsø, where I’m swapping my comfy bed on Borealis for a night in a hut in the wilderness. It has two glass walls and a glass ceiling, so in theory I can see the northern lights without getting up.
But all I see is a full moon and clouds. It’s no better at the next stop, Alta, where I head to an Aurora Camp. As the clouds roll in, we learn all about the lights (all to do with solar particles penetrating the earth’s magnetic shields, which is not always a good thing although they apparently look great).
This time, we see nothing. I should be downhearted, except there’s no time what with all the trips ashore. We see a classical concert in Tromsø’s iceberg-shaped cathedral, hike along ice-strewn beaches in Bodø and take a train ride through the mountains from Narvik. Plus, there’s a busy programme on Borealis, including talks on Norway, astronomy, quizzes, dance classes and cooking demos.
Even at 25 years old, Borealis is half a century younger than Black Watch, the ship it replaced, so it has vastly updated the Fred Olsen experience while not losing sight of the line’s traditional cruise style (think formal nights, set dining and posh afternoon tea) loved by its mainly retired British passengers.
There are 152 balcony suites, a spa with a thermal suite housing a steam room, whirlpool and heated beds, and a full-sized theatre, as well as two new speciality restaurants.
Colours and Tastes is an Asian eatery that serves some deliciously spicy dishes and costs an extra £5 per person. Vasco, part of the self-service dining options by day, serves Goan Indian dishes by night and is complimentary.
Fred Olsen made a few changes when it took over the ship: the casino was replaced with a lounge, carpets were refreshed and bathrooms that looked tired were updated with walk-in showers. But Deer says learning to operate the ship was the priority.
“Once we see how it works, we’ll tweak things further to suit,” he adds. Alta is the high point of the cruise. As we head south, our Norwegian expert, Laura MacFarlane, ends a talk on the Sami people by letting on that she’d been out on deck whale watching that morning.
“I didn’t tell you before as I didn’t want you to leave,” she says. I race back to my cabin, get togged up in my Arctic gear, head to the top deck and sure enough, spouts spray into the air all around us while now and then a cetacean breaks the surface.
They are fin whales and orcas, I’m told. That evening at dinner, there’s an alert from the bridge: northern lights on the starboard side! Forget the winter togs, I’m going out in my evening finery, sandals and all.
I point the camera into the night sky and shoot – it seems it can often see what the eye cannot – and there they are. Finally, a beautiful green haze with a hint of amber.
3 of the best excursions
Overnight in an Aurora Hut: The huts (there are four) are in Hatteng, about 90 minutes outside Tromsø. There’s time to enjoy a hot sauna or try snowshoeing before eating a hearty reindeer stew and heading outside to look for the northern lights.
Price: £395 per person based on two sharing a hut.
Arctic coastal hike, Bodø: You know things are going to be icy when you are given a pair of crampons to wear. You’re walking for about 90 minutes, the scenery is gorgeous and, if you’re lucky, you’ll spy sea eagles and maybe a moose.
Price: £95 for 2.5 hours.
Trondheim in the Second World War: The Nazis attacked Norway in the early hours of April 9, 1940, partly to stop the Allies using it as a base but also to gain access to the country’s iron ore. The tour tells the story of the invasion on stops at the Armoury Museum and Kristiansten Fortress, where resistance fighters were executed.
Tour: £85 for three hours.
Ask the expert
Martin Lister, head of destination experience and itinerary planning, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
“A cruise themed around a natural phenomenon such as the northern lights suits Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ passengers to a tee. Our guests are travellers, not tourists. This cruise hinges on the northern lights but there is a secondary context to it.
“Northern Norway is remote and offers a different type of experience to the fjords. Our guests are curious and want to learn about places and see how people live.
“Once the concept of the cruise has been decided, we choose speakers and topics to enrich the experience. Talks focus on Norway, astronomy, wildlife and photography, and give passengers an insight into what they are experiencing.
“Planners also work with local tour providers to create excursions that will appeal to passengers. Tours chasing the northern lights, visiting northern lights camps and dog sledding are the most popular.”
Book it
An 11-night Northern Lights cruise on Borealis round-trip from Liverpool, calling into Belfast in Northern Ireland, and Ålesund, Tromsø, Alta, Sortland and Bodø in Norway, costs from £1,499 per person departing November 13 2022.
fredolsencruises.com
PICTURES: Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
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