Fred Olsen Cruise Lines chief rules out 2026 ship but plans to grow fleet in future

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ chief executive has ruled out a new ship in 2026 but confirmed growing the fleet is “still very firmly part of the plan”.

Currently the line has three ships - Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral - each with capacity for upwards of 1,250 passengers.

Speaking at the Travel Weekly Future of Travel Conference, Samantha Stimpson said: “We’ve always been a business that’s had what I call pre-loved vessels and cruise companies are holding on to their vessels for a bit longer, so it’s not as easy [to acquire ships]. The pipeline for new-builds is years [in advance], but we are navigating our way because it is good for us.

“This year is going to beat last year and 2026 is absolutely flying, so when I can share some news I will. It is still firmly part of the plan to grow.”

Stimpson noted that Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ market had “switched more to late” in recent years, as it opened its 2026 programme at the end of last year and launched its 2027 voyages today (October 1), months after “most competitors”.

“It doesn’t seem to be impacting our performance negatively at all,” Stimpson said.

“In fact, for 2026 we are in positive numbers in excess of 60% up on customer numbers versus the same period this year.”

She revealed 45% of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ business is now new-to-brand and attributed this in part to “going later into the market than everybody else”, changing the customer proposition and having more availability, meaning more people were booking that “would not have considered us before”.

In terms of changing the customer proposition, Stimpson said marketing messages had been “upweighted” around destination and onboard experience, with “more exciting stuff” to share on those elements in a month’s time.

She added the average age of a passenger on its cruises was now in the mid-60s which has been “brought down quite a bit”, and where she wanted it to stay.

Stimpson urged agents to come on board to test out the product, in an effort to “myth-bust” its reputation as “a floating retirement home”.

“If you haven’t been on our product for a long time, or if you haven’t been on it, and you’ve still got this preconception that your great Nana is our demographic, please send us a note, because we’d love to host you all”, she said.

Stimpson took on the role of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines chief executive in 2024 and served as interim managing director for Fred Olsen Travel following Steve Williams’ retirement, where she undertook a 16-week review of the business.

In her review, she found it was “a really good business with really great people” but needed an overarching plan and investment in technology.

“It needed a plan as it had no plan,” she said. “Plus, it needed technology as everything they did was manual and quite old school.”

Stimpson said that the new managing director Julie Berry would be spearheading these initiatives and has “firmly got growth on the horizon” for the retail, franchise and tour operator parts of the business.