Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will make one of its three ships adult-only next year, amid a raft of changes in response to agent and customer feedback.
The cruise line aims to keep its regular customers happy with the changes while also appealing to new-to-Fred cruisers.
Samantha Stimpson, chief executive, told a Travel Weekly webcast that the refurbishments to the fleet will maintain “the traditional” but remove “old-fashioned” elements.
“Guests enjoy the feeling of traditional, but not old-fashioned. We have spent a lot of money on Balmoral’s dry-dock, trying to modernise her but still keeping traditional views and values,” she said.
The same will happen for the dry-dock refurbishments with Borealis later this year and Bolette in 2026.
From 2026, Borealis (pictured) will be an adult-only vessel, and fly-cruises are also planned for next year’s programme.
Since joining the cruise line almost a year ago, Stimpson has worked with her team to consult agents and more than 4,000 customers to ensure changes don’t alienate the core audience but do continue to attract new customers.
Most customers are over 55, with a mix of retired and semi-retired passengers and some multi-generational family groups.
A new loyalty scheme is planned for this year, along with revamped menus, but she noted: “The main bit of feedback from our guests is: ‘Whatever you do, please don’t change anything with the crew, because they really make our whole experience’.”
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She said marketing messages will show how the crew are “amazing” and “fantastic” – thanks largely to the smaller size of the three ships: Borealis, Bolette and Balmoral.
“For every two guests, we’ve got one crew member. That means they have got time,” she said.
“Our guests want people to sit and have a little chat. They want to be remembered.
“We’re not fancy, but we are personal…we’re trying to bring those special moments to life – the big moments, when you see a whale for the first time on a whale-watching experience…but also those friendly morning smiles and your coffee the way that you like it.”
Stimpson highlighted how the repeat guest rate was more than 50%.
“It’s massive, the biggest number that I’ve ever worked with. We’re also seeing an increase in our new-to-Fred guests. The retention level on those guests is also really high,” she said.
“The way that we treat our guests is different because we are smaller – everything from the call centre to the crew, every person matters.”
A lot of new-to-Fred passengers have asked about fly-cruise options, while traditional guests like to sail from the UK – so fly-cruises to the Mediterranean look likely for later in 2026.
Asked if another ship will join the fleet, she replied: “Never say never. Historically, we’ve always purchased ships that have belonged to other cruise lines [but] there are not many ships of our size in the market.
“We need a plan for five years’ time, and that’s what we’re working through at the moment.
“[The owners] have made it clear from day one that they also want to see the business grow.”
She said more agents and customers also now understand how Fred Olsen fits in the market between Saga and Ambassador cruise lines.
“They are both fantastic at what they do, and that has left us a gap in the middle,” she said.
“What we have got to do now is the ‘myth bust’ of us being really old and dowdy because we’re not.
“You will start to see the product evolve, catering for our traditional guests and the new types of guests.”