Despite its Norwegian heritage, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is known for a very British atmosphere on board; Sterling is the currency used, and English the first language spoken. In the same vein, afternoon tea is a time-honoured and enduringly popular tradition, and some of the bars even offer draught beers, in the traditional pub style, the company said in a statement.
“It is no surprise, then, that the ships all celebrate the Saint’s Days for the British Patron Saints. On Monday 23rd April 2012, the guests and crew on all four Fred. Olsen ships will mark the occasion in style. A special English ‘pub lunch’ will be served in restaurants and cafés, and the ships will be decorated in red and white, the colours of St. George. The daily onboard newspaper, the Daily Times, will have a special insert marking the occasion, and activity will include English quizzes, a traditional ‘sing-along’ in the evening, and much more.”
On St. George’s Day, Black Watch will be at sea, en route back to Southampton, at the end of her 106-night World Cruise; Braemar will be at Praia da Vitoria in the Azores, on a cruise to the Canaries and Azores; Balmoral will be returning to Southampton after her unique Titanic Memorial Cruise, and Boudicca will be in Dakar in Senegal, as part of a cruise to the Cape Verde Islands.
Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said: ‘Although our guests, of course, love to travel the world, and visit new and exciting ports of call, many are also very patriotic, and enjoy celebrating occasions such as St. George’s Day. As a British cruise line, we also encourage celebrations for St. Andrew’s Day, St. David’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
Many guests on Black Watch, in particular, who have been on the 106-night World Cruise, have not seen England since early January, so no doubt they will be happy to celebrate their homecoming in this way. As with all special occasions on board, the staff will make every effort to ensure everyone has a marvellous time and St George’s Day is marked in style and with enthusiasm.’
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines offers a comprehensive choice of ex-UK cruises, from a wide range of UK regional ports. Currently, cruises depart from Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle (Port of Tyne), Greenock (Glasgow) and Rosyth (Edinburgh.) From 2013, there will be an even greater choice of departure ports, with cruise programmes from Harwich, Liverpool and Belfast. As well as cruises to destinations worldwide, the quintessentially British cruise line offers cruises around the British Isles.
The company is owned 50/50 by Ganger Rolf and Bonheur, two holding companies listed on the Oslo stock exchange and controlled by the Olsen family. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is based in Ipswich, England.
