Destination matters more than price, Fred. Olsen survey finds

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 04 June 2014 04 June 2014

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational cruise line, says it has conducted a survey of its guests post-cruise to determine their motivation in booking, and has found that, out of approximately 20,000 responses itinerary and destination are more important factors than the low price of the cruise holiday, scoring 39% and 16% respectively.

 

In addition, the convenience of regional departure ports has also proven to be a key factor for guests when booking their cruise holiday, scoring higher than onboard facilities and entertainment.

The full findings of the survey, conducted over the last 12 months, are as follows:

Itinerary / Destination – 39%

Low Price – 16%

Departure Port – 15%

Convenient Departure Date – 13%

Onboard Facilities – 7%

Onboard Entertainment – 5%

Short Cruise Duration – 5%

 

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “At Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, we are exceptionally proud of our traditional, more intimate style of cruising and renowned friendliness across our fleet. We also offer exceptional value for money on our cruises, and were delighted to be voted ‘Best Affordable Cruise Line’ by Cruise International magazine’s readers in 2012 and 2013."

 

“However, just as importantly, we also offer one of the most extensive and innovative ranges of itineraries and destination experiences of any cruise line, and it is for this reason that over half of our guests have cruised with us before. With Fred. Olsen, every cruise is tailored and unique, and we strive to bring the world closer to everyone in the UK through our regional departures and smaller ships.”

 

In 2015/16, Fred. Olsen’s cruise programme will see its four ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca andBlack Watch – visit no fewer than 245 destinations in 81 countries around the globe, including 42 countries on its 2016 ‘Grand Voyages’ alone.

 

Sailing from ten convenient, regional UK departures ports – Southampton, Dover, Harwich, Tilbury, Bristol (Avonmouth), Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth (for Edinburgh), Greenock (for Glasgow) and Belfast – Fred. Olsen’s ships will be positioned within only a 90-minute drive from 80% of its guests, reinforcing Fred. Olsen’s reputation as the ‘local, global cruise line’.

 

Fred. Olsen will be embarking on its inaugural African ‘Grand Voyage’ on board Boudicca in 2016, of 76 nights’ duration – the first time that this smaller, more traditional ship has ever been deployed on such a long cruise – and will be calling at the new and exotic ports of Luanda (Angola), Maputo (Mozambique) and Zanzibar (Tanzania).

 

Fred. Olsen’s 115-night ‘Around the World’ ‘Grand Voyage’ on Black Watch in 2016 will be taking in a grand total of 27 countries, visiting the maiden port of Tuticorin, in India, as well as the popular destinations of Yangon, capital of Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Komodo Island, home to the famous Dragons, which is only accessible by sea.

 

 

Following their tremendous popularity in 2014, Fred. Olsen will be offering even more river cruising itineraries in 2015/16, on Braemar – which is ideal, with its shallow draft – taking in the French rivers, the German waterways and a Spanish itinerary, cruising up the Guadalquivir to the centre of Seville.

 

Another feature of Fred. Olsen’s 2015/16 cruise programme is its series of ‘Into the Heart of the Baltic’ voyages. These specially-written Baltic itineraries allow Braemar to dock at ports and berths right in the city centre, giving guests easy access to some of the Baltic’s most spectacular sights.

Fred. Olsen will also be offering two Adriatic cruises – one on Black Watch from Liverpool in April 2015 and the other on Braemar from Dover in September 2015 – staying overnight in Venice, Italy, where Fred. Olsen’s smaller-sized ships can still call, and offering the amazing ports of Kotor (Montenegro),Durres (Albania) and ‘picture perfect’ Dubrovnik, in Croatia, which is one of Fred. Olsen guests’ favourites.

 

In 2015/16, Fred. Olsen’s fleet will be undertaking even more ‘scenic cruising’, visiting 51 picturesque locations, including Lysefjord – one of the ‘pearls of Norway’, featuring ‘Preikestolen’ (‘Pulpit Rock’) and ‘Mount Kjerag’ (‘The Mountain Bolt’) – the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, and the Turku and Stockholm archipelagos.

Holland America Line's Volendam to add 21 lanai staterooms and Mix bar area at end of 2014

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 03 June 2014 03 June 2014

When Holland America Line's Volendam completes dry-dock in December 2014, the ship will feature 21 new exclusive lanai staterooms, the contemporary bar area Mix and updated bathrooms in all suites and select other stateroom categories. With the conversion of existing outside staterooms to the new lanai accommodations, Volendam's guest capacity of 1,432 will not change.

The unique lanai accommodations feature large sliding-glass doors with direct access to the Lower Promenade wrap-around teak walking deck. Each lanai stateroom includes reserved deck chairs, and the sliding-glass doors have a one-way mirrored coating to ensure privacy. Holland America Line ships already outfitted with lanai staterooms are Maasdam, Rotterdam and Veendam.

"Volendam's itineraries in Alaska and other scenic parts of the world are ideal for direct promenade deck access and the enhanced views of the popular lanai layout," said Richard Meadows, Holland America Line's executive vice president of sales, marketing and guest relations. "We're also making other exciting enhancements to the ship, and adding Mix presents a stylish multi-themed venue for our guests to mingle and enjoy themselves."

During the dry dock, all suite bathrooms will also be updated to feature new whirlpool bathtubs, stone vanities, lighted mirrors, Grohe fixtures, floors, walls and sinks. Several additional categories, including the Lanai Staterooms, will also receive new bathroom appointments and walk-in showers.

Volendam's centrally located bars will be reconfigured to feature Mix, a space that incorporates three specialty theme bars: Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales.

Martinis serves 19 Grey Goose martinis elegantly offered in individual shakers as well as a full range of cocktails. Guests can also enjoy a martini flight made up of several mini martini concoctions. A featured cocktail is Holland America Line's signature martini, the Yellow Tulip, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, lychee juice, pineapple juice, guava juice, coconut cream and fresh lime juice.

The bubbly flows at Champagne, which offers a selection of 20 champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world. This venue will offer events such as late champagne breakfast, pre-lunch Mimosa and Bellini hour, champagne tea time and pre-dinner champagne hour with caviar canapés.

Spirits & Ales features an international selection of beers and premium whiskeys and brandies sure to impress even the most discerning connoisseur. Here guests can drop by to enjoy a wide array of beers on tap while watching sporting events or relax after some shopping in the nearby boutiques.

Ships that already have Mix are Maasdam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam and Veendam.

Oceania Cruises’ Marina commemorates Empress of Ireland tragedy

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 30 May 2014 30 May 2014

Oceania Cruises’ Marina has commemorated the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland in the River St Lawrence in Canada 100 years ago.

Five to one at night on 29 May, church bells in Rimouski and Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer rang out in the still of the darkness to commemorate the loss of Empress of Ireland a hundred years earlier. 

“Descendants of family members involved in the tragedy gathered in Rimouski for a series of commemorative events. One group of individuals who had assembled at Pointe-au-Père Marine Historic Site happened to notice that a cruise ship was passing by offshore in precisely the same location and at precisely the same time that the Empress of Ireland had been lost,’ Oceania said in a statement.

Marina had departed the Port of Québec on the evening of 28 May, just as the Empress of Ireland had done a century earlier. 

Empress of Ireland was a 14,191 gross register ton liner that had been completed in 1906. On 29 May 1914, the 6,000dwt Norwegian collier Storstad collided in thick fog with the liner that went down with the loss of 1,024 lives. A court of inquiry laid the blame for the disaster on the Norwegian ship.

Despite the heavy loss of life involved, the sinking of Empress of Ireland is relatively little known as it occurred only a month before the assassination of Archduke Francies Fredinand and Archduchess Sophia, heirs to the thrones of Austra-Hungary, on 28 June in Sarajevo. The subsequent events led to the outbreak of the First World War in early August.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Saga Holidays sign up to new partnership

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 30 May 2014 30 May 2014

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has announced that it has signed a significant new partnership agreement with Saga Holidays, to promote and sell its cruises. Saga will have allocations on a range of 2014/15 Fred. Olsen cruises across its fleet of four ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – focusing on products that do not compete directly with Saga cruises, from a number of regional ports around the UK.  

Saga will provide Fred. Olsen with an important sales distribution channel for early-to-mid-term business, thereby helping to reduce the volume of last-minute bookings, which can have a negative impact on yields.

Fred. Olsen and Saga previously enjoyed many years as trading partners, and Fred. Olsen is looking forward to working with Saga again.

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “This new agreement between Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Saga Holidays will help to improve our yields significantly, and our financial position overall. Both companies are keen for the venture to be successful; with Saga concentrating on selling regional departures early, we will be able to maintain sensible prices and maximise yields, which will benefit Saga, Fred. Olsen and our travel trade partners alike.

“Saga will be marketing Fred. Olsen’s cruises to its extensive database, which already recognises the value of buying travel and holidays through Saga; with this new agreement, Saga customers can now take advantage of Fred. Olsen’s competitively-priced cruise holidays, backed up by the expertise of our two trusted brands, from their convenient local port.”

Robin Shaw, Chief Executive of Saga Cruises, commented: “This is an exciting time for Saga cruising and this venture allows us to reach out to more people. We will now be able to offer even greater choice to today’s over-50s. Customers will get all the added extras that those who book with Saga directly enjoy – and the security that we will offer a great experience at excellent value.”

Fred. Olsen is proud to be the only UK travel company to receive a coveted ‘Gold Award’ from leading consumer review website Feefo, having achieved a 95% service rating of 'Excellent' or 'Good' in over 5,600 genuine, independent guest reviews in 2013.

Fred. Olsen was also delighted to be voted ‘Best Affordable Cruise Line’ and runner-up ‘Best Cruise Line’ in the ‘Cruise International Awards 2013’, and ‘Best Value for Money’ in the Cruise Critic ‘Editors’ Picks UK Awards 2013’.