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19 Feb 2024

Fred Olsen review

See how cruise line Fred Olsen measures up against its rivals

Jo Rhodes

In this article

Who is Fred Olsen
Fred Olsen customer rating
What’s Fred Olsen like?
Should I book with Fred Olsen?

Who is Fred Olsen

Founded in 1848, the Norwegian firm now runs cruises from five British ports, with three relatively small ships (the largest, Borealis, has 702 rooms and suites). It visits destinations around the world, from the fjords of its homeland to the warm waters of Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Fred Olsen customer rating

	Which? Recommended Provider	Customer Score
Fred Olsen	No	72%

Customer score Based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the company.

What’s Fred Olsen like?

Fred Olsen is significantly more expensive than both Cunard and P&O Cruises. For this you get a sprinkling of three and four-stars ratings. They add up to a good score for Fred Olsen; just nowhere near as high as many other rival brands.

All ships have a spa, fitness centre and sauna. The largest vessel carries 1,350 guests - but customers didn’t think that ships felt busy, awarding it five stars for the passenger-to-space ratio.

However, you may want to give the excursions a miss - they were described as ‘dull’ and ‘ridiculously expensive’. ‘Where we stopped there was literally nothing to do and nowhere to go,’ described one passenger.

Should I book with Fred Olsen?

Fred Olsen beats rival P&O Cruises on customer service, passenger-to-space ratio and the quality of food and drink. But there are better and cheaper cruise lines out there.