So I did a cruise review, it went a bit potty, 1200 people have read it!!! In it I said that the particular cruise line didn’t do a lot for the solo traveller, so of course I was asked which lines did

I’ve been fortunate enough to sail on a lot of lines, sometimes solo, sometimes with family or friends

I’ve sailed solo on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines twice, on Balmoral and Braemar and shared a cabin on Boudicca with another solo traveller I met on Balmoral, and I have to say Fred does look after the solo traveller extremely well. I’ve also sailed with them with friends and family

All my experiences with Fred have been pre pandemic, so I’ll share what we can hopefully return to in the not too distant future, and leave out talk of solo bubbles and social distancing

Like a lot of lines they sit solo diners together for dinner, I’ve been really lucky to have had some fantastic dinner companions and am still in touch with this lovely lot from 2017 and have travelled again with one friend here. But Fred also set aside large dining tables at breakfast and lunch for solo travellers while also giving you the option to eat alone or with other guests as you choose

The friendliness of Fred’s crew also plays a massive part in how much I enjoy their cruises. You can see from the photos we had fabulous, friendly waiters, but I’ll always remember the really rough night, off Iceland when we were caught in a big storm, my cabin lady knocked the door to check on me, bringing some ginger teabags. I was fine, but so grateful for her thoughtfulness and was actually delighted to see she had worked her way up through the ranks, two years later and she remembered me – how do they do that!

The fabulous Ria who looked after me wonderfully well on the Iceland cruise

Fred also offer an excellent program of onboard lectures and classes. Everything from dance, bridge, art and craft can be learned onboard and I went on to be a tutor, following a teenage dream to work my way around the world, I’d have worked my way from Singapore to the Caribbean in 2020, but you know…

I’ve heard some fabulous talks, everything from a rural vet, to a prison governor, a medical lawyer, wildlife experts, world travellers and of course history experts if that’s your thing. Nearly every subject under the sun is offered as well as talks on the ports you’ll be visiting. I’ve even a few talks myself now!

All lines offer tours, and solo guests can book without restrictions (I’ve never seen a minimum booking 2 persons on a ship tour) but had to share the fun RIB tours Fred offered when we were on Boudicca, great fun and a small group. Another small friendly tour I did with Fred was the Mangrove Eco Tour in Bonaire, a fabulous experience. You need a bit of agility for both these but I managed, arthritic joints and all.

I’m 54 and I love cruising on Fred. OK I love cruising generally, but I certainly don’t think I’m too young for Fred. I’ve never been the youngest onboard, that claim to fame was on Voyages of Discovery and as you can see we like to party. Here we are in the Caribbean showing the big boys how it’s done!

If ‘proper dancing’ is your thing, classes were available and Fred also had at least 2 dance hosts on board. These 4 guys were on a long cruise to the Adriatic so the ladies who loved to dance were spoiled for choice! There’s dancing every night, both ballroom and my favourite, just a boogie! They also introduced the silent disco, and the dancers held line dancing classes through the day

There were regular solo meet ups and coffee mornings on sea days Some cruises had a lot of solo travellers onboard so it was always good to go at least once and meet some of your fellow guests.

Evening entertainment was always really good, if perhaps a little lower key than some of the bigger lines. You’d always find a show in the theatre, a solo musician in the morning light, a live band in the Coral, sometimes a string trio or quartet and the ships orchestra were around as well. I was always happy to walk into any of these alone, never feeling uncomfortable and always finding friends

I’ll just finally mention the amazing social hosts onboard, many of who are fantastic entertainers themselves, here’s Claire who’s solo show was amazing, we also love Assistant Cruise Director Brendo’s show even if it brings a tear to my eye now. These guys work day and night to help you enjoy your cruise and do go out of their way to chat to the solo guests

I hope I’ve given a good overview of Solo Cruising with Fred Olsen. Just to say again this was all pre pandemic so I’m sure there will be some changes in hopefully only the short term

See you onboard soon!