Fred. Olsen's Worldwide Voyaging

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has launched its new worldwide brochure for 2012/13, detailing a comprehensive programme of ex-UK cruises aboard classic ships Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch. All the new cruises feature Fred. Olsen’s ‘No Fuel Surcharge Guarantee’.

The 2012/13 programme includes an enormous choice of destinations, varying in duration from a mini-cruise of just two nights to an epic world voyage of 112 nights. The itineraries feature new and exciting destinations, along with many old favourites, with departures from convenient regional British ports, Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Greenock (Glasgow) and Rosyth (Edinburgh).

Highlights include:

- A ‘Christmas Markets’ cruise aboard Black Watch, travelling to the Baltic and calling at Warnemünde (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia), St Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Kiel (Germany).

- The chance to sail over 50 miles up the Guadalquivir River to Seville, in Spain.

- A return call to the newly-accessible Banjul Harbour in The Gambia, on Balmoral’s 21-night ‘West Africa and Cape Verde’ cruise.

- Three brand new destinations on Canada’s east coast – Port Saguenay, Trois Rivières and Havre St. Pierre.

- Some enticing longer cruises in 2013 – Balmoral’s new ‘Around the World’ itinerary and Black Watch’s epic cruise, down the West Coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.

- Another opportunity to take a Winter cruise to Norway, ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’, with Boudicca in February 2013, or to cruise into the heart of the mighty Amazon River, also aboard Boudicca, on a long (35-night) cruise in early 2013.

- Christmas 2012, when both Balmoral and Braemar will be visiting the Cape Verde Islands, as part of their festive itineraries, while Black Watch offers a real getaway, with her ex-UK ‘Caribbean Christmas’ cruise of 25 nights.

Fred. Olsen also continues to make regular enhancements to its fleet. Boudicca benefitted from a major refit in January 2011, allowing for extra cabins, smart new shopping outlets and a top-deck fitness centre. The onboard experience continues to benefit from an ever-increasing choice of activities and interests for guests to pursue. The cruise enrichment programme, Vistas (formerly The ArtsClub), has been re-launched and reinvigorated, with many distinguished new names joining the panoply of on-board experts, covering an even wider range of subjects.

Other additional attractions, on selected cruises, include ‘Flagship Golf‘, boasting even more top courses in 2012/13, and, for the best in entertainment, Fred. Olsen’s ‘Music and Laughter’; programme. This gives guests a wonderful opportunity to enjoy live music and comedy in an intimate setting, from some of the top names in the business, and all at no extra cost. Past favourites include the Divas of Motown, The Drifters and Lulu, and big names lined up for this season include The Operababes – back by popular demand – The Sounds of Boney M, featuring Sheyla Bonnick, and The Tornados – the first UK group to top the US charts, with ‘Telstar’, and original backing group to 60s legend, Billy Fury.

For more info, see www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Baltic Debut for Star Clippers

Tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers will offer its first ever season sailing the Baltic in 2012, a unique chance to sail into some of the world’s greatest seafaring ports on a magnificent, fully-crewed square rigger, the 170-passenger Star Flyer.

As well as visiting iconic ports such as Copenhagen, St Petersburg and Stockholm, Star Clippers will sail to destinations with a long-standing love and appreciation of tall ships, including Kiel and Warnemunde/Rostock in Germany, where the vessel’s visit will coincide with the breathtaking annual Sailing Parade, a gathering of some of the world’s most stunning tall ships.

There will also be calls at smaller ports rarely visited by bigger cruise ships, giving guests a chance to appreciate the beauty of the islands and coastlines of the Baltic and Scandinavia without the crowds.

Highlights of the Baltic season include:

A five-night voyage from Southampton to Hamburg, via Amsterdam, departing May 5, 2012, including two full days at sea to enjoy the sensation of sailing on an authentic tall ship. From £1,035 per person, including all meals on board and port taxes (excludes return flight from Hamburg).

A seven-night voyage returning into Southampton, departing Hamburg on August 25, via Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, Antwerp and Zeebrugge, presenting another chance to sail up the Solent in one of the most dramatic-looking ships afloat. From £1,490 per person, including all meals on board and port taxes (excludes outbound flight to Hamburg).

Five, six and seven-night sailings to and from Warnemunde/Rostock, visiting ports in Germany, Denmark and Poland, as well as Sweden and Oslo. The five-night voyage calls at Copenhagen, Ronne/Bornholm and Gdansk, for example, while a six-night sailing from Warnemunde to Oslo on August 12 calls at Ronne-Bornholm, Copenhagen, Halmstad, Goteborg and Marstrand. From £1,035 for a five night round-trip sailing from Warnemunde, departing June 3, including all meals on board and port taxes (excluding flights).

Seven night voyages featuring Olso, situated at the head of a dramatic fjord. Oslo to Copenhagen, for example, calls at Marstrand, Goteborg, Halmstad and Helsingborg in Sweden and Kalundborg in Denmark, finishing in Copenhagen. A seven-night cruise costs from £1,490 pp, departing Oslo May 26, including all meals on board and port taxes (excluding flights).

A highlight of the season will be three ten or 11-night voyages round-trip from Stockholm, with an overnight in St Petersburg. Ports of call on the 10-night sailing departing July 21 include Visby, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, and two additional ports in Finland, Hanko and Mariehamn-Aaland. Sailing from Stockholm is particularly special and Star Flyer will be a magnificent sight as she leaves the historic harbour of the Swedish capital and glides gracefully through the archipelago of hundreds of tiny islands. From £2,120 for 10 nights, departing Stockholm July 21, including all meals on board and port taxes (again, excluding flights).

For more information, visit www.starclippers.co.uk or contact the adventure-cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.