Wildlife spotting, stargazing and historical highlights among Fred. Olsen’s cruise experiences

The experiences will focus on Itinerary Insights, the Sky at Sea, Treats of the Region, Scenic Discoveries and the Ship and the Sea, with each to be delivered by specialist guides.

Open air sunrise, sunset or stargazing events will be among the highlights of the Sky at Sea, while there will be chances to join a guide on deck to spot wildlife, flora and fauna or join a hosted talk in one of Fred. Olsen’s panoramic Observatory Lounges in Scenic Discoveries, as the ship sails through different waterways, lochs, lakes and fjords.

The Itinerary Insights programme will offer lectures and smaller, more informative talks on cultural, artistic and historical highlights to give guests a deeper understanding of the destinations they visit, while the Ship and the Sea will shine a spotlight on Fred. Olsen’s five generations of maritime traditions, and include ‘an audience with’ programme with captains and crew for those who want to find out more.

Fred. Olsen’s chefs and galley teams will showcase the Treats of the Region with live cookery demonstrations of local delicacies, giving passengers the chance to sample dishes famous in the places they’ll be visiting and learn how to recreate them at home.

Clare Ward, director of product and customer service at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We feel passionately that a cruise is different to a holiday and we want to be doing all we can to celebrate that.

“A cruise brings with it experiences that simply aren’t possible with other forms of travel, such as the chance to witness breath-taking scenery best viewed from the water, spot native marine wildlife and bird life or capture spectacular sunrises and sunsets, or stargazing with a cup of hot chocolate out on deck.

“Each of these experiences has been designed to celebrate what we think is special about the way we cruise, and to help our guests to really get the most out of their time on board and the places they are visiting with us.”

Joy of the Journey programme

The cruise line has already started to introduce elements of its Joy of the Journey programme onto its sailings for 2022, with the full programme to be up and running on all cruises from 2023.

This includes Balmoral’s 78-night Exploration of South America and the Antarctic cruise setting sail on 5th January 2023 with guests to be joined by Falklands veteran Simon Weston who will share tales of his time during the Falklands War.

Other highlights include the chance to join cookery demonstrations to learn how to make Chilean empanadas, Uruguayan chivito and Brazilian feijoada as guests sail to their places of origin, or opportunities to join the guides out on deck for a scenic sunrise while sailing through the Chilean Fjords or a sunset at the ‘end of the world’ in Ushuaia, the southern most tip of South America.