Acclaimed Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ships Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral have met for the first time during a historic event in Madeira!
As part of a Fleet in Funchal special event, which took place both on and offshore of the Portuguese island, welcomed the trio of ships into Funchal harbour alongside more than 3,000 eager passengers who were greeted with quayside entertainment and live music. The fleet meet, held in early November, was held as part of 175th anniversary celebrations, and included a jam-packed schedule of fun events and festivities!
“This year marks the 175th anniversary of Fred. Olsen’s start as a shipping company and we are thrilled that we have been able to bring our current fleet together for the first time – although it is the third time we have held fleet events with Bergen in 2015 and Cadiz in 2018.
A huge thank you needs to go to the Ports of Madeira and our partners in the city for their incredibly warm welcome and for the phenomenal fireworks display as the three ships sailed away in the evening.
Of course, our fleet events would not be possible without the wonderful teams working across Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, so a big thank you to all of them too. We hope that our guests thoroughly enjoyed an unforgettable experience with the Fleet in Funchal celebrations.
Peter Deer, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
As part of the flurry of celebrations in Madeira, guests were treated to a unique treasure hunt through the city, dance shows performed by the ships’ theatre companies, delicious local delicacies, and a hotly contested Battle of the Bartenders – judged by Loose Women’s Linda Robson and Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver!
Passengers also had the incredibly rare, but special, opportunity to visit all three of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Line ships in port, no matter which ship they were actually sailing with! The day of celebrations ended with a spectacular sail away party like no other – with an impressive firework display from the port bidding the sisters farewell.
