Would you venture into the unknown?

For a while now Fred Olsen cruise lines have been offering guests the chance to sail off on one of their ‘mystery’ cruises. Guests have no idea where the ship will be going to and which ports of call they will be calling at.

This is how Fred Olsen market these cruises:

“Venture into the unknown on a very special voyage… a Fred. Olsen mystery cruise that will keep you guessing until the very last moment!

On these unique sailings, an electric atmosphere and sense of anticipation builds from the moment you step foot on board your smaller, friendlier ship, as whispers and theories about which destinations might pop up on your horizon spread amongst your fellow travellers.

You’ll have to wait to find out each day whether your Captain is guiding you to somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit, or an undiscovered gem, but you can be sure that your holiday will be one to remember for years to come. And, while you won’t know where you’re going, many aspects of your cruise will be just as you’d expect: warm, attentive service; delicious food; and quality entertainment awaits.

A Fred. Olsen Mystery Cruise is an event unlike any other – join us on board and experience the fun first-hand!”

Now to be fair and to give a balanced view on this subject, a couple of years ago two of my loyal clients sailed on one of these mystery cruises and they had an absolutely fabulous time. The ship called at tiny villages along the coast of Norway and Sweden where guests were made extremely welcome by the locals who dressed up, provided entertainment and refreshments. All in all they had a really great time.

However, it was a completely different story on Fred Olsen’s most recent mystery cruise. Obviously, each time they do one of these cruises they have to choose different ports to maintain the mystery but the ports of call on this most recent cruise proved such a disappointment that there have been reports of mutiny on board the ship, which just happened to be my beloved Balmoral.

I have to say, some of the ports of call weren’t great, however I do feel that this has been blown out of proportion by the press – no surprises there then, it’s what they do best!

Great Yarmouth, a typical British holiday resort, complete with tacky arcades, buckets and spades and sticks of rock. Granted, not your average cruisers cup of tea.

Dunkirk, famous for its wartime history but currently the scene of a huge migrant camp and unfortunately on the day the ship arrived, 1000 migrants were being moved on and the area was littered with old tents and rubbish. Not what cruise ship passengers pay good money to see.

A third port of call, Ijmuiden, a short distance from Amsterdam, is quite an industrial area and is quite run down. To be fair to Fred Olsen, most cruise lines are now docking there rather than Amsterdam itself and bussing passengers into Amsterdam as the port taxes are so much cheaper so it isn’t just Fred Olsen.

I have to say, this is the first time I have ever heard complaints about one of Fred Olsen’s mystery cruises, it seems that on this occasion maybe not enough thought was put into the ports of call causing disappointment for guests but knowing Fred Olsen as I do, I am sure they will learn from this and in future make every effort to ensure that their mystery cruises live up to expectation.

For now, happy cruising Folks!