Isn’t it nice to know some things never change? That’s what I wrote not so long ago about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, extolling the virtue of always knowing what to expect in terms of good food, great service and traditional values when you set sail on one of the company’s ships.
Fast forward to January 2026, and that will no longer be true. Don’t panic! The things we love are going nowhere. Rather, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is making the best even better.
Specifically, prices are going more inclusive, with gratuities covered in the cruise fare along with house wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks with lunch and dinner. They’ll also be throwing in free fitness classes and complimentary shuttle buses if your ship is docked more than a mile from the nearest town or city.
But that’s not the only change afoot. Instead of offering its usual world cruise to the lands Down Under, the 2027 circumnavigation is going in search of hula dancers, volcanoes and authentic sushi on a 98-night voyage to Hawaii and Japan. And the cruise is on Borealis, which in another big change will be designated adult-only starting January 2026.
I love Australia and New Zealand - all the more so after a terrific cruise there earlier this year; a story for another month, I hope - this is not just a brilliant itinerary but guaranteed to banish the winter blues.
It departs from Southampton in January 2027, calls at Lisbon and Funchal, crosses the Atlantic and visits the lovely Caribbean islands of Barbados and Grenada. Then, before you know it, you’ll wake in gorgeous Cartagena, a colonial city in Colombia built by the Spanish and enclosed by stout walls inside which you’ll explore elegant squares and beautiful pastel-coloured houses adorned with flower-festooned balconies.
You’ll transit the Panama Canal, visit the wildlife wonderland of Costa Rica, go full-on Mexican in Huatulco, where boat trips go on search of beaches, sea turtles and dolphins, and have four days’ island-hopping around Maui, Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai, where you can visit smouldering volcanoes and Pearl Harbor, hike through the rainforest and enjoy a traditional Luau.
Next up, it’s the Japan extravaganza - six days to discover the country’s fascinating history and culture on visits to temples, shrines, castles and Samurai houses during calls into Tokyo, Shimizu, Nagoya and Osaka.
You’ll taste sake and sushi, experience an authentic tea ceremony and who knows? May be lucky enough to get a first glimpse of Japan’s famed cherry tree blossom, which symbolises new life to the Japanese.
There is a final day in Japan in Naha, on the island of Okinawa, which saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific during the Second World War. A peace park remembers the 200,000 troops and civilians who died during the battle, which raged from April to June 1945.
From there, the itinerary reads like a who’s who of must-see cities as you circle back west, ticking off Hong Kong, Singapore, Phuket in Thailand, Port Louis in Mauritius, and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Cape Town in South Africa. Get ready for late-night laser shows, lively street markets, wine and wildlife.
Then it’s on to Jamestown, on the remote island of St Helena, where Napoleon lived when he was exiled there in 1815 after losing the Battle of Waterloo, and you can visit his house, now a museum. You’ll also see his tomb, but there’s no body in it as it was exhumed and moved to Les Invalides in Paris in 1840.
The cruise is nearing an end but there is still plenty to look forward to before journey’s end in Southampton, including calls into Praia in Cape Verde, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and La Coruna in Spain, the latter the gateway to the spectacular pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela.
What an epic. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines always talks about the memories you make on its cruises. You’ll certainly have a bucketful to take home after this one. 
