Following the success of the first crime thriller cruise in 2023, Nicko Cruises is once again hosting a crime-themed cruise onboard the Vasco da Gama, according to a press release.
Sailing from August 8 to August 20, 2024, the 17-day cruise around Great Britain with moderator Uwe Bahn is all about mystery, criminal cases and investigations, as well as visiting destinations across the UK such as Edinburgh, Dundee and Belfast.
The onboard program ranges from crime quizzes to crime talk and live podcast hearings to crime readings and more. Guests will have the opportunity to find out how realistic their favorite crime films and series are and what a real court reporter does.
Real crime scene fans can also meet actor Dietmar Bär at the Meet&Greet who will join guests for crime readings.
Guests onboard the Vasco da Gama will also get to explore Ireland and Scotland on this journey.
For the first time since 2019, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines will resume sailings from Scotland this year aboard Balmoral, according to a press release.
The Balmoral, which welcomed her first guests back on board in May 2022, will set sail from Rosyth in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 8 for an eight-night “Hidden Gems of the Norwegian Fjords” cruise, taking travellers to Nordfjord, Sognefjord, Fjaerlandsfjord, Eresfjord, Molde, Skjolden, and Olden, according to the company.
The Balmoral, named after Queen Elizabeth II’s Scottish estate, joined the company’s new ships, Bolette and Borealis, both of which resumed cruising in 2021.
The Borealis became the first UK cruise ship to sail internationally in the post-pandemic era and the Balmoral’s first cruise was the “Canary Islands with the Funchal Flower Parade. ”Since then, she has sailed from Newcastle to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia.
The Balmoral will depart from Rosyth for the rest of summer 2022, before sailing on a series of cruises from Southampton, Dover, and Portsmouth in September.
“This first departure from Rosyth will be extra special as Scotland is Balmoral’s spiritual home, and we always receive a warm welcome when sailing from there. There is a long and proud history at Fred. Olsen of naming ships after Scottish icons, which reflects the connections between the Olsen family and Scotland. It is wonderful to have three ships sailing again, which allows us to offer departures from more regional ports around the UK,” said Peter Deer, managing director, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Sample Cruises:
Cities & Islands of Sweden, Estonia & Latvia, Departing from Rosyth Date: July 16, 2022 Duration: 13 nights Itinerary: Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland – Liepaja, Latvia – Saaremaa, Estonia – Tallinn, Estonia – Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden – Stockholm, Sweden – Visby, Sweden – Riga, Latvia – Klaipeda, Lithuania – Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland Price: From £999 per person
Discovering Castles, Palaces, and Cultural Landmarks of Northern Europe, Departing from Rosyth Date: August 19, 2022 Duration: 10 nights Itinerary: Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland – Fredericia, Denmark – Klaipeda, Lithuania – Gdansk, Poland – Sassnitz, Germany – Szczecin, Poland – Kiel Canal Transit, Germany – Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland Price: From £1199 per person
French Rivers With Bordeaux, Departing from Rosyth Date: August 29, 2022 Duration: 11 nights Itinerary: Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland – Lorient, France – Bordeaux, France – River Seine, Rouen, France – Honfleur, France – Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland Price: From £1199 per person
The boss of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has called on the government to provide more support for the cruise industry.
With cruise operations suspended until May 23 during the coronavirus pandemic, the UK-based cruise line has been forced to dock its four ships.
Peter Deer, Fred Olsen’s managing director, praised the government for the schemes it had introduced to ease cash flow constraints on companies across the country but appealed for further help to be extended to the cruise sector.
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was prepared to enter negotiations with individual airlines to discuss “bespoke support as a last resort” last week.
Speaking to Travel Weekly, Deer said: “As a cruise line you hear quite a lot about the airline industry receiving funding from the government. We’re quite a passive bunch. I suspect our margins are better but lining up ships is not a cheap thing to do.
“The government needs to recognise that cruise is a big part of travel in the UK and find ways to support it.”
He called for lobbying from “every angle”, adding: “This is a hairy time for every cruise line, particularly the ones that have brought in new tonnage. It makes your life a bit tougher.”
In Fred Olsen’s 2021-22 brochure, the line offers departures from five UK ports – Southampton, Newcastle, Dover, Liverpool and Edinburgh.
Deer outlined how food, fuel and other services are bought by Fred Olsen from UK businesses.
Deer added: “We are worth a huge amount to the UK market. When we talk about a holiday environment, money is spent on that destination but with a cruise line that money is spent on a ship.
“It would be great to see some positive spin from the government.”
Asked if Fred Olsen was preparing for a “bounce back” in terms of consumer demand later this year, Deer said: “I think at some point we will see it, but it is all about consumer confidence. People do not have the will to think about their holiday in the short-term.
“They do not know when this event is going to subside. Everyone wants to go on holiday but they need some confidence that the virus is going to disappear.”
Deer said that it was “too early” for targeted marketing but added that the business was still trying to remain at the forefront of customers’ minds.
“We are just talking about our company and what we are doing,” he said. “It is a broader approach.
“People will see if cruises go-ahead before they commit their money.
“People may not do long-haul fly-cruises. They may look to the Mediterranean or the Canaries. I think people just do not know.”
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