Tag Archives: Fred Olsen Cruise Lines

Vomiting bug outbreak on Fred Olsen’s Balmoral ship

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Vomiting bug outbreak on cruise ship. by James Franklin, Political reporter 
 

A CRUISE liner has been forced to return to Southampton after dozens of passengers were laid low with a “gastroenteritis-type” bug.

Fred Olsen vessel the Balmoral returned to the port after passengers were hit with the bug which causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

The firm said it was company policy not to reveal the number of passengers affected, but one contacted the Daily Echo to say that he understood as many as 250 had contracted the bug.

The eight-day cruise to the Norwegian fjords had begun in Southampton on May 3, but was forced to return to the city yesterday, one day ahead of schedule.

Passengers were informed about the outbreak on the evening of May 6, and Fred Olsen says it is offering compensation including a refund representative of one days’ cost of the cruise, a voucher and other “out of pocket” expenses.

The firm said the Balmoral had returned to Southampton one day early so it could be “systematically sanitized” ahead of her setting sail on a 13-day Madeira and Azores cruise this evening.

A spokesman said the illness, which is more contagious than the common cold and is spread by contact with surfaces and from person to person, lasts for about one or two days.

The spokesman added: “Fred. Olsen’s cruise ships meet, at all times, the highest safety, hygiene and health standards, and comply fully with the strict requirements and inspections of their Flag State, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and other relevant authorities.

“At Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, the health, safety and well-being of all our guests and crew is paramount, and we believe that our systems for preventing the spread of illness on board our ships are amongst the best within the industry.”

Liverpool cruise liner Black Watch scoops string of awards ahead of first transatlantic sailings to Canada in decades

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Fred Olsen cruise liner, MS Black Watch at the Pier Head, Liverpool

Fred Olsen cruise liner, MS Black Watch at the Pier Head, Liverpool

Fred Olsen’s transatlantic Liverpool cruise liner Black Watch has scooped a string of awards voted for by passengers.

The ship, which will undertake a record 14 cruises from Liverpool’s Pier Head this year, topped three small ship categories in Cruise Critic’s prestigious UK Cruisers’ Cruise Awards 2015.

The 28,631 gross tons liner, which carries 804 passengers, was named best for service, best for shore excursions and best for value.

The awards are based on reviews submitted on the Cruise Critic website by UK-based holidaymakers who cruised during 2014.

Black Watch was built as Royal Viking Star for the now defunct five star-rated Royal Viking Line’s long distance ocean cruising, and will sail the first Liverpool – Canada transatlantic crossings since 1971 this year.

The spacious liner will undertake two return voyages from Liverpool Cruise Terminal to Canada in May and August, the first direct sailings to Canada since Canadian Pacific’s flagship SS Empress of Canada closed ocean liner services from her Liverpool homeport 43 years ago.

Nathan Philpot, sales and marketing director for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “At Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, we believe in providing the very best customer experience that we can on our cruise holidays, from start to finish. We are renowned for our ‘service with a smile’ on our smaller, more intimate ships, which is why 58% of cruise guests choose to return to the ‘friendliest fleet afloat’ each year – one of the highest repeat rates within the travel industry.

“We would like to thank all those valued cruise guests who voted for Fred Olsen, and we look forward to welcoming you on board with us again in the very near future.”

Black Watch’s cruise season from Liverpool begins next month with a 13-night sailing to the Canary Islands at Easter followed by a further 13 cruises, including a two-night Dublin mini-cruise in December, a 25 night voyage to the Adriatic and a journey through the Norwegian Fjords in May.

Her sister ship Boudicca was Fred Olsen’s previous Liverpool cruise liner.

Cruise ship Boudicca hit by engine room fire

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BoudiccaThe Fred Olsen cruise ship Boudicca is carrying 784 passengers and 356 crew

A cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 people was left without power off Morocco after an engine room fire.

Holidaymakers on board the Boudicca were told to don life jackets and gather at emergency muster stations, according to the son of one passenger.

The fire at 04:00 BST left the ship “listing” and “in pitch black”, said Dave Tonkin, whose father is onboard.

Fred Olsen, the company which owns the ship, said it was now fully stable and had five engines running again.

Boudicca

Spokeswoman Rachael Jackson said Boudicca listed for “a short period” but was now stable and travelling again, although more slowly than normal.

“The fire was in the engine room, but has now been extinguished, and no guests or crew have been injured,” she said.

She said two main engines and three auxiliary engines were running, while two other engines were still being mended.

The ship will aim to arrive in Lanzarote, Spain, on Monday as planned, she added.

It currently has 784 passengers and 356 crew on board.

The Boudicca is one of four cruise liners owned by the UK-based, Norwegian-owned company Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

The ship’s online locator currently shows it off the coast of Casablanca, Morocco. It left Cadiz, Spain, on Saturday.

It is not the first time the Boudicca has been in the news. Last year Fred Olsen paid £280,000 in compensation to 130 holidaymakers who suffered gastric illnesses on board between October 2009 and May 2010.

The ship was also hit in 2013 when 98 passengers contracted a vomiting bug.