If you know me and/or have been reading the blog, then you know that I am always up for trying something new. When the opportunity presented itself to cruise with a British cruise line and my friend, Danielle of CruiseMiss.com, how could I say no? That’s why this American tried a British cruise line: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Why would I want to try a British cruise line? Why not? Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines first began operations as an international shipping company. With Black Prince, a combination ferry/cruise ship, the company explored cruising as an addition to their shipping company. Today, the company has four ships: Black Watch, Boudicca, Braemar, and Balmoral, the ship I spent two weeks on cruising around Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.
TSG Tip: Did you know that Balmoral was formerly the Norwegian Crown, a Norwegian Cruise Line ship? She entered service with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in November 2007. I’ll have more to share about the ship, my cruise, and all of the ports in future posts.
There's no better education in life than to be completely uncomfortable in your surroundings. Click To TweetOne of the reasons I wanted to try a British cruise line is that I quite enjoy being one of the few Americans onboard. I got to experience this firsthand on my two Celebrity Solstice cruises out of Australia and I was itching to do it again. There’s no better education in life than to be completely uncomfortable in your surroundings. You can’t rely on understanding everything, even if you speak the same language, so you’re brain is constantly active and if you’re open to the idea, I guarantee you’ll learn something new every day.
Probably the biggest attraction for me on this cruise was that the itinerary was called, “Mysterious Morocco & Seductive Spain” and had stops in Spain (Cadiz, Malága, Melilla, Cartagena), Gibraltar, Morocco (Casablanca), and Portugal (Lisbon). Since I had never been to Morocco, Portugal, or Gibraltar as well as none of the Spain ports but for Malága, this itinerary had my name all over it.
TSG Tip: Like the sound of a “Mysterious Morocco & Seductive Spain” itinerary? Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is offering a similar 14-night itinerary on Balmoral for March 2017 with the following ports:
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Agadir, Morocco
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Almeria, Spain
- Malága, Spain
- Cadiz, Spain
- La Coruna, Spain
My two week cruise onboard Balmoral was a unique experience that I can’t wait to share with all of you in my upcoming posts. I loved the ship, the crew, the people I met, the ports, the food, and so much more. Would I ever cruise with a British cruise line again? You bet! I only hope to have the chance to sail with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines again in the future. Would you try or have you ever cruised with a British cruise line? Tell me your experience in the comments below.