Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has carved out three segment voyages from its 106-night world cruise sailing roundtrip from Southampton on January 6, 2025. The cruises, aboard Bolette, include a 56-night, a 29-night, and a 21-night itinerary, each focusing on a different part of the world.
World cruise segments are a popular option in the industry, enabling cruisers to share in the excitement of a global voyage without making a three-month, or longer, time commitment. The 1,380-guest Bolette, one of three ships the line owns, launched in 2000 and previously operated as Amsterdam for the Holland America Line fleet.
“Our 2025 World Cruise has already proven popular, and there are some incredible opportunities to be had as Bolette sails to gems across the globe,” said Martin Lister, head of itinerary product development at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
“These shorter sailings will enable even more of our guests to share these experiences, with every port offering an incredible insight into culture, history, art or the chance to seek out native wildlife such as the Magellanic Penguins in Chile, quokkas in Australia and the Big Five in South Africa,” Lister added.
The 56-night segment, “Exploring South America and the Pacific Islands,” begins on embarkation day, January 6, 2025. The ship calls at ports in Portugal before a transatlantic crossing to South America brings her to destinations in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile.
The ship then heads to several ports in French Polynesia, with the segment ending in Sydney, Australia. The itinerary features a hotel night in the capital city before flights back to the UK.
Bolette’s 29-night world cruise segment, “Australian and South African Discovery,” departs from Sydney on March 3, 2025 and explores several destinations Down Under, such as Melbourne, Hobart, and Fremantle.
The ship then sails to South Africa, calling at Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The itinerary includes an overnight in Sydney at the start of the segment as well as an overnight in Cape Town at the conclusion, before flights to the UK.
The shortest segment, the 21-day “Scenic Vistas and Diverse Cultures of Africa,” departs from Cape Town on April 1, 2025 and features calls in Luderitz and Walvis Bay, Namibia, and Dakar, Senegal. Land explorations include Big Five safaris and visits to the Namib desert and the island of St. Helena. The segment also calls at Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain, and Funchal, Portugal, before ending in Southampton.
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Cruise-only and fly-cruise options are available on all three segments. Bolette currently is homeported in Liverpool, England, sailing a series of Norwegian fjord cruises.
Cruise Line Plans Two Grand Voyages For 2026
In addition to Bolette, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, which is Norwegian-owned and headquartered in the UK, also operates the 1,400-guest Borealis and the 1,350-guest Balmoral.
Like Bolette, Borealis was originally operated by Holland America Line. She debuted in 1997 as Rotterdam.
Balmoral, which entered service in 1988 as Crown Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line, also operated as Norwegian Crown for Norwegian Cruise Line and as Crown Odyssey for Orient Lines.
The company earlier this year announced it will offer two Grand Voyages in 2026 — onboard Bolette and Borealis. The ships will operate a 95-night global adventure and a 76-night voyage around South America and Antarctica.
The cruise line made headlines in June 2024, when it announced it will broadcast major sporting events aboard all three vessels this summer, including the Union of European Football Association’s European Football Championship, Wimbledon Championships, and the 2024 Summer XXXIII Olympics.
