Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines is considering going all inclusive, if their trial run on fly-cruise itineraries in 2013 is successful. Testing the concept on its ship the Braemar, the line will include house wines and spirits, beers and soft drinks on four cruises to the Canary Islands, West Africa and the Cape Verde Islands in spring 2013.
The itineraries are:
• Seven-night “Canary Islands Discovery” cruise, sailing on 17th February 2013. This cruise includes stops in Tenerife, Lanzarote and La Gomera.
• 11-night “African Beaches and Tropical Islands” cruise, departing February 24, 2013. Ports of call include Dakar (Senegal) and Banjul (The Gambia), and Cape Verde Islands.
• 10-night “Morocco, Madeira and the Canaries” cruise, departing March 7, 2013. This itinerary visits several islands in the Canaries and Morocco.
• Eight-night “Lisbon and the Canary Islands”, departing March 17,2012. Guests join the ship in Tenerife, and visit Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lisbon (Portugal), en route to Dover.
This the first time Fred. Olsen has offered an all-inclusive option. (It’s prompted by Fred.Olsen’s desire to evaluate sales with the all-inclusive concept versus those without. If the cruises fill up quickly, Fred.Olsen’s natural progression would be to convert their entire program.)
The move follows that of Thomson’s Island Escape, which will go all-inclusive in March 2013.
Guests who have already booked these cruises will be upgraded to the all-inclusive package, which does not include tips.
In other news, Fred.Olsen has also included 12 maiden ports of call in its 2013/14 brochure, which are:
• Haugesund, Norway
• Bronnovsund, Norway
• Yangon, former capital of Burma (now Myanmar)
• Osaka, Japan
• Hiroshima, Japan
• Nawiliwili, Hawaii
• Peurto Vallarta , Mexico
• Boulogne, France
• Vaasa, Sweden
• Húsavik, Iceland
• Townsville, Australia
• Melilla, a Spanish enclave in Morocco
