Historical Old Towns Of Northern Europe With Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Oh, Bolette! I really do love that ship and I’m not long back from another wonderful cruise with her. I sailed a 10-night ‘Historical Old Towns of Northern Europe’ itinerary, and it was nice to finally be back in the Baltic region after such a long time away.

I boarded a bit closer to home for this cruise, sailing from Newcastle, which was a bonus as it meant a 15-minute journey to the port, instead of the 7 plus hours down to the likes of Southampton or Tilbury. Embarkation and check-in were faultless – all was very smooth, and my bags were taken from me the second I stepped out of the taxi – in fact, I wasn’t even out of the taxi and a young girl had one of my cases in her hand. Very good start!

Once onboard, I stopped for a quick lunch in The View before an announcement was made to say that cabins were ready. I’d originally been booked into a balcony suite, but I had found at check-in that I’d been upgraded to a Premium Suite. Now, these suites are expensive, but they are gorgeous! In fact, I managed to ‘sell’ the idea to several passengers during the sailing – my cabin became a show cabin for those I’d become friends with onboard, basically. I’ve noted below some further info on what the Suite Dreams package includes, and if you’d like to see more pictures of the Premier Suite, please click here.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Suite Dreams Package

The Suite Dreams package comes with Fred. Olsen’s compliments in all onboard Suites. On arrival, you’ll be welcomed with a bottle of sparkling wine and a fresh fruit bowl – which will be topped-up anytime during your cruise at your request.

To assist you on your voyage of discovery, you’ll find a pair of binoculars, a world atlas, and a country guide, as well as complimentary shuttle vouchers for those times where for operational reasons we can’t dock within walking distance of a destination. A newsletter with domestic and international news is delivered to your suite daily, along with a selection of delicious canapés.

Fred. Olsen knows it’s the little details that make all the difference, and the inclusion of extras such as luxury towels, bathrobes and slippers, complimentary water, free pressing service, and laundry vouchers ensures your Suite Dreams package is a valued treat.

I’ll also note that on this cruise I found room service hangers within the suite that included a selection of cooked breakfast options – something I’d never seen onboard before. This included omelettes, poached eggs, a full English breakfast and bacon or sausage sandwiches.

Suite Dreams benefits include*:

✔ Priority check-in**
✔ A welcome bottle of sparkling wine
✔ Fruit basket (topped up on request throughout your cruise)
✔ Flowers or plant in your Suite
✔ Bathrobe and slippers
✔ Luxury towels
✔ Free pressing service for formal wear
✔ Binoculars in your Suite
✔ World atlas and country guide for your reference
✔ Afternoon canapé service
✔ Daily newsletter, featuring national and international news
✔ Pair of compact umbrellas for use ashore
✔ Laundry service discount vouchers
✔ Carafe of water, replenished daily

Ports Of Call

The cruise began with 2-days at sea and for the duration of one, we were cruising the Great Belt. The Great Belt is a strait in-between the Danish islands of Funen, Langeland, Zealand and Lolland. It’s approx. 35-nautical miles long and connects the Baltic Sea with the Kattegat, an area of the North Sea between Jutland in Denmark and Sweden. This body of water is also home to the Great Belt Bridge, a true marvel of engineering. It’s very impressive sailing under it, but sadly, on this cruise I was unable to capture it for you. We had fantastic weather once we started hitting our ports, but the sea days were quite windy. On the morning we were approaching the bridge I’d tried, in vain, to set up my camera but the chair I attached it too took off across the aft deck – it was just too windy! I retreated inside for breakfast and instead listened to the commentary about the bridge and the area from the captain.

Our ports included Visby, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia, Riga & Liepaja, Latvia, Warnemunde, Germany; and Gdansk, Poland, and for the most part, I ventured ashore under my own steam, usually with the lovely Elanor coming with me for company – I love Eleanor! In Gdansk, Poland and Warnemunde, Germany, however, I’d booked the ships tours and I’m going to talk mainly about those because they were excellent! Both very different – and one with a terrible history – but both expertly planned and led. I couldn’t fault a single thing about either. Let me tell you about those…

Stutthof Concentration Camp – from the port of Gdansk, Poland

Stutthof Concentration Camp Museum in Sztutowo, located 35 km from Gdansk, is one of the most important martyrology places in northern Poland. It is not as recognized as Auschwitz, but for people living in Pomerania this is a very important place. In Stutthof, the day after the beginning of the Second World War, Nazis set up the first concentration camp to exterminate the people of Poland and other nations. First prisoners arrived in Stutthof from Gdansk and Pomerania region.

Those were mainly people arrested in Gdansk: priests, teachers, local politicians, and civilian servants. In the following years, transports with prisoners from other parts of Poland and abroad came to Stutthof Concentration Camp. In total, during 5 years of camp’s history, around 110 thousand people from 28 countries were imprisoned. On 25th January 1945, the camp’s commandant Werner Hoppe ordered the evacuation of the prisoners to Lebork, fearing the approaching Red Army. This is known as a death march, as many of them never reached their destination.

In total, during the years 1939-1945 about 65 thousand people died in the Stutthof camp or during its evacuation. In 1962, Polish Authorities opened the Stutthof Concentration Camp Museum in Sztutowo.

These places are incredibly sad, but I think it’s important for us to remember what happened. It had a very sombre feel to it, and it was heart-breaking to think we were there visiting and would ultimately leave it again just a few hours later. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the birds were chirping, but you couldn’t help imagining a similar day when the camp was in full operation – even the happy birds wouldn’t have brought any comfort.

On this tour we were given the little headset and box, so that we could always hear our guide. I personally liked this because there were times when I walked away from the main group – just to take in what I was seeing but in my own head space – yet I could always hear what she was saying.

Schwerin Castle – from the port of Warnemunde, Germany

Situated on an island in Lake Schwerin, Schwerin Castle is one of the finest examples of historicism in Europe. Although its roots go back more than 1,000 years, the castle was brought to life in its current form with five wings when Frederick Francis II, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, ordered for reconstruction work to be completed. The magnificent building has no fewer than 953 rooms, which are decadently filled with marquetry flooring, intricate carvings, gilding and stucco ceilings.

Highlights include the throne room with columns made from Carrara marble and gilded cast-iron doors, the ancestral portrait gallery, the dining room, and the round tower room, which is designed as a garden room and offers up a panoramic view across the lake. A remarkable porcelain collection and regular concerts at the castle make for further attractions not to be missed. And yet what makes the castle complex truly special is its perfect symbiosis with the splendid baroque garden, where there is an orangery, a grotto and the colonnade courtyard surrounding the castle.

Now this castle is just STUNNING! If you ever get the chance to visit, please do! It really is a fairytale castle and the gardens surrounding it are beautiful. We had 2 fantastic guides on this trip, and nothing was rushed. We visited approx. 20 rooms within the castle – as not all are accessible to the public – and had lots of time to take in the wonderful scents and sights of the main gardens. Once we left the castle, we had a walk through the town and enjoyed some free time before returning to the port and our beautiful Bolette. What I did find quite funny was that our guide said when she checked us in for our tour at the castle, she told the lady behind the desk that it was the group from Bolette. The woman gave her a strange look and smiled and said “Bolette?” Apparently, in German if you change the O in Bolette to a U it can translate to hamburger – so Bolette became our little hamburger.

Bolette – FOOD!

Most of my dining was done between The View and The Poolside – these worked well for me and my dietary needs, they were also sometimes a little easier because of tour times and port arrival times. Again, the food was very good and with the exception of one evening in The View, I never had a problem finding something I liked. My favourite things were the fresh stir-fry dishes that are cooked to order because I could tailor those to suit me – if there was beef, I simply asked for a vegetarian option and if there were chicken or prawns, I was winning! I also really enjoyed my light meals at the Poolside, especially the Santa-Fe salad. I did have one treat and that was the fish and chips. I’m sorry, but it’s one of the things I can never resist on Fred. Olsen because it’s always so light and never greasy. Of course, there are the ‘always available’ options in the main restaurant, so even if the menu there didn’t suit, you can always choose a steak, grilled chicken, or fish.

As we sailed towards Riga, we had a deck BBQ and although only small, with just 1 exception, it was the best deck BBQ I’ve seen on a Fred. Olsen ship. There was a wide variety of choice, including several types of hot dog and cheeseburger options, chicken skewers, veggie burgers, fresh salads and more.

I did make the most of the speciality restaurants and if I’m honest, I wish I’d gone to each twice instead of only once. They are both very good, but Colours & Tastes is my absolute favourite. I’ll get to that, but first – Vasco. In Vasco, I decided to try the fish curry as my main meal, something I wouldn’t usually have – I tend to stick to chicken – and it was superb! The fish was beautiful and the flavour in the sauce was unreal. It wasn’t heavy, it was light and aromatic, and it just melted in your mouth! I believe it was butterfish, something I had tried on a previous cruise and didn’t particularly like, but this time I could have eaten it twice. I spent the rest of the night raving about the food. The additional charge is £15 per person and it’s worth every penny – even the bread assortment and dips are so tasty you just can’t stop eating them!

Colours & Tastes is the same price per person as Vasco and again, worth it! It’s probably my favourite speciality option on any ship. The menu changes regularly and I hadn’t realised when I booked that the menu I was looking at wouldn’t be the one available for my booking. Not a problem. I asked (in advance) if the meat in the Massaman curry could be changed from lamb to chicken, as I’m not supposed to eat red meat. The chef was happy to do this, and my entire meal was EXCEPTIONAL! In fact, it was so good that (as it was quiet because it was the final evening onboard) I asked if I could see the chef to thank her personally.

One new area onboard was The Botanical Room and I have to say, the space was so much nicer than it was when I was last onboard. Obviously, the emphasis is on plants, so it was very green and there was a large central table full of books about different plants and flowers. This led me into the onboard Flower Shop, and it was jam packed with numerous plants and flowers – some of which were just seedlings that were being grown to then move to other areas of the ship, including The Botanical Room. I loved it!! It smelled amazing, too! Very fresh and outdoorsy. I also noticed that the gorgeous bird cage had been moved into The Botanical Room, which made me very happy as it was previously in a corner of the Observatory, and I didn’t feel like it quite got the stage it deserved. Keep a look-out for it when you’re onboard, it’s beautiful! You can see it in the background of one of my images in the gallery below.

Bolette – Onboard Activities

So, what was happening onboard? Well, quite a lot and there was one thing I tried on this cruise that was new for me and something I’d highly recommend others to try. I’d usually opt for Fred.’s Traditional Afternoon Tea, but this time I went outside the box and opted for the Rare Tea Tasting. I really wanted to try this because it was different, and I do enjoy different teas at home – I drink a LOT of Rooibos and various Green Tea, as well as a nice Liquorice tea. There were 7 others booked and the Oriental Tea Room was sectioned off for us. Cristina led the event, and she was EXCELLENT! So full of knowledge!

We sampled 4 different teas and were given information on each one, and its health properties. We started with English Breakfast Tea and had what they call a 2nd infusion. So, basically, the water is poured over the tea and the tea is consumed. Then, water is poured over the same leaves a second time and you should be able to taste a slight difference. I couldn’t taste a huge difference on the 2nd infusion, but the next was a mint Green Tea which was also a double infusion and on this, I could taste the difference. The next was a Jasmine Silver Tea and it was very nice! Probably my favourite of the four. To finish we had a Himalayan Ginger and Lemongrass, and this was also very nice! This last one can be infused three times, which was interesting. The recommendation for these teas is 2 to 2.5g of leaves to 150ml of water with an infusion of around 1 to 2 minutes before pouring. For English Breakfast they recommend hot water, for the second and third, water of around 75 degrees and for the last, boiling point. We were also served little sweet treats with the teas which were delicious! I really would recommend this as something different to try. It’s £18 per person and as the groups are small and intimate, you have time to ask questions and learn more. I can’t praise Cristina enough for her knowledge – she really was very good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Other things happening onboard included line dancing lessons, craft classes, darts tournaments, battle of the bartenders, shows from the Bolette Theatre Company, daily quizzes, and some very interesting lectures. There was one titled ‘A Bodyguard’s Story’, and I was hooked! Presented by Barry Cave, he told us all about the role of a bodyguard and the daily dangers faced by VIP’s. Barry was once a member of the provincial police bodyguards protecting many well-known people! The theatre was quite busy for his talks, and he held his audience well.

I also Popped my head in the door for a few of the Kitchen Creations demonstrations. On this cruise they included a few regional dishes as well as some from the onboard speciality restaurants. I brought back one recipe for you to maybe try at home: Korean Bulgogi Beef Bao Buns, with Pickled Radish, cucumber, and Korean BBQ sauce.

Fred. Olsen For Solo Guests

I’ve sailed with Fred. Olsen MANY times – I’ve probably spent upwards of 400-nights onboard over the last several years – and every cruise, although unique, is just like going home for me. I am most happy when I am sailing with Fred. and as a solo passenger, I can’t rate them highly enough. If you are thinking of cruising for the first time as a solo passenger, then PLEASE consider Fred. Olsen as an option. They have a wide variety of solo meet up events onboard which you can attend (if you wish) to meet new people with the same interests as yourself. These are also a great way to make new friends and find people to go ashore with, if you’d like some company. I met Eleanor onboard, she was travelling on her own and lives not far from me. We got on from the very beginning so spent our shore days wandering around together, she also booked the Stutthof excursion and came with me on that. She’d said she had thought about booking it before joining the cruise, but it wasn’t something she really wanted to do on her own, so we went together.

About Bolette

Bolette is Fred. Olsen’s flagship vessel and proudly bears the name of Fred. Olsen’s Great Grandmother, Bolette. Exuding classic, elegant style, and featuring spacious and comfortable public areas, with just 690 cabins, Bolette leads the fleet of smaller ships by example.

She can travel at high speeds, enabling her to reach destinations more quickly, meaning Fred.’s journey planners can craft itineraries that include additional visits to exciting destinations, and more time sailing the most scenic routes. 

Bolette provides guests with plenty of space to relax within the bars, lounges, theatres and out on the open decks. In the Observatory, you’ll be able to enjoy one of Fred. Olsen’s Signature Experiences of scenic cruising, through the large panoramic windows – the perfect accompaniment to the commentary you’ll receive as you learn more about the waterways and fjords you’ll be sailing along.

The Auditorium hosts cooking demonstrations, where you’ll see talented chefs create our Treats of the Region dishes, and have the chance to sample them too. Up on deck eight, you’ll find the Lido Bar and swimming pool. The retractable roof means you can enjoy a swim all year round, wherever you’re cruising. Of course, with Fred. Olsen’s excellent, friendly staff providing the personal and attentive service they’re renowned for, there’s an intimate feel to the on board experience.

See cruises aboard Bolette.

Bolette, THANK YOU!

I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Toni, Dennis, Fernando, Camille, Miroslav, Eddie, Billy, Roshan, Ruwin, Captain Degerlund, Jannine, Reyna, Gimmie, Harold, Daisy, Bayu, Rowel, I Wayan, Anna, Honey, Rodel, Cristina, Josa, John, Almera, Ruwin, Manuel, William, Dinesh, Rama, Edison, Nitesh, Kristine, Abigail, Angel, Peach, Bams and JM Baytan. If I’ve missed your name off my list, I still THANK YOU for a wonderful cruise experience! Miss you all!

#I was a guest of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines for this sailing