Recently I got to visit the stunning Fred Olsen Bolette named after Fred. Olsen Jnr's great-great-grandmother. When arriving dockside of the ship she looked small, however I was informed this was a great benefit so she can travel at high speeds enabling her to reach destinations quicker. The organisation on arrival was fantastic! The crew were very up to date and handled embarkation smoothly, from dropping bags off to testing. We were on the ship within 30 minutes ready to start our 4-night Amsterdam Voyage.
Entering cabin 6185 (Balcony suite) was a memorable experience, a bottle of fizz on ice, a hot tub jacuzzi bath and a decent size balcony, made me feel in heaven already. The cabin also comes with a flat screen TV with your online account to check your balance which was very useful as well as many more features which also included canapes in my room every night.
Bolette set sail in the evening from Southampton, which let us explore the ship before dinner. The ship has a variety of outstanding venues to visit. My favourites were: The Observatory (deck 9 forward) this was a prefect venue for pre-dinner drinks, outstanding views with panoramic windows and live entertainment. The Bookmark cafe (lounge deck 5, midship) had freshly baked cakes and treats, handmade chocolates and amazing speciality tea and coffee.
The Oriental tea room (lounge deck 5 stern) A very elegant room and impressive decor. These was just a selection of venues, however there was an impressive variety onboard.
We crossed the English channel and arrived into Amsterdam, a benefit of the Bolette is she manages to get in to small ports, we were docked central in Amsterdam, near Central train station. We had some free time to explore the magnificent city of Amsterdam before heading on a private Fred Olsen canal tour. This was amazing as we left the ship and stepped foot straight onto the canal cruises. There was no waiting around, we were off into the canals. We got to see some amazing sights and learnt some interesting history.
After walking around Amsterdam and seeing the vibrant city from the waterside, we had a 5-course meal in the fantastic Bloomsbury restaurant (Deck 4 Stern).
We enjoyed a delicious 5 course meal in the evening, the food is very fresh and has a wide selection of choices. We headed to Neptunes (deck 4 or 5, forward) to retire for the evening where we took in a show with superb ambiance.
I had a few highlights of the trip one was visiting the bridge of the ship and seeing how the ship functions work, this was very interesting and a eye opener to what goes into operating such a powerful machine. We also got to experience Afternoon tea in the Observatory (deck 9 forward) this had a very relaxed atmosphere and a superb way to spend your afternoon.
Bolette overall was a fantastic experience, I would highly recommend Fred Olsen for outstanding service, high quality food and a unique ship experience which will get you into the heart of destinations to explore.
For more information on Fred Olsen, please do not hesitate to contact me.
