Hi Peter, thank you for taking the time to speak to us! You’ve been with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines since 1993. In that time, you must have seen some real changes! Can you tell us about your remarkable career, where you began and the highs and lows along the way?
I joined Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines as a junior in accounting in the late 80s before becoming a qualified accountant. I then left and progressed in my career to become a Financial Director of a shipping company transporting fresh fruit worldwide.
I eventually returned to Suffolk in 2005 and took up the post of Commercial Director at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, involved in every aspect of the business. Just before the pandemic hit, I was promoted to Managing Director. I have loved working in the cruise industry, finding ways to provide memorable experiences for our guests over the last 20 years.
Not many cruise lines are family-run. How does being family-owned make Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines stand out from the crowd?
Founded by three Olsen brothers in 1848, we have 175 years of maritime history. Maritime is very much in the DNA of how the business has grown and is the DNA of the Olsen family who are very much engaged as a family-run business.
Also, it’s how the Olsen family and the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines team continually strive to better and differentiate ourselves. Key to this is the Olsen family making sure that each and every day counts for our guests.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines believe smaller is better. Tell us what this means for passengers.
We are incredibly proud of our fleet of three smaller ships; Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral. Each ship has been elegantly designed to look and feel like a ship. With no more than 1,400 guests onboard, our crew really get to know our guests and what they like.
The smaller size of our ships also allows us to access a variety of hard-to-reach destinations for bigger ships. These include Norway’s lesser-known fjords as well as European cities with narrow waterways and size-restricted bridges. Our guests benefit from being able to debark right in the heart of some of the world’s most fascinating cities.
At Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, we believe that a cruise is as much about the Joy of the Journey, as well as the destinations we visit. Our Journey Planners compile interesting itineraries that allow our guests to go beyond the standard tourist route and discover real insights about the culture and nature of the places we are visiting.
Being able to cruise direct from the UK on a British cruise line is a real treat. What are your favourite destinations to reach from the UK with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines?
I love Iceland and have been three times with my family in the last few years. The whales, the Blue Lagoon and walking through the mountainous regions, what’s not to love? I’d recommend it to anyone who loves the great outdoors.
Which is your favourite Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ship and why?
I absolutely love the outside deck on Balmoral. I have fond memories of Balmoral being cut in half and stretched in 2008. The incredible video documented the process of inserting the 30-metre section which took 70 days to complete.
Personal memories are what cruising is all about. What is your most treasured memory, either onboard or ashore?
As a family, we took the Flåm railway in Norway to the top and cycled downhill for 20 miles in the most stunning scenery you could ever imagine with waterfalls around every corner.
In 2019 you took up the mantle of Managing Director. What are the specific challenges of managing a cruise line in today’s world?
As a smaller cruise line sailing with smaller ships, we must ensure we bring our personality to each and every day. We have to put ourselves in the guest's shoes to make sure that each guest has a personal journey. We have to be different to the competition and not take a cookie-cutter approach.
The future is looking bright for cruise travel, what are your hopes and dreams for the next 30 years?
It’s a given that we all want cleaner, greener transportation and ships for the cruise industry. However, more importantly, we want to stretch experiences for guests well beyond what we see and imagine today. If you go back to the 1960s and 1970s and look at what the experiences typically were for a traveller, and what they are today, they have grown tremendously.
It’s important as a cruise line to innovate consistently each year and provide more exciting experiences for our guests to take home fantastic memories. That should, and will, continue over the next 30 years.
