The UK-based Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has introduced a series of promotional offers tied to 300+ sailings in 2026 and 2027, with particular focus placed on Mediterranean fly-cruises aboard MS Balmoral.
The deployment centres on a Grand Voyage departing on September 30th, 2026, during which the vessel will operate a sequence of 6 linked itineraries across the Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands. The programme combines calls at major regional ports, including Athens (Piraeus) and Istanbul, with smaller destinations such as Marmaris, Thessaloniki and Syros.
Under the current promotion, guests making new Freedom Fare reservations before May 31st, 2026, are being offered complimentary flights on selected opening and closing sectors of the Grand Voyage, with departures available from London Gatwick and Manchester airports.
Fred Olsen has also added a further itinerary to its 2026 fly-cruise programme. The new 11-night voyage links the Mediterranean with the Canary Islands, visiting ports across 5 countries in addition to Gibraltar. Highlights include Athens, Valletta’s Grand Harbour, and transit through the Strait of Gibraltar.
According to Phil Gardner, the company's Director of Commercial and Product, they view fly-cruises as a practical means of extending guests’ time ashore while allowing more direct access to Mediterranean embarkation ports. He indicated that the current free-flight promo was intended to encourage early bookings.
The Grand Voyage forms part of the company’s broader Mediterranean deployment of MS Balmoral, which will operate extended itineraries through Southern Europe during autumn 2026. Current schedules include itinerary segments along the Amalfi Coast, the Strait of Messina and the Bay of Kotor, together with overnights and longer calls in selected ports.