Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines vs Norwegian Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines if you want…
- No-fly cruising from UK
- Small-ship intimacy
- Unusual itineraries
- Solo travellers (low supplements)
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines may not suit you if…
- Families with children
- Those wanting mega-ship facilities
- Modern luxury seekers
Choose Norwegian Cruise Line if you want…
- Flexible, no-rules cruising
- Solo travellers (studio cabins)
- Broadway entertainment
- Modern ship design
Norwegian Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Those wanting traditional cruise formality
- Budget travellers
- UK-departure-only preference
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Fleet (4 ships)
Borealis
Built 2021 · 1,360 guests
Bolette
Built 2021 · 1,380 guests
Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet (19 ships)
Norwegian Prima
Built 2022 · 3,215 guests
Norwegian Viva
Built 2023 · 3,215 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Sailings
Save 3%7 NIGHTSRiver Cities of France and Guernsey from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Honfleur · St. Peter Port, Guernsey · Pauillac
6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 18%10 NIGHTSNorthern Spain with the Solar Eclipse
Ports: Southampton · La Coruna · Vigo · Cadiz · Lisbon
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%1 NIGHTSOne Night Mini Cruise from Rosyth
Ports: Rosyth · Newcastle
Save 3%8 NIGHTSMountain Landscapes of the Norwegian Fjords
Ports: Southampton · Olden · Bergen · Ulvik · Stavanger
5 NIGHTSExploring the Landscapes of Green Spain from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Getxo (tours to Bilbao) · Santander
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 2%9 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 2%11 NIGHTSExploring the Scenic British Isles
Ports: Southampton · Belfast · Tobermory · Kirkwall · Stornoway · Galway
Save 3%5 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 3%12 NIGHTSSpain & the River Cities of France
Save 2%7 NIGHTSRegions of Northern Spain
Ports: Southampton · Santander · Getxo · Gijón · La Coruña
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%8 NIGHTSWestern Europe
13 NIGHTSAndalusia & Portugal with Madeira from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Lisbon · Cadiz · Malaga · Ceuta · Funchal, Madeira
Save 11%23 NIGHTSIslands & Bays of the Mediterranean from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Ceuta · Cartagena · Cagliari · Messina · Siracusa
15 NIGHTSIn Search of the Northern Lights from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Alesund · Narvik · Sortland · Tromsø, Norway · Harstad, Norway
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Hot deal14 NIGHTSCanary Islands & Geminid Meteor Shower from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Leixoes · Funchal · Santa Cruz de La Palma · Santa Cruz · Vigo
Save 15%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
5 NIGHTSA Celebration of Dance at Sea with Dame Arlene Philips & Ian Waite!
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam · Honfleur
Save 5%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
15 NIGHTSCanary Islands Christmas & Cadiz New Year from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Santa Cruz de La Palma · Santa Cruz · Las Palmas · Puerto del Rosario · Cadiz
13 NIGHTSSouthern Spain Siesta from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · La Coruna · Cadiz · Malaga · Gibraltar · Vigo
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 6%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 3%16 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 3%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%8 NIGHTSFrance & Belgium Easter Break
7 NIGHTSCapitals & Cultures of Scandinavia
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 3%14 NIGHTSBritish Isles
6 NIGHTSRemote Isles of Scotland from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Ullapool · Lerwick · Stornoway
9 NIGHTSCoastal Gems & Culture of Ireland from Rosyth
Ports: Rosyth · Slieve League Cliffs · Killybegs · Carrickfergus Castle · Belfast · Dun Laoghaire (for Dublin)
Save 16%6 NIGHTSCultural Charm of Ireland from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Cobh (Cork) · Galway City · Killybegs
Save 16%9 NIGHTSFjords & Mountains of Norway from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Alesund · Nordfjordeid · Nordfjord · Skjolden · Lustrafjorden
Save 3%9 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 14%8 NIGHTSScenic Isles of Scotland from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Portree · Isle of Skye · Ullapool · Kirkwall · Orkney Islands
Save 17%14 NIGHTSVolcanic Azores & the Solar Eclipse from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Matosinhos (Porto) · Lisbon · Funchal · Madeira · Ponta Delgada
9 NIGHTSWhales & Wonders of Iceland from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Reykjavik · Grundarfjordur · Latrabjarg · Eyjafjordur · Akureyri
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
9 NIGHTSScenic Summertime Fjords of Norway from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Andalsnes · Olden · Skjolden · Bergen
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia (Rome) · Italy
Hot deal9 NIGHTSNorway & Iceland from Southampton with Reykjavik Stay
Ports: Southampton · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Bergen · Akureyri · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
Save 3%9 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip Philadelphia
Ports: Philadelphia · Royal Naval Dockyard · Halifax · Philadelphia
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Croatia & Greece
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip New York
Ports: Royal Naval Dockyard
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Hawaii Inter-Island from Honolulu
Ports: Kahului · Hilo · Kona · Nawiliwili
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSFrance & Italy from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Messina · Salerno · Rome (Civitavecchia)
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 2%11 NIGHTSBritish Isles from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Invergordon · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Stornoway, Isle of Lewis · Belfast · Dublin (Dun Loaghaire)
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
9 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik with Stay
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven · Southampton
15 NIGHTS7-night Waikiki Beach Honolulu Stay with Tours & 7-night Inter-Island Cruise of Hawaii
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Kahului, Maui · Hilo, Hawaii · Kona, Hawaii · Nawiliwili, Kauai
Save 14%7 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Southampton
11 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain from Southampton to Barcelona
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) · Zeebrugge · Le Havre (Paris) · Vigo · Lisbon
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 7%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTS7-Day Greek Isles from Venice to Athens: Santorini, Mykonos & Croatia
Ports: Venice (Ravenna) · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Corfu · Olympia (Katakolon) · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Lisbon to Barcelona: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTS7-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Orlando: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Orlando · Puerto Plata/Dominican Republic · St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) · Tortola · Great Stirrup Cay
7 NIGHTS7-Day Alaska Round-Trip Seattle: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Rome to Venice: Italy, Greece & Croatia
Ports: Rome · Salerno · Catania · Corfu · Kotor · Split
11 NIGHTS11-Day Northern Europe from London to Reykjavik: Iceland, Scotland & Norway
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Kirkwall · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome: Nice, Florence & Amalfi Coast (salerno)
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Cannes · Florence/Pisa · Sicily · Salerno
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Boston & 7-night New England & Canada
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
Save 16%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 18%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean: Nice, Florence & Salerno
Ports: Civitavecchia · Salerno · Catania · Livorno · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Marseille
9 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 9-night Joy of Alaska
Save 4%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
7 NIGHTS3-night New York & 7-night Boston & Halifax
10 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Maloy · Leirvik · Invergordon
Save 10%7 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 4-night Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau
11 NIGHTSSpain & Portugal Explorer with Lisbon and Barcelona Stays
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza Town, Ibiza
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy & France
Save 19%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka & Victoria
Ports: Seattle · Sitka · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Icy Strait Point · Ketchikan
Save 3%11 NIGHTSCanada & New England: Boston, Bar Harbor & Halifax
Ports: Philadelphia · Boston · Bar Harbor · Saint-John · Halifax · Sydney
7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines vs Norwegian Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, founded in 1848 and headquartered in Ipswich, UK, operates a fleet of 4 ships. It is categorised as a traditional cruise line and scores 4.4/5 overall based on 5,600 reviews. The line is particularly strong for no-fly cruising from uk and small-ship intimacy, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Norwegian Cruise Line, established in 1966 from Miami, USA, has a fleet of 19 ships. As a contemporary line rated 4.4/5 from 13,800 reviews, it excels at flexible, no-rules cruising and solo travellers (studio cabins). If those are your priorities, Norwegian Cruise Line deserves serious consideration.
On food, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines scores 6/10 compared to Norwegian Cruise Line's 7/10. For entertainment, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines comes in at 5/10 versus Norwegian Cruise Line's 8/10. Value for money favours Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines with a score of 7/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines vs Norwegian Cruise Line — FAQ
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