MSC Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
A detailed side-by-side comparison of MSC Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines 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 MSC Cruises if you want…
- Value for money
- All-inclusive packages
- Families (kids sail free)
- Mediterranean itineraries
MSC Cruises may not suit you if…
- Those wanting British-focused experience
- Small-ship intimacy seekers
- Adults-only preference
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
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
MSC Cruises Fleet (22 ships)
MSC Virtuosa
Built 2021 · 6,334 guests
MSC World Europa
Built 2022 · 6,762 guests
MSC Euribia
Built 2023 · 6,334 guests
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Fleet (4 ships)
Borealis
Built 2021 · 1,360 guests
Bolette
Built 2021 · 1,380 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
MSC Cruises Sailings
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska Adventure
Save 1%11 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 4-night Bahamas and Ocean Cay
Save 4%3 NIGHTS3-night Belgium & France Short Break
9 NIGHTS2-night Miami & 7-night Ocean Cay and Bahamas
8 NIGHTS3-night Shanghai & 4-night Far East Fling
3 NIGHTSBahamas from Port Canaveral
Ports: Orlando (Port Canaveral) · Nassau · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve · Orlando (Port Canaveral)
7 NIGHTSSpain, France, Italy & Malta Fly Cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille (Provence) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Cagliari, Sardinia · Palermo, Sicily · Valletta
Save 8%4 NIGHTS4-night Cork Overnight Taster Cruise
Save 1%10 NIGHTSMiami & Caribbean Cocktail
9 NIGHTS2-night Miami & 7-night Ocean Cay and Bahamas
Save 7%12 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
11 NIGHTS7-night Universal Orlando & 4-night Ocean Cay & Bahamas Break
Save 5%8 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 4-night Ocean Cay & Bahamas Break
11 NIGHTS4-night Malta & 7-night Mediterranean Marvels
8 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 5-night Caribbean Getaway
Save 1%6 NIGHTS2-night Genoa & 4-night Mediterranean Gems
4 NIGHTS4-night Cork Mini Cruise
Save 2%5 NIGHTS2-night Hamburg & 5-night Voyage to Southampton
3 NIGHTSNorthern Europe from Hamburg
Save 5%6 NIGHTS2-night Marseille & 4-night Mediterranean Gems
Save 4%5 NIGHTS5-night Northern European Getaway
7 NIGHTSHALF TERM France and Spain cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · La Rochelle · Bilbao (Getxo) · La Coruna · Le Havre (Paris)
Save 12%5 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 3-night A Taste of Italy
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Mediterranean Seaviews
3 NIGHTSBahamas from Port Canaveral
Ports: Orlando (Port Canaveral) · Nassau · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve · Orlando (Port Canaveral)
Save 8%7 NIGHTS7-night Northern European Explorer
7 NIGHTS7-night France & Iberian Shores
Save 5%8 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 4-night Ocean Cay & Bahamas Break
9 NIGHTS2-night Marseille & 7-night Mediterranean Seaviews
Save 10%7 NIGHTS7-night Northern European Pearls
11 NIGHTS9-night Atlantic Shores to the Med & 2-night Barcelona
Save 2%10 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · San Juan · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7-night Northern European Pearls
Save 6%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
9 NIGHTS3-night Taipei & 5-night Best of Japan
8 NIGHTS3-night Taipei & 4-night Japan Explorer
Save 17%7 NIGHTS7-night Northern European Sights
Save 5%7 NIGHTS3-night Santos & 7-night South America
8 NIGHTS3-night Taipei & 4-night Japan Explorer
6 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 4-night Mediterranean Gems
11 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 4-night Bahamas and Ocean Cay
7 NIGHTS7-night Northern Cities & Culture
Save 4%11 NIGHTS1-night Rome & 6-night Canary Isles Sojourn & 4-night Tenerife
11 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 4-night Bahamas and Ocean Cay
9 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Med Elegance Collection
7 NIGHTS7-night Iconic European Cities
6 NIGHTS6-night Northern Pearls
7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Europe from Las Palmas de G.Canaria (Canary Is.)
Ports: Gran Canaria · La Palma · Tenerife · Fuerteventura · Funchal · Lanzarote
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Sicily · Malta
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Sailings
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%26 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 3%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
5 NIGHTSA Celebration of Dance at Sea with Dame Arlene Philips & Ian Waite!
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam · Honfleur
Save 3%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
Save 2%5 NIGHTSScottish Isles Bank Holiday Break from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Lerwick, Shetland Islands
5 NIGHTSBank Holiday Fjords of Norway from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle · Lysefjord · Bergen · Ulvik · Hardangerfjord · Maurangerfjord
Deal16 NIGHTSCultural Mediterranean with the Amalfi Coast from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Malaga · Cartagena · Olbia · Naples · Salerno
13 NIGHTSNine Nations of Northern Europe from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle · Oslo · Aarhus · Malmo · Gdansk · Klaipeda
9 NIGHTSAutumn Fjords of Norway from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Alesund · Andalsnes · Olden · Skjolden
Save 3%26 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 13%11 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal & Gibraltar Escape from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Gibraltar · Malaga · Cadiz · Lisbon · Matosinhos (Porto)
12 NIGHTSAncient Wonders of Turkey, Greece & Egypt from Piraeus
Ports: Piraeus · Istanbul · Kusadasi · Alexandria · Heraklion
Save 3%87 NIGHTSDiscovering the Amazon & Antarctica from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz · Tenerife · Santa Cruz de La Palma · La Palma · St. John's
MSC Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: the bottom line
Choosing between MSC Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines 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.
MSC Cruises, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, operates a fleet of 22 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.3/5 overall based on 15,600 reviews. The line is particularly strong for value for money and all-inclusive packages, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, established in 1848 from Ipswich, UK, has a fleet of 4 ships. As a traditional line rated 4.4/5 from 5,600 reviews, it excels at no-fly cruising from uk and small-ship intimacy. If those are your priorities, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines deserves serious consideration.
On food, MSC Cruises scores 7/10 compared to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines's 6/10. For entertainment, MSC Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines's 5/10. Value for money favours MSC Cruises with a score of 9/10.
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.
MSC Cruises vs Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines — FAQ
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