Founded in 1848, Ipswich, Suffolk-based Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has a reputation for relaxed and luxurious voyages aboard ships that are smaller and more intimate than the norm. With some extremely loyal customers, until recently the U.K. firm required little in the way of marketing to fill its cabins.
But increasing competition from the likes of P&O, Cunard and Carnival, and the launch of the company’s larger Braemar ship in 2001