Freedom may cover the drinks you want with meals. Premium adds drinks throughout the day. Saver leaves out mealtime drinks and gives you less choice over cabin and dinner arrangements.
Premium is worth considering if you want its wider selection throughout the day. If you mainly enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, Freedom's mealtime drinks may be enough.
Before buying Premium, check your fare. Freedom includes selected drinks with lunch and dinner; Saver does not. Your fare also affects cabin choice, dinner arrangements and port shuttle costs (Freedom and Saver comparison). This guide covers current prices and booking terms, not what life on board is like.
What your fare already includes
Both fares include your cabin, main meals, entertainment and gratuities.
That includes leisure facilities such as the swimming pools. You can have a waiter-served dinner or use the casual restaurants without paying for a speciality meal. Self-service tea and coffee are available in selected venues, and ordinary afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes is included (inclusions page).
Are gratuities included?
Gratuities are included with both Freedom and Saver fares. Fred. Olsen's tipping FAQ says they cover the cabin steward, dining team and bar staff, so you do not need to add a daily crew gratuity to the totals below. Onboard spending is in pounds sterling.
Ship size and dining style
Fred. Olsen's three ships carry around 1,250 to 1,353 guests. Borealis is the adults-only ship; the rest of the fleet is not. The ships have panoramic lounges, and the main restaurants use fixed dinner sittings, with the casual venues as an alternative.
Freedom or Saver?
Freedom gives you more choice before leaving home. Saver may suit you if you are happy to accept the cabin and dining arrangements allocated to you (Freedom and Saver comparison).
| Feature | Freedom | Saver |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin number | Choose at booking, subject to availability | Allocated; advised on your ticket |
| Main restaurant and dinner sitting | Choose, subject to availability | Allocated; preferred sitting available for a supplement |
| Table size | Request your preference; not guaranteed | Allocated |
| Selected drinks with lunch and dinner | Included | Not included |
| Qualifying port shuttles | Included, subject to restrictions | Not included |
| Gratuities | Included | Included |
| Oceans Club onboard benefits | Yes | No; cruise points still earned |
| Payment | Normally a 15% deposit when booked at least 90 days ahead; longer-voyage terms can differ | Full payment at booking |
| Cancellation | Charges apply | 100% standard cancellation charge; see booking terms |
| Transfer to another cruise | Once, subject to conditions | Not included |
Freedom's mealtime drinks are selected house beer by the glass, selected red, white and rosé wine by the glass, and draught soft drinks. Non-alcoholic options are available. They are waiter-served in selected dining venues, including the main, casual and speciality restaurants (Premium Drinks page).
The shuttle benefit applies when the ship berths more than a mile from the destination centre, subject to availability and local restrictions. It does not promise transport at every stop (port shuttle FAQ).
Comparing the two quotes
Add the mealtime drinks, chargeable shuttles and preferred-sitting supplement you would buy on Saver. Compare that total with Freedom for the same sailing and a comparable cabin category. Cabin choice and booking flexibility also matter, even though they have no fixed cash value.
Fred. Olsen's standard cancellation schedule charges 100% for Saver from booking. Its terms also allow for possible recovery if the cancelled holiday is resold, after deductions; a refund is not guaranteed. Read the booking terms (clauses 5.3 and 5.3.2).
A cabin detail worth noticing
On Bolette and Borealis, Terrace Cabins open onto the shared Promenade Deck, with designated sun loungers. They have the space and light of an ocean-view cabin plus easy access to the sea air, but they are not private balconies and not inside cabins. Compare like with like when pricing cabins, using the cabin descriptions and deck plans (Bolette; Borealis).
Travelling solo? Fred. Olsen offers dedicated solo cabins, selected reduced-supplement deals, welcome drinks, meetings and social dining tables (solo offers). Compare the total solo quote rather than judging value by the supplement alone.
Does Fred. Olsen charge to choose a dinner sitting?
On Freedom, no. On Saver, a preferred sitting costs £2 per person, per night.
In the main restaurants, a sitting means your allocated dinner time. First sitting is 6pm and second sitting is 8pm, moving to 8.15pm on embarkation day and formal nights. Your evening table normally stays the same throughout the cruise, even on Freedom, which is a fare name rather than a change to fixed sittings. The casual restaurants offer an alternative during their opening hours. Dinner times on one-night cruises may differ (dining FAQ).
Freedom guests can request a table for two, four, six or eight, but the preferred table size is not guaranteed. A request for a table for two should not be mistaken for a confirmed private table.
The £2 dining-time supplement
Saver guests can pay £2 per person, per night to secure a preferred sitting, subject to availability: £28 for two people over seven nights, or £56 over fourteen. It buys a dining-time choice, not a choice of restaurant or table.
How much is the Premium Drinks Package?
£40 per person, per night in advance on a 6 to 27-night cruise, and less per night on longer ones.
Fred. Olsen's Premium Drinks Package covers selected drinks throughout the day. These are the current published standard rates, read on 22 October 2026. They are not a guaranteed quote for every 2027 sailing (Premium Drinks page; Premium Drinks FAQ).
| Cruise length | Advance price per person, per night | Calculated onboard price per person, per night |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 nights | £44 | £48 |
| 6–27 nights | £40 | £44 |
| 28–69 nights | £36 | £40 |
| 70 nights or more | £32 | £36 |
Calculated onboard prices are the published advance rate plus £4 per person, per night, using Fred. Olsen's stated advance saving. They are our calculations, not a separately published onboard tariff. Specific offers may differ.
What does Premium Drinks include?
The package includes beers and ciders, wines by the glass, branded spirits, cocktails, mocktails, juices and soft drinks. It also includes alcohol-free spirits, beer and wine by the glass. Whisky and brandy are limited to a selection, with discounts on premium products outside it.
Will it cover your café coffee?
Speciality coffee is extra, even with Premium. Self-service tea and coffee in selected venues are included in the fare without buying the package.
What is not included?
| Excluded item | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Speciality coffee and drinks from Bookmark Café and Serenity Tea Room | Charged separately |
| Room-service drinks | Charged separately |
| 750ml glass bottles of mineral water | Charged separately |
| Red Bull | Charged separately |
Discounts with Premium
| Purchase outside the included selection | Package discount |
|---|---|
| Red, white and rosé wine by the bottle | 25% |
| Premium whiskies and brandies | 25% |
| Champagne and sparkling wine by the bottle | 10% |
| Dessert wine | 10% |
Source: the Premium Drinks page.
Buying Premium Drinks and using it aboard
You can book through Fred. Olsen's Reservations team or onboard. The published advance rate is £4 per person, per night lower than the onboard rate.
There is no set numerical drinks limit, but staff may restrict or pause service under the responsible-service policy (Premium Drinks FAQ). That does not mean ordering several drinks at once: the booking terms specify single measures of house spirits and no more than one drink per person in each transaction (clause 16.3.1).
The terms also exclude refunds when an included drink becomes unavailable, or when you choose not to use the package (clauses 16.3.2 and 16.3.3). Deciding after sailing that it was not worth the money does not entitle you to a refund.
Oceans members: check your existing benefits
The Oceans onboard discount does not combine with Premium Drinks (Oceans Club page; Premium Drinks FAQ). Do not reduce the package price by your usual loyalty percentage, and do not assume Oceans discounts add to the package's own bottle discounts.
Oceans onboard benefits require a Freedom fare. Saver guests still earn cruise points, but do not receive those benefits. Diamond members receive 50% off Standard Wi-Fi and Signature members receive it free. If those benefits apply to you, adjust the Wi-Fi line in your budget before comparing totals.
What else might you spend on?
Premium Drinks does not cover speciality dining, excursions, internet or spa treatments (inclusions page).
Special dinners and afternoon tea
Colours & Tastes rotates Asian, Grill and Italian menus. Chef's Table is a separate experience with paired wines. Premium Traditional Afternoon Tea and Jubilee Afternoon Tea are optional occasions; ordinary afternoon tea remains included.
| Optional experience | Current published price | For new cruises booked after 5 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Colours & Tastes | £20 in advance; £25 onboard | £25 in advance; £30 onboard |
| Chef's Table | From £100; booked onboard | £120 |
| Premium Traditional Afternoon Tea | £13 | £15 |
| Jubilee Afternoon Tea | From £19.50 | £20 |
All prices are per person (dining FAQ; afternoon tea FAQ).
The higher prices apply to new cruises booked after 5 January 2027. The booking date is what matters, not the sailing date. Check the price on your quote.
Wi-Fi: prices and device limits
The published Wi-Fi service supports browsing, messaging, social media and video calls, but not streaming. A seven-day package costs £63. Other published options are £12 for one day, £50 for five and £120 for fourteen; longer cruises have cruise-specific packages (Wi-Fi FAQ).
Fred. Olsen describes the service as per device, with switching between your devices allowed; the example below assumes one shared connection. Our cruise Wi-Fi guide can help you decide how much access you need.
Room service, days ashore and personal spending
Fred. Olsen's inclusions page lists complimentary room service, and Balmoral's in-cabin dining page says the food is complimentary. Room-service drinks are excluded from Premium.
Allow separately for excursions, spa treatments, laundry and thermal-suite access on Bolette and Borealis if you want them. Add travel to your departure point, any overnight hotel, insurance and visa costs to your overall budget.
Joining from outside Britain? The figures here are in pounds sterling. Confirm which flights or transfers your own booking includes, where you join the ship and which fare and booking terms apply to your purchase. Do not assume a UK departure or UK travel arrangements are part of every quote.
Seven-night Premium costs
| Seven-night Premium Drinks | Per person | For two adults |
|---|---|---|
| Booked in advance | £280 | £560 |
| Calculated onboard price | £308 | £616 |
| Advance-booking difference | £28 | £56 |
The advance totals are the £40 rate times seven nights. The onboard totals are calculated from the advance rate plus £4 per person, per night. The £56 difference for two compares package prices; it is not a saving against paying as you go. If you choose Freedom, your selected mealtime drinks are already part of the fare.
One possible seven-night extras budget for two
This example assumes two eligible adults buy Premium in advance, share one Wi-Fi connection by switching devices, and each have one advance-booked Colours & Tastes dinner at the current £20 price. It assumes no loyalty discount or complimentary benefit.
| Chosen extra | Total |
|---|---|
| Premium Drinks for two | £560 |
| One seven-day Wi-Fi package | £63 |
| One speciality dinner each | £40 |
| Added to the fare | £663 |
This is a selected combination of optional extras, not an expected bill. Excursions, travel to the ship and other personal spending are outside it, and different choices would change the total.
When Premium works, and when it doesn't
| Worth considering if... | You may prefer to leave it if... |
|---|---|
| You want the included drinks throughout the day and evening | You mainly want the drinks already covered with Freedom meals |
| The wider selection includes your favourites | Your main interest is excluded café drinks |
| You enjoy paying for drinks before travelling | You prefer buying occasional extras as you go |
Compare the full package charge with the extra drinks you expect to buy. For Freedom guests, leave the included mealtime drinks out of that calculation. Our guide to choosing a drinks package explains the method.
Is Premium worth it? The verdict
Premium is an optional drinks purchase, not an all-inclusive holiday upgrade.
Freedom may suit a couple who enjoy mealtime wine, want to choose their cabin and prefer to settle dinner arrangements in advance. Saver can work well for guests who are comfortable with allocated arrangements and fewer inclusions.
Premium can make budgeting simpler, but that is not evidence that it will save you money. With Freedom, compare it only with the additional drinks you would buy beyond the mealtime selection. If that selection is enough, skip the package.
Also considering other British lines?
Marella's fare includes a standard drinks selection, with a Premium upgrade on top. P&O's optional all-inclusive packages combine drinks with Wi-Fi and a speciality dining credit. Ambassador Fare includes Premium drinks and gratuities, and Saga's fare, for guests aged 50 and over, also includes speciality dining, an excursion in every port and a chauffeur to the ship. Fred. Olsen's Premium package is a drinks purchase, with the other extras priced separately, so the package prices cover different things. Compare the same cabin type and similar itineraries, then add travel to departure and the extras you would choose. Our P&O, Marella, Ambassador and Saga guides set out what each includes.
How we checked
We read Fred. Olsen's fare, Premium Drinks, dining, Wi-Fi, afternoon tea, shuttle, tipping, Oceans Club and ship pages, and its booking terms, on 22 October 2026. The onboard Premium prices and every total are our arithmetic from published figures. Fred. Olsen is not in our calculator. See our methodology.
Keep reading
- British cruise lines compared 2027: which should you choose?
- Deposits, final payment and onboard card holds
- Fred. Olsen name changes, price rises and unused credit
- P&O Cruises all-inclusive 2027
- Marella Cruises all-inclusive 2027
- Ambassador Cruises 2027
- Saga Cruises 2027
- Are cruise drink packages worth it?
- Cruise Wi-Fi explained
- More International guides
Sources
Fred. Olsen pages, read 22 October 2026:
- Fleet and passenger capacities
- Freedom and Saver fare comparison
- What is included and excluded
- Restaurant, dining time and table size FAQ
- Premium Drinks Package: benefits, exclusions and prices
- Premium Drinks Package FAQ
- Traditional and Jubilee Afternoon Tea
- Wi-Fi prices and capabilities
- Port shuttle FAQ
- Bolette
- Borealis
- Balmoral: in-cabin dining
- Solo offers
- Booking terms and conditions (clauses 5.3, 16.1, 16.3)
- Tipping FAQ
- Oceans Club benefits and conditions
CruiseClarify is written by someone who worked behind the Purser's Desk at a major cruise line — handling guest accounts, disputed charges, and the end-of-cruise bills that caught guests off guard — and who has sailed as a guest with 10 cruise lines. We keep it independent: no affiliate links, no advertising, no sponsored content. This guide is general information, not financial advice; your booking conditions and the cruise line's current terms decide what you pay. See our Methodology.