Fred Olsen Cruise Line to offer Dubai to Southampton cruise in 2019 aboard Black Watch

The quintessentially British cruise line Fred Olsen is offering a 24-night cruise in 2019 from Dubai to Southampton in the UK aboard its vintage cruise liner Black Watch.

The voyage, departing Dubai on February 4th, 2019, will include port calls in Khasab, Muscat and Salalah in Oman en-route to the notorious Red Sea, where Black Watch will spend a full five days steaming for Aqaba, Jordan.

Black Watch is classic cruise ship built in 1971 and recently refurbished in 2016.

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After spending the day in Jordan, she’ll transit the Suez Canal and enter the Mediterranean, calling in Turkey, Naples and Gibraltar, before arriving in La Coruna, Spain.

Departing Spain, Black Watch will brave the rigours of the Bay of Biscay as she cruises for home, where she will arrive in Southampton on February 28th, 2019.

Fred Olsen Cruise Line says this voyage will explore the ancient civilisations and lost cities of Arabia and the Mediterranean. It forms part of the ship’s 107-night World Cruise roundtrip from Southampton, but can be booked individually.

Black Watch is one of the world’s last remaining classic cruise ships. She was built in 1971 for extended ocean voyages, and was most recently refurbished in 2016.

The 804-guest Black Watch now features stylish new décor, fittings and furniture, plus the new Black Watch Room restaurant.

Aqaba in Jordan is the gateway to the famous ruins of Petra

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Her turnaround port call in Dubai next year as she starts a new cruise itinerary from the city will make her the oldest cruise ship sailing from Dubai in 2019, beating her sister ship Albatros (of Phoenix Reisen cruise lines) by two years.

Black Watch is the only Fred Olsen cruise ship to cruise from Dubai next year, but she isn’t the only Fred Olsen liner visiting the city in 2019.

The cruise line’s other classic cruise ship Boudicca will spend a full day in Dubai, arriving early and departing late, on her 34-night ‘Ancient Arabia & the Med’ cruise from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Dover in the UK.

She’ll call in Dubai on January 19th, 2019 and will be one of the few cruise ships in 2019 only visiting Dubai, rather than using it as a turnaround port as well.

Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com.

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