Is the Fred. Olsen Martini Experience Worth the Extra Cost?
By Tom and Dom Travel | Updated: 18 October 2026
Settling in at the Lido Lounge with our first round of martinis, ready for the masterclass to kick off!
Hosted by Fred. Olsen aboard Balmoral, but we paid for this experience ourselves; all reviews remain entirely our own and honest.
Can a cruise ship cocktail masterclass turn into the most lively night of your entire holiday?
Most cruisers assume onboard tasting sessions on traditional British ships are polite, quiet, and slightly academic. After dozens of cruises and hundreds of days at sea exploring everything from mega-ships to classic boutique liners, we know that onboard activities can make or break sea days and evenings at sea. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has a reputation for classic, genteel cruising, but the evening we spent at their cocktail demonstration completely upended our expectations.
The Fred. Olsen Martini Experience is an entertaining 45-minute cocktail demonstration and tasting event held in the Lido Lounge (Deck 8 aft on Balmoral). Pre-booked for £22 per person, it includes four full-sized martinis chosen from an eight-drink menu, complimentary cheese plates, bar flair demonstrations, and chances to claim extra drinks freshly prepared on stage.
What Is the Fred. Olsen Martini Experience?
The Fred. Olsen Martini Experience is a dedicated tasting and mixology event hosted by the onboard bar team.
Held in the Lido Lounge on Deck 8 aft aboard Balmoral, it offers guests the chance to sample a curated selection of martinis while watching the crew showcase their bartending skills.
The session is typically kept to an intimate gathering rather than an overcrowded hall. It requires advance booking either via your online guest portal before sailing or directly at Guest Services on embarkation day.
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We also uncover important onboard details every cruiser needs to know before booking, including how the Bookmark Cafe coffee card works, the drinks package coffee exclusions, the £22 per person Martini Experience in the Lido Lounge, Shrove Tuesday pancake specials, and evening entertainment across the ship.
Cheese plates, fruit, and the backlit cocktail menu ready for our tasting session on Balmoral
Atmosphere, Timing, and Seating in the Lido Lounge
We booked our tickets prior to our cruise for £22 per person.
Our tickets noted a 7:15 pm start, but having misread the time as 7:00 pm, we strolled in at 6:55 pm. As luck would have it, arriving early meant we secured prime front-row seats directly facing the stage.
The energy in the Lido Lounge was electric right from the off. Upbeat music was playing through the speakers, and the bar team and assistant bar manager were already dancing and warming up behind the counters.
Each table was pre-set with two cheese plates featuring crackers, grapes, and garnishes. For Dom, that alone justified arriving early.
The cocktail menu arrived as a nifty backlit display listing eight different martinis. Alongside it came a voting slip and a miniature pencil, allowing each guest to select four drinks out of the eight to enjoy.
The fabulous bar team taking to the stage to introduce the Martini Experience aboard Balmoral
The Cocktails and Mixology Demonstration
Once the session kicked off, the drinks flowed thick and fast.
Dom opted to start with an Apple Martini, which was wonderfully tart, crisp, and sour. Tom selected a classic Cosmopolitan, which packed a proper alcoholic punch while remaining smooth and fruity.
While the bar team performed flair bartending and cocktail routines on the main stage, our personal drinks were freshly mixed behind the scenes at the service bar. On our sailing, guest health and hygiene protocols prevented passengers from stepping behind the counter to shake their own drinks, but the team made up for it with brilliant audience interaction.
As the crew mixed up demonstration cocktails under the lights, they offered them straight out to the room. Sitting right in the front row, we were quick to put our hands up, securing two extra drinks on the house to add to our table.
The demonstration lasted around 45 minutes and delivered top-tier entertainment.
The bar crew put on choreographed dance routines, bottle-juggling stunts, and witty banter that had the entire lounge laughing. When an occasional bottle took a tumble during a tricky juggle, it only added to the charm and high-spirited atmosphere.
What makes this experience particularly flexible is how your drinks allocation is managed. You are under no pressure to knock back all four of your booked martinis in that single 45-minute sitting. Because we accepted the two extra cocktails offered from the stage, we ended up with two of our included martinis left over. The team simply noted them down so we could redeem them at the bar on other days of the cruise.
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Fantastic flair skills and cocktail tricks from the crew during the demonstration on Balmoral!
Practical Tips for Cruisers
Planning to book the Martini Experience on your next Fred. Olsen sailing? Keep these practical details in mind:
Pacing your evening: Each martini is mixed to full strength. If you have an assigned 8:00 pm second seating for dinner in the Ballindalloch Restaurant, taking down multiple cocktails in 45 minutes will certainly make for lively dinner conversation with your tablemates.
Flexibility with drinks: You do not have to finish your allowance during the masterclass. You can save leftover martinis to redeem on other days of your voyage, which is especially handy if you claim extra drinks when the team offer them to the audience.
Drinks package rules: Standard drinks packages on Fred. Olsen do not cover specialty tasting sessions, nor do they include specialty coffees at venues like the Bookmark Café (or the £4 lattes ordered in lounges). The £22 ticket covers the full experience, snacks, and cocktails.
Seating strategy: Head to the Lido Lounge 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to grab a front-row seat near the stage. Not only do you get the best view of the flair tricks, but you will also be first in line when extra cocktails are offered to the crowd.
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Double parked and loving it! Tom making the most of the cocktails during our Martini Experience on Balmoral
Was It Worth It?
The Fred. Olsen Martini Experience is worth every single penny.
At £22 per person, it represents phenomenal value for money. Individual cocktails across the ship generally cost between £7.00 and £8.00, meaning four full-sized martinis alone would run upwards of £29 to £32. When you factor in the four included martinis, the bonus cocktails offered to the audience from the stage, complimentary cheese platters, and the flexibility to carry unused drinks over to another day, it works out as an absolute bargain.
Who it is best for:
Cocktail lovers wanting to sample varied flavours from sweet Cosmopolitans to tart Apple Martinis.
Anyone seeking a lively, high-energy pre-dinner activity with fantastic crew engagement.
Guests looking for exceptional value compared to mainstream cruise line upcharges.
Who might want to skip it:
Guests who prefer quiet, formal educational lectures on mixology history.
Travellers who dislike sweet or spirit-forward cocktails.
Those booked on early dining (6:00 pm), as the evening timing clashes with first sitting.
We have attended countless specialty bar events across the cruise industry, and this was hands down one of the most fun, unpretentious onboard hours we have had. The bar team gave it their all, the drinks were spot-on, and the cheese plate was the cherry on top. If you see this popping up in your cruise planner, book it without hesitation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Fred. Olsen Martini Experience cost?
The Fred. Olsen Martini Experience costs £22 per person when pre-booked before your cruise.
How many drinks do you get at the Fred. Olsen Martini Experience?
You receive four full-sized martinis of your choice from an eight-drink menu, alongside complimentary cheese platters, with additional chances to claim freshly made cocktails when the team offer them out to the audience.
Can you save leftover martinis for another day?
Yes. You do not have to drink all four martinis during the 45-minute event. Any unused drinks can be saved and redeemed at the bar on subsequent days of your cruise.
Where does the Martini Experience take place on Balmoral?
On Balmoral, the event is held inside the Lido Lounge located on Deck 8 aft.
Does a Fred. Olsen drinks package cover the Martini Experience?
No. Specialised tasting experiences and masterclasses are separate ticketed events and are not included within standard or all-inclusive onboard drinks packages.
About the Authors
We’re Tom and Dom, the creators behind Tom and Dom Travel. Through our ship reviews, cabin tours, port guides, and cruise tips, we share honest, experience-led advice from our travels around the world. Everything we publish is designed to help you cruise with confidence.
Thanks for reading, and happy cruising.
