Formally serving in the Holland America fleet under the name Rotterdam as an extremely popular ship due to her stylish design and medium size, Borealis lives up to her new name, giving 1,404 lucky passengers the chance to take in the wonders of the Northern Lights in Fred. Olsen’s classic yet modern take on luxury. Offering itineraries departing from as close to home as Liverpool, guests won't have to travel far to enjoy the comfort and adventure of a Fred. Olsen cruise.
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The ship in numbers
- Launched 1997
- Tonnage 61849
- Wheelchair accessible cabins 26
- Decks 9
- Lifts 12
- Pools 2
- Restaurants 6
- Formal nights Yes
- Adult only Yes
- Maximum capacity 1,404
- Crew 615
- Refurbished 2020
What's onboard
Dining
Serving up delightful Fred. Olsen cuisine at all its restaurants, you'll love each and every meal during your time onboard Borealis. If you're looking for an elegant and sophisticated venue perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the two-tiered main dining room invites you inside, where you'll be treated to world-class service by the dedicated crew. What's more, with plenty of other restaurants to choose from, including both speciality and those included in your fare, you'll be able to try a different menu each night of your holiday.
Entertainment
No cruise holiday would be complete without evenings spent soaking up the entertainment options, and with Fred. Olsen's Borealis you'll be delighted by what's on offer. As well as live performances at the theatre, you'll also find culinary demonstrations which show off some of the best foods and wines from ports of call you'll visit during your journey.
Meanwhile, if you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a drink, you'll find plenty of bars and lounges, with a range of venues- from cosy to lively and late-night- meaning you'll find somewhere to suit your mood. What's more, if you're feeling truly daring, why not head to the casino and try your luck on the games tables and slot machines?
Things to do
When it comes to making the most out of your time at sea onboard Borealis, guests won't be disappointed by the variety of ways in which they can spend their down time. Alongside getting to know other guests, admiring the views from the deck and exploring the ship, be sure to book in a session at the spa where you'll find treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy pool and even a thermal spa. Alternatively, for those who want to relax without the additional cost of the spa, the all-weather pool is the ideal spot, with loungers and a retractable roof meaning you can wind down and let the afternoon pass you by.
Borealis Image gallery
Iglu Cruise customer reviews for Borealis
Just a wonder full time weather perfick ,met nice people ,eat great food ,went swimming, silent disco was great fun ,Rotterdam at its best large street market kept us shopping for bargains ,followed by a cold beer in a street cafe ,lovely didnt go to bulb fields as rain came pouring down but saw them last year so no worries ,nice lunch by the pool instead.
Lovely ship. Food and entertainment top-notch. Now drinks and tips including even better.
What an excellent cruise. My three daughters and I will definitely choose Fred Olsen again when we are looking to book another cruise holiday.
We have just returned from a wonderful cruise on Fred Olsen’s Borealis! The quality of the service, friendliness of the staff and the attention to detail were amazing. Admittedly, we were incredibly lucky with the weather and we had blue skies throughout, even in Europe’s wettest city, Bergen. We really enjoyed the two on shore excursions we went on, in particular a trip to Voringsfossen waterfall and Hardanger Nature Centre, where our guide was really knowledgeable. The scenery throughout the holiday was amazing! The entertainment on board was superb, in particular the Borealis Players, Ben Moss & the wonderful crew show. We also went to talks on board the ship from David Nike, which gave us a greater appreciation for Norway and the places we were visiting. Facilities on Borealis were excellent & it was clear that there was a lot of pride taken in maintaining the ship and keeping everything clean and tidy. On our final day we took a behind the scenes tour of the ship, which was really interesting. It was great to see how everything and everyone works together to make our stay so seamless. In particular, I would like to mention three members of staff who we felt made our stay even more special, our steward Elsa and our two waiters in the Borealis restaurant, Nagaraj & Gaurav. We loved the Fred Olsen culture.
