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.
07 January 2024
22 May 2023
26 June 2023
04 July 2023
27 July 2023
18 August 2023
09 September 2023
17 September 2023
03 October 2023
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.
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?
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.
The food, service,room and drinks choices were all excellent. The ship is a good size and nowhere got too crowded although that may have been partly due to not being at full capacity due to Covid. The entertainment was ok with an average comedian but a very funny magician. We are not big on song and dance but we heard that they were good music shows. We liked the regular quizzes as well. The excursions are like most cruises massively over-priced. If they were better value then fewer people would do their own thing (as we tended to do). While the food in all the restuarants was fabulous the 2 speciality restaurants were even better and well worth a visit. Colours and tastes was outstanding. While the service was wonderful, we were a little bit surprised that we had been charged for this. We were under the impression that all tips/gratuities were included in the price and we will be querying this with Fred Olsen.
Fred Olsen today is not like it used to be. Whilst Borealis was an excellent ship for social facilities, in my view it is let down by an 'average' menu - the self-service has a better choice of food menu than the main dining room. However, Fred no longer offers the midnight buffet with ice carvings, etc, or the 'captains' table for dining, no real problem but such things put Fred in a different category to most cruise lines. Further some of the 'dining' crew members were somewhat casual in providing service. However, overall, despite the poor weather, the cruise was enjoyable.
Love smaller ships as they seem to have a friendlier atmosphere and the service seems a lot better. Borealis is both elegant and comfortable unlike the new O&O ships which have a cold bland feeling. Fred Olsen seem to have upgraded and seem to be heading for a Cunard standard which is great. Only complaint is there are no separate male/female saunas. This was mentioned a few times onboard.
No bridge camera which is important with a inside cabin. No music in cabin. Poor talks mainly about art. Too many foods with chili not all of us like chili.
