Here’s EVERY VENUE Onboard Borealis, the Cruise Ship from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: a Photo Tour

Borealis is one of the cruise ships in the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines fleet. She accommodates just under 1,400 passengers at double occupancy across her 702 cabins and suites, so she fits will into the ‘smaller ship’ category.

She was initially christened as 'Rotterdam’ under the Holland America Line brand, and she transitioned across to operate under the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines flag in 2020.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through the ship, showing you every venue onboard. I created this photo tour after hearing from some of my YouTube viewers that they prefer to complete ship tours in photo form and in their own time, rather than watching a video tour. If you’d rather see this tour as a video, then here’s a link to my YouTube ship tour. While you’re over there, please support my channel by clicking the ‘subscribe’ button - I’ve got so much more to show you!

I’ll show you around Borealis today by starting with the venues on the lower levels of the ship, and then we’ll move to the top. I’m hopeful that this post might give you a flavour for what Borealis could be like to cruise on in the future. If you enjoy this post, I have an affiliate partnership set up with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. This means that I’ll receive a small commission if you opt to book through one of my links (but you’ll never pay anything extra!). You can click here to book your cruise today! (affiliate link)

Deck 4

Atrium

It makes sense to start our photo tour today in the main atrium. The atrium onboard Borealis is found towards the front of the ship, and it spans across decks 3, 4 and 5. In the centre of this space is an absolutely stunning custom-made clock tower, which is based on a Flemish original. It includes an astrological clock alongside fourteen other clocks - it’s well worth a look!

On the ground floor of the atrium, you’ll find direct access to the Promenade Deck, which I’ll show you later in this tour. Guest Services and Destination Services are located on the middle floor, so this is where you’ll want to come if you need any help with anything on the ship, or you’d like to speak to a member of the team about a Shore Tour for your upcoming ports.

On Deck 5, the Ocean Bar is on one side, and the Sea Cove Shop, Future Cruise Information and the Floral Blooms Shop are on the other. Don’t worry - I’ll show you all of these spaces during this tour.

Photo Gallery

If you use the onboard photography team to take your photograph throughout the cruise, then this is where you can come to view or purchase your photos.

There are lots of digital screens in this space. All you need to do is enter your cabin number, and your photos should appear. There’s also a very clever ‘facial recognition’ feature on these screens, too - simply find one photo of you and then select this option, and it’ll scan the system to find all of your photos!

You can also buy other items here, including memory cards, camera equipment and souvenirs. A ‘top tip’ that I can offer from this space is that you can purchase postcards from the Photo Gallery! The team here will often have some really unique postcard options for you to choose from - a good idea if you’d like to send home a souvenir of the ship itself!

Neptune Lounge

The ‘Neptune Lounge’ is the name given to the theatre space that you’ll find across the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines fleet. Onboard Borealis, this venue is at the very front of the ship, and it’s on both decks 4 and 5.

Deck 4 is the lower level of the theatre, with additional seating available on the balcony level on deck 5.

There are lots of different seating types in here, including armchairs and also more comfortable (in my opinion) theatre-style sofa seats. One aspect that I loved about this theatre is that so many of the seats have the convenience of a table, or a drinks holder. Throughout the venue, you’ll find small tables infront of some rows of chairs, and upstairs you’ll find small drinks holders attached to the front rows - a great idea!

On the subject of drinks, a full drinks service is offered in here before the evening shows. This allows you to find your seat, and then place your order with one of the waiting team, rather than having to source a drink before you make your way in to the theatre.

Each evening of your cruise, there will be two shows performed in the Neptune Lounge: one after the first dinner sitting, and another after the second dinner sitting. This approach means that you’re not going to struggle to find a seat - you just need to remember to finish your dessert in time before the curtain goes up along in the theatre!

Duty Free Shop, and Sommelier Station

Leaving the Neptune Lounge behind, we now move to the other side of the atrium that I showed you earlier. Here, you’ll find a small duty free shop, and also the home of the onboard Sommelier.

If you’d like to speak with the Sommelier at any point during the cruise, I’d recommend visiting this area - you’ll often find them here. This space can also hold bespoke, smaller-scale events like personal wine tastings. If you’d like to book on to a wine tasting, just speak to the Sommelier or a member of Guest Services, and they’ll be more than happy to help.

As mentioned, this area is also where you can make duty free alcohol purchases. This isn’t the only location for this - I’ll show you another duty free store later in the tour - it’s up on deck 5.

Auditorium

Directly opposite the Sommelier station is the Auditorium. This is a much smaller entertainment space than the Neptune Lounge, and you’ll find it hosting a wide range of events during your cruise.

The design of this space lends itself to host things like movie screenings, cookery demonstrations, food and wine talks, guest speaker lectures, and so much more!

It’s a really comfortable space, with cushioned theatre-style seating throughout. If you’re concerned about venue accessibility, then you have nothing to worry about here. There are both reserved seats, and also reserved spaces marked on the carpets for wheelchair users.

Colours & Tastes Restaurant

Welcome to one of my favourite spaces onboard Borealis: Colours & Tastes. This falls among my favourites for a few different reasons, but mostly due to the fact that I find the interior absolutely beautiful, and the food even more so. Throughout my cruise, I enjoyed some of the tastiest food of the trip at Colours & Tastes.

This dining option comes with an additional charge, but it’s a surprisingly small charge when you consider the quality that’s being served to you throughout the experience. It’s worth highlighting that it’s usually cheaper to book your table here before your cruise, rather than waiting until you get onboard. This is really easy to do - just log into your online account, and you’ll have the option to book a table.

The theme of Colours & Tastes is both Asian and Italian - the theme will change throughout the cruise, meaning that it could be an Asian restaurant one night and then Italian the next. This is a really important point to note! You really must check which menu will be on offer on the evening(s) that you’re planning to dine here - you’re going to get quite a surprise if you’re expecting an Italian menu and you’re met with a page of Asian-inspired options…

Long story short, Colours and Tastes is well worth trying during your cruise. If you’re considering booking a table during your cruise, then consider this your sign to do so!

Borealis Restaurant

The Borealis restaurant is the first ‘included’ dining option that I’m going to show you on our photo tour today, and you’ll find it on deck 4 at the back of the ship.

This venue forms part of the ‘Main Dining Room’ on this ship, with the other parts (the Aurora Restaurant, the Arctic Room and the Indian Ocean Room) being upstairs - I’ll move to show you them next on our tour.

This venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the cruise - even when the ship is docked in port! For both breakfast and lunch, seating is flexible - you just need to turn up here to be shown to an available table. At dinner, it’s a slightly different approach.

When you arrive in your cabin on day one of your cruise, you’ll find a restaurant dining card. On that card, you’ll find your allocated restaurant, dining time and table number - note: this only applies to dinner - you’re not allocated to a specific table for your other meals!

On your first visit to your allocated dining room, just show your card to one of the waiting team, and they’ll be able to show you to your table and help you to get settled in.

Deck 5

Aurora Restaurant

You’ll find two large staircases leading from the Borealis Restaurant downstairs up to the Aurora Restaurant. This venue wraps around the mezzanine section of this space, offering you some fantastic views from the tables along the edges!

The menus on offer across both of these restaurants is exactly the same, so don’t worry about those downstairs having a different experience to what you’re having upstairs.

One feature of these dining rooms that’s well worth calling out is the sheer volume of glass. Have a look through the images, and look at how many windows there are all around the rooms. These windows offer you some brilliant views overlooking whichever port Borealis is docked in, or out across the rolling ocean waves as you sail to your next port of call.

Picture the scene: you’re relaxing at your dinner table, looking out over the ocean, when you spot a dolphin swimming alongside the ship. Sounds magical, doesn’t it?

Arctic Room

The Arctic Room is a much smaller dining environment than both of the restaurants we’ve just covered, and you’ll find it leading off from one side of the Aurora restaurant on deck 5.

This venue is inspired by the works of Keith Grant, the artist behind the pieces hanging on the walls inside.

Any guest can be allocated to a table in this area, or also in the Indian Ocean Room (which I’ll show you next). The menu and food is exactly the same as the other dining rooms so again don’t worry about a different experience being offered in here to elsewhere!

Throughout the cruise, you’ll find that events will be held in this room. Private functions could be held in here, but events like the onboard wine tastings could be held in here, too. It’s a beautiful little space, and it provides a much more quiet affair than the grandeur of the much larger dining rooms next door, in my opinion!

Indian Ocean Room

You’ve seen the Arctic Room, so it’s now time to show you a room with a very different theme: the Indian Ocean Room. This small dining room is also home to small events during a cruise, and you’ll find it coming off of the Aurora restaurant on deck 5, on the opposite side of the ship to the Arctic Room.

This was actually the room that I was allocated a table in for my evening meals throughout my cruise, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere in here.

One aspect that I really liked about this space was the fact that so many tables were able to enjoy a window view. Even if your table wasn’t directly beside the window, the room’s intimate enough that you’re able to see out no problem.

If you’re hoping to enjoy your dinner with lots of natural daylight, then this room could be exactly what you’re hoping for!

Earth Room

Welcome to the Earth Room, one of the lounges that are onboard Borealis. This space offers you the ability to learn more about our planet, and the various environmental challenges it faces. Guests are welcome to browse the collections of books that are presented on the shelving around the room, utilise the iPads that are loaded with content on these topics, or simply sit back and relax.

There are large windows along one side of this space, so there’s ample opportunity to look out at the passing ocean waves!

The Earth Room is directly next door to the Bookmark Cafe, which means that you can order your speciality coffee and have it delivered to your chair in here.

Bookmark Cafe

The Bookmark Cafe is the coffee shop that you’ll find on all of the ships across the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines fleet. Here, you can expect speciality coffee, handmade chocolate truffles and a selection of cakes that would tempt even those without a sweet tooth!

The cake selection in here changes daily, so why not add a walk past this venue to your daily ‘to do’ list to try and decide on your favourite sweet treat?!

The coffees here aren’t included in your cruise fare - they come with an additional charge. If you’re looking for complimentary coffee, you’ll find it available 24 hours a day up at the View Restaurant (the buffet - I’ll show you this later).

If you are a coffee drinker, you might be interested in purchasing a coffee card. At the point of my most recent cruise to writing this tour (Early 2026), the cost of these cards was £25. Each card allows you to purchase 7 hot drinks, plus 1 bag of luxury truffles, representing a cost saving. To give you an idea of how much, a cappucino is charged at £4, so 7 of them would already cost you £28, and that’s before you’ve bought any chocolates!

In my experience, if you’re going to be enjoying a coffee a day, then it’s well worth adding a coffee card to most 7 days (or more) cruises, but you’ll want to think realistically about how much you’ll drink on a shorter cruise, especially if you’re going to be ashore exploring the ports during the day.

The Bolette Card Room

Enjoy playing card games? Then you’ll want to visit the Card Room in the first few days of your cruise to find out what’s going on here while you’re onboard. You can also find out in the ‘Daily Times’ (the Daily Schedule) what’s planned in here.

On all of my cruises, this room has been incredibly busy with Bridge players - it seems to be a real favourite way for so many loyal cruisers to pass the time. Anyone will be welcome to join the bridge sessions at the start of the cruise, and these will then build into competitions as the cruise progresses. I’m sure this would be a really great way to meet new people, if you’re looking to mingle while you’re onboard.

You can use this space to join in on any of the arranged activities and events, or also to enjoy your own company with games that you’ve brought onboard with you - it’s entirely up to you!

Serenity Tea Room

You’ll find the tea room onboard Borealis directly opposite the Bookmark Cafe, so don’t worry if you’re cruising with coffee lovers - they can sort themselves out nearby!

This is the space dedicated to everything ‘tea’. You can order from an incredible range of tea at this lounge, lots of which there’s a high chance you won’t have tried before. Alternatively, you can even book onto a ‘Rare Tea Tasting’, where you’ll be hosted by the onboard Tea Sommelier, who will walk you through a range of different teas.

If you’d like to book onto this event, you can speak to one of the waiting staff in this area, or alternatively to one of the team over at the Bookmark Cafe - they’ll be able to sign you up.

Going back to my earlier point, I’d really recommend trying one of the cakes from the Bookmark Cafe during your cruise, and this tea room offers you an alternative spot to enjoy it than the cafe that I showed you earlier. The team will gladly deliver your order over to this space, so grab a seat and relax!

The Botanical Room

If you’ve seen any of my other tours of the ships in this fleet, you’ll know that I really like the Botanical Room spaces. At home, I consider myself to be pretty ‘green fingered’ - I love spending time either out in my garden, or tending to my house plants. For that reason, I was always going to really enjoy spending time in this area of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ships.

This is one of the lounge areas onboard, and the aspect that always really impresses me is the amount of plant life - take a look through the images and appreciate how many plants there are! I still don’t know how they manage to keep these plants so healthy, especially when some of them are positioned far away from the windows - I’m impressed!

There’s no dedicated bar within this space, but the waiting team will patrol the area periodically. In other words, just speak to a member of crew that passes here if you’d like a drink, and they’ll be able to deliver this to you from the nearby Bookmark Cafe.

Duty Free Shopping

I mentioned earlier that there was another duty free shopping area onboard - here it is. You’ll find this small shop between the Botanical Room and the Piano Bar, and it offers you the opportunity to place any duty free orders around the clock, thanks to the fact it’s open 24/7.

This shop isn’t like the other shopping boutiques on the ship - it’s unmanned, and it works by passengers placing their order forms into a box on the table in the centre of the room. This box is then emptied, orders placed, and bottles delivered to cabins before the end of the cruise.

Remember - this isn’t somewhere that you can go to purchase alcohol to drink onboard throughout the cruise. It’s somewhere that you can purchase alcohol to take home with you, at duty free prices.

Piano Bar

Welcome to the Piano Bar, another of my favourite spaces onboard Borealis. I just loved the design of this space - as soon as I walked into here on the first day of my cruise, I felt relaxed. The seating in this space is so comfortable: think booth-style seating and also laid-back armchairs.

Throughout the day when the ship is ‘at sea’, you’ll find live musicians in here - usually pianists, but occasionally acoustic performers, too. On a port day, this area is usually available to sit in, but there won’t be any performers due to the fact that the ship will be really quiet.

In the evening, this venue comes alive, with dancers on the dance floor, and live musicians entertaining everyone before and after their evening meals, and well into the night.

The Piano Bar is also home to some ‘pop up’ entertainment offerings, so keep an eye in your Daily Times to see what’s happening here - you might just be surprised at what you’ll find!

The Morning Light Pub

The Morning Light Pub is a real favourite on any of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ships - it’s always so popular! Think British Pub, but at sea, and you’ll probably have a close idea of what to expect from this venue.

On one side, you’ll find a traditional bar area with seating, and multiple large televisions. These screens are used to stream sporting fixtures throughout the cruise, so there’s no need to worry about missing your favourite fixtures while you’re away from home. On this point, it’s worth highlighting that the ability to show sports will depend on things like the signal reaching the ship. Due to the nature of ships, this can be a bit more unpredictable than land-based connections. That said, I didn’t hear any complaints during my time onboard!

Around this bar and screening area, there are a few shopping boutiques. These shops sell things like fragrances, clothes, jewellery and gifts, so be sure to stop by here if you do enjoy a little retail therapy while you’re travelling!

On the other side of the bar is the much larger open section of the pub. Over there, there’s a small stage area that becomes home to some light musical performances throughout the day and night. Daily Trivia (which is so popular on these ships!) is also often hosted from this stage, too. I’m always surprised at how busy the quizzes are on these cruise ships - they’re almost at the popularity level where I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved them through to the Neptune Lounge to fit more people in - it’s really impressive!

There are also a few indoor games within the Morning Light Pub area. You can find both Indoor Shuffleboard and also Bar Billiards here, which are both perfect for adding some competition to your afternoon or evening drinks at the pub. If you’re unsure how to play, don’t worry - you can find the rules printed in this area, too. Good luck!

Floral Blooms Shop

Do you enjoy when the smell of fresh flowers hits you as you walk through a cruise ship? I absolutely do - this is one thing I’ve always really liked when I walk through a venue on a ship that has a floral display in place.

I was surprised to see that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have a flower shop onboard each of their ships. You’re more than welcome to stop by the shop to have a look at the plants and flowers on offer, or also to make any purchases to take back to your cabin or Suite.

I absolutely love this feature - it allows you to do things like select some fresh flowers that you’d like to wake up to throughout your cruise, and also things like order buttonholes to wear on formal night. A really nice touch, isn’t it?

The below signage shows the opening times during one of our sea days, but this will change each day - just check the Daily Times for the up to date timings for your cruise.

You’ll find an onboard flower shop on deck 5 of Borealis - a really lovely touch!

Future Cruise Information

Want to book a future cruise while you’re onboard? Easy - just book an appointment or stop by the future cruise information desks on deck 5, and the team will be more than happy to help you.

By booking onboard, you’ll often be able to take advantage of onboard offers and incentives that are designed to encourage you to book. In my experience, the fares are usually similar to what you’ll see online, but you’ll often receive additional on board spend on your reservations by confirming them while you’re on the ship.

If you know that you’re going to be booking a certain cruise once you go home, it’s a no-brainer - come and speak to the team. Even if you’re just really enjoying the cruise but don’t have anything specific in mind, come and speak to the team here and see if they can tempt you to re-book to return.

Want to book another cruise while you’re onboard? You can - just head to the future cruise desks!

Ocean Bar

I showed you a small dance floor in the Piano Bar earlier on this tour. The venue that we’re now going to look at, Ocean Bar, features a much larger dance floor.

You’ll find Ocean Bar on the top level of the atrium, and it’s one of the busier spaces on the ship. Lots of events are held in here both throughout the day and the evening: indoor games, raffles, live musicians and dance classes - it’s all going on!

One of the things that I love about this bar is the fact that you can sit around the dance floor to watch the live performances, but you can also choose to sit up at the bar. Up there, you’re able to see everything going on thanks to its’ slightly raised position, but you also feel like you’re quite nicely out of the way.

In terms of accessibility, don’t worry that this venue isn’t totally flat - every aspect of it is fully accessible thanks to the design of the ramped entrance to the upper area.

Sea Cove Shop

Are you interested in shopping for some cruise line branded merchandise?

If you’re anything like me, the answer to that is ‘yes’. I’m not sure why, but I absolutely love seeing the products that the cruise lines offer for purchase on their ships. Also, before anyone asks, I have been known to go home wearing a tshirt with the cruise line’s logo on it…!

The Sea Cove Shop is the retail space that offers you the chance to buy Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines bespoke merchandise - you’re not going to find the products on offer in here anywhere else, and you also can’t buy it after you leave the ship.

A point on this one - if you see something that you like the look of but you’d like to return to purchase it later in the cruise, remember to check the last opening slot of the shops. People often assume that these shops will have long opening hours, but they’re usually unable to open while the ship’s docked in port. If you’re leaving a port late, or staying overnight, the shops usually won’t open!

Deck 2

Laundry Room

Before we move to look at the spaces on the upper decks of the ship, there are two areas to show you: the laundry room and also the Promenade Deck, with subsequent observation areas. Let’s start with the laundry room.

If you’ve ever cruised before, you’ll probably understand that it can be frustrating when you realise that you’re running out of clothes, or when you realise you’ve forgotten to pack enough of a certain item. These scenarios can often lead to having to use expensive laundry services on cruise ships, which involves you sending your laundry away and having it returned the following day.

On Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ships, you can use a passenger laundry room to do your own laundry. This is also great if you’d like to return home with no dirty laundry at the end of your cruise…!

Inside these rooms, you’ll find washing machines, tumble dryers, irons and ironing boards. The irons and ironing boards are free of charge to use, and the washing machines come with a small charge. The laundry room is open from 8am - 8pm, but it then closes due to the fact that it’s in close proximity to passenger cabins.

Deck 3

Promenade Deck

I’ve mentioned the Promenade Deck a few times already throughout this tour, so let’s now take a look at it. I absolutely LOVE a good promenade deck on a cruise ship, as it’s usually where I can feel most ‘connected’ with the ocean.

This area is also where it’s much easier to complete walking laps of the ship - the top decks are often busy with sun loungers and people relaxing, with less space to walk around them.

You’ll find access points to this external deck in multiple areas on Deck 3. Out here, there are plenty of loungers (although some of these are reserved for those cruising in a cabin that opens out onto this deck), and also wooden benches. During my cruises, I’ve had zero issues when I come down here to find a seat, and I was cruising in good weather!

There are deck games down here (including my favourite, Shuffleboard!), which conveniently have the instructions and rules attached to the wall beside them, so you don’t need to be nervous if it’s all new to you!

The final point I’d make on the promenade deck itself is that it is a ‘fully wrap around’ deck on Borealis. This means that it’s possible to walk as many laps of the ship as you like without going inside. If you’re wondering how much distance you can cover down here, then I can tell you that 3.5 laps of this deck equate to 1 mile, or 1.6km. In other words, it might be a good idea to pack your trainers…!

Forecastle (Observation Area)

At the very front of the ship on deck 4, you’ll find a really special area: the Forecastle observation deck. This deck is, as you can see in the image below, directly infront of the bridge, offering you some wonderful views out to sea.

To access this space, walk to the front of the ship on the Promenade Deck, and then go up one flight of stairs to this deck.

The Forecastle will usually be open all day when the ship’s docked in port, and it’ll also be open on calmer days ‘at sea’. If it’s particularly windy, or if the sea conditions are on the rougher side, this area will be closed for safety reasons. It’s also usually closed after sunset, for obvious reasons.

A top tip that I’d offer you for the Forecastle is that it’s a beautiful spot to take in the sunset, if the ship’s sailing in the correct direction for that. Up here, you don’t get any engine noise as you’re so far forward: just peace and quiet, with the sound of the water below hitting the hull of the ship.

The Forecastle Observation Deck is a real asset onboard Borealis.

Deck 6

Lookout (Observation Area)

There’s an additional observation area on Deck 6, and this also looks directly out over the front of the ship. If you look on the above picture, you might be able to see it - it’s directly beneath the Bridge (the lowest row of black windows).

To access this observation area, you have two options.

First, you can climb the stairs from the Forecastle area (this is 2 floors of stairs), or you can go to deck 6 inside the ship, and walk to the front. You’ll walk along a corridor full of passenger cabins, but keep going - the Lookout is right at the front of the ship!

Deck 8

Atlantis Spa

We’ve now moved to the higher decks of the ship, and we’re going to start touring these decks from the front of the ship on deck 8. This is where the Atlantis Spa is located, which consists of a few different facilities: a fitness centre, a salon, treatment rooms, a thermal suite, a relaxation room, and changing facilities that contain a little secret - I’ll tell you what this is when we get to that part!

Let’s start with the onboard gym or fitness centre.

Fitness Centre

The fitness centre is a part of the spa complex that is included in your cruise fare. I meet so many people who don’t use the gym because they assume that this would come with an additional charge (that’s their excuse, anyway!), but this isn’t the case at all.

There’s a broad offering of both cardio and weight-lifting equipment in the gym, so you shouldn’t find it too difficult to keep up your fitness regime from back home (if you really want to!).

There’s also a relatively large studio space within the fitness centre. This is where fitness classes are held throughout the cruise, again included in your cruise fare. To find out what’s on, or to book onto a class, just speak to the team at the spa reception.

Salon

If you’re looking to indulge in a treatment while you’re onboard, then the salon might be a part of the ship that you’re interested in. The onboard salon can offer most of the treatments that you’d expect at a spa, and lots of the brands available here will be very familiar to you.

Whether it’s a hair cut or treatment, a nail appointment or something else, the team here will be able to pamper you at a time that suits.

The salon isn’t just open on sea days - it’s also often open when the ship’s docked in port. This can be the best way to save some money on your treatments, as the team will sometimes offer special promotions to tempt people to use the spa during the quietest periods. Worth a check!

Treatment Rooms

Does the thought of enjoying a massage while the ship’s at sea sound good to you? Imagine feeling the hot stones on your back, while the motion of the ship gently rocks you back and forth… I’m almost sending myself to sleep at the thought!

Within the spa, there’s a wide range of treatment rooms available, which means that there will be the perfect room for whatever treatment type you’re interested in!

A tip that I would offer you for the spa is that you should really aim to get any treatments booked as soon as you can once you get onboard on day one. The reason for this is that slots can book up pretty quickly, and it’s far better for you to enjoy your treatment at a time that suits you, rather than a time that you’ve had to accept because others got in there before you…!

You’ll find lots of treatment rooms within the Spa complex on Borealis.

Thermal Suite

Here’s one of the real gems of this cruise ship: the Thermal Suite. This Thermal Suite consists of two steam rooms, a large communal area with heated loungers, a water fountain and a jacuzzi tub, and also an outdoor terrace.

So, why is this are the real gem? Well, it’s bookable privately! In other words, when you book to enjoy the Thermal Suite, you don’t have any other passengers in here with you - absolute bliss!

On a nice day, you can imagine moving between the indoor areas and the outdoor terrace. On colder days, you can stay inside and relax on the heated loungers, while enjoying the views from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

If you’re looking to impress your travelling partner or group during your cruise, this could be the perfect way to do it! There’s even an option to add champagne to your visit, for a small additional charge. To organise this, just speak to the Spa team when you book your time slot.

If you’re enjoying this tour, then why not look into booking your own cruise onboard this beautiful ship? I have an affiliate partnership with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, which means that I’ll receive a small commission if you choose to book via any of my links. Click here to go to the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines website now! (affiliate link)

Relaxation Room

There’s a relaxation room directly next door to the Thermal Suite.

If you’d like to make use of this space, just speak to the Spa reception team.

Changing Facilities & Saunas

I mentioned earlier that the changing facilities within the spa area had their own little secret. Well, here it is!

Within each of the changing rooms, you’ll find a locker room, a shower area, and also a sauna! The secret is that use of this sauna is complete free of charge - it’s included in your cruise fare!

Across my cruise, I met no other people in here, so I can only assume that very few people know about it. All that you need to do is speak to the Spa reception team to obtain a locker key, and then you’re free to change and use the sauna for as long as you like!

It’s worth highlighting that these sauna facilities are within each changing room, and they’re single gender as a result. There’s one sauna in each of the changing rooms.

Lido Pool

The Lido Pool is the main swimming pool onboard Borealis, and you’ll find it towards the front of the ship on Deck 8. Around it, there are lots of sun loungers, offering you the opportunity to lie back and relax in the (hopefully) sunshine.

At one end of the pool, you’ll find two large hot tubs. At the other end, there’s a bar - I’ll come back to show you that area in more detail in a moment. There’s also a table tennis table and a dart board out here, so there’s plenty to keep you busy!

There’s a small stage that resembles a bandstand, which hosts live musicians from time to time during the cruise. I always found this to be such a lovely touch when I’d pass through this space and see a live performer in the bandstand. Performance times will be shown in the Daily Times.

One feature of this pool area that makes it highly versatile is the roof. Over this entire section of the ship, there’s a huge retractable roof. In good weather, this roof can be opened to allow the warm air and the sunshine inside. On cooler itineraries, or in more inclement weather, the roof can be closed to allow the pool and deck space to be used year-round.

Lido Bar

As I mentioned, there’s a bar area at one end of the Lido Pool. This fast became one of my favourite bars during my cruise, largely due to the fact that so few people seemed to know about it!

During the day, this space would be busy with people, but it would offer a moment of bliss in the evening. I found this space to be ideal for enjoying a relaxing drink before dinner - I came up here with my Mum a few days into the cruise, and we were the only people out here! It was so nice to enjoy some ‘quiet time’ outside of our cabins, with some music playing in the background, and the sound of the water moving around in the pool filling the air - bliss!

This bar isn’t open late into the evening, but it’s perfect for an early evening tipple before you head inside for your dinner.

Poolside Cafe

Also under this retractable roof is the Poolside, another dining option on Borealis. This is another area that’s included in your cruise fare, so you won’t incur any additional charges to dine here.

You can’t eat dinner here, but you can enjoy breakfast, brunch and lunch. This area provides a great alternative to the buffet if you return to the ship mid afternoon after a busy day exploring your port of call.

My personal recommendation? You must try the burger - it was to die for!

View Buffet Restaurant

Moving towards the back of the ship on deck 8, the next venue to look around is the View: the onboard buffet.

Before you go inside, you can view the entire menu on the large digital screens. This is a great feature - it allows you to decide what you’d like to eat before you then walk around the buffet stations - simple!

Inside, there are lots of seats, and they’re almost all fully accessible. There’s a lower level, with some tables specifically reserved for those with mobility needs, but the other tables are just up a slight ramp, so lots of people won’t find this problematic even with additional requirements.

I found the quality of the food in here to be excellent. You can either choose to pick up your food from the selection of pre-made meals, or you can use the ‘made to order’ food stations. I was so impressed to see how much food they were making ‘to order’ within the buffet throughout my time onboard - I saw salads, pad thai, fajitas, hoisin duck wraps and so much more being prepared to order.

Fresco

Fresco is a huge space at the back of Borealis on Deck 8. It consists of a bar, an outdoor eaterie, and also a large deck space including a huge pediluvium (or foot spa)! Let’s look at each section individually…

First, the bar. This is the easiest part of Fresco to explain - it’s just a bar. This bar is open during the day, and also on warmer weathered evenings. Keep this in mind - if the ship’s sailing somewhere warm, this bar allows you to sit outside to enjoy your drinks - something that few venues onboard this ship offer you the luxury of doing.

Moving to look at the eatery out here, this was one of my favourites while I was cruising on this ship. Fresco features a Mediterranean-inspired menu, so think pizza, salad and tapas. It’s included in your cruise fare, so it doesn’t come with any additional charges. I won’t comment on how many of the pepperoni pizza slices I ate while onboard - nobody needs to know that answer…!

If you’d like to learn more about Fresco as a space, I’ve actually written an article specifically on it. Click here to go there now!

Next, let’s move to look at the open deck space that’s within Fresco’s remit. Out here, you’ll find a large pediluvium (foot spa), and lots of space to lounge on a sunny day.

I’d never come across one of these facilities on a cruise ship before. The idea is that passengers start their journey at one end of this feature. As they move along, they walk across pebbles of different shapes and sizes, and their feet are sprayed with water.

I’d imagine this must be relaxing on a warm day, but we didn’t really have suitable weather to give it a real try on our cruise, so I can’t comment!

At the far end of the deck, you’ll find a large metal ring as what looks like an art feature. A quick push of the button on the side of the ring will then start the process of a cooling mist being sent out from various points around the inside. Again, this must be great on a particularly hot day!

My ‘top tip’ for this part of the ship is to come up and see it at night. This whole deck space has been lit absolutely beautifully, and it’s a real statement. The lights will be on up here all night - I’ve included a photo of the ‘night view’ below to show you what to expect. Impressive, isn’t it?

Deck 9

Olsen Art Studio

The Olsen Art Studio is at the back of the ship on Deck 9, but this unfortunately wasn’t available for photos during my recent cruise.

In short, this is a space that you can spend time in while expressing yourself creatively. There are art supplies available in here 24/7, or you can also opt to join one of the resident artists for a crafting session. Note: these instructor-led sessions come with an additional charge, but the Art Studio itself is free to use at all times.

Outside Deck Space

The external deck space on deck 9 is absolutely stunning - look at those views off the ship of the ship! One of the great things about this area is that there aren’t any sun loungers, and so most people tend to spend time elsewhere on the ship.

This makes deck 9 a quiet deck space to spend time - we actually managed to spot dolphins from out here, so maybe this is your sign to do some wildlife spotting from this vantage point!

Deck 9 offers you sweeping views out beyond the ship, both while docked and while at sea.

The Observatory

The Observatory is located at the very top and front of the ship, on deck 9. The position of this venue allows it to offer guests some of the most remarkable views out to sea in almost every direction - there are huge windows wrapping around most of this venue.

I often found this venue to become very busy at night during events like the silent disco or karaoke, but it would be very quiet during the day. For that reason, this is a useful spot to remember if you enjoy relaxing in peace and quiet, even on a busier sea day.

The Observatory is also where, at the point of my cruise, the ‘additional charge’ Afternoon Tea would be held. If you do choose to book that, you can look forward to a brilliant experience that (in my opinion) is worth every penny. A tip from me - request a seat by the window - you won’t regret it in here!

So that’s a full photo tour of Borealis, the cruise ship from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

If you’ve enjoyed this tour, then why not look into booking your own cruise onboard this beautiful ship? I have an affiliate partnership with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, which means that I’ll receive a small commission if you choose to book via any of my links. Click here to go to the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines website now! (affiliate link)

Next, come and join me in another post on this website all about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. Click here to see every article I’ve released to date on the topic of this cruise line.