Bumped into an old friend...

[Jellifer]

Am in lovely Liverpool on a U.K. staycation and was happy to see the lovely Rotterdam as-was. 
 

She’s had a new paint job & is know called Borealis under the Fred Olsen line. She’s looking lovely, am hoping to try her out some day soon. 🙂

[KirkNC]

Ah, yes, hello old friend?

[HamOp]

My first HAL ship.  Good Memories...

[puppycanducruise]

She was wonderful as the Rotterdam, hope she continues to be wonderful as the Borealis.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[Himself]

I had three cruises on this ship.  Two 10 day cruises in the Caribbean Sea and one to Alaska out of Seattle.  That was her only season in Alaska.

[Ottawa traveller]

Here is a link to a guided tour of the refurbished ship.   There are changes to the decor  and some new restaurants but she is still recognizable. 

 

 

[mightycruisequeen]

We took our first Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas cruise on Rotterdam.  Great cruise, too great to be just once in a lifetime. 

 

[rkacruiser]

Having participated in the Fred. Olsen CC Message Board, our friends across the Pond are looking forward to sailing on her as well as Bollete.  

 

Just as some of us who sailed on the vessels of Royal Viking Line witnessed them becoming vessels of the Fred. Olsen fleet, the Company cared for them and continued their good service to their guests.  That will continue with Bollete and Borealis, I believe.  

[ski ww]

Thanks for posting she was the first HAL ship I cruised on back in fall of 1979.

[Himself]

Thank you got sharing the video..

[Cruiz'nBaers]

She looks lovely.

[whogo]

We had three great cruises on that ship, Britsh Isles and points north; partial Panama Canal; and a transatlantic.  Did HAL add cabins and remove the aft pool after our 2009 sailing?

 

Interesting that they call the showroom the Neptune Lounge. Deck plans are here: https://www.fredolsencruises.com/our-ships/borealis/deck-plans

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, whogo said:

Did HAL add cabins and remove the aft pool after our 2009 sailing?

It was in November, 2009 that HAL removed the pool, added cabins to the two decks below the Lido Deck, and added a 'running stream' feature on the 'new' extension of the Lido Deck. That changed the shape of the stern, with a new overhang. 

 

I was on that last cruise, ending 10/31/09, before the renovation, and never boarded her again. 
I would love to see what that area of the ship looks like now. 

[aliaschief]

Did two long trans Atlantic cruises on her. She’s looking well and deeply missed!

[Cruise4food]

Interesting comment that I saw about the Borealis and Bolette (sp?) is they are the newest ships in Fred Olsen fleet. I took that to mean newest since launch date. 

[Sir PMP]

Great Pictures, did about 200 days on her including the inaugural..

[Tampa Girl]

Did Fred Olsen also buy the Amsterdam?  The  Borealis is lovely and looks soo... familiar!  I would like to try her.

[mightycruisequeen]

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

It was in November, 2009 that HAL removed the pool, added cabins to the two decks below the Lido Deck, and added a 'running stream' feature on the 'new' extension of the Lido Deck. That changed the shape of the stern, with a new overhang. 

 

I was on that last cruise, ending 10/31/09, before the renovation, and never boarded her again. 
I would love to see what that area of the ship looks like now. 

This video shows Rotterdam as Borealis now.  If you go to about 4:40, you'll see that Fred Olsen didn't really do much to that aft lazy river thing, except doll it up a little.  That aft thing was decidedly not my favorite feature of Rotterdam, but I was completely blown away by a lot of the onboard art, especially the terra cotta warrior and his horse. 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by mightycruisequeen

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Tampa Girl said:

Did Fred Olsen also buy the Amsterdam?  

 

Yes.

 

4 hours ago, Cruise4food said:

Interesting comment that I saw about the Borealis and Bolette (sp?) is they are the newest ships in Fred Olsen fleet. I took that to mean newest since launch date. 

 

Yes, I think the two ships are the youngest of their fleet.  

[USN59-79]

I was happy to see that she still has her library.

[Cruise4food]

Looking at video from the actual first cruise of Borealis, they turned the outdoor hot tub into a gigantic planter. People complained that the hot tub blocked the side to side view at the stern (well, yes it did) but now there is a small forest above the hot tub.
 

And for the view, I am of a mindset that sometimes the hot tub itself provided a good view.  😉😇

[Sir PMP]

6 minutes ago, Cruise4food said:

Looking at video from the actual first cruise of Borealis, they turned the outdoor hot tub into a gigantic planter. People complained that the hot tub blocked the side to side view at the stern (well, yes it did) but now there is a small forest above the hot tub.
 

And for the view, I am of a mindset that sometimes the hot tub itself provided a good view.  😉😇

I saw that and it looks weird..

[CM1984]

Thank you, we enjoyed our lanai cabin on Deck 3, cabin 3368….stepping out on to the promenade deck was great, and sitting in our deck chairs always offered us some fun meet and greets!

 

She looks lovely!

[rkacruiser]

On 7/15/2021 at 5:40 PM, Sir PMP said:

I saw that and it looks weird..

 

Certainly different, to be sure.  A "Winter Garden" type Lounge only on an open deck.  Maybe at some point Fred. Olsen will rip up that whole area and do something that makes some sense on a cruise ship.