Ship reference
Borealis
Ship specifications and sources.
Quick facts
- Cruise line
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
- Class
- R class (Holland America)
- Entered service
- 1997
- Status
- In service
About us Borealis
Borealis began passenger operation in 1997 as Holland America Line's Rotterdam, the sixth ship to carry that name. The former operator identifies it as the first of its R class. Fred. Olsen's purchase in 2020 created the later Borealis programme, without making the ship a newbuild of that year.
Naval architect Stephen Payne helped create the original vessel. In the operator's account, he explains its role as a successor to Rotterdam V. That design history provides useful context for a ship now marketed for scenic cruising and longer journeys. It remains separate from the naming and physical history of today's newer Holland America Rotterdam.
A completed drydock programme in late 2025 refreshed Borealis before it returned to guests. Work included the Observatory, The View, spa facilities and the Colours & Tastes interior. Stage technology in the Neptune Lounge was upgraded for later entertainment programmes. The actual installed equipment is distinguished from a promise that every future show follows one identical format.
Current individual particulars give 702 cabins, 650 crew and a published length of 237.9 metres. The same page describes 1299 guests on a standard-occupancy basis. A larger headline figure appears elsewhere in the operator's materials. This profile does not manufacture a double-occupancy number or a maximum from either figure without a separately established basis.
The operator confirms shore-power capability for Borealis and Bolette. It also reports biofuel use on a share of Borealis's itineraries following a 2024 trial. Those statements describe specific capabilities and partial use, rather than an identical fuel mixture on every sailing or an electricity connection at every port.
The current published programme includes adults-only departures. Check the conditions of the specific sailing instead of projecting that label onto all historical voyages. For accommodation choice, compare the actual room and window arrangement; the operator distinguishes adapted cabins and their facilities individually. Confirm port hours, embarkation instructions and independent transport together. The original design, completed improvements and selected itinerary jointly explain the experience more clearly than the destination name alone.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Year built | 1997 |
| Entered service | 1997 |
| Gross tonnage (GT) | 61,849 |
| Guests at double occupancy | — |
| Maximum guests | — |
| Crew | 650 |
| Cabins | 702 |
| Decks (total) | — |
| Length (m) | 237.9 |
| Beam (m) | 34.45 |
| Last verified refurbishment year | 2025 |
| Maximum speed (knots) | 25 |
| IMO | 9122552 |
| Shipyard | — |
| Flag | — |
| Propulsion / fuel description | — |
| Previous names | Rotterdam (VI) |
A dash means no independently verified value is available. Guest counts at double occupancy and maximum capacity are different measures. GT measures enclosed volume, not weight.
Other ships in the same recorded class
Shared class does not guarantee identical cabins, venues or deck layouts.
| Bolette | R class (Holland America) | 2000 | 62,735 |
|---|
Last checked:
Sources
- Holland America — actual original R-class fleet history — Accessed
RotterdamVIintroduced1997firstRclass;not2021RotterdamVII.
- Carnival — original delivery table — Accessed
Rotterdamcalendar-delivered1997;old1404paxnotcurrent.
- Fred. Olsen — actual2020purchase and former names — Accessed
RotterdamtoBorealis,notnew2020hull.
- Fred. Olsen — architect first-person design account — Accessed
StephenPayneprojectmanagerandRotterdamVIidentity; planned2024guesttalknotassertedcompletedfromMayannouncement.
- Fred. Olsen — actual November2025refit completion — Accessed
Returnedwithguests7November2025afterDamenRotterdam. Refreshedvenuesandstagetechcompleted;future2026programmenotassumedalreadyrunningfrom2025release.
- Fred. Olsen — current individual ship particulars — Accessed
237.9m34.45munqualifiedwidth;702rooms650crew1299STANDARDoccupancy. Higherheadline1353notassumedmaximum.
- US Coast Guard — current individual COFR record — Accessed
9122552;61849GT.
- Fred. Olsen — actual shore power and partial biofuel use — Accessed
After2024trialBorealisshareofitinerariesbiofuel;BoletteBorealisshorepower. Notallvoyagesorports.
- Fred. Olsen — specific2026adults-only programme — Accessed
Explicit2026adultsonlysailings;nohistoricalallvoyageagepolicyinferred.
- Fred. Olsen — explicitly published maximum speed — Accessed
25ktsMAX;notaverageitineraryspeed.