Your first cruise ship

[ansjefitnes]

Hallo/Hi John,

 

 

My first cruise was on the Costa Atlantica to Norway and Spitzbergen in July 2008.

It was a amazingly beautifull yourney, Norway is gorgeous but Spitzbergen

is even better, so different and cold.

 

Since that trip i am sort of hooked, just finished my 4th cruise and booked

another one for july 2011.

 

Wat een geweldige informatie over alle schepen John!!

What a amazing amount of information about all the ships John!!

 

 

Groeten/greetings

 

Maria

[Copper10-8]

The wife and my first cruie was on the Carnival April 1979. Ft Lauaderdale, San Juan, St Thomas and St Martin. The Carnival was the Carnival lines second ship, first being the Mardi Grau. Second cruise was Carnival Valor 2009 an Princess Caribbeau Princess Jan 2010. Still planning next one but probabely can't wait 20 years against and second one.

 

ss Empress of Britain (1956-2008) Built in 1956 as ss Empress of Britain by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan (Glasgow), Scotland for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. She was launched on 22 June 1955 by HM Queen Elizabeth II, nearly fifty years after the first CP Empress of Britain was launched from Govan in November 1905. Eleven months later, she set off on a maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montreal, Quebec departing on 20 April 1956.

 

 

The 25,516-ton vessel had a length of 640 feet, and her beam was 85.2 feet. The ship had one funnel, one mast, twin screws and an average speed of 20 knots. The ocean liner provided accommodation for 160 first class passengers and for 984 tourist class passengers. She would sail for Canadian Pacific Line until 1964 when she was sold to the Greek Line and renamed Queen Anna Maria.

 

 

Her new owners had her rebuilt at the Marriotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy to 21,716 gross tons with accommodations for 168 first class passengers and for 1,145 tourist class passengers. She sailed on the Piraeus, Greece to Naples, Italy to New York route. Towards the latter part of her career with the Greek Line, she provided service on the Haifa, Israel to New York route. In 1975, after her owners ran into financial problems and ultimately collapsed, she was laid up at Perama (Piraeus), Greece.

 

 

She was sold to Carnival Cruise Line in 1976. Her former stable mate with Canadian Pacific, the third Empress, the Empress of Canada, was already at Carnival as their Mardi Gras. Queen Ana Maria entered drydock in Newport News, VA and emerged as Carnivale in February 1976. Carnival placed her on weekly cruises from Miami, FL to the Caribbean, alongside Mardi Gras. By the late eighties, she had been placed on three and four-night "party cruise" runs to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, FL.

 

 

As Carnival's market expanded and the company was able to afford buying new ships, the ship was transferred in to a Carnival Latin market subsidiary cruise line by the name of Fiesta Marine Cruises in 1993. With Fiesta Marine, and as the Fiesta Marina (her new name), she became something of a test ship in a cruise-line expansion venture, sailing out of San Juan,Puerto Rico and Caracas, Venezuela. After only three months, this ultimately proved to be unsuccessful.

 

In 1994, Fiesta Marine sold her to Greece-based Epirotiki Line. She sailed for Perama, Greece and emerged in the spring of 1995 as the Olympic for Epirotiki's Mediterranean cruise program. She was loved by her passengers and for a while, was once again "queen" of a Greek fleet. In 1996, Epirotiki Lines merged with longtime competitor, Sun Lines, to form Royal Olympic Cruises.

 

 

In 1997, the former Olympic was sold to Greece-based Topaz International and, after a rebuilt at Eleusis, Greece, the ship was re-named Topaz on a bare boat charter to British tour operator Thomson Holidays in the spring of 1998.

 

[Copper10-8]

 

In 2003, the vessel was placed on a long-term charter through 2006 with the Tokyo, Japan-based Peace Boat International orginazation, still as Topaz for world-wide cruising.

 

 

Peace Boat is an international non-governmental organization based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, seeking to establish a global network among people, grassroots movements and NGOs working on issues such as peace, human rights development and environmental protection.

 

 

In the past 15 years it has chartered passenger ships to make 25 voyages and taken over 10,000 people to more than 80 ports.Through personal exchange and co-operation with people in other countries, particularly in areas of conflict and former conflict, it works to increase mutual understanding and bridge the gap between peoples, countries and cultures. By inviting guests from all over the world to join the voyage and participate in conferences on board it offers a global perspective on events and issues.

 

 

In April 2008, she was retired from the Peace Boat organization; and she was laid up at Singapore Roads. On June 15, while she was anchored there, she was struck by the chemical tanker Champion Brali. The collision severed off part of her bow.

 

She was subsequently sold for scrap to Indian shipbreakers and in the late summer of 2008, she arrived at Alang, India where she was beached awaiting to be scrapped. She was placed not too far away from where the remains of the former liner ss France (later NCL's ss Norway) are located. The ship's demolition was started a few months after being beached. As of November 2009, most of the former Empress of Britain had been scrapped.

[Copper10-8]

Some add'l pics of Empress of Britain

 

 

As Empress of Britain

 

 

As Queen Anna Maria at Gaspe Bay, Quebec in 1972

 

 

As Carnivale off Miami in 1989

 

 

As Topaz in Barcelona in 1999

 

 

As Topaz in Yokohama, Japan in December 2005

 

 

As Topaz in New York in 2007

[Taxguy77]

Our first was 13 years ago this week, on the Rhapsody of the Seas in her inaugural year, to Alaska. I booked it on a Wednesday, came home that evening and told DH, "Guess where we're going this weekend." We flew out on Saturday morning, the day of the cruise. He'd refused to cruise for the 14 years of our marriage so I didn't give him a choice, just presented him with a done deal. I knew he'd love Alaska. Well, he did, but he loved cruising even more and we've averaged 4 weeks a year on cruise ships ever since.

 

I was right, a fact that I remind him about whenever the situation warrants.

 

Pobrecito:eek:

[GR82GO2C]

Ruth, my first cruise was the same as yours, only in 1975.

I remember the Rotterdam going along too, as an escort.

They switched entertainers in Bermuda.

Got burned to a crisp. Being only 24, I put the entire trip on a credit card and it took over 3 years to pay it off.

 

 

Had a great time, tho, and knew i loved being at sea. I still have a medallion on a chain, and a nice photo album.

Here is a pic of our first cruise ship..

http://www.vdleek.nl/Hal/Vloot/Stdm-4.jpg

[Copper10-8]

Sovereign Of The Seas

 

 

 

 

ms Sovereign of the Seas (1988-present) Built in 1988 as ms Sovereign of the Seas by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France for Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). She was the lead ship of a three-ship (Sovereign) class, her sisters being Monarch of the Seas (1991) and Majesty of the Seas (1992). They were the first modern megaships to be built and the first series of cruise ships to include a multi-story atrium with glass elevators. They also had a single deck consisting entirely of cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins.

 

 

 

After having been delivered to her new owners on 19 December 1987, she then crossed the Atlantic to Miami, Fl. She was christened and named by her godmother, Rosalyn Carter, wife of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on 15 January 1988. At the time of her maiden voyage on 16 January 1988, she was the largest cruise ship in the world at 73,192 gross tons. She held that record until 1990 when the ss Norway succeeded her after being refurbished with the addition of two more decks.

 

 

RCCL initially operated Sovereign OTS out of Miami, Fl on seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises with port calls at San Juan, Puerto Rico, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and at Labadee, their private resort on the north coast of Haiti. Later on during her RCI career, she operated on three and four-night sailings to the Bahamas, also from Miami. In 2006 however, she switched her home base to Port Canaveral, Fl with a smilar itinerary. Besides Nassau, these cruises also visited CocoCay (Little Stirrup Cay), RCI's (Royal Caribbean International - name change in 1997) privately-owned island in the Berry Islands

 

 

In October 2007, RCI announced that Sovereign of the Seas would receive an internal transfer to the fleet of their subsidiary, Spanish-based Pullmantur Cruises in November 2008. Sovereign of the Seas' last scheduled sailing for Royal Caribbean International was on 31 October 2008 and in November 2008, her sister Monarch of the Seas assumed her sailings out of Port Canaveral. Sovereign of the Seas received a refit and a new name 'Sovereign'.

 

 

Beginning in March 2009, she has been operating Mediterranean cruises for Pullmantur out of Barcelona, Spain.

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Maasdam - September 2004. We sailed two weeks after our son's wedding and we were celebrating my graduation with a Master's degree at the age of [gulp] 56! We sailed from Boston to Montreal and the itinerary was significant because my ancestors were some of the original French settlers of Acadie [now known as Nova Scotia]. After 'Le Grande Derangement' [the exile of the French by the British in 1755] my ancestors resettled in Cajun land - south Louisiana. Most of my very large extended family are still rooted in LA. My DH took me to Texas when we married 40 yrs ago.

 

We planned to sail every year after that first trip - but got derailed several years with land trips to France, remodeling, grandbabies. Hoping to arrange our future with as many nights at sea as possible while still working.

 

We chose HAL after lots of online research about the difference in styles of the cruise lines. I have yet to read anything that makes me want to switch from HAL!!

 

ms Maasdam (1993-present) Built in 1993 as ms Maasdam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy for Holland America Line. She is the fifth ship to bear the name in Holland America Line’s more than 130-year history. She was named after the river ‘Maas’ and the town by that same name in the Dutch province of Zuid Holland (South Holland), located about 14 km south of the city of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Binnenmaas. Maasdam is the second ship of the four-ship (initially only three) “S” or “Statendam” class. Statendam (1993), Ryndam (1994) and Veendam (1996) are her sisters. At 720-feet, she was designed to carry fewer passengers (1,266) while providing more space for maximum comfort. Many of her staterooms feature ocean views and, for the first time on a Holland America Line ship, have private verandahs.

 

The first Maasdam operated for Holland America Line from 1883 until 1884. She was built by Henderson, Coulbourn & Co. in Renfrew, Scotland as a brig-rigged, steel-hulled steamer and was initially named ‘Maas’. On 24 October 1884, while underway from Rotterdam to New York, she caught fire which resulted in all passengers and crew having to abandon her. Maasdam I subsequently sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The second Maasdam was launched on 4 July 1871 as the Republic for UK-based Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. She was purchased by the Holland Amerika Lijn on 15 June 1889 and, after a refit in Rotterdam, named Maasdam. After plying the Atlantic for HAL for thirteen years, she was sold to Italy-based Fratelli Bozzo in March 1902. She was ultimately sold for scrap and, as Citta Di Napoli, broken up in 1909.

 

Maasdam III was launched on 21 October 1920 at the Rotterdam-Feijenoord yard, the Netherlands as an 8,800 grt cargo-passenger vessel. She could carry 14 passengers in First Class accommodation, 174 in Second Class plus 800 in Third Class. She was initially operated by HAL on their Mexico run. After a refit in 1934, she was used between Rotterdam and New York. After the Netherlands were invaded and occupied by Germany in 1940, Maasdam III was operated by the British Ministry of War Transport. On 26 June 1941 while sailing from Halifax, NS to Liverpool, England, she was attacked and torpedoed by the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) sub U-564. She sank as a result of this attack with two loss of life among her crew.

 

Maasdam IV was built at Dok en Werfmaatschappij (Dock and Shipbuilding Co.) Wilton-Feijenoord in Schiedam in the Netherlands during 1952. She and her two-year older sister Ryndam were known as HAL’s ‘Economy Twins’. At 15,000 grt, they could carry 854 passengers. The fourth Maasdam was used on the transatlantic liner service between Rotterdam and New York (with some voyages to Montreal, Quebec), on cruises to Bermuda and on some trips to Australia. She was eventually sold to the Polish Ocean Lines in 1968 who renamed her Stefan Batory. After additional owners and periods of layup, she met her end at the scrap yard of Aliaga, Turkey where she was broken up in 1999

 

Maasdam V’s keel was laid down at Monfalcone on 4 April 1991. After running technical trials in the Adriatic, she was handed over to her owners on 30 October 1993. On 5 November 1993 she commenced a transatlantic crossing, with crew but without passengers, to the east coast of the United States under the command of Captain Coenraad Menke, with Holland America Line since 1956. Maadam made port calls at Boston, Mass, New York City, NY, Baltimore, MD, Charleston, SC and Port Canaveral, FL, before arriving at her home port of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. More than 16,000 travel agents, more than 700 HAL Grand Cruise alumni and approximately 150 media representatives visited the ship at the ports where open houses, alumni luncheons and overnight stays were conducted.

 

On 3 December 1993, Maasdam was named in Port Everglades by her godmother, screen actress June Allyson. That same afternoon, she sailed her inaugural/maiden voyage, a ten-day cruise to the Caribbean. Since then, she has sailed to the Caribbean, Canada/New England, Europe, the Panama Canal, Central and South America, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. In 1994, she conducted her first World Cruise. On 10 May 1996 she along with her fleet mates (except Veendam) switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to a Dutch one (Rotterdam).

 

The four ships of the class are just about identical, having only minor changes in their internal layout. However, each one has a different decorative theme. Maasdam’s theme pays tribute to the Dutch East and West India companies of the 17th through 19th centuries, with more than U.S. $2 million worth of art and artifacts displayed throughout the ship. Other intriguing art featured on the Maasdam are two abstract murals painted especially for the Rotterdam Dining Room, a collection of seven iron teapots and a charcoal brazier from Japan, which dates from the end of Edo period.

 

Maasdam has one penthouse, 28 suites, 120 deluxe staterooms, 352 outside staterooms and 132 inside staterooms for a total of 633. She, along with her three sisters, were the first new HAL cruise ships to have features like an atrium, a multi (two)-story main dining room and main show lounge, and an indoor/outdoor Lido pool with retractable roof. When launched, Maasdam came out with a Java Café coffee bar, Explorers Lounge, Piano Bar, Ocean Bar (a HAL trademark), Crow’s Nest (observation lounge by day/nightclub by night), Leyden Library, Puzzle Corner, Card room, Hudson room, Half Moon room (the latter two can be combined into one room for meetings and private parties), the 249-seat Wajang (movie) theater (also used for lectures, meetings and religious services), Photo Gallery, Shopping Arcade (plus Kiosk and Boutique), Casino (offering blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, craps and 97 slot machines), Beauty Shop, Ocean Spa and Gymnasium (with juice bar, massage area, two sauna and two steam rooms) 403-seat Lido (buffet) Restaurant, the 657-seat two-level Rotterdam dining room connected by a pair of sweeping, curved staircases with shiny brass railings, a ceiling canopy made from Venetian glass and an antique marble fountain from Argentina, two small and private dining rooms known as the Queens and Kings rooms and two outdoor swimming pools (one that can be closed off with a magrodome), two Jacuzzis and a small children wading pool (since covered up) and two deck tennis courts (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side).

 

The “S” class ships were all designed with somewhat of a novelty at sea, a public escalator that could be used by embarking passengers on Main deck to reach their cabins on Lower Promenade deck while getting a glimpse of the ship’s atrium. Maasdam’s escalator will be removed during her April 2011 dry-dock. That atrium, three-stories high, showcases Italian artist Luciano Vistosi’s “Totem”, a monumental sculpture consisting of nearly 2,000 pieces of (mostly green) colored glass modules. As light hits all the different pieces of glass, a variety of effects are created. The green crystal modules were made by hand in Murano, Italy. At the forward end of Maasdam’s Lido Pool there is a 12-foot high cast bronze sculpture of five leaping bottlenose dolphins created by the British artist Susanna Holt. The 600-seat Rembrandt Theater/show lounge forward on both Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks commemorates Dutch 17th century Master Rembrandt van Rijn.

 

During a regularly scheduled dry-dock in Seattle, WA in October 2003, Maasdam gained her second alternative restaurant, the 66-seat Pinnacle Grill featuring Pacific Northwest fare and fine wines (none of the four “S” class ships were built with one). In order to install the restaurant on Maasdam and her three “S” class sisters, HAL had the private dining room, known as the Kings room, a portion of the Explores Lounge, the Maitre d’s office, as well as the small 'Video Arcade' gutted and converted that space into a Pinnacle Grill restaurant with 'ocean views’. On the “S” class ships, the PG is located on Upper Promenade Deck starboard side in between the main dining room and the Explorers Lounge. In addition, a new and private concierge lounge, called the Neptune Lounge, was constructed on Navigation Deck for the exclusive use by Deluxe Verandah and Penthouse suite occupants (Maasdam lost eight inside staterooms in order to build the lounge). The new lounge gives those guests a peaceful, private retreat where they can relax and get whatever assistance they need such as fresh towels, shore excursion reservations, etc, from their personal concierge. Lastly, some of her SOE soft goods were installed.

 

In November 2003, Holland America Cruise Line announced a U.S. $225 million program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience called the 'Signature of Excellence program'. This enhancement program included stateroom amenities: Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, 100% white cotton woven bed linens, waffle-weave and terry cloth bathrobes and extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels to all cabin categories; new massage-type showerheads and professional-grade quiet hair dryers in all bathrooms; new flat-screen LCD televisions, 5x magnifying make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh flowers, complimentary fruit baskets and stainless-steel ice buckets with serving trays in all cabins; plus comfortable bed duvets, fully-stocked mini-bars, personalized stationary, DVD players and access to a well-stocked DVD library in all suite-category staterooms.

 

Also new would be a Culinary Arts Center (inside the Wajang Theater) presented by Food & Wine magazine with a state-of-the-art show kitchen equipped with plasma video screens and on-stage counters for gourmet cooking demonstrations, tasting events and interactive classes; a Wine Tasting Bar and Gourmet Shop where guests can purchase culinary items including china and silverware from the Pinnacle Grill as well as HAL Master Chef’s Rudi Sodamin’s cook books, (in place of her Java Café); the introduction of the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and private Neptune concierge lounge on all ships, two additional dining times in the main dining room, a casual dinner option with table-side waiter service inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times”, which offers guests an opportunity to sip coffee, browse through one of the most extensive libraries at sea, enjoy a wide selection of music at one of several listening stations or surf the Internet; a refurbished Crow’s Nest; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with new treatment rooms offering a thermal suite with hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy hot tub/Jacuzzi as well as heated ceramic lounges plus the extension and expansion of the fitness facility/gymnasium, out and above the ship’s bridge.

 

In addition, changes were made for non-adults, including newly expanded youth facilities within the "Club HAL" program and the creation of the interior “Loft” and exterior “Oasis” for teens. The younger cruisers (ages 3-7) can enjoy supervised, age-specific activities in a more comprehensive Youth Program (arts and crafts, face painting, candy bar bingo, a pajama party, story-telling, board games, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, etc.) in Club HAL. Their room has art theme with paint can stools, palette tables, and vibrant colors. Tweens (ages 8-12) have their own arcade area with their own stage, a jukebox, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, Sony Playstations, a Digital Dance Revolution machine (DDR), vending machines, miniature golf, ping pong, dance parties, sports events, scavenger hunts, etc. The Loft is a teens-only (ages 13-18) lounge designed to resemble a New York artist's loft and comes complete with dance floor, state-of-the-art sound and laser light system, big screen TV, music videos, DVDs, Sony Playstations, a DDR, comfortable couches, and Internet access. A spiral staircase leads up to the Oasis, a secluded, teens-only sun deck with covered snack areas where teens can soak up rays in hammocks and then cool off in a one-of-a-kind cave and wade pool complete with nine-foot high tropical waterfall.

 

Shipboard program changes under SOE #1 included an expanded Exploration Speaker series, unique Medallion and Collection shore excursions, iPod art tours of all ships, new wine packages, an early embarkation program (as early as 11:30 am) for guests, flexible As You Wish dining with four dining times in the main dining room, an expanded Pinnacle Grill menu, exclusive flatware, china and stemware in all restaurants, and a broad expansion of the Greenhouse Spa and Salon facilities and treatments.

 

 

For Maasdam, the refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Leyden Library, Puzzle Corner, Card Room and Kristal Terrace. Maasdam spent a three-week dry-dock period at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas from 5 until 26 April 2006 where the major SOE part 1 enhancements were installed.

 

For the first time in company history, Maasdam made Norfolk, VA her home port for sixteen of her cruises in 2004. In total, Maasdam had eight departures in 2004 from Norfolk for 11-day cruises of the southern Caribbean (Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas, Road Town, Tortola, BVI, Cabrits/Rouseau, Dominica, Bridgetown, Barbados, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe and Charlotte, Amalle, St. Thomas, USVI) and seven departures for 10-day tours of the eastern Caribbean islands (Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten, St. John’s, Antigua and Charlotte, Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI). In addition, Norfolk was the final stop on the ship's 14-day eastern Canada sailing that originated in Montreal, Que on 16 October 2004.

 

In August 2008, HAL announced further enhancements to, as well as new features on, five of the line's ships as part of its ongoing Signature of Excellence program. Over the next five years the four “S” sisters as well as the lead ship of the 'R' class, ms Rotterdam, underwent or will undergo extensive dry docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor.

 

During a scheduled dry-dock at the Grand Bahama shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas from 2 through 16 January 2009, Maasdam gained “Merabella”, an exclusive luxury jewelry boutique. Merabella is located on Upper Promenade Deck mid-ships, in between the Explorers Lounge and Maasdam’s Piano Bar. It was created by gutting the forward portion of the Explorers Lounge.

 

On 30 January 2009, Maasdam also gained the Digital Workshop program by Microsoft which is comprised of complimentary classes led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program, located in the Queen’s Room, her passengers can learn to use computers to enhance photos, produce and publish videos onto a DVD and create personal web pages or blogs. In addition, one-on-one coaching, called “Techspert Time” is available for more than 20 hours each week.

 

On 1 June 2009, HAL announced that, except for Veendam, completed at end of April 2009, and Rotterdam, completed in December 2009, the SOE part 2 enhancements will be accomplished in two phases. First, in a series of dry-docks in 2010 and 2011, Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam will receive their stateroom upgrades, 16 Spa staterooms, the addition of Mix, Showroom at Sea and, for those ships that do not already have it, Canaletto and Merabella and other public area enhancements. The second series of dry-docks in 2012 and 2013 will add thirty-eight new Lanai staterooms on Deck 6/Lower Promenade deck, whose large sliding glass doors will provide direct access to the walk-around teak promenade. After experiences water leakage problem with the Retreat pool concept on both Veendam and Rotterdam, it is unclear if the Retreat pool as well as the new pre-fabricated block of twenty sixnew verandah and five inside staterooms on the stern will be added on Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam during their next scheduled dry-dock period (for Maasdam scheduled in the fall of 2013).

 

During a 14-day southern Caribbean cruise on 30 April 2010, the finishing touches were made to Maasdam’s second alternative restaurant, “Canaletto”, a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner. (It opened on 05 May 2010). Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, will come to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when a section of the ship’s Lido restaurant is transformed into the Italian restaurant. Canaletto's menu begins with an antipasti plate that changes nightly, followed by soup choices, salad, four pasta dishes and entrees like Veal Milanese, Chicken Marsala Scaloppini, Osso Bucco and Cod Putanesca.

 

Maasdam is scheduled to enter dry-dock in Freeport, the Bahamas from 9 through 23 April 2011 for the first phase of her SOE part 2 enhancements. During that dry-dock she will receive:

 

- The upgrading of all of her existing staterooms with new decor, modern wall sconces, carpeting, drapes, pillows and bed runners, resurfaced desks and vanities, and new vanities and cabinetry in the bathrooms.

 

- The upgrading of her Ocean Bar.

- “Mix”, a multi-themed new bar concept featuring three separate areas where either Champagne, for mid-day mimosas or anytime celebrations, Martinis, for Grey Goose cocktails and martini flights and/or Spirits & Ales for microbrews, single malts and sports updates are served. In order to accomplish this, Maasdam’s original Piano and Casino Bars will be gutted A number of Microsoft Surface tables will be found inside on which electronic games can be played. In addition, the entertainment area on Upper Promenade deck will be opened up (walls will literally be knocked down) to create a better flow between shops, bars and the casino.

 

- “Showroom at Sea,” Maasdam’s Rembrandt main show lounge will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a nightclub and where a new slate of shows will be performed at night.

 

- The addition/creation of twenty-nine new Lanai staterooms on Deck 6/Lower Promenade whose large sliding glass doors (with one-way-mirror coating to ensure privacy) will provide direct access to the walk-around teak promenade. Each Lanai room will offer its passengers two reserved teak lounge chairs just outside the cabin.

 

- The conversion of sixteen staterooms (fourteen outside and two inside) on Verandah Deck, two decks below the nearby Greenhouse Spa, Known as “Spa staterooms” with a variety of enhanced amenities, each of them will offer exclusive items such as organic cotton bathrobes and slippers, a yoga mat, an iPod docking station, a countertop water feature, special room service menus and exclusive spa treatments.

 

Maasdam’s first Cruise after that 2011 dry-dock will be a 13-day Canada/New England from Fort Lauderdale, Fl to New York, NY on 24 April 2011.

 

Maasdam is scheduled for the second phase of SOE Part 2 in yet another visit to the Freeport dry-dock in the fall of 2013.

Edited September 11, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Carnival Destiny, 1995... to this day I STILL feel it was the best cruise we have ever been on. Perhaps the Panama Canal on HAL will surpass... we will see. So much has changed since the 90's... I wish some things that cruiselines used to do would come back in vogue but I know some never will due to security reasons, for instance bon voyage parties with none cruising guests.

 

ms Carnival Destiny (1996-present) Built as ms Carnival Destiny in 1996 by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy, for Carnival Cruise Line (CCL). She was the lead ship of the Destiny/Triumph class, the world's largest cruise ship until 1998 when Princess Cruises' Grand Princess appeared on scene and, at 101,355 GRT, also the first passenger ship to be built over 100,000 gross tons. Carnival Destiny stretches three football fields in length, and with a beam of 116 feet was the first passenger vessel too wide to transit the Panama Canal.

 

The second (Carnival Triumph - 1998) and third (Carnival Victory - 2000) vessel of Destiny class were both modified and differ from Destiny in that they were launched with the addition of extra balcony cabins on their Lido decks and various changes to placement and shapes of their public areas. Because of the additional of those extra cabins, Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory are officialy part of the Triumph Class while Destiny is in a class by herself. Carnival Destiny is able to carry a total of 3,400 passengers (lower beds: 2,642 passengers) in 1,321 staterooms. Her maximum crew capacity is approximately 1,050, her bridge officers are Italian and the remainder of her crew is international.

 

Carnival Destiny was delivered to her owners on 17 October 1996 at a dockside ceremony in Monfalcone when the Carnival corporate flag was raised on the ship's mast for the first time. Command of the vessel was turned over to Captain Giovanni Gallo, a 20-year Italian veteran of Carnival Cruise Lines' deck department. The following week, Carnival Destiny sailed the short distance to Venice for two days of public relations functions for European travel industry professionals. On 23 October she was named there by her godmother, Marilyn “Lin” Arison, the spouse of Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Carnival Destiny then crossed the Atlantic with port calls at New York City, NY, Boston, Mass and Norfolk, Va for two weeks of promotional activities before she arrived at her new homeport of Miami, Fl from where she began seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises on 24 November 1996.

 

In 2005, Carnival Destiny was sailing year-round seven-day southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan with Sunday departures and ports of calls at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI (with service calls at Cruz bay, St. John, USVI), Roseau, Dominica, Bridgetwown, Barbados and Oranjestad, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles. On 27 September 2008, Destiny switched home ports from San Juan, PR to Miami, Fl to begin a new schedule of four- and five-day cruises from there. Her younger sister, Canival Victory took her place in Puerto Rico.

Carnival Destiny has an astrological theme. The ship's dining options include the two-level, 706-seat two-tier Galaxy (forward) main dining room, 1,114-seat two-tier Universe (aft) main dining room, 1,252-seat two-level Sun & Sea (casual) Lido restaurant with Happy Valley Asian station, Taste of Nations, The Grill, New York-style Deli, 24-hour Pizzeria and Dessert Station and 88-seat Cafe on the Way patisserie, including specialty coffees. These options are part of Carnival's Total Choice Dining program offering a variety of formal and casual choices at sea.

A nine-deck-high atrium called the Rotunda, provides access to seventeen bars and lounges and the 470-person Millionaire's Club casino with more than 300 slot machines, gaming tables and 185-person Destiny Bar. Among others, the vessel's 12 passenger decks house the 1,500 seat, three-deck-high Palladium main show lounge that offers Las Vegas-style productions, The 440-seat Criterion cabaret-type Lounge, the 330-seat Point After dance club/discoteque, 60-seat Down Beat Bar/jazz club, 190-seat Onyx Bar/Cigar Room, 55-seat All Star (sports) Bar, 120-seat Flagship Bar, 90-seat Appollo (piano) Bar, 20-seat Cheers (wine) Bar, 16-seat Library, an expansive 15,000 square feet Spa Carnival health and fitness club with Spa and Beauty Parlor, Internet Cafe, Art Gallery, a Photo Gallery and Studio and the Fun Shops duty-free shopping arcade.

 

In addition, Destiny's Way interior promenade, a Golf Pro and Simulator, a nine-hole miniature golf course, basketball court, running track, Solar mid-ships pool with Seaside Theater and two hot tubs, Stellar main pool with a 3-deck high, 214-foot long Twister water slide, Kids wading pool, Sun & Sea aft pool and Camp Carnival, a children’s facility for kids ages 2 to 11 featuring an arts and crafts center and computer lab, Circle "C" (age 12-14), Club O2 (for teens age 15-17) and the Virtual World Arcade can be found on the ship.

From 11 September through 2 October 2005, Destiny underwent a multi-million dollar 21-day dry docking in Freeport, the Bahamas, during which she was extensively refurbished and new amenities were added including a new teen club, part of the line's recently expanded "Club 02" teen program. Located on Spa Deck 11, the modern facility includes a dance floor, high-tech sound/light system, three large-screen plasma TVs displaying the latest movies and music videos, music listening stations, video game pods, and a "mocktail" lounge serving non-alcoholic specialty drinks. and additions to the casino. Other renovations include a revamped Sun & Sea poolside restaurant on Lido deck, updated lighting, new carpeting and chairs, and a new espresso bar. A poolside stage was relocated to a covered area on Lido Deck, providing her guests with more space for sunning and relaxing. Whirlpools were replaced on Lido Deck, new lighting rigs and backdrops were installed in the 1,400-seat Palladium Theater. Her Millionaire's Club Casino was refurbished as well, with a new poker pit, new lighting and furniture, and various other cosmetic enhancements. In addition, virtually all other public areas, including the Onyx Lounge, Point After Dance Club, and Apollo Piano Bar, were renovated to some extent, and her 48 suites and penthouse suites were upgraded to include updated lavatories, carpeting and wall coverings.

 

From 7 through 20 September 2008, Carnival Destiny underwent a refit at the Grand Bahama shipyard in Freeport which, besides an overhaul of her cabins and public rooms, included the installation of Carnival's Seaside Theater for her midship pool. during a recent two-week dry dock. The Seaside Theater consists of a massive 270-square-foot outdoor LED screen on Lido Deck displaying movies, concerts, sporting events and other

programming.

 

Carnival Destiny currently departs Miami on Thursdays on four-day Western Caribbean itineraries to Key West, Fla., and Cozumel, Mexico; Mondays on five-day Esatern Carib. cruises to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands; Holland America Line's private island Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas; and Saturdays on five-day Western Carib. voyages to George Town, Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

 

[HAZMAT]

Our 1st cruise was in early August, 1995, on HAL's old Noordam out of Vancouver, B.C. for 7 days through Alaska's Inside Passage. We caught the cruise bug and got hooked! We have yet to try the new Noordam but definitely want to.

I can recommend the new Noordam after 21 days on her in the med fantastic ship with an equally fantastic crew

[Bill B]

Sun Princess, May 15, 2000 'Voyage of the Glaciers', Vancouver to Seward/Anchorage.

 

It sure did get me hooked! I've been on: ten Princess, one HAL and one Costa cruise... and presently have the Volendam booked for the Jan. 16, fourteen-day, 'Pacific Treasures' cruise.

[Copper10-8]

My first ocean voyage was on the Arcadia in 1971, Freemantle to Southhampton. Thoroughly enjoyed those weeks on board.

 

Copper 10-8, thank you for all the information and photos of the ships, very interesting.

 

tss Arcadia (1954-1979) Built in 1954 as tss (turbine steam ship) Arcadia by John Brown & Company Ltd. shipyards at Clydebank, Scotland for the London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, commonly known as P&O, for their U.K. to Australia passenger service. She was the second Arcadia for the company, the first having operated for P&O between 1888 and 1915. Arcadia II's keel was laid on 28 June 1951 and she was launched on 14 May 1953 by Margaret Llewallyn-Anderson, the wife of then P&O Deputy Chairman Donald F. Anderson.

Arcadia was completed on 20 January 1954 and her technical trials took place six days after that on the Clyde. Arcadia was delivered to her new owners on 30 January 1954. The 29,734 gross registered ton ship could carry 670 First Class and 735 Tourist Class passengers and a crew of 716. A slightly younger sister by the name of Iberia was built at the same time by Harland & Wolff Ltd. shipyard at Belfast, Northern Ireland.

After sailing to Tilbury (London), her maiden voyage took place on 22 February 1954 when she departed for Fremantle, Sydney and Canberra via a Suez Canal transit. Upon her return to the U.K., she sailed her first cruise from Southampton on 6 April 1954. On 4 January 1959, she arrived at the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast for an extensive refit, including the addition of an air conditioning system. She emerged from the yard on 6 November 1959 and, shortly after, set off on a trans-Pacific cruise which included the first stop by a cruise ship at Picton on the South Island of New Zealand.

In May 1960, management and operation of the ship was transferred to P&O Orient Lines (Passenger Services) after a full merger of the two companies (P&O and Orient Cruise Line or Orient Steam Navigation Company). Since 1958, the regular U.K. to Australia routing had been extended to become London (Tilbury Docks)/Southampton - Gibraltar, Naples, Port Said, Suez Canal transit - Aden - Bombay - Colombo - Fremantle - Melbourne - Sydney - Auckland - Suva - Honolulu - Vancouver - San Francisco, with the return trip in the other direction plus the addition of port call at Marseille, France. In 1965, Arcadia was based out of Sydney for part-time cruising and in October 1966 the operating name of P&O-Orient Line was dropped in favor of just P&O Line.

In December 1968, clearance was obtained from United States authorities to make scheduled cruises from U.S. ports to the Caribbean. In April 1970, Arcadia entered the Vosper Thornycroft Ltd. shipyard in Southampton, England for conversion to a full-time cruise ship. As part of the refit, her mainmast was removed and her foremast shortened by eighteen feet in order to clear low cables in Alaskan harbors. She subsequently became the first large ship to cruise in Alaska.

In June 1973, Arcadia became a 1,350 passenger, one-class cruise ship and on 17 May 1975, P&O sent her back to Sydney, Australia which would become her full-time home port. Upon arrival there, she replaced the line's 1948-built ss Himalaya on scheduled cruise voyages.

Arcadia would sail her last cruise for P&O in 1979, departing Sydney for Singapore on 29 January, with port calls at Brisbane, Rabaul and Hong Kong. She arrived in Singapore on 17 February 1979 and transferred all her passengers to P&O's newly purchased Sea Princess, the former 1966-built Kungsholm from the Swedish America Line. Ten days later, on 27 February 1979, she was sold for scrap metal to the Taiwan-based Lee Chang Steel and Iron Works. She arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 28 February and her breaking up process started on 30 April 1979.

[cathardt]

Carnival Mardi Gras July 1980 on honeymoon with ex-husband. Now I've been on about 42 crusies.

[ChatNoir]

My first cruise experience was working as a deck steward aboard M/S "Sagafjord" back in 1967/68. It was then the flagship of the Norwegian America Line. I was 19 years old, and my only hope was, that one day I would be so rich that I could afford a cruise on a ship like her.

 

My first cruise as a passenger, was on board the M/S "Prinsesse Ragnhild", owned by Jahre Cruiseline. She was a ferry between Oslo and Kiel in the summer months, and during the winter months, she would cruise the Mediterranean. Nothing like the luxury of today, there were linoleum covered floors, some cabins without private baths and no shows at night. Just a singer who did a marvellous job entertaining us for 16 days. Buffet for breakfast and lunch, and the choice of two main courses for dinner. Still, I had a marvellous time. 21 years old and travelling with a fun bunch of passengers. I had a drink at night, I smoked the occasional cigarette. I was a man of the world....!

[petrakae]

For Hubby, was the maiden voyage of the P & O Oriana 1962? maybe 63? For me was P & O Fairstar, 10 nights to Pacific Islands with DH & two kids. Has become a favourite past time, just not frequent enough. Should have married a millionaire;)

[iancal]

It is probably because most political leaders have three priorities-to get elected, to get re-elected, and to take care of the people who got them elected. There are probably a few more. We come well down the list.

[piscesgal223]

The Azure Seas! I went on a cruise on her around 1987 or so. I wasn't that impressed, and I remember having a VERY late sitting for dinner(8:00- This was pre As You Wish Dining, obviously!).

 

It'd be another 21 years before I sailed again(on the Oosterdam.)

[shippmates]

Our first cruise was a 4 day cruise in December 1989 on the Carnival Mardi Gra. It was a horrible cruise and it was 10 years before we would try cruising again. After the second cruise we were hooked.

[travelingran]

My first cruise was aboard NCL's Song of Norway. A first cruise on a historical ship for the cruise industry.

 

 

That was also our first cruise also. Was blown away and cried when thay told me I had to leave. What a wonderful ship and yes we were hooked.

[kazu]

My first cruise was on the old Home Lines. Even though (unknown to us they were shutting down), it was a nice cruise. all cruises are nice.;) Their ships were nice and the only really bad thing was it was only a 7 day cruise

 

 

then my next cruise was on HAL. Fantastic:) what can I say:D

 

That's where we are now.:)

[Halfmoonfan]

Our first cruise was the SS Norway. We sailed from Miami to St. Thomas, San Juan (the ship sailed @ 2@ as half the ship took the night club and casino tour) and whatever the private island NCL had then (the name escapes me).

And yes we were hooked.

[cinnamon123]

hi copper 10-8,

look what you started! this is fun.

our 1st cruise was on the homeric, owned by home lines in 1986.

from nyc to bermuda with 35 friends & family. in those days the deck

hand would put out lounges & towels when he saw us coming.

those were the days! great memories.

so far, hal is my favorite. we're doing the eurodam in nov,2011.

cinnamon123:)

[rotjeknor]

First very small "cruise", onboard the SS Nieuw Amsterdam from the terminal in Rotterdam to RDM drydock. It took about 2 hours, my father was Chief Engineer.

In july 1980 first proper cruise with ss Rotterdam (V) NYC - Bahamas,

next month we are on the transatlantic crossing with the Rotterdam (VI) from Rotterdam to NYC , can't wait !!

[arewethereyet]

1991 - Windsong - French Polynesia

 

Wonderful cruise. I guess I would have to say it got us hooked.

[ConnCruise]

RCCL Enchantment of the Seas. 1998, western Carib. Key West, Cozumel Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. Great time....