Home Lines

[rosinryanz]

Why did Home Lines, such an excellent cruise line, close up shop?

[BrooklynGirl2]

From what I understand by reading another thread here they were sold in 1988 to Holland America. I don't know why they were sold and I'm wondering if they were in financial trouble. Everyone loved Home Lines. The Oceanic is still sailing in Europe for a Spanish cruise company called Pullmantur. The Doric was used by another cruise line for awhile and is now stripped and was waiting to be turned into a floating restaurant but where ... I don't know. I think the Homeric and Atlantic went to Costa Lines but don't know if they are still Costa ships now.

 

I have a very soft spot in my heart for Homes Lines since my husband worked on both the Doric and Oceanic and it was on the Doric that we met.

[GPoll189]

Homes Lines was not sold. It was bought up just like smaller cruiselines in the 1990 were being bought out and made into the two major cruiselines that now sail in the US. Royal Carribean and Carnival. The Homeric was kept by Holland America Line as the Westerdam II. It was lenghtened after being acuired by HAL to the size it was supposed to be. In 2002 with the new Westerdam being built in Italy HAL decided to transfer the ship to sister company Costa.

[Mark]

The Atlantic currently sails as part of MSC fleet

[dougnewmanatsea]

I don't know why they were sold and I'm wondering if they were in financial trouble.

I've been told that the company shut down (they were, in fact, not sold to HAL - they closed down, and HAL bought the two ships) because there was something going on behind the scenes (financial shenannigans???) that the owners did not want to become public... So they shut down the company before it could.

 

The Doric was used by another cruise line for awhile and is now stripped and was waiting to be turned into a floating restaurant but where ... I don't know.

Regrettably, she no longer exists. She was sold for scrap in 2001 and while being towed from Freeport, Bahamas (where she was laid-up) to India to be scrapped, she sank off the coast of South Africa.

 

Home Lines sold her in 1982 to Royal Cruise Line (absorbed into NCL in 1996) who rebuilt her very extensively and renamed her ROYAL ODYSSEY. In 1988, when their new CROWN ODYSSEY (now NOREWEGIAN CROWN) was built, Royal sold ROYAL ODYSSEY to the now-defunct Regency Cruises who renamed her REGENT SUN. Regency went under abruptly in 1995. At the time, REGENT SUN was at Nassau and was arrested. She was later moved to Freeport and laid-up.

 

In 1998 Regency's creditors sold her to International Shipping Partners, a shipmanagement company (which still exists - see here) closely connected with the also-defunct (but then-operating) Premier and Regal Cruises. The intent was to charter her to Premier, however she was found to be mechanically unsound and the deal did not go through. In 2000, ISP made a deal to completely rebuild her as a spa cruise ship called CANYON RANCH AT SEA in partnership with the famous Canyon Ranch spas. By 2001, the deal had fallen through, though much of the demolition had already taken place. The now-derelict ship was sold for scrap and met her end as described above, off the treacherous waters of South Africa.

 

Unlike OCEANIC and the later ships, DORIC was not built for Home Lines; she was built in 1964 as Zim Israel Lines' SHALOM, the Israeli flagship, for New York-Haifa service. She was a commercial failure and was sold in 1967 to Hamburg-Atlantik Line, a German company closely connected with Home Lines. They renamed her HANSEATIC and ran her until 1973 when Hamburg-Atlantik was dissolved and the ship went over to Home Lines.

 

ATLANTIC (II), now MSC's MELODY, was the replacement of DORIC, though virtually everyone I know much preferred the older ship.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Doug...many thanks for your information. Actually, since my husband had worked for Home Lines for a few years he had heard there was some shennigans/corruption going on behind the scenes but I didn't want to believe him. I guess I just hated to hear that such a wonderful cruise line would end like that.

 

 

As for the Doric...again thanks for all the history and for telling me what happened to her, even though it makes me very sad to hear that she sunk off the coast of South Africa. I had such a wonderful time on that cruise/ship and since it was my first it remains in a special place in my heart and memory.

[JrMafia90]

I have a very soft spot in my heart for Homes Lines since my husband worked on both the Doric and Oceanic and it was on the Doric that we met.

 

When did he work on the Oceanic?

[BrooklynGirl2]

Hey JrMafia90... I left you a post on another Home Lines thread. My husband worked on the Oceanic from 1979-1980 then he worked on the Doric in 1981. We attended the Homes Lines Reunion a few years ago in NJ and I found your Dad's name in the little booklet they gave us. I was wondering if he attends the reunions? There should be another one next year. My husband does not remember your Dad's name but he may remember him by sight. Maybe we can all meet at a Reunion one day.

[JrMafia90]

Yea, my dad was on their from 1975-1985 then he met my mom. We were actually going to have them go on the Oceanic this Oct. for their anniversary. Still thinking about it. I don't think they have been to a renioun in 3 or 4 years. We never hear about them. Let me know when you hear about one. What was your husbands name? What did he do on the ship?

[BrooklynGirl2]

It would be great for your parents to go on the Oceanic again. She is owned by Pullmantur .. a Spanish company I heard. My husband is Gian Franco and he was a waiter from Asti Italy. If I ever get any reunion info I'll be sure to post it here.

[JrMafia90]

Thanks, I'll ask my dad if he knows him when he gets home.

[marco]

This is purely rumor, but this is what we were told........half of the provisions were "walking" off the ship and being sold for personal profit. At the time Home Lines was still sailing, on board expenses were cash. The money from , say, one round of drinks went into the cash resgister, the other into a pocket. I was told that when they closed up, some of the staff retired to Italy as millionaires. Friends were on the last sailing to Bermuda and when they left the main article in the Bermuda Gazette was, "Homeric sails under a dark cloud". Unfortuneately, I never saw he article. Also, I was told only the passenger component of Home Lines closed up at that time and they still were doing cargo and freight. Don't know if that is still the case, and I don't know if there is any truth at all in what we were told. It does seem strange though that they would pack it up as they always sailed at capacity and had the standard everyone hoped every other cruise line could only hope to match.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Marco that is exactly the rumor we heard. If it's true then it was not the low level crew who got wealthy but the officers and the people running the provisional end of things who did. It certainly was not the waiters. It's pretty sad that a few unethical and corrupt people had to ruin such a wonderful thing for so many people. I would have liked to read that article you mentioned just out of curiousity.

[JrMafia90]

I don't know about the whole rumor being true. My father also worked on the ship with his brother (Joseph Furfaro) and he was some kind of officer in the bridge. And he got no money.

[Princessgal]

I too heard from a crew member that choice meats slated for passengers were sold on the black market and that the Purser and another top brass were incarcerated in Bermuda and Home lines was told they were no longer welcome in that country. I loved the Doric and Atlantic. I never sailed on the Homeric but I enjoyed watching her in the movie Out to Sea with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. I enjoy almost every movie involving cruise ships. The Italian waiters and bands were very attentive to females and there were almost all male crewmembers at the time. Great trip for a single female.lol.

[Mr Veendam]

Hey JrMafia90... I left you a post on another Home Lines thread. My husband worked on the Oceanic from 1979-1980 then he worked on the Doric in 1981. We attended the Homes Lines Reunion a few years ago in NJ and I found your Dad's name in the little booklet they gave us. I was wondering if he attends the reunions? There should be another one next year. My husband does not remember your Dad's name but he may remember him by sight. Maybe we can all meet at a Reunion one day.[/quote\

 

Hi dose he remember Dan Gable the cruise director and assistant cruise director Rick Spath ? We cruised Home lines on the Oceanic Doric Atlantic & Homeric . The big reson they went out od business .They lost there Bermuda Contract ! because of funny things they were doing in Bermuda !!

Mr Veendam

[dougnewmanatsea]

The big reson they went out od business .They lost there Bermuda Contract ! because of funny things they were doing in Bermuda !!

I didn't know that it involved Bermuda - but "funny business" certainly seems to be a common theme whenever the demise of Home Lines is brought up.

 

Shame that they're gone, though odds are they'd have been taken over anyway.

 

Incidentally, the creation of Celebrity by Chandris owes itself mainly to the demise of Home Lines. Chandris saw a gap when Home Lines went under and created Celebrity in an attempt to fill it.

[Mr Veendam]

Hi did you know that the Zenith & Horizon were going to be the next new ships for Home Lines with magow dooms on then .The ship plans were sold to Celerity !

 

Mr Veendam

[Margienj]

Hi Brooklyn Girl, I too sailed on the Doric two years in a row back in 78 and 79. I was a young single girl who got loads of attention from the crew. I felt like a queen. I especially remember our cabin stewards Dino and Gaitano. Our waiter was Pasquale. But what I remember most was the band, Rolando's Orchestra.

I even have their album. (Now that ages me since my kids don't even know what an album is, lol). It was a beautiful ship and I will always fond memories of my first cruise experience.

[Marge106]

The scandal did occur in Bermuda, I was on the last cruise that ever sailed there. It was very sad for everyone, repeat passengers as well as most of the crew who did not profit from what went on.

I believe it was the Homeric that was sold to Costa, stretched and now sails as the Costa Europa.

Doug am I correct with that

[dougnewmanatsea]

Hi did you know that the Zenith & Horizon were going to be the next new ships for Home Lines

This, I have not heard... But I would not be surprised by this, for one thing they were built at Meyer Werft where HOMERIC was built (and later, as a HAL ship, stretched).

 

I do wonder what HORIZON and ZENITH would have looked like as Home Line ships. Magradome obviously, but I'm sure there would have been other differences as well.

 

I believe it was the Homeric that was sold to Costa, stretched and now sails as the Costa Europa.

Doug am I correct with that

Indirectly, yes. She was sold to HAL, who renamed her WESTERDAM and stretched her soon after.

 

After 13 years with HAL, she was transferred to Costa in 2002 and renamed COSTA EUROPA.

[Mr Veendam]

Hi we had very good friends who worked for Home lines at there WTC offist in NYC. If Home lines didn't go out . They were going to be coming on line around the same time ,as the Celberty ships .The only change in the plans for the ships were the magow doom were taking off the 2 ships !!

 

By the way i think untill a few years ago there was still some crew memmbers of the Atlandtic still in jail in Bermuda!!

Mr Veendam

[dougnewmanatsea]

The only change in the plans for the ships were the magow doom were taking off the 2 ships !!

In this case, I think HOMERIC was possibly better-planned.

 

I wonder what the exterior design would have wound up as?

 

HORIZON and ZENITH's exterior styling was done by the late yacht designer Jon Bannenberg. I wonder if Home Lines hired him or if it was Chandris?

 

I imagine the interiors wound up looking much the same as they would have under Home Lines as they were designed by A&M Katzourakis who designed the interiors of ATLANTIC and HOMERIC.

[Druke I]

We sailed on Westerdam, and thought it a great ship.

 

Two weeks ago, while on Oceania's Regatta in the Baltic, we saw her, under the Costa flag, in both Stockholm and Tallin.

 

She still looks very good.

[BrooklynGirl2]

I heard the same thing too, that Zenith and Horizon's plans were originally drawn up for Home Lines before they went out of business.

 

Doug, about your comment of Chandris filling the Home Lines niche. I hadn't cruised for 24 years after I met my husband on the Doric but this year when we decided to cruise again we automatically chose Celebrity. It just seemed like the closest thing to Homes Lines we could get, even though the crew is international and not Italian, the great food, superb dining room service and the elegance was the same. We are now devoted to Celebrity and just got back from our second Zenith cruise.

 

We are talking about another one next spring.