Your first cruise ship

[Ineke]

Thank you, John, for the information and pictures. Brings back fond memories (to some in this family). We met last year on the Oosterdam. I see you are on the Oosterdam in May, we'll be going on Feb. 28. Perhaps we'll meet up again some time! Tot ziens!

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was in 1997 aboard Windjammer's S/V Polynesia sailing the Leeward Islands (St. Maarten, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Barts, and Anguilla).

 

And yes, it got me hooked...at least to that style of cruising. It really was magical. Listening to "Amazing Grace" at sail away, helping (if you wanted) to raise the sails, the games, the bar that stayed open until the last passenger went to bed, steering the ship, "saluting" the big ships (hee-hee). Another treat was sleeping on deck under the stars at night (this was by choice, you DID have a cabin...people actually WANTED to sleep up there and it was very common). In fact, the Windjammer experience--to me--was more like camping at sea with a young, rollicking, party-hard type of crowd...in other words, a BLAST!

 

I'm going on my first "big ship" cruise in a month (HAL Eurodam) and I'm very much looking forward to it, but comparing the two cruises would--I think--be kind of pointless since they're so very different and would, I think, do a disservice to both.

 

How she looked then:

 

Today "The Poly" rots at dock in Aruba after being seized during Windjammer's implosion. She recently failed to sell at auction despite a minimum bid of only $410K. Experts, it seems, believe it would simply cost too much to salvage her at this point.

 

Pics of her in her current condition can be seen at the following link (not for the faint of heart). :mad:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/LibertyClip/Polynesia#5278527958404025490

 

 

s/v Argus (1938-present) Built in 1938 as a four-masted fishing vessel named Argus, the ship that would go on to become (sailing vessel) Polynesia plowed through the waters of the Grand Banks as part of the Portuguese fishing fleet. One of the last schooners to serve with that fleet, Argus attracted international attention when she was featured in a lengthy article in National Geographic in 1952. Later, maritime author Allen Villers would go on to write a book about the legendary schooner entitled, “The Quest for the Schooner Argus.”

After she was retired from the Portuguese fishing fleet, Windjammer purchased the historic schooner in 1975. After massive reconstruction and remodeling that included the addition of passenger cabins with more modern amenities and adding an upper deck spanning the entire length of the 248-foot ship, Argus was re-launched as s/v Polynesia. Under the Windjammer banner, she has travelled through Caribbean waters ever since with service to Dutch/French St. Maarten and the Leeward Islands or the Dutch ABC (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao) Islands.

On 7-day itineraries, Polynesia would stop in St. Maarten, St. Bart's, Anguilla, Tintamarre, Saba, St. Eustatius, Nevis, and St. Kitts. For the ABC Islands, she would switch to 6-night itineraries with stops in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Klein (little) Curacao.

Weighing in at 430 tons, Polynesia was literally dwarfed by even the smallest of mass-market cruise ships she anchored near. With room for only 112 passengers and a crew of 45, her four decks, two of which are exclusively passenger cabins, provided ample space for guests to "hang out".

 

Her public spaces were extremely limited, and passengers used to hours of exploring the fourteen deck behemoths that make up most of this industry found themselves quite comfortable with the layout of Polynesia in only a few minutes. Aside from a small bar and dining saloon where all meals were served, the only other public space aboard the former Argus consistsed of a large, uncovered teak deck that sprawled the length of the ship.

 

Her decor remained fairly unison from room to room. Passenger staterooms, the bar, saloon and top deck were all coated in virtually nothing but wooden panels that were slathered with varnish week after week.

Below top deck, which is where passengers could help hoist sails or listen to a 30-minute morning briefing by the Captain, guests found a small bar and the dining saloon. Directly in front of the tiki-style bar was a small teak floor measuring no more than 25 feet squared. While small, the space frequently became a dance floor or hotspot for socializing for those wishing to escape the sun on the top deck.

 

Behind the bar and located at the very aft of Polynesia was her dining saloon. While those used to “normal” cruising were at first put off by the appearance of the space, which featured long bench-style seating in a very utilitarian setting, most quickly warmed to the charm of dining at the aft of the ship, surrounded with a panoramic view of the ocean.

 

 

Windjammer ships would sail into Caribbean island ports already full of behemoth cruise ships, raise the pirate flag and shoot blanks out of their cannons at the regular cruise ships. Once the blanks ran out, knowing they had the other ship passengers' full attention, the Jammers would present "arms" or more accurately other body parts, pulling down their shorts for an en masse "mooning" of the vessels they were passing.

In September 2007, Windjammer's entire fleet was suspended from operating any further cruises. In November, 2007, the last remaining working Windjammer vessel sailed its last cruise. Although the company initially stated that it intended to resume service, no significant steps in that direction took place. Customers who were already booked on future cruises didn't receive refunds from the canceled voyages. All remaining parts of the company that were still operating were shut down in April 2008. Later that year, the company's assets were auctioned off. The four ships they operated are all laid up and were left in a neglected state of condition.

 

No further information has been distributed by the company since November 2007, and no cruises are currently scheduled. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has received numerous complaints about Windjammer since its shutdown, because the company has not refunded prepaid fares for the canceled cruises. The Department has responded to these complaints with statements indicating that Windjammer is no longer in business.

As Cubzter indicated, today s/v Polynesia is sadly tied up at a dock in Oranjestad, Aruba, awaiting her fate

Edited January 29, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Rutland Gate]

In the early 1960's I began driving my Aunts (two single schoolteachers) from Scranton, Pennsylvania to the Port of New York to put them on their annual summer trip. In those days there was no restriction on visitors on the ships - they would call "All Ashore That's Going Ashore" about forty five minutes before sailing. So I got to see the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary and Gripsholm for a few hours each. It was a few years later that I began my own travel, first on the Italian Lines Leonardo Da Vinci, then Home Lines Homeric. We finally found our home with Holland America Line, and have over one hundred days on HAL ships, including the magnificent SS Rotterdam, now a museum in Holland. We'll be on the Noordam on February 12 for the Southern Caribbean, and the Oosterdam in the Mediterranean on April 25. Then a transatlantic in October. Too much Fun!

[numbersix]

Thanks, John, for those great pics of the Noordam III...brought back a great memory. There's just something "je ne sais quoi" about that blue hull, though...doesn't suit the white hull at all (IMO).

 

Thanks again,

 

Kevin

[Copper10-8]

Dont they look smart with the dark hull.

Have all of the 8 been repainted all white?

 

The dark hull on the "R-class" ships (R-One through R-Eight) did look good (kinda like HAL). Since Renaissance Cruises went belly-up, all eight have been scooped up and are currently being operated by three different cruise lines, and yes, they are all painted white now:

 

 

Insignia from Oceania Cruises (formerly R-One)

 

 

Regatta from Oceania Cruises (Formerlr R-Two)

 

 

Pacific Princess from Princess Cruises (Formerly R-Three)

 

 

Tahitian Princess from Princess Cruises (Formerly R-Four)

 

 

Nautica from Oceania Cruises (Formerly R-Five)

 

 

Azamara Journey from Azamara Cruises (Formerly R-Six)

[Copper10-8]

 

Azamara Quest from Azamara Cruises (Formerly R-Seven)

 

 

Royal Princess from Princess Cruises (Formerly R-Eight)

[Copper10-8]

Well the Love Boat TV show started it off for me. My first cruise was on the original Pacific Princess on Nov 27, 1980 - Mexican Riviera - Los Angeles to Acapulco - 7 days. Now I have over 20 cruises and still going strong.

 

 

Sea Venture (1971-present) Built in 1971 as ms Sea Venture by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke GmbH, Emden, (then) West Germany for Norwegian-based Flagship Cruises. She departed on her maiden voyage on 8 May 1971 and would operate on the New York City to Hamilton, Bermuda run as well as on Caribbean cruises for Flagship but only for one month shy of four years.

In April 1975, she was sold (along with her sister Island Venture) to the P&O Group (Great Britain) and assigned to Princess Cruises as Pacific Princess (her sister became Island Princess). Princess would initially use her for cruises to The Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles (San Pedro), summer itineraries to Alaska and a gradual expansion via the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. Later on, she would be used for world-wide cruising.

Princess Cruises agreed to have both these ships featured in the televison romantic weekly sitcom "The Love Boat", which debuted in May 1977 and would stay in production for nine seasons. The ship featured in nearly every episode of the series (which was filmed primarily on sets in a production studio) was Pacific Princess, although other ships also appeared, including Island Princess. The term "Love Boat" was heavily used by Princess Cruises in their marketing, and became synonymous with the Pacific Princess. The success of the television show, which remained on the air until 1986, is largely credited with the increase in popularity of cruise ship travel in Nortn America.

Pacific Princess was sold in 2001 to Seahawk North America Inc, Nassau, Bahamas, but was leased back immediately and continued to operate as part of the Princess fleet until 2002, when the former Renaissance Cruises R-Three replaced her and took her name. Pacific Princess made her final voyage with Princess Cruises in October/November 2002, sailing from New York City to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy.

She then began operating for Spanish-based tour operator Pullmantur Cruises under the new name Pacific, sailing in the Caribbean as well as in the Meditteranean from Valencia, Spain.

In December 2007, she was aquired by Brasilian tour operator Viagens CVC Tur Ltda, Sao Paulo. They operate her out of Sao Paulo during the Southern hemisphere summer. Between April and October 2008 she was chartered to newly-established Spanish-based Quail Cruises to operate Western Med cruises out of Valencia.

In October 2008, she was seen in Valencia, still in Quail Cruises livery, and listing slightly to port. She had failed certain safety tests, and consequently had been "arrested" by the Spanish

Authorities. She is currently back sailing, however in this, her thirty-eighth year of operation

 

 

[url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/"http://media.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/rw/716091/Ship+Photo+PACIFIC.jpg&quot][/url]

[Copper10-8]

msc armonia round the med 2007

 

[/url]

 

ms European Vision (2001-present) Built in 2001 as ms European Vision by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France for Greek-based Festival Cruises (First European Cruises in North America). She is a sistership of European Stars and an enlarged version of Festival's then first new built, the 1999 Mistral.

She was chartered as an accomodation ship for the 27th G-8 summit in July 2001 at Genoa, Italy as a secure location to house world leaders. Festival Cruises went bankrupt in early 2004, resulting in all their ships being laid up and subsequently being auctioned off to other operators. European Vision was acquired by public auction on 16 April 2004 by Naples, Italy-based MSC Cruises, a division of MSC Crocieri S.p.a, and part of the Swiss Mediteranean Shipping Company S.A. Container Lines one, of the largest shipping companies in the world.

She was renamed MSC Armonia and began cruising the Mediterranean with stops including Venice, Naples and Genoa, Italy, Dubrovnik, Croatia and Corfu, Greece.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise Nov.1996 on the Norwegian Seaward out of San Juan. We booked this cruise with 10 other couples.

Aruba was our first port. I had never seen a more beautiful place.

Hopefully, Jan.2010 we will take our 6th cruise on the Zuiderdam and we will see Aruba again.

Betty,

 

 

Seaward (1988-present) Built in 1988 by Wartsila Marine Shipyard in Abo, Finland as Seaward for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Upon completion of her maiden voyage, she spent most of her early career cruising in the Caribbean from Miami, Fl. In 1997 she was refurbished and renamed Norwegian Sea but remained in the NCL fleet. Her multimillion dollar renovation included the addition of a fifth restaurant called The Pasta Cafe. In addition, her bars and lounges and other public areas, and some of its suites were refurbished with new looks, including fresh upholsteries, furniture, draperies and color schemes.

She was the third ship in NCL's fleet to embrace Freestyle Cruising, which, according to NCL, bucks the regimented scheduling typical on some other lines. Passengers can eat whenever they want with whomever they please – at the eatery of their choice! – and such flexibility also extends to disembarkation times and dining attire.

In November 1998, Norwegian Sea replaced the trouble-plagued Norwegian Star by starting to operate year-round seven-night "Texaribbean" itineraries from Houston, TX with stops in Cozumel, Roatan, Belize City, and Cancun.

In 2005, she was transferred to the fleet of NCL parent, Star Cruises and renamed. SuperStar Libra. In the summer of 2006, she sailed a variety of cruises in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean seas before deploying back to Mumbai in late September 2006. She is currently based in Taiwan and sails from Keelung for part of the year and from Hong Kong between November and March.

 

[Copper10-8]

Queen Mary, (The first one) Transatlantic. 1950. 27 cruises since.

 

 

RMS Queen Mary (1934-present) Built in 1936 as RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary by John Brown & Company Ltd. Clydebank, Scotland for the Cunard-White Star Line for transatlantic service. She was designed to be the first of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service from Southampton to Cherbourg, France to New York City, in answer to the superliners from the European mainland of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

With the Germans launching their Bremen and Europa into service, the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race. Cunard planned a 75,000-ton unnamed ship, then known only as "Yard Number 534", with construction beginning in December 1930. Work was halted in December 1931 due to the Great Depression and Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete 534. The loan was granted, with enough money to complete the Queen Mary and to build a running mate, hull No. 552 which would become the Queen Elizabeth. One condition of the loan was that Cunard merge with the White Star Line, which was Cunard's chief British rival at the time and which had already been forced by the Depression to cancel construction on its Oceanic. Both lines agreed and the merger was completed in April 1934.

Work on the Queen Mary resumed immediately and she was launched on 26 September 1934. Completion ultimately took 3 1/2 years and cost 3 1/2 million pounds sterling in total. The ship was named after Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. Until her launch the name she was to be given was kept a closely guarded secret. Legend has it that Cunard intended to name the ship "Victoria", in keeping with company tradition of giving its ships names ending in "ia". However, when company representatives asked the King's permission to name the ocean liner after Britain's "greatest queen", he said his wife, Queen Mary, would be delighted. And so, the legend goes, the delegation had of course no other choice but to report that No. 534 would be called RMS Queen Mary. On 26 September 1934, the new liner was launched by Queen Mary as RMS Queen Mary.

In August 1936, Queen Mary captured the Blue Riband from the French liner Normandie, with average speeds of 30.14 knots (55.82 km/h) westbound and 30.63 knots eastbound. Normandie was refitted with a new set of propellors in 1937 and reclaimed the honor, but in 1938 Queen Mary took back the Blue Riband (the award received by the ship with the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing) in both directions with average speeds of 30.99 knots (57.39 km/h) westbound and 31.69 knots eastbound, records which stood until lost to the SS United States in 1952.

In late August 1939, RMS Queen Mary was on a return run from New York to Southampton. The international situation led to her being escorted by the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Hood. She arrived safely, and set out again for New York on 1 September. By the time she arrived, the Second World War had broken out and she was ordered to remain in port until further notice alongside the Normandie. In 1940 the Queen Mary and the Normandie were joined in New York by Queen Mary's new running mate Queen Elizabeth, fresh from her secret dash from the Clydebank. The three largest liners in the world sat idle for some time until the Allied commanders decided that all three ships could be used as troopships

Queen Mary left New York for Sydney, Australia, where she, along with several other liners, was converted into a troopship to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom. Eventually joined by the Queen Elizabeth, they were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage, and often travelling out of convoy and without escort. During this period, because of their wartime grey camouflage livery and elusiveness, both Queens received the nickname "The Grey Ghost". In December 1942, she was carrying exactly 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel. During the war, Queen Mary carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for meetings with fellow Allied forces' officials. He was listed on the passenger manifest as "Colonel Warden" and he insisted that the lifeboat assigned to him had a .303 machine gun fitted to it so he could "resist capture at all costs".

.

From September 1946 to July 1947, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service, adding air conditioning and upgrading her berth configuration to 711 first class, 707 cabin class and 577 tourist class passengers. Following refit, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade as Cunard White Star's two-ship weekly express service through the latter half of the 1940s and well into the 1950s.

In 1958, the first transatlantic flight by a jet began a completely new era of competition for the Cunard Queens. By 1965, the entire Cunard fleet was leaving a trail of red ink. Hoping to continue financing their still under construction Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard mortgaged the majority of the fleet. Finally, under a combination of age, lack of public interest, inefficiency in a new market, and the damaging after-effects of the national seamen's strike, Cunard announced that both the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth would be retired from service and both were to be sold off.

Many offers were submitted, but it was Long Beach, California who beat the Japanese scrap merchants. And so, Queen Mary was retired from service in 1967, while her running mate Queen Elizabeth was withdrawn in 1968.

 

 

After her retirement in 1967, she steamed to Long Beach, where she is permanently moored as a tourist attraction (museum, restaurants, banquet space and hotel). From 1983 to 1993, she was accompanied by Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, which was located in a large dome nearby (the dome is now used by Carnival Cruise Line as a cruise terminal).

On 8 May 1971, the Queen Mary opened its doors to tourists. Initially, only portions of the ship were open to the public as Specialty Restaurants had yet to open its dining venues or the hotel. This did happen eventually however, it has been a financial struggle over the years. The latest plans as of 2007, are to refurbish the ship, and develop a Universal Citywalk type (open air shopping, rerstaurant and entertainment center) Theme resort, shared with Carnival Cruise Lines, and the ships previous operators, The RMS Foundation, which will include, a marina, hotels, retail, and restaurants.

 

On 23 February 2006, RMS Queen Mary 2 saluted her predecessor as she made her port of call in Los Angeles Harbor, while on a cruise to Mexico. The event was covered heavily by local and international media. The salute itself was carried out with the Queen Mary blowing her one working air horn in response to the Queen Mary 2 blowing her combination of two brand new horns pointing forward and an original 1932 Queen Mary horn (donated by the City of Long Beach) aimed aft.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

The Queen Mary museum and hotel

[Copper10-8]

Leaving Southampton for the last time on her way to Long Beach, CA - October 1967

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And at her home in Long Beach with the Spruce Goose dome (now the Long Beach Cruise Terminal) in the background

[nitnyleo]

What a great thread ... thanks to all of the posters who provided the pics of the older ships (and, consequently, shipspotting.com)

 

After a couple practice runs across the English Channel, my first real cruise was on the SS Universe Explorer ... 19 days from Nassau to Ensenada in December 2001. Although no longer a luxury liner (SS Brazil), she had the best promenade deck. Add my wonderful dinnermates, (our table was the envy of the dining room) and I was definitely hooked.

 

I managed 4 cruises and a TA crossing in 13 months ... but I haven't been to sea since February 2007. I am getting desperate. I know my next cruise will be on HAL, hopefully the Prinsendam; altho, that South Seas cruise on the Amsterdam in the fall is very enticing.

Edited January 30, 2009 by nitnyleo
grammar

[Copper10-8]

Song of Norway in the 70s. San Juan, Virgin Islands, Puerto Plata, and maybe another port but I forget.

 

 

Song of Norway (1970-present) Built by in 1970 as ms Song of Norway by Wartsila Shipyards, Helsinki, Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. She was the first new ship built for RCCL, would have two sisters - Nordic Prince and Sun Viking - and soon began sailing seven- and fourteen-day cruises out of Miami, FL. In 1978, Song of Norway was lengthened by 85 feet, to increase her total passenger capacity to 1,024 as well as increase her size to 23,000 gross tons (original size had been 18,416 GT). She would serve RCCL (later RCI) throughout the world, breaking in new territories for the line.

 

 

In 1996, surpassed by the new and significantly larger ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, Song of Norway was sold to British-based Sun Cruises, part of the Airtours/MyTravel Group, who operated the vesel under the name Sundream on cruises, mostly to the Med. As part of the deal, Song of Norways's distinctive Viking Sky Lounge on the funnel, a trademark of RCCL/RCI, was removed

 

 

After a short lay-up that began on 26 September 2004 in Piraeus, she was sold and refitted there in order to become MS Dream Princess for Israeli-based Caspi Cruises/Tumaco Navigation in October 2004. Upon completion of the refit in early 2005, she began sailing three and four-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Haifa and Ashdod, Israel to Alanya, Turkey, Rhodes, Greece and Larnaca, Cyprus. Some itineraries also included Limassol, Cyprus, Marmaris, Turkey and Santorini, Greece. January 2006 found her some distance away from her home, being used to house students from Tulane University after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA.

 

2006 and 2007 found her chartered to Cyprus-based Lance Shipping under the name Dream. Princess Cruises had let it be known that they had not been happy campers when the name "Dream Princess" was selected for the ship by her Israeli owners in late 2004! In November 2006, Dream was chartered to Gulf Dream Cruise, running out of Dubai in the Gulf, but the venture collapsed after one cruise. On 18 September 2007, while anchored in the port of Rhodes, Dream developed a 10 degrees list. She was immediately evacuated and four officers who where on duty at the time of the incident were detained. The crew was accused of deliberately grounding the vessel to prevent further listing and an ultimate sinking. Divers investigating the incident discovered that hatchways in her hull designed for discharging untreated waste into the ocean, had been crudely plugged with chunks of wood, to prevent those discharges. Doing this kept the waste onboard. However, failure to pump the waste in a timely manner, resulted in the listing of the vessel.

 

The list was eventually corrected but on 18 November 2007, due to strong winds, Dream came loose of her moorings and collided with a cargo ship which was tied up adjacent to her, causing minor damages to both vessels. The Greek coast guard managed to tow Dream back to her dock, using tug-boats. Dream would remain in the port of Rhodes for nearly two months until her seaworthiness was established. On November 28, 2007 she was towed to the port of Kusadasi, Turkey were she underwent repairs.

 

 

During that same month (November 2007) Caspi Cruises sold the ship to Miami-based International Shipping Partners, Inc. (ISP) who renamed her Clipper Pearl. After her refitting both in Kusadasi and in Valetta, Malta, she was chartered to the Peace Boat organization as a replacement for their Topaz, and once again renamed, this time as Clipper Pacific. The Peaceboat organization is a Japan-based international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment.

 

Clipper Pacific's bad luck continued however when, on 16 July 2008 while on her maiden arrival in U.S. waters (for her new owners), she was discovered to have numerous safety violations when inspected in New York by the United States Coast Guard. In addition to her hull damage, inspectors discovered 66 other safety violations, including problems with life jackets, labeling of fire exits and damaged lifeboats.

 

On 18 July 2008, the USCG cleared her for departure to Tampa, Fl where, upon arrival on 21 July, she entered drydock at the Tampa Bay ship repair yard. Ultrasonic images of her hull were taken to check the thickness of her hull plates and needed repairs were made before she was able to resume her transit to Japan. She did eventually reach Yokohama in early September.

 

Clipper Pacific set off on Peace Boat's 63rd Global Voyage for Peace from Yokohama on 7 September, 2008. After visiting various ports in Asia (held up once again in Singapore on 19 September due to electrical problems) and Africa, she passed through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea. Her next stop was at Kusadasi on 13 October where inspectors from the Classification Society came onboard to take a serious look see. They were not happy with what they found and sent her to Izmir, Turkey for repairs. She would be stranded at Izmir with 700 passengers on board for over two weeks due to problems with her engines as well as other maintenance problems. Now completely off schedule, she arrived at Piraeus, Greece on the evening of 29 October 2008 only to be forced to stay there until 11 November. On that morning she was last seen cruising off the port to an anchorage area.

 

This was the final drop in the bucket for the Peace Boat organization who decided to end its charter contract with the ship. Clipper Pacific's mostly student passengers were transferred to the last minute chartered ms Mona Lisa, which resumed the 63rd Voyage for Peace, picking up where Clipper Pacifc left off. It is unknown at this time what the future holds for the former Song of Norway.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Ours was on the RCCL Sovereign of the Seas about 10 years ago. It was a 4 night to the Bahamas. We were mostly impressed with the ship. We had no idea what to expect and when we walked onto the ship both of our jaws dropped in aww. It was stunning. We both loved it. I'm more hooked than DH. Although he loves to cruise he also loves some land vacations too.

 

 

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 devoted entirely of cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins.

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 three and four-night sailings to teh Bahamas. 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 group.

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'. As of March 2009, she will be operating Mediterranean cruises for Pullmantur out of Barcelona.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Great Post! So fun reading everyone's experiences!

 

Ours' was the Veendam (repositioning) Oct. 2000. I could not believe I had found a cruise (in AAA magazine) sailing out of Portland OR (we live in Central OR) and that we would actually celebrate our anniversary on the ship! I simply had to book it!

 

We ended up being upgraded to a Full Suite (which kinda ruined future cabins...). We were amazed at the elegance we experienced being on an Ocean Vessel, so much class! The entire cruise was a dream come true. Except... we could not stand our table mates (family of 3 who did nothing but complain). We promptly requested a table for two and spent the rest of the week enjoying the simple romance that marriage offers.

 

As we sat on the Pier in Puerto Vallarta and watched her sail away; our hearts ached to be back on the Veendam. This was out very first taste of Mexico and we were a little timid... It was such a contrast to the week we had just experienced.

 

We have done seven other cruises since then, with the entire family and/or friends. They have been wonderful, but our first experience has a special place in my heart.

 

I hope to repeat it, just a little, as we depart on the Eurodam on Valentines Day this year.

 

Cruising on the vastness of the Ocean: what a wonderful experience to anyone who has the blessing to enjoy it.:p

 

 

m/s Veendam (1996-present) Built in 1996 as ms Veendam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. She is the fourth ship in HAL history to bear the name Veendam and the last of the four ships in the 'S' class (Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam are her sisters). She was named after the town in the northeastern Dutch province of Groningen ('veen' means 'peat' in Dutch).

The four ships are just about identical, having only small changes in their internal layout. However, each one has a different decorative theme. Veendam has the distinction of being the first HAL ship built at Fincantieri's Marghera yard (all of HAL's new-builts since then have been constructed at Marghera). Her three sisters had all been constructed at the builder's Monfalcone yard.

 

After running technical trials in the Adriatic, she was handed over to her owners on 1 May 1996. She then commenced a transatlantic crossing, with crew but without passengers, to Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. under the command of Captain W.H. Eulderink. After a christening and naming ceremony there by her godmother, actress Debbie Reynolds, on 15 May 1996, she commenced her inaugural/maiden ten-day cruise. Her "area of operations" has been the Caribbean, Alaska as well as European itineraries. For a while, Veendam had the distinction of being routinely commanded by a non-Dutch, and more specifically, a British captain. In addition, she was the only HAL ship not homeported in Rotterdam until 10 January 2006 when she switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to a Dutch one (Rotterdam - see pics below).

In April 2005, Holland America Cruise Line announced a 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, luxury beds and bed linens, a Neptune Lounge, Pinnacle Grill, Explorations Cafe, Greenhouse Spa & Salon, and a Culinary Arts Center on all ships and the extension of the gym out and above the bridge. In addition, changes were made for non-adults including newly expanded youth facilities with the "Club HAL" program and the Loft and the Oasis for teens. After a dry-dock period in Freeport, The Bahamas, from 3-28 January 2006, Veendam initiated her SOE program on a western Caribbean cruise in late January 2006

In August 2008, HAL announced further enhancements to, as well as new features on, five of the line's most popular ships as part of its ongoing Signature of Excellence program. Over the next two years the four 'S' sisters as well as the lead ship of the 'R' class, ms Rotterdam, will undergo extensive dry docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor. The 18-month, $200 million program will begin when Veendam enters an extended dock in spring 2009, and the last ship Maasdam is slated for completion in late 2010. Passenger capacity of the five ships, based on a two per cabin, will be increased to 1,350 for the 'S' class and to 1,404 for the Rotterdam.

Edited January 31, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

The first time I was on a cruise ship was when my parents and I went to see my cousin off on Queen Elizabeth the first. She sailed in a teesy cabin inside with 3 other girls and 4 hatboxes. 1957.

In 1990 I went to see my mom and dad off on the Royal Viking Sky. I didn't want to get off the ship. And my son who went with me didnt get off. He saw the empty bed in their room and asked if he could go along. It was spring break and my parents were ok with the idea. He had extra clothes but was wearing a suit. We ran to Target and got him more underwear, casual shoes and some shorts and t shirts and off he went.

My first cruise was the Royal Viking Queen Inagurel year: Greek Islands.

It was great fun and our son took us to the past cruisers party as his quests.

We were all hooked!

 

 

ms Royal Viking Queen (1992-present) Built in 1992 as ms Royal Viking Queen by Schichau Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, Germany for Kloster Rederi and assigned to Norwegian-based Royal Viking Line, a Kloster subsidiary aiming for the upscale market. Royal Viking Queen had originally been designed to join her two sisters, Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit. When Seabourn Cruise Line chose not to pick up the option for this third ship, Knut Kloster, already the owner of Norwegian Caribbean, Royal Viking and Royal Lines, jumped on the opportunity and Royal Viking Queen was born. She set off on her maiden voyage on 29 February 1992.

In 1994, Cunard Line purchased Royal Viking Line from Kloster. Royal Viking Queen, however, was not part of this purchase and wound up being moved in 1995 to yet another one of Kloster-owned companies, Royal Cruise Line. After being renamed Queen Odyssey she would remain in operation for Royal Cruise Line until their demise in January 1996.

On 12 January 1996, she was (finally) purchased by Miami, Fl headquartered Seabourn Cruise Line and renamed Seabourn Legend, thereby joining her two sisters Seabourn Pride (1988) and Seabourn Spirit (1989) afterall. The line operates ultra-luxury cruises all around the world, from short seven day Carbbean itineraries, to exotic 100+ day world cruises on their three ships, known as the 'Yachts of Seabourn'. Seabourn Legend is still operating for them today on diverse itineraries. Seabourn Cruise Line, btw, is now also part of the giant Carnival Corporation.[/url]

 

 

Seabourn Legend was featured in the 1997 action film "Speed 2; Cruise Control". In the movie, Annie Porter, played by Sandra Bullock is trapped on the ship, where navigation computers have been reprogrammed by a computer hacker, setting the ship on a collision course with a supertanker and a dock in Sint Maarten (actually, the French side, Saint Martin).

 

Edited February 1, 2009 by Copper10-8

[devere]

 

 

 

RCCL initially operated Sovereign OTS out of Miami, Fl on three and four-night sailings to teh Bahamas.

 

 

I have just one small correction to this. The Sovereign began with 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruises out of Miami. I know because we were on her that first season in 1988. Our first cruise had been 2 years earlier on Song of Norway, and going from that ship to the new Sovereign was unbelievable. I've been on many ships since, but I don't think anything has surpassed the wow factor I felt on first seeing the new Sovereign when she was the largest cruise ship afloat.

 

I don't think the 3/4 night Bahamas cruises started until many years later.

[Copper10-8]

I have just one small correction to this. The Sovereign began with 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruises out of Miami. I know because we were on her that first season in 1988. Our first cruise had been 2 years earlier on Song of Norway, and going from that ship to the new Sovereign was unbelievable. I've been on many ships since, but I don't think anything has surpassed the wow factor I felt on first seeing the new Sovereign when she was the largest cruise ship afloat.

 

I don't think the 3/4 night Bahamas cruises started until many years later.

 

Thanks a bunch! :) Happy cruising!

[Copper10-8]

Ours was The NORWAY, 1988, then again in 1990. Hal was the only other ship line we have sailed to remind us of the Granduer of sailing! Yes, we were hooked! Nearing 35 cruises this year with our 20 day Noordam trip, we always think back to what started a grand adventure!

 

Already did Norway a couple of times so here's Mandalay. Unfortunately, she's not doing good at the moment!:(

sv Hussar (1923-present) built in 1923 as the 236-foot Barquentine sv (sailing vessel) Hussar in Copenhagen, Denmark for the investment banker E.F. Hutton. Below deck, she was luxuriously appointed, with a Louis XV bedroom, an Edwardian sitting room with a marble-rimmed fireplace and Oriental rugs, a dining salon with stained-glass windows, and bathrooms with gold faucets.

 

Apparently, Mr. Hutton's wife did not care for the Hussar so in 1934 she was bought by Georg Ungar Vettlesen, a shipping magnate, who renamed her Vema after the first two letters of his family name and his wife’s name, Maud. Like all oceangoing yachts in this country, she passed to government ownership during World War II, at first patrolling coastal waters for the Coast Guard. Later she underwent a drastic conversion to a floating barracks and training ship for the U.S. Merchant Marine, losing her gold faucets and other amenities. After the war, she lay abandoned and aground on mud off Staten Island for several years, until she was salvaged by a Nova Scotian captain for use as a charter vessel.

 

In 1953, she became a floating laboratory for Columbia University, keeping the name of Vema and completing more than one million miles of oceanographic research all over the world, the first ship ever to achieve that mark. Evidence gathered on those voyages for the university confirmed the theory of the continental drift. Columbia University retired her in 1981,

 

Windjammer purchased the historic barquentine in 1982. After a refit and remodeling that included the addition of passenger cabins with more modern amenities, the sailing vessel was re-launched as s/v Mandalay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Barquentine is a vessel with at least three masts, all of them fore-and-aft rigged, except for the foremost one, which is square rigged. Three-masted barquentines were very common in the Baltic and the North Sea, and three- and four-masted barquentines also sailed on deep-water trades.

 

In Windjammer service, in the good days, Mandalay operated with a 30-person crew and 72 berths for her passengers. It was the kind of ship you only saw in the movies. Mandalay would sail throughout the Caribbean, offering itineraries with service from Antigua to the Eastern Caribbean and from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to the British Virgin Islands.

 

 

On 13-day itineraries to Antigua, she would make stops in Bequia, Tobago Cays, Carriacou, Dominica, Grenada, Iles des Saints, Martinique, Mayreau, Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada.

On 6-day itineraries to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, she would stop in Grenada, Carriacou, Bequia, St. Vincent, Mayreau, Union Island, and Tobago Cays.

Lastly, on 6-day itineraries to the British Virgin Islands, the sailing vessel Mandalay would make stops in Cooper Island, Jost van Dyke, Norman Island, Peter Island, Salt Island, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda.

In September 2007, Windjammer's entire fleet was suspended from operating any further cruises. In November, 2007, the last remaining working Windjammer vessel sailed its last cruise. Although the company initially stated that it intended to resume service, no significant steps in that direction took place. Customers who were already booked on future cruises didn't receive refunds from the canceled voyages. All remaining parts of the company that were still operating were shut down in April 2008. Later that year, the company's assets were auctioned off. The four ships they operated are all laid up and were left in a neglected state of condition.

 

No further information has been distributed by the company since November 2007, and no cruises are currently scheduled.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has received numerous complaints about Windjammer since its shutdown, because the company has not refunded prepaid fares for the canceled cruises. The Department has responded to these complaints with statements indicating that Windjammer is no longer in business.

 

 

Today s/v Mandalay can be found at an inner anchorage off Christobal, Panama where she has been since at least late 2007.

Edited February 1, 2009 by Copper10-8

[WillK]

John- This is an excellent thread. I'm learning lots and appreciate all the work you put into it. Bill

[RedmondCruiser]

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed your thread. Thanks for all the effort that you have put into it.

Ron

[Seago2]

John- thx so much for the great pictures! Especially of the Song. beautiful ship.

 

My first cruise was at the age of 11 on the QE2. Not only do I have my memories, I also had a diary that I had to bring to school when I got back. I will never forget roaming the ship by myself, exploring every part of her. I watched Day of the Jackal in the empty movie theater at least five times. I was familiar with a lot of the presenters/instructors because they had shows on Boston public television- so, to me, they were movie stars! I fell in love with our dining room steward and have pictures to prove it (oh, the pain of the schoolgirl crush- on a British waiter :confused:). I will never forget rounding Cape Hatteras and going up to visit my little brother in the nursery. It was on the top deck and we had (to me) very rough weather. All of the wooden ride-on toys were rolling all over the floor and the block towers were crashing. The Captain, Mortimer Hehir, was great to me. Tour of the bridge? No prob. He signed my autograph book. It's funny- I asked Captain Scott (Noordam :)) if he had ever worked with him when he was with Cunard- yes, he worked with "Morty." My worlds collide.

[Copper10-8]

Summer, 1973 Italian Line, SS Raffaello -- New York to St. Thomas and St. Maarten (and back in 7 days!!) Hated it! Only a yearning to visit Alaska got me on another ship (Regent Sea, former Gripsholm and numerous other iterations that John will undoubtedly produce a history of!!! ) years later. After that, an unbroken string of 17 additional voyages, each with its own memorable moments.

 

 

ms Gripsholm (1957-2001) Built in 1957 as ms Gripsholm by Ansaldo Soc, Per Azioni, Genoa, Italy for Ab Svenska Amerika Linjen aka Swedish America Line (SAL), as the largest ship in SAL’s history. She was built at the same shipyard, btw, that had built the famous Italian liners Andrea Doria and Cristoforo Colombo. Gripsholm was designed as an almost pure cruise ship sporting a heat resisting white hull instead of the conventional liner-black.

 

Her maiden voyage took place on 14 May 1957 when she sailed on the, by then, very established route between Goteborg, Sweden and New York City. During her career with the Swedish America Line, and besides her North Atlantic crossings, several luxury cruises were made such as around the world, to the Pacific, around South America, to the Mediterranean, to the North Cape, into the Baltic Sea and into the Caribbean. In 1975, the Svenska Amerika Linien decided to shut down their passenger liner business. Thus, Gripsholm was taken out-of-service and laid up in August 1975.

 

Later that same year however, she was purchased by Greek-based Karageorgis Lines who renamed her Navarino and used her on Mediterranean cruises. During her conversion for the new company, she was given a new lido deck, a new forward observation deck and many additional cabins. Her total passenger capacity was set at 650 persons. On 22 May 1976, Navarino went out on her first cruise for the Karageorgis Lines, which would take her around the Mediterranean from her port of departure, Venice, Italy.

 

Edited February 1, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Navarino continued cruising for Karageoris Lines until 1981 when she was grounded off Patmos, Greece. She sustained damage from this incident however Finnish-based Rederi Ab Sally came calling with plans to repair her and assign her to their subsidiary, Commodore Cruise Line. However, on 26 November 1981, while in a floating dry-dock at the Hellenic Shipyard in Skaramanga, Greece during those repairs, a fire broke out and destroyed much of the passenger accommodation. In addition to this, the dry-dock collapsed and caused further damage to Navarino which partially sank.

She was initially declared a 'total constructive loss' but later repaired, after a difficult salvage operation in 1982 by Neptun Transport & Marine Services in co-operation with the Swedish Roda ABand. After the refit and repairs, Sally Shipping withdrew their offer to purchase her. Instead in May 1983, she was bought by the Rome-based company Multiship Italia who moved her from Piraeus to La Spezia, Italy. The Italians renamed her Samantha but she would never for them because, as faith would have it, she was resold in July 1984 to Universal Glow (Antonios 'Tony' Lelakis) for the newly formed Regency Cruises.

 

Renamed Regent Sea, she entered service as the very first ship for her new company in November 1985, offering weekly cruises out of Montego Bay, Jamaica. For the next ten years, Regent Sea would cruise the oceans including to the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and Alaska. In 1995 however, Regency Cruises went bankrupt and she was laid up at Freeport, the Bahamas.

In 1997 she was auctioned off to the United States American Cruise Line. They decided to shorten her name to just 'Sea' and intended to convert her into the casino ship 'America'. They started off by moving her from Freeport to Tampa, Fl where her Sun and Veranda Decks were pretty much gutted. However, when those same new owners suddenly ran out of money, the conversion was abruptly halted. This resulted in 'Sea' remaining tied up at her cruise ship berth in Tampa harbor, awaiting an uncertain future

In the spring of 2001, the Sea was sold to Indian shipbreakers, and she left Tampa under tow by the ocean tug 'Simon' a short time later. The former Gripsholm's last voyage would be one to remember! Off the coast of Dakar, Senegal (West Africa) where her party stopped for bunkering, she was boarded by pirates who pillaged some of the remaining items on board. Considered a 'minor incident', the voyage to India continued shortly afterwards.

While this was going on, the ship being a significant part of Swedish maritime history, last minute efforts were being made in Stockholm to safe her by purchasing her and restore her as a floating hotel in the city's harbour. However, the city council delayed the decision and some of Stockholm's harbor residents protested since they didn't want their sea view spoiled by a permanently anchored liner. Before anything could come to pass, fate would seal the Sea's destiny once and for all.

On 6 July 2001, while still under tow enroute to India, the ship encountered heavy seas off the east coast of South Africa. Requesting refuge in the sheltered waters of Algoa Bay, she was denied permission by the South African authorities who feared the presence of sixty tons of oil within the ship leaking onto their pristine beaches. Instead, she was left to battle the storm under tow. Conditions worsened, and the ship eventually took on a 30-degree list to starboard and started taking on water. Finally, at 5:00 AM on 12 July 2001, the old Gripsholm slipped beneath the waves 83 miles south-southwest of Cape Recife, South Africa at a depth of approximately 4,200 meters. In a sort of poetic conclusion, she had avoided an indignified meeting with the blow torches.