What beautiful documents of the time - thanks for posting!

She was always a cozy gem during her live span.

I remember my first brochure about her by CHANDRIS in 1977, when she was managed as Hotelship for business people in Dubai.

Dubai was in this times really “origin” and all the infrastructure of the “city” was at the beginning.

Her hole career before and after is best detailed described in Reuben Goosens website:

 http://ssmaritime.com/SS-Patricia.htm

source picture: ebay international

Here are three pictures from a deck plan for first and second class of NOORDAM from 1916 - offered at ebay.

Frank from BOZ/Netherlands

Hi shipgeeks,

World Campus Afloat – later Semester at Sea, was initially supported 
by Holland America Line and from 1971 by C.Y. Tung's Seawise Organisation.
Beside the educational cruise organisation,World Explorer Cruises was 
founded, to employ the ship UNIVERSE CAMPUS / UNIVERSE as a normal 
cruise ship in the off-school-season.

Picture © http://ssmaritime.com/
Cruises in the Caribbean, Panama Canal cruises and many trips to Alaska 
made World Explorer Cruises a renowned recommended cruise operator.

The entire history of Semester at Sea:

https://www.semesteratsea.org/contact/our-history/

WORLD ODYSSEY / DEUTSCHLAND is a popular cruise ship that undertakes 
cruises for Phoenix Reisen mostly for European clients in the off-season.

More information here in German only :

https://www.phoenixreisen.com/ms-deutschland.html

&

https://www.phoenixreisen.com/web2/kataloge/See_2021_Neuauflage/

Parallel to Semester at Sea, the Japanese Peace Boat Organization runs 
with a comparable ambience and boat travel offers also for normal people.

own collection

History:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Boat

Website Peace Boat Org.:

https://peaceboat.org/english/about-peace-boat

and more past! -

Educational cruises were popular also in the UK as early as the 1930s. Troop

carriers from Bibby Line and British India Steam Navigation were used.

In the 50s.and 60s. it got an independent business under British India Steam

Navigation management, one of the branch of the P&O Group.

History:

https://prehistorian.wordpress.com/2019/01/30/the-educational-cruises-of-the-bi-line/

&

https://www.cruiseinsider.dk/post/school-cruises-1

&

http://www.ssuganda.co.uk/educ/

own collection

After the UGANDA was no longer available as a student cruise ship, 
a British organization called Schools Abroad chartered mostly Greek 
ships like the Greek ferry NEPTUNIA or the Greek cruiseship JUPITER from 1984 - 
which was full of students and teachers when it went down in 1988 after
a collision with a freighter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Jupiter_(1961)

After this disaster, I believe, Schools Abroad ceased his operation 
with cruises.

Sold together with MAJESTY OF THE SEAS to unknown Chinese shipping company.

 Here is the deck plan from 2016, as EMPRESS OF THE SEAS:

Empress Of The Seas DP.pdf

She was used again on short cruises for Royal Caribbean and also for the new Cuba business.

She is the last (planed member) afloat from the Admiral Cruises Fleet  (Eastern Cruise Lines / Western Cruise Lines / Sundance Cruise Lines) owned by Norwegian  Gotaas-Larsen Shipping Corp.

Gotaas-Larsen was also one of the three founders of Royal Caribbean, together with I.M. Skaugen and Anders Wilhelmsen.

Before delivery to Admiral Cruises as FUTURE SEAS, Royal Caribbean buyout the hole package (Admiral Cruises and the proportions of Gotaas-Larsen part of Royal Caribbean )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Cruises

Found online one deck plan from SONG OF NORWAY (after stretching):

source - ebay international

Here some Deck Plans from this iconic cruiseship as NORDIC PRINCE (RCCL brochure1975):

next one as AQUAMARINE 2009:

From the three, only the cozy SUN VIKING survived until now 2021. Working

as the golden gambling ship ORIENTAL DRAGON in all her beauty in Hongkong:

http://www.metropolis-cruise.com/eng/orientaldragon.php

After FTI Kreuzfahrten has sold its ship BERLIN, another operator comes to the horizon that offers cruises where Cuban ports are called.

Nicko Cruises, a Portuguese / German joint venture, is offering two 15-day voyages with 5 Cuban ports each (Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, Maria La Gorda, Siguanea, and Havana) on board the WORLD VOYAGER for December - January - February 2021/22 at.

Unfortunately the website and brochure is only in German as the ship is marketed in Germany, Belgium and France.

21.12.-04.01.2022 + 01.02.-15.02.2022

The brochure:

https://cdn.nicko-cruises.de/06-Blaetterkatalog/Blaetterkatalog/catalogs/SEEREISEN-2021-22/pdf/complete.pdf

.

Hello Nicholas,

SKAUBRYN had a short „life“. After rebuilding  1951 from a cargoship into a comfort emigrant carrier she traveled only until 1958 when she caught fire on 31. of March 1958 in the Indian Ocean on route to Australia.

The hole story about SKAUBRYN you can read at the SSMARITIME website of Reuben Goosen:

 http://ssmaritime.com/Skaubryn-intro.htm  in five chapters.

Here is the deck plans of the ship when she was under charter 1957 for the Greek Lines North Atlantic service:

source - ebay international

@alikaalex

Here some deck plans from the beauty:

SOUTHWARD 1974:

SOUTHWARD 1991:

unfortunately she lost her cinema after sales 1995 rebuilding to SEAWING

PERLA 2005:

and a beauty picture as PERLA in Louis Cruise Line colors:

Hello annnmarie,

Here is a short bio of GRUZIYA until 2003.

https://web.itu.edu.tr/bilgili/Ships/soviet/blasco/gruziya/gruziya.htm

After bankrupty of the Dutch Club Cruise company she got sold to Salamis Cruise Lines for whom she sailed until now (2020)  as SALAMIS FILOXENIA for short cruises from Cyprus.

https://www.salamiscruiselines.com/

Plans as built 1975:

Plans actual:

Here are plans from 1968, 1970 and 1991 from STARWARD one of the pioneers of modern cruising

1968

1970

1991

Here some pictures and deck plans from Stardancer

Interesting report:

The Rise and Fall of Regency Cruises

https://crociereuk.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/the-rise-and-fall-of-regency-cruises/

and as Emerald Seas:

As Sapphire Seas:

As the President Roosevelt:

As totally rebuilt Atlantis - running mate for Amerikanis for Chandris America Lines

here some deck plans of the ship during her metamorphosis:

As La Guardia:

As the Leilani:

Here two higher resolution pictures of deck plans of "Jamaica Queen" and as "Nili"

Hi Thomas,

"City of Rhodes" was the biggest ship of Cycladic Cruises. She was before named "33 Orientales" - an Argentinian coastal ferry which operates for Empresa Flota Fluvial del Estado Argentino on the La Plata River service between Paraguay - Argentina - Uruguay.

Here you can see pictures of her and her lifespan on the latin website:

https://www.histarmar.com.ar/BuquesMercantes/Marina Mercante Argentina/Pasaje/33Orientales.htm

a deck plan as "City of Rhodos", as you traveled on her:

best regards

Frank

For all Chandris Lines & Chandris Cruises fans - nice Magazin (Ulkomatala Shipping Magazin) of all the Chandris passenger ships. Unfortunately in finnish language, but the pictures alone is worth to watch!

http://ulkomatala.net/magazine/UM_2015-6.pdf

enjoy

Frank

UM_2015-6.pdf

Hi mjrtar,

here you can read why Cuba got banned by the Trump administration:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/cuba-cruise-travel-ban/index.html

also the Greek Celeystial Cruises who had offered Cuba cruises every winterseason - didn´t operate anymore in this area. Think they don´t want to get problems for their US summer sale business of Greek cruises to Americans.

The only one ship I knew who operates from/to Cuba ist the cozy cruiseship MS "BERLIN" from Geman operator FTI Kreuzfahrten until March 2020.

The actual brochure here:

http://netcat2.kolb-digital.de/fti_cruises_MS_Berlin_2020_0319/19_20Wi_MS_Berlin.pdf

Flights from New York actual direct to Cuba are available from United Airlines, Swiss, Air Canada and Jet Blue, but I don´t know the travel restrictions perhaps for US Citizen.

Best regards

Frank

19_20Wi_MS_Berlin.pdf

Hi LLeon,

Fairsky operated together with Fairstar exclusively cruises for the Australian market at this time. (1977)

As  a superb outfitted “emigrant carrier” she was ideal suited  for budget cruises from Australia and was very popular together with her running mate Fairstar.

A good shipreport about the Fairsky here:

https://ssmaritime.com/sitmar2.htm

 and the detailed end here:

https://ssmaritime.com/sitmar-fairsky-june-1977.htm

Unfortunately I started collecting Sitmar Brochures from 1976 for the North American market and from  1979 for the Australian market so I don´t have any schedule for your planed Fairsky cruise 1977.

In the “Endreport” they mentioned she was on a cruise  between Darwin and Singapore.

Unfortunately too,  Sitmar never replaced her with another ship and CTC Lines fill the gap with chartered Soviet Liners in the Australian high seasons.

The next planed Fairsky´s – (ex Principe Perfeito - which never got rebuilt – and the newbuilding) where planed both for the North American market – left Fairstar a lonesome runner down under.

Best Regards

Frank

copyright deckplan Fairsky by SSMaritime

her a picture from the net - at the near end at her career as "LAVIA"

The funny thing with the "Victoria" was when Chandris bought her 1975.

Chandris was interrested in the "Gripsholm" but got overbid by Karageorgis. They bid also for the "Victoria" and got her -

the aspect for bidding was - using only the furniture of the "Victoria" for following use for their other cruiseships and Chandris Leisurehotels in Greece - selling the rest for scrap!

After better inspection - they decide against this plans and put the "Victoria" in their cruise business for Chandris as

"The Victoria".

She ran for Chandris 19 years from 1975 until 1994 and following also for Louis Cruises additional remarkable 10 years

She was a real gem in the Chandris fleet!

Tropicale was the prototype for the following 3 near sisters Holiday, Jubilee and Celebration.

Carnival until there used second hand - ex liner tonnage - a lot of old fashioned liner facilities was found on Tropicale

like a classic glass enclosed Promenade Deck or the Dining Room down on the waterline to make the difference layout to Mardi Gras, Carnivale and Festivale not so serious.

Traveled on her 1994 as Costa Tropicale - she will remember me as a wonderfull "new classic" ship.

Minimum cabin size 17m2 - every cabin with TV set - and all outside cabins had big windows.

Sad she is not more on the western market travelling since years for peaceboat org

here some plans from the old tub