Your first cruise ship

[PaulaW]

Copper John,

 

Thank you so much for posting the history of the old Premier Oceanic! I took my very first cruise on her in 1988. It was fascinating to read about what's been happening to her since.

[Copper10-8]

Copper John,

 

Thank you so much for posting the history of the old Premier Oceanic! I took my very first cruise on her in 1988. It was fascinating to read about what's been happening to her since.

 

You're welcome, Paula - Some of these old ships have more lives than a cat!;)

[Twaincruisers]

My first cruise was in 1974 on the TSS Fiesta in the eastern Med. It was built in 1946 and was 3659 gt. Not many amenities!

[Copper10-8]

First cruise was on Island Princess in 1983.

 

 

ms Island Venture (1972-present) Built in 1972 by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke, Emden, then West Germany as ms Island Venture for Norwegian-based Flagship Cruises. She was named on 14 December 1971 in Oslo, Norway and set off across the Atlantic on 4 January 1972. Flagship Cruises was a joint venture between Norwegian Olvind Lorentzen and a company doing business as Norwegian Cruiseships. They brought the 19,907 gross registered ton ship to the east coast of the United States and operated her on cruises between New York City and Hamilton, Bermuda as well as to other points on the east coast, but only until 4 December of that year. This is when she, along with her sister Sea Venture, were leased/chartered by Princess Cruises.

 

 

Princess operated her on the west coast out of Los Angeles, CA (San Pedro) from where she cruised to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan in the fall, winter and spring. During the summer, she could be found in Alaska. By 11 November 1975 Princess had been taken over by the Britain-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company or P&O, who purchased both the Island Princess and her sister Pacific Princess, the former Sea Venture, outright.

Both ships would appear in the 1970's television sitcom "The Love Boat", although Pacific Princess was the main 'star' of that show which ran from 1977 through 1986. Island Princess however, would become the unofficial flagship of the Princess fleet for many years.

 

 

On 5 April 1999, she was sold to South Korean-based Hyundai Merchant Marine (Hyundai Asian Cruises), named Hyundai Pungak and used to transport South Korean pilgrims to religious sites in North Korea for two years.

On 24 August 2001 she was purchased by the Feducia Shipping Co. S.A. who renamed her Platinum for four months worth of Mediterranean cruising.

On December 2001, yet another new owner appeared on scene when she was purchased by UK entrepeneur Gerry Herrod who who founded Ocean Cruise Lines as well as Orient Lines in 1992. After a major refit that year, the ship began sailing for UK-based Voyages of Discovery (Discovery World Cruises), as Discovery, primarily out of Harwich, England.

In 2004, a short charter saw her being renamed Andaman Victory and, upon conclusion, she continued operating as Discovery for Voyages of Discovery.

 

 

Voyages of Discovery describes itself as a "soft adventure" experience, a way for passengers to go to seldom visited destinations without the rigorous shore excursions and spartan accommodations of the "hard adventure" competitors. Exotic destinations include Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway's North Cape, Spitsbergen, the Amazon, Devil's Island, Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island, plus Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands. It is the only non-Ecuadorian cruise ship with a port of call in the Galapagos Islands. She also cruises to Cuba but those trips are marketed only through its British brochures and Web site.

 

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For the most part, she can be found in the northern hemisphere (Baltic, Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Aegean, North Africa) in the spring and summer, and in the southern hemisphere (South America, Antarctica, and Indian Ocean) in the fall and winter.

 

[Hwy101A]

some people post here 20 times a day waiting for an inside cabin..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vefdlYKOQmk:eek: perhaps, they should have manners on a Hal Cruise?

[LindaKE]

We went on Carnival Inspiration out of New Orleans for our first cruise. We did a Western Caribbean itinerary - Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We wanted to celebrate our 30th Anniversary and could easily drive to New Orleans. We came back saying we would probably cruise again, but probably not on Carnival. Two years later we cruised to Alaska on Princess and were hooked.

[RBCL]

Thanks for the post about Carnival Sensation, she's a beautiful ship! :D

 

Curtis

[DDMau]

Our first was NCL Sky - Alaska - 2002 - r/t Seattle

 

Our second was NCLA Pride of Aloha - Hawaii -July 4th, 2004 (NCL Sky turned into the Pride of Aloha)

 

 

Yes we were hooked on cruising before the first cruise ended, now working on #9 for Oct 2010.

[iloverags2]

Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the Seas in October 1997, where we went to Nassau and Coco Cay on a 3-night cruise. Hooked ever since!

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for the post about Carnival Sensation, she's a beautiful ship! :D

 

Curtis

 

YW:) Personally, I don't care too much about those new balconies that were "tacked on" to her mid-ships and near her stern in January 09:eek: They didn't improve her exterior lines much, but that's just me;)

Edited July 10, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Chandris Fantasia in the late 1960's: http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ChandrisFantasia.html#anchor174969

 

Went Venice to Venice with stops in Corfu, Rhodes, Crete, Athens, Alexandria with overnight to Cairo and Dubrovnik --- all long before the mass tourism development of these spots and still behind the Iron Curtain when it came to Yugoslavia.

 

Lots of Greek food, a real flaming baked Alaska that about brought down the ceiling party decorations, fun-loving European passengers whose favorite nights were costume and talent nights and a very randy, drug-smuggling group of Greek officers (.......as I vaguely remember). Plus there was a Miss Fantasia contest my sister nearly won.

 

Four bunk cabins with bathrooms down the hall and cabin stewards that would time their unannounced entrance into the cabin, opening the door with the call of "Fresh towels" just at the time you got back from the shower and were standing their in your underwear or less.

 

tss Duke of York (1935-1975) Built by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast, Northern Ireland as tss (turbine steam ship) Duke of York for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway Company (LMS). She was launched on 7 March 1935 and completed on 4 June of that year. LMS placed the ferry on their Heysham, England to Belfast, Northern Ireland service across the Irish Sea.

During World War II, she was requisitioned for military service in 1939 as a LSI (Landing Ship Infantry)/troop transport and renamed HMS Duke of Wellington (there was already a Duke of York in service with the Royal Navy). HMS Duke of Wellington was one of the LSI's that took part in Operation Jubilee, the abortive raid on Dieppe, France on 19 August 1942. After having embarked Canada's Black Watch Regiment, she was assigned to the landing at Blue beach which was at Puits, to the east of Dieppe. The ship is also known to have taken part in the D-Day landings at Normandy, France on 7 June 1944 where she transported a large number of Canadian troops as well as men of the British Royal Wiltshire Regiment. Towards the end of the war, HMS Duke of Wellington transported troops between Tilbury, England and the liberated Belgian port of Oostende/Ostend.

At the conclusion of the war in 1945, she reverted back to her original name of Duke of York and, after a refit, operated on a ferry service between Southampton, England and ports in the British Channel Islands. On 1 January 1948, the LMS was nationalised and became part of the state-owned British Railways. In May 1948, Duke of York's route was changed from Harwich, England to Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland) in the Netherlands.

 

In the 1950-1951 winter, she received a major refit which saw her propulsion system converted from coal to oil-firing, one of her original two funnels removed and her passenger accomodation increased to 520. The summer of 1951 found her operating on yet another new route, from Holyhead, Wales to Dun Laoghaire in the Republic of Ireland however, in the fall she was back on the Harwich to Hoek van Holland run.

 

On 6 May 1953 at 4:17 am while in the North Sea, 40 miles east of Harwich near the Galloper light ship in heavy fog, the 4,190 gross registered ton Duke of York, carrying 437 passengers and 72 crew, collided with the U.S.-flagged 7,607 grt freighter Haiti Victory. The colission occurred when most of her passengers were asleep in their cabins. The bow of the Haiti Victory struck the Duke of York broadside, just forward of the ferry's bridge, almost slicing her in half. After the colission, as the American ship went astern, the bow section of the Duke of York parted from her main structure and sank quickly.

A rescue operation was initiated with the ferry's passengers and 58 of her crew being transferred at sea to the Haiti Victory and another U.S.-flagged freighter, the American.The severely damaged ferry was eventually towed back to Harwich by ocean-going tugs, arriving there in the late evening of 6 May with her captain and 14 of her crew having remained on board. At Harwich, the bodies of five passengers were discovered inside the ferry's mangled bow wreckage while a sixth passenger expired after having been transported to the Royal Victoria hospital with severe injuries. Eight additional passengers were transported to the same hospital with various injuries. Repairs to the Duke of York took her out of service until February 1954 when she reappeared with a new raked bow. She would remain on North Sea service until being withdrawn in July 1963.

In 1963, Duke of York was purchased by the founder/owner of Greece-based Chandris Cruises, Dimitri Chandris. He renamed her York and registered her under Liberian flag, managed by Marivic Navigation, Inc. In August 1963, she found her way to Smith's Dock Company, North Shields on the River Tyne in North-East England where she rceived a major refit to change her into a full-time cruise ship. Her promenade deck was extended, her car space removed, her passenger cabin lay-out modified and the groundwork was laid for the installation of two swimming pools. From North Shields she went to Ambelakia on Salamis Island in Greece where Chandris had established their own shipyard, arriving in November 1963. At the Greek yard her rebuilt was completed with the ship's accomodation being increased to 381 passengers, a dining room/restaurant, bars and lounges were gained, air conditioning as well as closed-circuit television was installed as well as the two swimming pools. Upon emerging from the yard, her name had been changed to Fantasia and she had been transferred to a new subsidiary of the Chandris Line by the name of International Cruises S.A.

On 15 March until 8 November 1964 she began operating 14-day cruises for her new owners starting in Venice, Italy with port calls in the former Yugoslavia (Dubrovnik), Greece (Piraeus, Corfu, Rodos/Rhodes and Heraklion-Crete) Cyprus (Limassol) and Israel (Haifa). The winter season found her laid up in Eleusis Bay outside Piraeus. This cycle would repeat itself for the next six years with additional port calls at Delphi and Mykonos, Greece, and Alexandria, Egypt. For the 1970 summer season, Fantasia ran a mix of eleven and twelve-day cruises from Venice in addition to two 16-day cruises which included Beirut, Lebanon. During the 1970-1971 winter, instead of being laid up, Fantasia operated short cruises out of Ancona on the Adriatic coast of Italy. The summer of 1971 saw her operating 7-day cruises from her familiar home port of Venice again but it would be for the last time. On 2 October 1971 she sailed back to Greece and was laid up in Eleusis Bay. She would never sail again. Three years later in 1974, after being damaged by fire, she was sold for scrap and subsequently broken up in Spain in 1975.

[Copper10-8]

First cruise was the MS Skyward NCL....it was what I wanted for my high school graduation in 1986. I fell in love with cruising from the very first time...I also got to see my grandmother get a little tipsy at the Captain's cocktail party which was great fun for a teenager.

 

ms Skyward (1969-present) Build in 1969 by the AG (Aktien-Gesellschaft) “Weser” Werk Seebeck werft/shipyard, Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany for Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL). The 295-foot aft section of the vessel was launched on 27 April 1969 and she was delivered to her new owners on 10 December 1969. After her naming/christening ceremony at the yard, the 16,254 gross registered ton, 728-passenger ship crossed the Atlantic on her way to the Port of Miami, Florida from where she started operating 14-day cruises to the Caribbean from the new Dodge Island terminal on 3 January 1970.

Skyward became the third ship in the thriving NCL enterprise founded in 1966, after Norwegian Knut A. Kloster had entered into a joint venture with Israeli Ted Arison (the founder of Carnival Cruise Line in 1972). Kloster supplied the ship(s) through his own company, Klosters Rederi A/S, and Arison marketed them and was the sales agent. The joint operation would only last for five years however when, in 1971 Kloster cancelled the contract. Arison took him to court and a settlement was reached (out-of-court) in 1974. The two ships that preceded Skyward were Sunward (1966) and Starward (1968), her sister, with Southward following in 1971. The trademark of the fleet of four ships was a pair of flared funnels positioned aft, plus the hull of each of the four ships was decorated with a stylized orange sunburst.

Skyward would operate Caribbean cruises from Miami for much of her NCL career such as her 7-day run to the Western Carib with port calls at Cancun/Cozumel, Mexico, Georgetown, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands and to Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s little piece of paradise in the Bahamas. NCL had become the first cruise line to purchase its own private island in 1980, an idea soon followed by others.

On 9 September 1979 when Skyward was about 30 nautical miles out of Miami, a fire broke out in the ship's engine room. The ship was stopped and her passengers were sucessfully transferred at sea to the nearby Starward.

In late 1987, the name Norwegian Caribbean Line was changed into Norwegian Cruise Line (still NCL) after Southward started operating on the United States’ west coast. 1990 saw her operating 7-day cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico to the Southern Caribbean where she called at Tortola and Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands as well as at the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao.

In 1991 her 22-year NCL career came to an end when she was purchased by Sembawang Johnson Ship Management who renamed her Shangri-La World and operated her on cruises out of Singapore. A succession of four name changes in two years, Asian World (1992), Fantasy World (1992-1993), Continental World (1993) and Leisure World (1993) followed. 1994 saw her brought back to familiar territory when she entered dry-dock at the Atlantic Dry Dock Corporation in Jacksonville, Fl for a rebuilt and renovation. She gained a rather ugly addition to her stern and her passenger capacity was increased to 950 souls.

On 1 December 1995 she was purchased by Queenston Investments, Ltd. and since 2000 mv Leisure World has been operating as a casino ship ed by Singapore-based New Century Cruises.

She can usually be found anchored in international or Indonesian waters with her passengers transported to and from the ship from the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in the Changi district of Singapore and/or the Nongsapura Ferry Terminal on the Indonesian island of Batam via ‘Batam Fast’ high speed ferries.

 

 

Her guests can either book one day or two day/one night cruises. Once onboard, public facilities on Leisure World include the Starlight Restaurant, the 70-seat Tropicana Karaoke Lounge (songs in the English, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia or Malaysia and Thai languages) which is open daily from 10:00 to 3:00 am, the Main Gaming Hall, a 24-hour Sauna Center, a basketball/badminton court and a Miniature Golf Driving Range. On 3 April 2006 she switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to one of the Republic of Tuvalu (Funafuti).

Edited July 11, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

1975, Royal Viking Star, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco

 

Royal Viking Star (1972-present) Built in 1972 as Royal Viking Star by Oy Wärtsilä Ab (Wartsila New Ship Yard), Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland for Royal Viking Line for which she sailed until 1991. Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. On 26 June 1972 Royal Viking Star was handed over to her new owners.

 

 

Royal Viking Star was the first of Royal Viking's initial three vessels. All three were owned by one of the line's initial investing partners. Royal Viking Star's owner was Norway-based Bergenske Dampskibsselskab (Bergen Line). The second, Royal Viking Sky, was owned by Norway-based Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab of Trondheim. The third ship, Royal Viking Sea, was owned by Norway-based AF Klaveness & Co. of Oslo.

 

All three vessels were approx. 21,500 gross registered tons (GRT) and nearly identical in appearance, with a tall superstructure and a single, scooped funnel. However, Royal Viking Star was two feet shorter (581 feet), and her interior arrangement differed slightly from her two fleet-mates. Each ship featured a double-height theater occupying an interior space on the two lowest passenger decks; however, on the Star, the space just forward of the theater on the higher of these decks was occupied by a chapel, a feature not found on either of her fleet-mates, nor any of the Scandinavian-built cruise ships of that generation.

 

Other differences included the placement of small lounges and facilities such as the library. These vessels were intended for longer voyages to exotic destinations, and a significant percentage of the line's passengers were wealthy retirees. As such, they featured numerous single staterooms and suites, and thus their capacity was only about 550 compared to 750-850 on similarly-sized ships of other lines. Royal Viking Line prided itself on single-seating dining, and the restaurant was situated unusually high in the ship, with large windows. Another popular feature was a glass-enclosed lounge high atop the bridge, which afforded excellent views.

 

On 1 May 1976, Royal Viking Star and Royal Viking Sky became the first sister ships to have transited the Panama Canal simultaneously in different directions, the Star sailing eastbound and the Sky in the westbound dirction. Beginning in 1980, each of the three ships was "stretched" to 28,000 GRT by adding a 93-foot prefabricated midships section at the A.G. Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany. This increased each ship's capacity by 200 passengers, and mainly included the addition of cabins. Aft of the observation lounge, a new lounge and nine penthouse suites with balconies were added. The size of the main restaurant was also doubled and now occupied nearly half of one deck in order to maintain single-seating dining. Royal Viking Star received her 'stretching' from 30 August until 22 November 1981.

 

Royal Viking's management had determined the expansion was more economical than building a fourth ship; however, the plan backfired, because many of their loyal passengers felt the larger ships had lost their intimate appeal.

 

In 1986, Royal Viking Line was purchased/obtained by Norwegian Caribbean Line, then part of the Kloster Group. The offices were moved to Coral Gables, Fl, and Warren Titus departed in 1987. In 1990, Kloster moved the Star to its Norwegian Cruise Line brand, where she became the Westward and sailed for NCL from 1991 until 1994. With NCL, she was used for cruising from New York City to Bermuda and to various islands of the Caribbean

 

 

In April 1994, Westward was transferred to the fleet of NCL's subsidiary Royal Cruise Line, renamed Star Odyssey and used for cruising around the Mediterranean. Here, she joined her sister Royal Viking Sea, which had sailed as Royal Odyssey since 1991. The career of the Star Odyssey was to prove short however, as Norwegian Cruise Line was facing financial difficulties in the mid-1990s and were forced to sell off various assets

 

 

In October 1996, Star Odyssey was purchased by Britain-based Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. She was renamed Black Watch, a traditional name in Fred Olsen fleet, and began sailing for her new owner on 15 November 1996. In February 1997, she suffered engine problems while outside Marmaris, Greece, and had to be docked for two weeks at Valetta, Malta for repairs.

From April 2005 onwards, the ship was docked for two months at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. During this time her engines were upgraded and interiors refurbished. Her lounge/buffet on the top deck has been replaced with additional passenger cabins, while her observation lounge above the bridge remains. The length of Bridge Deck is now occupied by passenger cabins (with the ship's officers scattered around the ship). The aft portion of the formerly vast main dining-room has been converted into two smaller restaurants and an additional lounge. A spacious, glass-lined space on the top deck hosts the fitness center and spa. The former chapel has been carved into three additional staterooms.

 

 

In July 2007, the ship was the subject of an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease which affected a number of her passengers in the seventies and eighties age range.

On board Black Watch, the Neptune Lounge is the main show lounge with a stage and dance floor. Entertainment includes comedians, musicians and dancers. In the daytime this space is used for lectures, bingo, etc. Cabaret-style performances can also take place in the Lido Lounge, which has a dance floor, and the Observatory Lounge above the bridge. The dance shows are usually themed by port destination, from Russian dancing in St. Petersburg to Flamenco in the Canary islands.

The Braemar Room, which occupies the aft-starboard quarter of the original dining room, is a quieter lounge for reading and conversation, with groups of plush chairs and couches and a small bar. The enormous figurehead from the ss Braemar, a former member of the fleet, occupies the inboard wall.

Opposite the Braemar Room on the port side is the Garden Cafe, the ship's buffet restaurant, and the Orchid Room, a small dining room offering the same menu as the main restaurant. The latter, known as the Glentenar Restaurant, occupies the space of the ship's pre-expansion restaurant and has buffet stations along its fore and aft walls. There are two seatings for lunch and dinner, and a late-night buffet is offered in the Garden Cafe only.

A small bar called the Piper's Club is decorated with memorabilia of the Black Watch Regiment for which the ship is named. A move theater, forward on the lowest two passenger decks, is the only double-height space on board. Religious services are held in the theater. A fitness center, with sauna and massage room, was added during the ship's Kloster ownership. It is located amidships on the top deck. It is only accessible by outdoor stairways, and features floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides.

[Copper10-8]

Mine was on the Statendam Nov. 1999 . 10 days to Mexico.. Had to talk my better half into it. She did not want to cruise due to sea sickness problem. It all worked out to the good. She is now a great fan to cruiseing. Have been to Hawaii twice, Panama Canal, Alaska and to Mexico seven times.

 

ms Statendam (1993-present) Built in 1993 as ms Statendam 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. ‘Staten’ in Dutch means ‘states’ so the ship is named after the seven original “states”, now provinces, of the Netherlands. She is the lead ship of the, initially three, later four-ship “S” or “Statendam” class, Maasdam (1993), Ryndam (1994) and Veendam (1996) are her sisters and the first ship to join the line since the 1988 acquisition of the Westerdam (ex-Homeric). At 720-feet, she was designed to carry fewer passengers while providing more space for maximum comfort. Many of her staterooms feature ocean views and, for the first time of a Holland America ship, 149 of them have private verandahs.

 

 

The first Statendam operated for Holland America Line from 1889 until 1911. She was HAL’s first passenger ship to exceed 10,000 tons as a twin screw 10,491 gross registered ton steamship. Built by Harland & Wolff in Northern Ireland, Statendam I was deployed on the transatlantic service between Rotterdam and New York. The ship was sold in 1911 to Allen Line who renamed her Scotian and used her for service between Great Britain, Canada and the United States. In 1915 Allen Line was sold to Canadian Pacific Line where the former Statendam became the Marglen. In 1927 she met her end at the hands of Italian shipbreakers.

The second Statendam was launched in 1914, also from the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The First World War interfered and Statendam would never sail for HAL. She was completed in 1917 as the 32,234 ton British military troopship Justicia under White Star Line management. On 20 July 1918 she sank in the Irish Channel after being attacked with torpedoes by German submarines.

 

Statendam III was laid down at Harland & Wolff in 1921 but completed at Wilton-Feijenoord in Schiedam, The Netherlands in 1929. The 29,511 ton passenger liner was put to work on the Rotterdam to New York service, would become HAL’s flagship and was quickly known as the ‘Queen of the Spotless Fleet’. The Depression years hit the company hard so HAL began offering short cruises, mostly from American ports. She was withdrawn from service in late 1939 and laid up in Rotterdam. During the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940, Statendam III was repeatedly hit by bombs as well as caught in a cross fire. For three days, the ship burned out of control with the only two items salvageable being her ship’s bell and the Dutch flag that flew from her stern. She was scrapped in August of the following year.

 

The fourth Statendam was again built at the Wilton-Feijenoord yard in Schiedam and, upon completion, was named by her godmother, HRH Princess (now Queen) Beatrix of the Netherlands in January 1957. One year later in January 1958, she would be the ship that made HAL’s first ever world cruise lasting 110 days. After completing that cruise, Statendam IV operated on the Rotterdam to New York run and, from 1966, for cruising only. After a comprehensive refit that changed her from an ocean liner to a full-time cruise ship, Statendam IV operated Caribbean cruises from Miami in the winter and Bermuda cruises from New York in the summer season. Towards the end of her HAL career, she also operated Alaska cruises out of Vancouver, BC. In 1981 she was sold to New York-based Artus Investors and renamed Rhapsody in 1982, sailing for France-based Paquet Cruises (She was charted back to HAL for Alaska cruises in 1983 and again in 1988). 1986 found her purchased by Regency Cruises who renamed her Regent Star. In 1994, after her Greek owners went belly up, Regent Star was laid up at Eleusis Bay. She was sold for scrap in 2004 and broken up at Alang, India that same year.

 

After running technical trials in the Adriatic in July 1992 and again in October 1992, Statendam V was handed over to her owners on 7 January 1993. She then commenced a transatlantic crossing, with crew but without passengers, to Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. under the command of Captain Hans Eulderink, with Holland America Line since 1956. After a christening and naming ceremony there by her godmother, Marilyn “Lin” Arison, spouse of Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Cruise Line, on 23 January 1993, she commenced on her inaugural/maiden cruise, a sixteen-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles, CA via the Panama Canal. On 7 May 1993, she returned to Europe from New York City on a 35-day Grand Europe Cruise. This cruise, still under the command of Captain Eulderink and with Dirk Zeller as the ship’s hotel manager, concluded on 11 June in Tilbury, England. Since then, Statendam has been found in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Hawaiian Islands, and Australasia. In 1994, she conducted her first World Cruise and on 10 May 1996 she switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to a Dutch one (Rotterdam).

 

 

The four ships of the 'S' class are just about identical, having only small changes in their internal layout. However, each one has a different decorative theme. Statendam's theme is built around historical Dutch life and exploration, with more than $2 million worth of art and artifacts displayed throughout the ship. In the center of the ship, a three-story atrium showcases an elaborate 26-foot-high “Fountain of the Sirens” sculpture.

 

Statendam 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, Statendam 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), Erasmus Library, Puzzle Corner, Card room, Hudson room, Half Moon room (the latter two can be combined into one room for meetings and private parties), a 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 Salon, Ocean Spa and Gymnasium (with juice bar, massage area, two sauna and two steam rooms), 403-seat Lido (buffet) Restaurant, the 745-seat two-level Rotterdam dining room connected by a pair of sweeping, curved staircases with shiny brass railings and a ceiling canopy made from hand-blown Venetian glass, two small and private dining rooms initially known as the Noordam and Westerdam rooms and two outdoor swimming pools (one of which, the Lido pool, that can be closed off with a hydraulic sliding roof called a magrodome), two Jacuzzis plus a small children’s wading pool (since covered up) and, on Sports Deck, a jogging track around the base of the funnel (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side).

 

 

The four “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 (Statendam lost her escalator while in dry-dock in Freeport, the Bahamas in April 2010 and gained two interior staterooms in its place). That atrium, three-stories high, showcases the magnificent “Fountain of the Sirens,” designed by Dutch architect Fennis de Vlaming, and executed by sculptor Gilbert Le Bigre. The fountain is decorated with sirens and symbols in the form of sculptured statues, including dolphins and rams’ heads, that suggest mythical gods and heroes. The sculpture measures 14 ½ feet at its base which consists of three basins in the shape of twisted shells. At the forward end of Statendam’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 Van Gogh Theater/show lounge forward on both Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks commemorates Dutch 20th century post-Impressionist painterVincent van Gogh through his “Starry Night” and “Irises” paintings, and has a late 19th century French Art Noveau theme and a dance floor in front of the stage.

 

 

During a regularly scheduled dry-dock in Seattle, WA from 23 September through 2 October 2002, Statendam was one of two HAL ships (Ryndam was the other) to gain a 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 with ‘ocean views’ on Statendam, Ryndam and later, on their two “S” class sisters, the private dining room, known as the Kings room, a portion of the Explorers Lounge, the maitre d’s office as well as the small 'Video Arcade' were gutted and converted. 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 (Statendam 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, i-Pod 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, 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 Statendam, the SOE part 1 refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Erasmus Library, Puzzle Corner, Card Room and Fountain Terrace. After a dry dock period at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt, BC, Statendam completed her SOE part 1 upgrades to cabins and public spaces in May 2005. Starting on 9 December 2007, Statendam spent two weeks in the Cairncross Dry Dock in Brisbane, Australia where her hull received a new coat of paint and her public spaces new carpeting.

 

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, underwent and/or will undergo extensive dry docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor.

 

On 10 May 2009 while in Alaska, Statendam gained a 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, Canaletto, Merabella and other public area enhancements. The second series of dry-docks in 2012 and 2013 will add the Lanai cabins. After experiences 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 six new verandah and five inside staterooms on the stern will be added on Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam during their next scheduled dry-dock period (for Statendam scheduled in December 2012).

 

For Statendam, the $200 million program began when she entered Dry Dock #3 on 26 March 2010 at the Grand Bahama Shipyard. While there, all of the ship’s existing staterooms were upgraded with new decor, modern wall sconces, carpeting, drapes, pillows and bed runners, resurfaced desks and vanities, and new vanities and cabinetry in the bathrooms. Sixteen staterooms (fourteen outside and two inside) on Verandah Deck, two decks below the nearby Greenhouse Spa, became “Spa staterooms” with a variety of enhanced amenities. Each offers 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.

 

The ship’s original Piano and Casino Bars were gutted and reconfigured into a multi-themed new bar concept called "Mix". It features 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. A number of Microsoft Surface tables can be found inside Mix on which electronic games can be played. In addition, her casino was redesigned and the entertainment area on Upper Promenade deck was opened up (walls were literally be knocked down) to create a better flow between shops, bars and the casino.

 

Inside a section of Statendam’s Lido restaurant (port side forward), Canaletto a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner was created. 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 ships' 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 Putanesca, Penne alla Vodka, Veal Milanese and Chicken Marsala

 

Statendam's main show lounge was transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a nightclub and a new slate of shows, her Ocean Bar was upgraded and lastly, a Merabella luxury jewelry shop was added mid-ships adjacent the Explorers Lounge on Upper Promenade deck. Statendam emerged from the Freeport yard on 11 April 2010 and, after sailing the short distance to her winter home port of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl, departed that same afternoon on a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise.

 

Statendam is scheduled for the second phase of SOE Part 2 in yet another visit to the Freeport dry-dock in December 2012. During that refit she is scheduled to receive:

 

- The addition/creation of thirty-eight 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.

 

- “Slice”, an upscale pizzeria, serving signature pizzas, whole pies and slices to order. Tables and padded chairs under a sunscreen will provide a place to dine al fresco. In order to provide live music, a stage will be added near the pool, while for additional entertainment, a large LED screen and sound system will be integrated into the ship's superstructure, providing both movies and video.

[bunny39]

My first cruise was on the MS Gripsholm, a Swedish ship. I was 10. It was 1968 and I was with my Mom, Dad and Sister. It was a magical experience mixed with sadness due to my Grandmother dying the moment we set sail. And yet it was such an amazing time that I was able to rise above the sadness. I have been hooked on cruising every since.

[goatgoat]

Our first cruise was on the RCL Song of Norway in October 1984. Our first impression was the ship was small and the decor was dated. We sailed to Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Caymen. As I recall, we were scheduled to stop in Cancun but skipped that to avoid an oncoming hurricane. We had a very rough day at sea as a final day. My husband went only because he knew had badly I wanted to go and he thought the price we paid months in advance was ridiculous. He really went into shock when he learn the tips that were expected at the end. (I think we paid $999/person for the smallest ocean view cabin on the ship.) In those days, air was included from Dallas to Miami. The cabin had no tv, no radio, no coffee pot, etc.

 

At the end of the trip, we agreed it was by far the best vacation ever and was a great bargain. There was no where we could have gone with the level of service, the excellent food and wonderful entertainment for that price. My husband insisted that we tip above the recommended amount for the outstanding service. We agreed we could go on the very same cruise the following year and never leave the ship. We were more relaxed and happy than we could have ever anticipated on Day 1 and hooked on cruising!

Edited July 20, 2010 by goatgoat

[aliaschief]

Copper the OP is currently on a Alaska land tour with following cruise on the MS Statendam. So be patient and I'm sure you will receive anwers upon his return.

[2many2count]

My first cruise was on the Carnival Holiday. She was brand new and we decided to try cruising. We booked an inside cabin due to budget constraints and were near the bow(that was the last inside for me). You could hear the creaking with each pass over a wave. We were seated at a table for 4 and couldn't stand our table mates, but didn't have the foggiest notion that we could ask to change. With all that being said, we were hooked and the great addiction began. I loved it so much that I became a travel agent in the mid 90's and retired a few years ago.

[jotabecu]

If it could be called a cruise, it was the "Florida" in 1948, took it several times from La Habana to Miami and back, it was overnight leaving about 6 pm and arriving around 7 am the next day.

It was fun.

[LETS PARTY]

tropical....I think 1988...... Carnivals 1st ship they built....up to about 60 cruise now over 400 dys at sea

[partman57]

Mine was on the Big Red Boat (anyone remember who owned that line? was it Premier?). The itinerary was Bahamas, and the date - this is where it gets sketchy for me ;-) I believe was around May of 1994

 

Loved that cruise - I've been hopelessly addicted since then! :-D

 

Cathy

 

Yes Premier! That was my first, on the Big Red Boat II. We sailed from Canaveral and went to Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. They called it their on private Island. Went back years later and stayed on the island and took a rented boat over to the part where they had huts set up and a serving line for lunch buffet. It was all but gone. My kids took four pieces of tile from the serving line. Sad. It was partnered with Disney.

[DonnaMarieNJ]

Norway, when it was the largest cruise ship in the world. Don't remember when, but I was soooo sick. Didn't cruise for many years. :mad:

[New Jersey Pat]

First cruise was on the Homeric in the mid 1960's. Thirteen day round trip from New York to the Carribean with five ports. My friend and I (both single gals in our early 20's) just loved having the all Italian crew.

[ANSalberg]

Copper - I'm reading "D-Day" by Anthony Beevor - a more BRITISH model than American. [ although the landings refer to ALL the beaches etc and Air as well. Its relatively new [ maybe 2 years out?] It IS interesting in the lore of WWII annals. Thought you might be interested.

[Copper10-8]

Copper - I'm reading "D-Day" by Anthony Beevor - a more BRITISH model than American. [ although the landings refer to ALL the beaches etc and Air as well. Its relatively new [ maybe 2 years out?] It IS interesting in the lore of WWII annals. Thought you might be interested.

 

I will be on the lookout for that one! Thanks much for the tip! :)