Your first cruise ship

[globalwife]

Her home port for Pullmantur is Barcelona, Spain from where she offers 7-day itineraries with port calls at La Goulette/Tunis, Tunesia, Valetta, Malta, Messina/Sicily, Civitavecchia, Italy and Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.

 

Actually she is currently doing 7-day itineraries leaving from Mexico and in the fall she will return to making 7 day itineraries leaving from Cartagena, Colombia.

 

She (The Ocean Dream) was our first cruise ship back at the beginning of this year. We departed Colombia for a 7 day loop to Venezuela and the ABC Islands.

 

I don't have much experience on cruise ships to compare her but I can tell you I was still amazed while on her..... until we would dock next to one on the newer ships.

[Copper10-8]

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.

 

tss Eugenio C (1966-2005) Built in 1966 as tss Eugenio C by Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy (nowadays, Fincantieri, the builder of HAL’s latest fourteen ships) for Linea “C”, (later Costa Armatori, and later Costa Crocieri S.p.A. or Costa Cruises). Like two of her older fleet mates, Federico C and Enrico C, Eugenio C was named after one of founder Giacomo Costa’s three sons and launched on 21 November 1964 by the wife of Linea “C’s” then president, Angelo Costa.

While still under construction, a fire broke out that caused some damage but was extinguished before getting out of control. She was delivered to her new owners on 22 August 1966 and, for the following ten years, would serve passengers in three classes (178 in First Class, 356 in Second Class + 1,102 in Tourist Class) on Costa’s liner service between Genoa and Buenos Aires, Argentina with a stop at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 30,567 gross registered ton ship departed Genoa on her maiden voyage on 31 August 1966 and wound up replacing the line’s Federico C on this route. Her two sets of geared steam turbines and twin screws gave her an operating speed of 27.5 knots! On 9 August 1967 Eugenio C departed Genoa on her first cruise to Africa.

In the late seventies however, Costa’s passenger loads had been dropping on the trans-Atlantic routes and Eugenio C would spend more and more time on European or American/Caribbean cruises instead. While cruising, her passenger accommodation make-up changed to 1,603 in one class. After 1983, her only Atlantic crossings were two yearly positioning voyages.

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From 12 October until 1 December 1987, she was at the Cantieri Navali T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa for a major refit which saw a drastic interior modernization as well as a name change to Eugenio Costa. She would lose one of her three swimming pools. When she emerged, Costa operated her on cruises in South American water until March 1988 and for the summer season in European waters.

In 1993, Costa Cruises entered into a joint venture with Bruce Nierenberg, the founder of Premier Cruises Lines, called American Family Cruises. This was aimed at young American families with children and was to be launched in December 1993 with Eugenia Costa being renamed American Adventure and operating from the Port of Miami, Fl. A second Costa ship, Costa Riviera, would sail from Tampa, Fl in March 1994 as American Pioneer. The subsidiary never came to fruition however, and Eugenio Costa would sail her last cruise for Costa in November 1996.

In 1994 Eugenio Costa was sold to the Bremer Vulkan Schiff und Machinenbau/Bremer Vulkan Ship and Machine builders, Bremen, Germany as part payment for the new Costa Victoria being constructed there. Vulkan chartered the ship right back to Costa for which she continued to sail until November 1996 when she completed her last cruise (After going bankrupt in 1996, Vulkan closed its doors in 1997). She was subsequently laid up in Genoa until purchased by London-based Lowline Shipping on 12 February 1997.

Lowline Shipping then chartered the 31-year old ship to UK-based Direct Holidays as the first and as it turned out, only vessel, for their Direct Cruises venture. After a U.S. 12 Million dollar refit, she was renamed Edinburgh Castle in June 1997 and operated on budget cruises from ports in the north of England in direct competition with another British tour operator, Airtours. This venture proved unsuccessful however (continued mechanical issues with the ship, including her boilers, did not help), even leading to the bankruptcy of Lowline Shipping in 1999. During this time from 28 January to 20 March 1998, Edinburgh Castle operated some charter casino cruises out of New York City, but this also failed. Upon arrival in Southampton on 5 January 1999, the ship was arrested due to outstanding financial debt by her owners.

In May 1999, ownership of the vessel then passed to the main creditors of Lowline Shipping, that being the Birkenhead, UK-based Cammell Laird shipyard. She sailed from Southampton to the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas where she was renovated to the tune of U.S. 2.5 Million.

 

Her new operators effective April 2000, under a charter agreement but with a purchase option, were U.S.-based Premier Cruises. Premier Cruises, as Premier Cruise Line, had pioneered package deals of three and four-night Bahamas cruises out of Port Canaveral, Fl with a central Florida hotel stay plus a visit to Walt Disney World or the Kennedy Space Center. At the time they began operating, Premier were affiliated with Greyhound and would soon be known as the “Official cruise line of Walt Disney World” until Disney started their own cruise line. When they took possession of the former Eugenio C, Premier renamed her “Big Red Boat II” and had her hull painted in a bright cherry red color. Her operating area would be the Caribbean, sailing out of Houston, TX to the Mexican Gulf coast ports of Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Veracruz.

However, as faith once again would have it, Premier Cruises went into liquidation on 14 September 2000 and Big Red Boat II, after only four months of operation, was laid up, initially in Nassau, the Bahamas. After a short charter to the U.S. Government, she was moved to Freeport on 14 December 2000 where she joined some of her fleet mates such as Big Red Boat I and the Rembrandt, HAL’s much loved Rotterdam V. Although still offered for sale as a cruise ship and initially well-maintained, there were no takers and she slowly deteriorated after being purchased by Argo Ship Management in 2003.

In 2005, the former Eugenio C was sold to Indian ship breakers for scrap. She would depart Freeport belching smoke from her stacks under the delivery name of “Big Red” and made a stop in the Portuguese Azores en-route to the infamous beaches of Alang, India where she arrived on 5 June 2005 and was eventually broken up.

Edited July 31, 2010 by Copper10-8

[wanderlust268]

My first cruise was in September 1970 on the K Lines' "TSS Orion" on a 7-day round-trip cruise from Athens to Crete, Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos and back to Athens. It got me hooked, but unfortunately things like marriage, kids and mortgage prevented me from taking any other cruises over the intervening years. Now that we're retired from work, we're planning our first cruise on HAL in September to Alaska. Hopefully I'll get husband hooked too, and this will be the start of many wonderful cruises to come!:)

[dmwnc1959]

On 20 September 2005, after being sold once again, Faithful was suddenly towed to an estuary on the northern waterfront of the City of Alameda in the San Francisco Bay area where she was to undergo conversion into a private luxury yacht with the name ‘Aurora’. Her new owners were on record as Al Boraq Aviation however, numerous attempts by the Alameda City Attorneys Office to contact Al Boraq in order to inquire as to their intentions with the vessel were ignored. After eighteen months of trying to have the owners take away their deteriorating hulk from the former Naval Fleet Industrial Supply Center, the city of Alameda shelled out $200,000 in hard cash to have Faithful towed by private ship salvager Kurt Lind of Cal Equipment, who also received the title/lien to the ship. On 17 February 2008, two tugboats towed her to a mooring point, first to Decker Island, then to the bank of the Sacramento River at former U.S. Army, now City of Rio Vista property, in Solano County, CA.

 

 

 

 

Since that time, the ship’s current caretakers, salvager Kurt Lind and Christopher Wilson, have organized a number of volunteers, who live onboard, to clean and renovate the Faithful. Her hull and superstructure have recently been repainted white by them and her flooring is in the process of restoration. Estimates for a full restoration of the 55-year old ship run from $10 million U.S. to $60 million. Future plans for the ship have ranged from a floating condominium to a museum. Only time will tell!

 

 

Here's an UPDATE on her:

 

http://maritimematters.com/2010/08/aurora-transfer-under-way/

[dmwnc1959]

Should have included a link back to the original full history of AURORA from the post above.... Go to POST 1632 about 1/2 the way down...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102655&page=82

Edited August 2, 2010 by dmwnc1959

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was in September 1970 on the K Lines' "TSS Orion" on a 7-day round-trip cruise from Athens to Crete, Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos and back to Athens. It got me hooked, but unfortunately things like marriage, kids and mortgage prevented me from taking any other cruises over the intervening years. Now that we're retired from work, we're planning our first cruise on HAL in September to Alaska. Hopefully I'll get husband hooked too, and this will be the start of many wonderful cruises to come!

 

Achilleus (1953-2006) Built by Canteiri Navali Ansaldo S.p.A., Livorno, Italy as the 400-passenger (146 first, 148 second and 102 tourist class) Achilleus and completed in 1953 for the Greek government. She was promised to them as part of Italian World War II reparations and was initially operated by Nomikos Lines who placed her on the Southern Europe to Eastern Mediterranean route (Venice, Brindisi, Piraeus, Alexandria, Limassol, Beirut, Port Said, Alexandria).

In 1958, Nomikos sold her and her sister ship Agamemnon to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotelis Onassis-owned Olympic Cruises. She continued her Med and Adriatic routes with ports of call including Venice, Brindisi, Piraeus, Alexandria, Limassol, Beirut, Naples and Marseilles. She also made occasional cruises.

In 1963, Greek-based Dorian Cruises bought both the Achilleus and Agamemnon from Olympic Cruises. In 1966, Achilleus and her sister ship Agamemnon were put up for sale but no immediate purchaser could be found so both ships were laid up and eventually taken over by the Greek Government.

In 1968, Kavounides Shipping Company ('K' Lines - Hellenic Cruises) came calling, purchased Achilleus at public auction, and renamed her Orion. She was extensively rebuilt and modernized in 1969 as a full-time cruise ship and left the yard being able to accommodate 328 passengers in 128 cabins. She also received full air-conditioning and each of her staterooms now had private facilities.

 

 

As a result of "K" Lines' financial problems, ownership of the ships reverted in 1980 to the Piraeus-based Hellenic Industrial Development Bank and she was eventually laid up again at Elefsina/Eleusis, Greece. In December 1994, she was moved to the Trokadero harbor, located northwest of the Palaio Faliro district of Athens, for repairs.

In 1995, she was bought by Piraeus-based Thomas Cruises who had her converted into the day-cruise ship Thomas II (complete with helipad, new public rooms, and a Greek orthodox chapel on her bow). She was also used as a floating restaurant. In July 1996 she was placed under arrest while in the nearby Palaio Faliro harbor, again due to financial problems of her owner/operators.

 

She was again sold, this time in 1997 to Greek-based Olympic Short Cruises, who renamed her Olympia I and intended to use her on day cruises. The ship spent most of her time languishing in Eleusis Bay near Piraeus, and later at Ambelakia on Salamis Island however, until her sale in November 2005 to Indian shipbreakers.

She left Ambelakia on 11 January 2006 under the delivery name 'Sun', heading for Port Said, Egypt and the Suez Canal on her way to India. As faith would have it her Indian crew accidently set fire to the bridge while cooking there (Yes, they were cooking meals on the Bridge ). This resulted in Egyptian authorities not allowing her to transit the canal with a damaged bridge, so she was laid up at Port Said. In September 2006, she was sold to by her Indian breaker owners to Turkish breakers. She subsequently arrived at Aliaga, Turkey on 1 November 2006 and was immediately beached for scrapping.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Here's an UPDATE on her:

 

http://maritimematters.com/2010/08/aurora-transfer-under-way/

 

Hey, thanks for the heads up! Hope the Port of San Fran lets her stay there!

[FrankNJ]

May 1997 , Song of America (RCL) to Bermuda . We had a porthole for a window and there was a heavy steel porthole cover with three large bolts in the closet to be installed in the event of severe weather. Bermuda was great , but it rained all week . Everyone there kept telling us "this never happens ".

[Copper10-8]

May 1997 , Song of America (RCL) to Bermuda . We had a porthole for a window and there was a heavy steel porthole cover with three large bolts in the closet to be installed in the event of severe weather. Bermuda was great , but it rained all week . Everyone there kept telling us "this never happens ".

 

ms Song of America (1982-present) Built in 1982 as ms Song of America by Oy Wärtsilä Ab (Wartsila New Ship Yard), Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland, for (then) Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). At 37,584 grt, she was one of the largest cruise ships built at the time.

 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line had operated throughout the 1970s with three ships; Song of Norway, Nordic Prince and Sun Viking, that had been built at the same yard in Finland, two of which (Song of Norway in 1978 and Nordic Prince in 1980) had been lengthened. Due to increased demand, RCCL decided to order a new and larger ship, again from the Wärtsilä shipyard, which was to become Song of America.

 

 

For the interior layout of this new ship, RCCL decided to adapt a system with cabins stacked towards the front, furthest away from engine noise, with public spaces to aft. This layout, widely used on large ferries built by Wärtsilä at the time, had rarely been seen on cruise ships. The public spaces on decks five and seven were built with one and a half times the standard deck height, leading to deck six only existing in the forward part of the ship. Unlike Song of Norway, Nordic Prince and Sun Viking, Song of America's Viking Crown Lounge, the trademark of all Royal Caribbean ships, completely surrounded her funnel providing passengers with a 360 degree view

 

She was delivered to her owners on 11 November 1982 and after a transatlantic crossing arrived in Miami, Fl. from where she operated a cruise to nowhere for media and travel professionals. On 3 December 1982, she was christened by her godmother, American opera soprano Beverly Sills, in a lavish ceremony. On 5 December, she departed Miami on her maiden voyage, a seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise to Nassau, the Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico and St, Thomas, USVI with former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn among her guests.

During the early part of her RCCL career, this seven-day itinerary from Miami would be her staple. Later on, she would make several trips to the U.S. west coast via the Panama Canal, operating on the Alaska run in the summer season and down to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta) out of Los Angeles, CA (San Pedro) during the winter months. RCCL also operated her on 7-day Bermuda runs out of New York City.

 

 

She was sold in May 1998 for U.S. $94.5 million to Sun Cruises, a subsidiary of UK-based package holiday company Airtours Group plc. Sun Cruises immediately chartered the ship back to RCCL until March 1999. Unlike earlier ships sold by RCCL, her Viking Crown lounge was not removed when she was handed over to her new owners. Sun Cruises had her refitted with additional suites on deck nine, renamed her ms Sunbird, and operated her for cruising around Europe, mainly in the Mediterranean. In 2002, Airtours Group plc, re-branded under the new company wide banner of MyTravel Group plc and, as a result, Sunbird received MyTravel house colors.

 

 

In 2004, MyTravel Group plc ran into financial difficulties in 2004 and decided to pull out of the cruise vacation and ship ownership business. Son on 26 July 2004 Sunbird was purchased by Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Line, a subsidiary of travel and tourism group Louis plc. History repeated itself when Louis Cruises immediately chartered the ship back to Sun Cruises until February 2005 which is when she was laid up in Pireaus, Greece.

 

 

On 3 May 2005, she was placed on long-term charter until 2011 by UK-based Thomson Cruises, one of Airtours/MyTravel Group's main competitors, who renamed her Thomson Destiny. Since that time, Thomson has used her for cruising in the Mediterranean as well as Red Sea, to the Canary Islands and to the west coast of Africa. In the winter of 2009, she returned to the Caribbean, her initial area of operations with RCCL back in the early eighties.

 

[Copper10-8]

Some add'l pics of the former Song of America in her RCCL days:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GRAMMYTAN]

Our first cruise was September 2003. One week prior to sailing, my sister and her DH called to invite us to go with them on a 4 day from NOLA to Cozumel. None of us had cruised before and were so excited. We didn't have time to do any "homework" regarding the ins and outs of cruising... just packed the bags and took off. We thought that little old Carnival Holiday ship was soooo BIG!:) We loved everything about it and, being new cruisers even loved the, now stale, jokes, puns, skits, trivia etc. We always thought that the Holiday was the friendliest (staff) and had the best food of any of the other ships.

 

We were definately hooked. Everyone calls me the "cruise lady" since I always seem to either be on a cruise or have one booked. We have fortunate to have sailed 17 more times since then, including two cruises in Italy, which were our favorites.

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was September 2003. One week prior to sailing, my sister and her DH called to invite us to go with them on a 4 day from NOLA to Cozumel. None of us had cruised before and were so excited. We didn't have time to do any "homework" regarding the ins and outs of cruising... just packed the bags and took off. We thought that little old Carnival Holiday ship was soooo BIG! We loved everything about it and, being new cruisers even loved the, now stale, jokes, puns, skits, trivia etc. We always thought that the Holiday was the friendliest (staff) and had the best food of any of the other ships.

 

We were definately hooked. Everyone calls me the "cruise lady" since I always seem to either be on a cruise or have one booked. We have fortunate to have sailed 17 more times since then, including two cruises in Italy, which were our favorites.

 

ms Holiday (1984-present) Built in 1984 as ms Holiday by av Aalborg Vaerft A/S, Aalborg, Denmark for Carnival Cruise Line. She was the first ship of Carnival's Holiday class, also called "Super Liners" by Carnival and known as the "Fun Ships". Her near sisters are the slightly larger Jubilee (1986) and Celebration (1987).

 

When she emerged from the yard, Holiday was 46,052 gross registered tons, 728 feet long, 105.6 feet wide with a 25.5 foot draft. She was Liberian registered with Italian Officers and an International crew and she is diesel propelled.

She was delivered to her new owners on 3 June 1985 and on 22 June departed Aalborg on her transatlantic crossing to Miami, FL. After her naming ceremony, she departed Miami for her inaugural cruise to the Caribbean on 13 July 1985.

The Holiday class vessels were the first class of newbuilds for Carnival Cruise Lines (Tropicale was a single-class ship). Holiday, the lead ship, started the tradition of an enclosed, double width promenade, which would become "the boulevard" for each evening's activities. Every Carnival ship has its own particular bit of whimsy. On Holiday, it was a full size 1934 Danish passenger bus by the name of Bette Astrup, part of the Bus Stop Bar on Broadway, parked outside of the ship’s casino.

 

 

For 24 years, ms Holiday operated a wide variety of itineraries for the line, playing a critical role in Carnival's rise to world's largest cruise operator. She also played an important role in pioneering the short cruise market, introducing three- and four-day service from Southern California (San Pedro) in 1995 and, towards the end of her Carnival career, four and five-day voyages from Mobile, Ala. On the four-day voyages, Holiday departed the Alabama port city on Thursdays with a port of call at Cozumel, Mexico. On her five-day trips, Holiday departed on Mondays and Saturdays with stops at Cozumel, Calica/Playa del Carmen or Progreso, all in Mexico.

 

 

Effective 8 September 2005, Carnival took the Holiday out of service and chartered her and two other ships (Sensation and Ecstasy) to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA), to be used for six months as temporary housing to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Holiday initially remained at Mobile and took in up to 1,400 refugees, before moving to Pascagoula, MS.

 

Following the completion of her FEMA contract, Holiday entered dry dock in Freeport, the Bahamas for three weeks of refurbishment and renovations where, among other improvements, she received new carpeting and plumbing as well as repairs to her propellers. On 27 March 2006, she resumed her program of year-round four and five-day Caribbean cruises out of Mobile.

In 2009, Carnival announced that Holiday would be internally transferred to Spanish Line Iberocruceros, a joint venture between it and Spanish tour operator Orizonia Corporación.On 3 November 2009, the 1,452-passenger Holiday departed Mobile on her final voyage for Carnival Cruise Lines, a five-day western Caribbean cruise. Upon her return, the ship sailed to Genoa, Italy where she is undergoing a refurbishment at the San Giorgio del Portoshipyard prior to her transfer to Iberocruceros or IberoCruises. In addition to completely restyling her cabins and public areas, four new suites with balconies and a new wellness center will be built. The ship's hull is being treated with a silicone-based paint that also increases the vessel’s hydrodynamic performance while reducing the environmental impact thanks to reduced fuel consumption.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Iberocruceros was founded in 2007 as a joint subsidiary of Carnival Corporation and Orizonia Corporación and is aimed at the Spanish-speaking market. Orizonia Corporación provided two ships from its existing Iberojet fleet, the Grand Mistral and the Grand Voyager. Carnival Cruise Lines provided Iberocruceros with the Grand Celebration and now the Grand Holiday.

 

 

Grand Holiday’s first cruise departed from Barcelona, Spain on 18 May 2010, calling at Villafranche-sur-Mer, France, Livorno (Leghorn), Civitavecchia and Porto Torres (Sardinia), Italy.

 

 

The ship is currently operating seven-day cruises in the Western Mediterranean during the summer season, departing from Barcelona on Sundays, calling at Livorno/Leghorn, Civitavecchia and Naples, Italy, Villafranche-sur-Mer, France and La Goulette, Tunesia.

 

[harbormaster]

The Dolphin to the Bahamas. A dog show cruise to the dog show in the Bahamas. 150 show dogs and their owners going for a Bahamian championship. Wonderful time. Wonderful passengers and a true poop deck on the top deck!

[realnurse2]

Wow, didn't think I'd get on the board; its doing quirky things again! Our first cruise was the original Love Boat in the early 80's 7 days in the carribbean. I can't say I remember much else but it sure helped get me hooked on cruising!

[Copper10-8]

The Dolphin to the Bahamas. A dog show cruise to the dog show in the Bahamas. 150 show dogs and their owners going for a Bahamian championship. Wonderful time. Wonderful passengers and a true poop deck on the top deck!

 

ss Zion (1956-2003) Built in 1956 as ss Zion by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, (then) West Germany for Israel-based Zim Lines as part of Germany's World War II reparations (Reparation Payments Agreement) to the state of Israel. As the second passenger-cargo carrier ever built for the young Jewish state, Zim operated her on their Haifa to New York (Kent Street, Brooklyn) service alongside her sister ship, ss Israel. She had four cargo holds with a capacity of approximately 4,000 tons each, including refrigerated space. In addition she had a drive-in car deck for up to 30 vehicles.

 

 

Her primary route would take her from Haifa, Israel to New York City across the Atlantic with stops at Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Gibraltar, UK in the Mediterranean. Return trips to Israel would include stops at Gibraltar and Piraeus, Greece. On some journeys, stops at Naples, Italy and Halifax, Nova Scotia were included. During 1961 and 1962, she worked a route from Haifa to Marseilles, France with stops at Limassol, Cyprus and Genoa, Italy (or Naples). Although she could accommodate a total of 323 passengers, only 24 of them were in First Class. Those cabins were located on Boat Deck, comprising of two berths with some upper Pullmans. First Class lounges were located forward on Promenade deck with Tourist class cabins mid-ships and a Veranda Cafe, serving strictly Kosher food, aft. Additional Tourist Class cabins were located on Main Deck with a synagogue mid-ships and a Tourist Class Smoking Room, as well as a swimming pool, aft. The dining rooms were located on A-Deck, as were the balance of the Tourist Class cabins, most with private facilities.

 

 

In 1966, she was purchased by Portugal-based Sociedade Geral de Industria e Commercio, who renamed her ss Amelia de Mello and operated her between Lisbon, Portugal, their West African colonies of Guinea and Angola, and their Atlantic Isles (Sao Vicente, Madeira, etc). In 1967, they sent her back to the Deutsche Werft for upgrading and refitting. As the Portuguese colonies achieved their independence, liner services came to a halt and Amelia de Mello was withdrawn from service in 1971.

 

A plan to convert the Amelia do Mello into a full time cruise ship was considered but before it could be executed, her Portuguese owners sold her in late 1971 to Greek interests, specifically the London-based Vlassopoulos family.

 

 

John and Nick Vlassopoulos had her extensively rebuilt as a full-time cruise ship at Bilbao, Spain from which she reappeared, now having a total capacity of 780 passengers, as the ss Ithaca, named after their hometown/island, for their newly created Ulysses Line. Converting the ship into a 13,000 ton cruise liner entailed extensive reconstruction of all existing spaces as well as extension fore and aft of her superstructure to provide room for the entertainment and lounge areas required for her planned 700+ passengers. Involving no pretense of grandeur, designers and owners opted for simplicity and convenience, building well over 200 new cabins and fitting private facilities in all 294 cabins aboard. She emerged a substantially new ship but with her once pleasing profile ruined by a top heavy look forward. Worst was an unusual "bonnet" cladding her funnel, installed both to deflect smoke and disguise her origins further.

 

While in Ulysses Line service, she would operate on Mediterranean and Atlantic Isles cruises starting in 1973, that were largely marketed by UK tour company Thomson Holidays as very inexpensive cruises for a British clientele. Following severe increases in oil prices in the mid-seventies, Thomson decided that cruising was no longer economically and financially feasible for them so the charter was not renewed at the conclusion of the first four year period.

 

During 1977 and 1978, Ithaca was chartered to Canadian tour operator Strand Cruises for two years offering fourteen-day Mediterranean fly-cruise packages to both Canadian and American passengers. When Strand went belly-up, Vlassopoulos moved the ship to the Caribbean in 1979 under the new name Dolphin IV. This would be her area of operations for the rest of her career. Ulysses Line/theVlassopoulos family had entered into a joint venture sales and marketing agreement with French shipping company Paquet, known as Paquet Ulysses Cruises, to operate her on three and four-day cruises to the Bahamas from Miami, FL.

 

 

In 1984, Paquet pulled out and Dolphin Cruise Line was born (once again owned by the Vlassopoulos family) taking over the operation. The Vlassopoulos family later formed a holding company, called Cruise Holdings, which bought out both Premier and Seawind Cruise Lines. By 1996 however, Dolphin IV did not fit in anymore, even with the aged Cruise Holdings fleet and with the impending merger of their three lines into a reborn but ill-fated Premier Cruise Line, they sold her in 1998.

 

 

Their new owners were a company called Cape Canaveral Cruise Line who would operate her under her same name of Dolphin IV on short cruises to the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, FL. In 2000 however, she was taken out of service because of corroded fresh water and sewage tanks. Cape Canaveral Cruise Line attempted to find a replacement for her but this proved unsuccessful. Dolphin IV was subsequently laid-up at Freeport, the Bahamas due to reoccurring problems with her fresh water and sewage holding facilities. In February 2003, she was sold for scrap to Indian Breakers. Upon her arrival at Alang, India in April 2003, she was beached and broken up.

 

[Copper10-8]

Wow, didn't think I'd get on the board; its doing quirky things again! Our first cruise was the original Love Boat in the early 80's 7 days in the carribbean. I can't say I remember much else but it sure helped get me hooked on cruising!

 

ms 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 UK-based P&O Group and assigned to Princess Cruises as Pacific Princess with her sister becoming 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. This cancelled her South American winter cruise and forced Quail to use the former Cunard Countess (now Ocean Countess) as a replacement.

 

Pacific, subsequently arrived at the San Giorgio Del Porto shipyard in Genoa, Italy in November 2008 for repairs as a result of corrosion and generator problems. She was due to go back in service for Quail in July 2009, sailing seven-day cruises once again from Valencia, Spain through November.

 

 

On 15 July 2009 however, Pacific was seized by the Guardia Costiera/Italian Coast Guard while still at Genoa due to a financial debt of U.S. 14 million owed to the shipyard by Quail Cruises. Latest reports put her still there.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Crazy Gramps]

For the wife: 1968 The "France".

For both of us : 1972 Italian American Lines "Homeric"

 

Pretty sure I got the years right.

 

Gramps

[Copper10-8]

For the wife: 1968 The "France".

For both of us : 1972 Italian American Lines "Homeric"

 

Pretty sure I got the years right.

 

Gramps

 

ss Mariposa (1931-1974) Built in 1931 as ss Mariposa by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Mass. for the Matson Navigation Company/Matson Lines. She was launched on 18 July 1931 as a luxurious ocean liner designed by William Francis Gibbs. With increasing passenger traffic to Hawaii, Matson Line had introduced the ss Malolo in 1927. Her success led to the construction of three sister ships between 1930 and 1932: ss Mariposa, was the first, then ss Monterey and last, ss Lurline. These were known as ‘the great Matson liners’ in the line’s ‘White Fleet’.

 

 

She was designed for service in the Pacific Ocean, including regular stops in ports along the west coast of the United States, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Her maiden voyage began on 16 January 1932 when she departed New York City and sailed to Havana, Cuba, transited the Panama Canal and berthed in the Port of Los Angeles, before continuing on to visit ten more countries in the South and West Pacific. Meanwhile, the Malolo and Lurline continued to operate the traditional San Francisco to Hawaii route. In May 1932, Mariposa was joined on her new route by her other sister Monterey. This famous South Pacific route was from San Francisco to Australia via Los Angeles, Honolulu, Pago Pago, Suva (Fiji), Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. This would be the heyday of the great Matson Liners, with passenger trains adopted as "Boat Trains", carrying passengers from New York and Chicago to connect in San Francisco with the liner sailings.

 

The Mariposa and her sisters were attracting Hollywood stars sailing to Hawaii in ever increasing numbers. These stars including famous names such as William Powell, Carole Lombard, Jimmy Durante, Claudette Colbert, Myrna Loy, Joel McCrea, Frances Dee and Shirley Temple. Despite the difficulties of the Depression, the popularity of travel to Hawaii remained high. During this period the Matson Liners became such a popular institution in San Francisco that during the Golden Gate Exposition celebrations on Treasure Island in 1939, the City named August 9th 1939 as Matson Day. Mariposa continued on this service until 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the subsequent entry of the United States into World War II.

 

During the war, she served the United States Government as a fast troop carrier. When the war first broke out, she rescued numerous individuals who were stranded in foreign countries. In the next three years, she transported supplies as well as support forces to distant shores as the USAT Mariposa. Her war-time service would last from 24 January 1942, when she left San Francisco, until 25 October 1945, when she arrived in Boston, Mass. It would take her to such diversified ports as Melbourne, Perth and Hobart (Tasmania), Australia, Freetown, British Sierra Leone, Cape Town, South Africa, Karachi and Bombay, British India, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the British Crown Colony of Aden, Massawa, British Eritrea, Casablanca, French Morocco, Liverpool, England and Marseilles and Le Havre, France.

 

After the war, USAT Mariposa was decommissioned and both she and Monterey were returned to Matson Line for conversion to passenger service on 26 September 1946. However, financial problems in July 1947 halted the project at United Engineering Works in Alameda, CA. and she was laid up only 30% completed at the Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard where she would remain mothballed for six years.

 

 

In 1953, Genoa, Italy-based Home Lines bought her and renamed her ss Homeric, sailing her to Trieste for refitting/reconstruction of her passenger accommodation by the Monfalcone shipyard in order to allow her to carry 1,243 passengers; 147 first class and 1,096 tourist class. Her first voyage for Home Lines after this work was done, saw her departing Venice on 24 January 1955 bound for New York City. Home Lines operated her as an express liner on the Southampton-Le Havre-Montreal-New York (occasionally from Cuxhaven, then West Germany) route and during the winter season for cruises to the Caribbean.

 

 

In October 1963, she was assigned to cruising the Caribbean from New York City and other U.S. ports, eventually replacing Home Lines’ ss Italia on the run to Nassau, Bahamas. Homeric herself would be replaced by Home Lines’ ss Oceanic. After this occurred, she was reassigned to intra-Caribbean cruises.

 

 

On 1 July 1973, while 90 nautical miles west of Cape May, NJ, a major onboard fire destroyed much of her galley and restaurant. The line wound up sending her to Genoa where she arrived for repairs on 16 July 1973. The damage turned out to be so extensive however, that the idea of repair was given up and she was withdrawn from service. She was ultimately sold for scrap to the Nan Feng Steel Enterprises Company of Taiwan and on 29 January 1974, she arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she was broken up.

[Copper10-8]

One add'l of ss Homeric at anchor at Havana, Cuba in the fifties

 

Edited August 4, 2010 by Copper10-8

[MrsMuir]

John, is there any news about the Pacific Princess since she was laid up at Genoa a year ago? I hate to think of her deteriorating. Her sister, Island Princess, has had a better "old age" as the Discovery, of course.

 

Linda

[Copper10-8]

John, is there any news about the Pacific Princess since she was laid up at Genoa a year ago? I hate to think of her deteriorating. Her sister, Island Princess, has had a better "old age" as the Discovery, of course.

 

Linda

 

Hi Linda, the last info I can find on the former Pacific Princess is that, as of 12 February of this year, she was still laid up at the yard in Genoa. That was almost six months ago.

You're right, her sister, the former Island Venture/Island Princess, is doing much better as 'Discovery'

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 Ltd. (Discovery World Cruises or All Leisure Holidays Ltd.), 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.

 

 

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.

 

[dmwnc1959]

John, is there any news about the Pacific Princess since she was laid up at Genoa a year ago? I hate to think of her deteriorating. Linda

 

Hi Linda, the last info I can find on the former Pacific Princess is that, as of 12 February of this year, she was still laid up at the yard in Genoa. That was almost six months ago.

 

Here's a webcam grab of Genoa harbor taken about 15 minutes ago and you can barely just see her still docked there (just above center of image in circle):

 

[Copper10-8]

Here's a webcam grab of Genoa harbor taken about 15 minutes ago and you can barely just see her still docked there (just above center of image in circle):

 

 

Thanks for that shot!:) There you go Linda, she's still in Genoa, I would imagine, awaiting either a financial settlement between Quail Cruceros/Viagens CVC (Brazil) and the owners of the San Giorgio Del Porto shipyard whom funds are owed for services rendered, and/or a future Italian court action and subsequent public auction of the ship to satisfy those claims.

[Copper10-8]

August 1991, the old Nieuw Amsterdam, 7 day Alaska, and look now....

 

ms NieuwAmsterdam III (1983-present). Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, St. Nazaire, France as ms Nieuw Amsterdam and delivered to Holland America Line on 1 July, 1983 as the first of two identical sisters which would be known as the "N"-class with HAL. Her younger sister, Noordam III followed just under a year later from the same yard. They would be the last new-builds for the, at that time, Dutch-owned Holland-Amerika Lijn. She was the third ship to bear the name Nieuw Amsterdam in Holland America Line’s then 110-year history. Nieuw Amsterdam or New Amsterdam, was named after the 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement on the island of Manhattan that served as the capital of the New Netherland territory and later became New York City.

The first Nieuw Amsterdam operated for Holland America Line from 1906 until 1932. She was built by Harland & Wolff Limited in Belfast, Northern Ireland as HAL’s first quadruple expansion engined liner and their last fitted with emergency sails. In 1908 her forward promenade was glass enclosed and her superstructure extended forward the next year. On 26 February 1932, Nieuw Amsterdam I departed her homeport of Rotterdam for the last time on her way to Osaka, Japan were she was broken up for scrap.

 

The second Nieuw Amsterdam was launched on 10 April 1937 by HRH Queen Wilhelmina at the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij/Rotterdam Drydock Company in Rotterdam as the second-largest liner ever built in the Netherlands. The building of this “Ship of State” was an act of national faith. Arriving at New York on 16 May 1938 on her maiden voyage from Rotterdam, she quickly joined the elite “Ships of State”, England’s Queen Mary, France’s Normandie, Germany’s Bremen and Europa and Italy’s Rex as the Atlantic run reached its pre-war pinnacle. Last leaving Rotterdam on 22 September 1939 due to World War II, she made a triumphant return there, still painted in her wartime gray hull, on 10 April 1946 after having steamed 530,452 nautical miles and having carried 378,361 military passengers as a troop transport. She was dubbed “Darling of the Dutch” as a result of this visit. After an extensive refit, she resumed trans-Atlantic liner service on 29 October 1947. After switching to full-time cruising in 1971, she arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 2 March 1974 where she was broken up.

Nieuw Amsterdam’s keel was laid on 14 November 1981 and her hull floated out on 21 August 1982. Successful technical trials took place off the Normandy coast on 12, 13 and 14 March 1983. The official delivery was scheduled for 11 May 1983. Then the problems started! First, a strike by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard workers forced the hand-over date back to more than a month later, to 17 June 1983. This is when HAL actually took possession of the vessel and on 23 June, Nieuw Amsterdam departed St. Nazaire for Le Havre, France with a number of VIPs onboard, arriving there the next day. The naming ceremony as well as her maiden voyage was scheduled to take place two days later, on 26 June 1983. On 25 June however, one of Nieuw Amsterdam’s main electrical switchboards burned out which resulted in severe technical problems. HAL was forced to postpone the dedication ceremony and several of the VIP’s and naming ceremony guests had no choice but to return home. Replacement parts to repair and rebuild the ailing switchboard were actually removed from her younger sister Noordam, still under construction in St. Nazaire, but the process took almost a month to complete.

Now two weeks behind schedule, the lead ship of the “N” class was finally named by her godmother, HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, on 9 July 1983. Nieuw Amsterdam then departed Le Havre on an inaugural trans-Atlantic crossing to New York City on 10 July 1983 under the command of HAL Captain Frederik “Freek” van Driel. She arrived in New York Harbor, complete with two stowaways from the African country of Ghana, on 18 July where she received the traditional fireboat welcome from the FDNY. As part of her inaugural visit and maiden voyage festivities, Nieuw Amsterdam sailed two cruises to ‘nowhere’ on 19 and 20 July 1983 from New York for VIPs, travel professionals and media representatives.

On 21 July 1983 she departed New York on her maiden voyage, a roundtrip bound for Hamilton, Bermuda, Philipsburg, Sint Maarten and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI. For the 1983 winter season, Nieuw Amsterdam repositioned via the Panama Canal to San Francisco, CA on the U.S. west coast, from where she operated 14-day cruises to the Mexican Riviera, as far south as Acapulco in the state of Guerrero. In 1984 she was registered to Sint Maarten-based Holland America Tours N.V. while being managed by Seattle, WA-based Holland America Line-Westours. Also in the summer of that year, she operated her first Alaska season from Vancouver, BC calling at Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Valdez. The 1984-1985 winter season found her sailing 7-day cruises to the Western Caribbean out of Tampa, Fl. With port calls at Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, Mexico, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. And this pattern would continue for the next several years. As the HAL fleet grew from the late 1980s onwards, Nieuw Amsterdam’s itineraries widened to various destinations around the world. A longer, thirty plus day South Pacific cruise was on her agenda in the fall of 1991. In 1996 she began using New Orleans, LA as a seasonal home port for some of her Western Carib cruises, substituting Montego Bay for Ocho Rios. Nieuw Amsterdam would wind up serving the Holland America Line for seventeen years.

Nieuw Amsterdam’s passenger capacity consisted of 122 deluxe staterooms, 235 large outside rooms, 32 standard outside rooms, 145 large inside rooms and 50 inside double rooms for a total of 584. The “N’s” did not have any large suites or private verandahs. When launched, Nieuw Amsterdam came out with the two-tiered Stuyvesant (main show) Lounge (named for Pieter Stuyvesant, the last governor of New Netherland from 1647 until 1664) with, on its upper level, the Minnewit Terrace (named for Pieter Minnewit aka Peter Minuit, governor of New Netherland from 1626 until 1633) with Peter’s Bar, the Peartree (night) Club (named for a pear tree imported from Holland to Manhattan and planted on the Bowery) with the Partridge Bar, the Explorers Lounge, the Hudson Lounge (named for English sea explorer and navigator Henry Hudson who, in the service of the Dutch Republic, explored the Hudson River and thereby laid the foundation for Dutch colonization of the region), which was the main cocktail lounge with Henry’s Bar.

 

The Crow’s Nest observation/dancing lounge with an inlaid-wood dance floor designed to resemble the face of a compass, the Book Chest Library, the Card room, De Halve Maen (the Half Moon, named after the Dutch East India Company ship used by Hudson) room, the Princess (movie) theater (also used for lectures, meetings and religious services), the Big Apple lounge, the Fotoshop, the Perel Straet (Pearl Street) Shopping Arcade (with Gift Shop, Boutique and Jewelry Shop), the Wampum (named after traditional, sacred shell beads of Eastern Woodlands native tribes) Casino (offering blackjack on six tables, Caribbean poker, roulette and slot machines), The Square (including the Main Lobby, Main staircase, elevators plus offices of the Hotel Manager, Purser, Cruise Director and Maitre d’ Hotel), the Barber Shop and the Beauty Parlor, the Ocean Spa (with massage room and dual steam saunas) and Gymnasium (with treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bikes, isometric pulleys and free weights), the Lido (buffet) Restaurant, the Manhattan (main) dining room complete with two small and private dining rooms, known as the Kings (starboard) and Queens Room (port side), a paddle/deck tennis and a volleyball court and two outdoor swimming pools, one with fresh water and whirlpool/Jacuzzi on Navigation Deck, and the other with salt water and a small wading pool on Promenade Deck.

The tradition of exhibiting art objects on board the passenger ships of the Holland America Line began in 1938, during the golden era of leisurely ocean cruising. The company’s first grand collection was displayed on the second Nieuw Amsterdam. Nieuw Amsterdam III’s theme paid tribute to the Dutch West India Company or Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie (GWC) in Dutch, of the 17th through 19th centuries, with more than U.S. $2 million worth of art and artifacts displayed throughout the ship. The Dutch West Indies Company governed the Dutch settlements of Manhattan and New Amsterdam and its impact on the history of America continues to this day.

Some of the examples of art onboard Nieuw Amsterdam III: a large display of nautical instruments from the 18th century in her Crow’s Nest. The documents certifying the Dutch purchase of the island of Manhattan from the Algonquin Indians for 60 guilders worth of goods were on display in the Minnewit Terrace. In the ship’s stairwell, a model of the Willem IV van Oranje/William IV of Orange, a 54-gun warship that protected the sea lanes for the Dutch West India Cy could be found. Inside the Hudson Lounge facing the bar was a statue of the famous explorer. It originally stood inside Nieuw Amsterdam II and, after that, inside Statendam IV’s Hudson Lounge. On the far wall of the same bar was located a rendering of Jan Klaas and Katerine, the Dutch version of Punch and Judy. The sign that used to decorate the entrance to the Stuyvesant Lounge was a reproduction of the Pieter Stuyvesant’s signature. Adorning the ship’s staircase leading to Main Deck was an enormous Venetian lantern made in 1580. The Manhattan Dining Room had some of the finest pieces of the ship’s art collection. Inside the private Queen’s Room bronze sculptures of Queen Mary Stuart I, Queen Mary Stuart II and Queen Amalia van Solmns, consort of Prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange could be found. In the opposite Kings Room were three bronze sculptures of King Charles II of England, King James II and Prince Willem II of Orange.

On 10 August 1999, American Classic Voyages, parent company of Delta Queen and American Hawaiian Cruises, announced that it had purchased Nieuw Amsterdam from Holland America Line for $114.5 million dollars, to operate an inter-island Hawaii service alongside their ss Independence. After her final Alaska season in 2000, NieuwAmsterdam sailed, without passengers, to Sydney, Australia where she served as a hotel ship for the Summer Olympics between 12 September and 3 October 2000. Following those games, she sailed to Honolulu, where about 60 crew came aboard from the newly formed United States Lines (under American Classic Voyages) and then continued on to Portland, Ore.

On 18 October 2000, American Classic Voyages officially acquired the ship with the transfer occurring in a somewhat unusual ceremony at sea, approximately fourteen miles off Portland. At the same moment her registry was changed to Honolulu, she reverted to the U.S. flag, and was renamed ms Patriot. Patriot proceeded to Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Ore, arriving on 18 October 2000, where she underwent a multi-million dollar dry-docking and refurbishment. Among the work, her existing Wampum Casino was replaced with a Destination Learning Center where passengers could explore the heritage of the Hawaiian Islands; hear "talk story" from the onboard kumu (Hawaiian teacher); learn the Hawaiian language, hula, arts and crafts; and read about the five ports and four islands visited during the seven-night cruise. Other renovations included a new 464 square foot Presidential Suite (converted from two rooms); the Waikiki Beach Boy Club, an upgraded Conference (the former Card Room and Half Moon Room) and Business Center with Internet portals (the former Book Chest Library); modern family activities areas including Kaleidoscope (the former Disco), a kids' club on one side, and the Graffiti Club teen center on the other. The former print shop became a Video Arcade. An additional bow thruster was added, along with a stern thruster. Her hull was painted blue and a new funnel logo was applied. On November 8, 2000 she was refloated, remaining at wet dock while work progressed.

On 23 November 2000, Patriot sailed without passengers to the Los Angeles Cruise Center at San Pedro, CA. however a promotional cruise from there for travel professionals was cancelled by the United States Coast Guard who were not happy with the ship’s safety regulations. Patriot then sailed to San Francisco where a similar cruise to nowhere was once again cancelled by the USCG for the same reason. On 2 December 2000, Patriot sailed out of San Francisco harbor on her maiden voyage to Honolulu, Hi with 700 passengers onboard.

Upon arrival in Honolulu, she began operating 7-day cruises for United States Lines on 9 December 2000, departing every Saturday evening with port calls at Nawiliwili, Kauai, Kahului, Maui, Hilo, Hawaii, and Kona, Hawaii, before returning to Honolulu.

On 19 October 2001, American Classic Voyages, Inc. announced that it had filed for bankruptcy/Chapter 11 protection and would cease most sailings. Both ss Independence and ms Patriot stopped sailing on Saturday, 20 October after completing their cruises and were laid up at pier 24 in Honolulu. Patriot’s main creditors at this time were still the Carnival Corporation (also the owners of HAL) so they sought a federal court action to, among other things, prohibited the ship from leaving port. As a result, Patriot was arrested in Honolulu harbor on 26 October 2001.

On 27 January 2002, she was auctioned off at the federal court in Honolulu, Carnival Corporation took possession, and the ship reverted back to her original name of NieuwAmsterdam, however under Bahamian flag and registered to HAL’s subsidiary Wind Surf[/b]. Nieuw Amsterdam departed Honolulu on 15 March 2002, initially for dry-dock at Freeport, the Bahamas. Those plans, and her destination, were changed on 28 March 2002 and a new course was set for Charleston, NC, where she arrived on 2 April 2002 for a wet-dock and general maintenance work.

Approximately two weeks later, it was announced that Carnival Corporation had reached a 10-year bareboat charter agreement for the ship with Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines. This was followed by another announcement on 18 April 2002 that Louis, in turn, would sub-lease the ship to Luton, England-based travel operator Thomson Holidays/Thomson Cruises, initially for three and a half years, and then changed to ten years. After an official handover to Louis Cruise Lines, she left Charleston for Piraeus, Greece on 7 May 2002. Upon arrival there on 23 May 2002, she underwent an extensive refit at Perama and was initially named Spirit.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Copper10-8