Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

On 3 May 2003, and now renamed Thomson Spirit, she operated her first cruise for Thomson Cruises, a Mediterranean itinerary from Palma de Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic islands. Thomson Spirit usually sails in the Mediterranean during the northern hemisphere winter season and can be found in Northern and Western Europe in the summer.

 

In May 2008, Louis Cruise Lines (renamed Louis Cruises in 2009) acquired Thomson Spirit ship outright from Carnival Corporation with the sub-charter to Thomson continuing until November 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2010 by Copper10-8

[saturn5]

Our 1st cruise wan 9-13-99 on the Disney Magic. It was a 4 night to the Bahamas, BUT Hurricane Floyd had other plans. It hit Castaway Cuy the day before we were scheduled to visit. They had to line up all tours and things after we left port. We left port early and the ride was rough until we got passed Key West, then things smoothed out.

[PumpkinPatches]

Mine was the Volendam, in 2007.

We went to Alaska from Vancouver.

Our ports of call were Juneau,Skagway & Ketchikan.

YES! It did get me hooked!!!!! BIG YES!

I've never been treated like the crew treated me before that cruise..

I felt so pampered!!

I'm a cruiser for life now, thanks to HAL!

[Rutland Gate]

My two unmarried Aunts taught school and had their summers free to travel. We lived not far from New York City, and each June my father (and later I) would load their luggage and drive them to their ship for their summer adventure. This was in the 1950's, when there was no TSA and no Terrorists. If you were with a passenger, you could board the ships and tour for a few hours until the call "All Ashore Thats Going Ashore" came over the loudspeakers. In this way I had self-tours of the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Rotterdam, France and the Gripsholm. Each had it's own style, and on sailing day everything was polished and in full dress. Those early experiences brought me back to the ships on my own many years later. I think I stick with Holland America Line because of the Ocean Liner feel of their ships remind me of those happy days.

[Regal Eagle]

1980, NCL Skyward; Miami-Cap Haitien-San Juan-St. Thomas-Puerto Plata-Miami; Yes, I was very hooked!

[Copper10-8]

Our 1st cruise wan 9-13-99 on the Disney Magic. It was a 4 night to the Bahamas, BUT Hurricane Floyd had other plans. It hit Castaway Cuy the day before we were scheduled to visit. They had to line up all tours and things after we left port. We left port early and the ride was rough until we got passed Key West, then things smoothed out.

 

Disney Magic (1998-present) Built in 1998 as Disney Magic by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. (The bow constructed in Ancona; the stern built 100 miles from there, in Marghera/Venice. The two sections were then welded together), for Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She was delivered to her new owners on 21 June 1998 and then made a westbound transatlantic crossing under the command of her captain, Tom Forberg, to her home port of Port Canaveral, Fl., close to the 'Magic Kingdom' near Orlando.

On 30 July 1998 Disney Magic was named in an elaborate ceremony in true Disney style at Port Canaveral. Disney cast members dressed in outfits reminiscent of the early days of transatlantic crossings were present, as were vintage cars and live music. Jodi Benson, the voice of "Ariel" in the Disney animated movie "The Little Mermaid," sang while then Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner gave a speech. Roy Disney, the company's Vice Chairman and animation chief and his wife Patty Disney were on hand for the festivities. With the flip of a switch, Patty Disney, the ship's godmother, then sent a 3-foot tall bottle of champagne crashing into the ship's hull. This was followed by the release of white doves, kites pulled by small power boats soared past the ship, and fireworks was set off from different directions.

At 5:00 pm that same day, Disney Magic departed Port Canaveral on her inaugural voyage to Disney's private island Castaway Cay. Upon her return, the ship settled in on her 3 and 4-night cruises to Nassau, Grand Bahama Island and Castaway Cay.

At a total length of 964 feet, a maximum width of 106 feet and a gross registered tonnage of 83,000, Disney Magic can accommodate 2,400 guests, as well as 945 Cast and Crew Members. The ship's design is distinctively Disney. Her stern features a 15-foot statue of "Goofy" hanging and painting from a boatswain's chair and "Sorcerer Mickey" stands at her bow. In addition, like her younger sister Disney Wonder, when Disney Magic sails out of a port, the first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon a Star" are played on the ships whistle.

 

 

In June 2005, Disney Magic was dispatched to the U.S. West Coast in honor of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, sailing from the port of Los Angeles, CA. On 1 October 2005 upon her return to the east coast, she entered a scheduled 10-day drydock refurbishment at the Norshipco shipyard in Norfolk, Va. Several enhancements took place during this time; The Vista Spa and Salon received a 1,700-square-foot expansion including three new spa treatment suites. Three conference rooms on deck 2 were transformed into an additional children's area called Ocean Quest. A 24-by-14 foot LED screen was affixed to the forward funnel in the family swimming pool area where movies and major sporting and broadcast events are shown.

 

 

Disney Magic made am eastbound transatlantic crossing in May 2007 to sail around the Mediterranean, visiting ports including Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, as well as Barcelona, Cadiz and Gibraltar, Spain.

 

Beginning on 25 May 2008, she sailed 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. In August 2008, Disney Magic then returned to her home base of Port Canaveral, Fl. Since July 2008, Disney Magic has the distinction of being the record holder of having paid the highest regular toll for passage through the Panama Canal, at $331,200.

 

She currently sails on 7-day Western or Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Cape Canaveral, Fl. in the northern hemisphere winter season. The Western Carib ports are Key West, Fl, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Eastern Caribbean stops are at Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles), Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas (U.S.V.I.) with a service call at Cruz Bay, St. John (U.S.V.I.). Both itineraries include a stop at Castaway Cay. She has spent time in Europe during the summer season.

 

During the weekend of 7-8 August 2010, Disney Magic rescued 18 Algerians who were lost at sea while cruising the Mediterranean. The North Africans had reportedly been stranded for four to five days on the open water. They were discovered as the ship was sailing from Gibraltar to Barcelona as crew onboard the Magic heard crew members from two other vessels talking on the radio about sighting the boat and then losing a visual of it. Disney Magic's captain decided to join the search and quickly spotted the small boat, which had lost power". The stranded Algerians were taken on the cruise ship, fed and given cabins and released to Spanish oficials in Barcelona.

 

For 2011, Disney Magic will once again return to Europe. Departing out of Barcelona, she will sail seven, 10- and 11-night Mediterranean itineraries during the summer season for a total of 11 sailings starting on May 28. Her guests will be able to explore the culture and beauty of Italy, France and Spain. This itinerary also includes visits to Tunis, Tunesia, Malta, and Ajaccio, Corsica.

[dumelow]

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.

:mad: Sadly, "Pacific" is wasting away. My company's had lots of enquiries about acquiring her, but even if the rumoured oustanding debt to the shipyard is paid, there's no guarantee that (under new ownership) she won't be re-arrested at the next port by other companies owed money.

I know three companies who would like to purchase her (at the right price) as she is one of only a handful left of a classic breed.

Alan

http://www.cruiseproject.co.uk

[fitters]

My first cruise was the Carnival Ecstasy in November of 1991. DH's first cruise was Princess's Caribbean Princess in February of 2005....he has been hooked ever since! :D

[Tredebo]

I remember as a small child going to see my Godparents off to Scotland - my Godmother refused to fly back then so every other year it was six weeks on a ship. My brother and I were allowed to "run riot" around the ship until the All Ashore call was given. The crews were great and we never got into trouble (we were tame by today's standards :rolleyes:).

 

My first cruise was on Statendam from Auckland to Sydney in 2008 and my next cruise will also be on Statendam from Vancouver to Anchorage in 2011. Vastly different destinations!

[Copper10-8]

:mad: Sadly, "Pacific" is wasting away. My company's had lots of enquiries about acquiring her, but even if the rumoured oustanding debt to the shipyard is paid, there's no guarantee that (under new ownership) she won't be re-arrested at the next port by other companies owed money.

I know three companies who would like to purchase her (at the right price) as she is one of only a handful left of a classic breed.

Alan

www.cruiseproject.co.uk

 

Thanks for the heads up! Hope things work out for the original "Love Boat" and she doesn't yet end up at Alang, India

[Copper10-8]

Mine was the Volendam, in 2007.

 

We went to Alaska from Vancouver.

 

Our ports of call were Juneau,Skagway & Ketchikan.

 

YES! It did get me hooked!!!!! BIG YES!

 

I've never been treated like the crew treated me before that cruise..

I felt so pampered!!

 

I'm a cruiser for life now, thanks to HAL!

 

ms Volendam (1999-present) Built in 1999 as ms Volendam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. She is the third ship in HAL history to bear the name Volendam and the second ship of the four vessel 'R' class with Rotterdam (1997), Zaandam (2000) and Amsterdam (2000) being her sisters. There are differences among the four however and they really should be divided into two classes; Rotterdam & Amsterdam and Volendam & Zaandam. The ship was named after the town of Volendam located in the Dutch province of Noord Holland (North Holland), in the municipality of Edam-Volendam.

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At 61,396 gross registered tons, Volendam is slightly larger than the “S” class ships and has three design changes that distinguish her from that class: Her aft swimming pool was moved from Navigation Deck up one level to Lido Deck, an alternate restaurant, at the time of her delivery called the Marco Polo and serving “California-style Italian cuisine”, but changed into the Pinnacle Grill in February 2003, was incorporated and a mid-ship elevator bank and stairwell was added. Volendam is similar to the lead ship of the “R” class, Rotterdam, but is a bit heavier (Her Lido restaurant is larger than Rotterdam’s) as well as slower (basically the same speed as the “S” class ships). Volendam also has a single funnel (a different. more rounded, design compared to the “S” class funnels), whereas Rotterdam has a twin-funnel, side-by-side arrangement. Unlike ms Rotterdam, one of HAL’s two flagships designed for longer, world-wide cruises, Volendam was designed for yeoman duty in the Caribbean and Alaska but has also found her way to Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and Asia.

 

The first Volendam, built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, at Glasgow, Scotland, was launched on 6 July 1922 as a 15,434 ton ocean liner and was purchased by HAL with the assistance of the Dutch government. She and her sister Veendam II were the first significant Dutch ships launched after the Great War. Volendam I would sail between Rotterdam and New York through 1940 however, at 15 knots, she proved too slow as well as too late for the great migrations to North America. Volendam I augmented her trans-Atlantic runs with pleasure cruises to Bermuda, Nassau and Havana. By the 1930s, 5-day cruises to Bermuad were priced from $45, while 6-week Mediterranean cruises began at $425. At the outbreak of World War II, the British government appropriated the Volendam and for a brief period, she housed the Dutch government in exile at Falmouth, England. Pressed into child evacuation service in 1940, Volendam was torpedoed by a German U-boat 300 miles off the Irish coast but miraculously all 335 youngsters aboard were saved. After being towed and beached, she was refitted and then served as a troop transport for the remainder of the war. After the war, she was used to transport Dutch troops to the former Dutch East Indies and Dutch citizens back to the Netherlands. She was also used as an immigrant ship on runs to Australia and Canada. She was scrapped in 1952.

 

The second Volendam was launched as Brasil at Pascagoula, Ms for Moore-McCormack Line in 1958. She was purchased by HAL in 1972 and used for Bermuda cruises out of New York during the summer and in the Caribbean during the winter season, interspersed with periods of lay-up and charter agreements (1976-1978 to a Greek line where she sailed as Monarch Sun). Reverting back to HAL and her Dutch name, Volendam pioneered cruises to Alaska. HAL sold her and her sister Veendam III, ex-Argentina, in 1983 and 1984 to make room for the “S” sisters, Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam, and she joined her new owners in February 1984. (she was sold for scrap and broken up in 2004).

 

After running technical trials in the Adriatic, Volendam III was delivered to Holland America Line on 15 October 1999 and then crossed the Atlantic to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. under the command of HAL Captain Johannes “Hans” van Biljouw. Between 8 and 12 November 1999, inaugural events took place in Port Everglades in which Volendam played host to several thousand travel agents, past passengers and other invited guests. On 12 November 1999 at Port Everglades’ Pier 26, Volendam was christened by her godmother, tennis professional Chris Evert. The ship departed that afternoon on her maiden voyage, a 10-day eastern Caribbean cruise with port calls at St. John’s, Antigua, Castries, St. Lucia, Bridgetown, Barbados, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI and Nassau, the Bahamas.

Volendam has one penthouse verandah suite, 28 deluxe verandah suites, 168 deluxe (verandah) staterooms, 383 standard outside staterooms and 136 standard inside staterooms for a total of 716 cabins. The basic layout of Volendam’s public rooms are the same as that of ms Rotterdam VI, including her two-tier 747-seat Rotterdam dining room, 386-seat Lido buffet-style restaurant and a Club HAL children’s room on her Sports Deck called the Sky Room and first introduced on Rotterdam VI, that can also be used as a meeting or reception room. She came out with a Java Café coffee bar, Explorers Lounge, Piano Bar and Seaview Lounge, Ocean Bar (a HAL trademark), 24-seat Erasmus Library, two multi-purpose meeting rooms named the Hudson and Half Moon rooms (the Half Moon doubled as Card Room), a children’s activity room called the Sky room, a small Video Arcade behind the Wajang Theater, Photo Gallery, Shopping Arcade (plus gift shops), Casino (offering blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, craps and 97 slot machines), two small and private dining rooms known as the Kings and Queens rooms (the Queens room has since been changed into the digital workshop), 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 usually the base for a giant chess set) and on Sports Deck, shuffle board courts, a jogging track around the base of the funnel (since removed) and two dual purpose paddle tennis/volleyball courts (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side) can be found. Her Casino Bar, in addition to being the ship’s sports bar, featured cinematic memorabilia, including costumes, props, photos and posters of movies and the stars who made them.

At the forward end of Volendam’s Lido Pool there is a 12-foot high cast bronze sculpture of five leaping bottlenose dolphins created by the British artist Susanna Holt.

Volendam’s main two-story 557-seat show lounge, named after Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, features colorful colonnades against dark wooden walls. The Frans Hals’ decor goes back to the Art Deco era with a design inspired by the famous Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There was a wooden, oval-shaped dance floor in the center of the room in front of the stage. Her trade mark Ocean Bar attracts the pre- and post-dinner cocktail crowd and her 205-seat Wajang theater is the place for movies, religious services, meetings and presentations. The Crows Nest observation lounge has a 320-degree view for taking in port departures and arrivals. Volendam also launched with an Ocean Spa fitness center complete with beauty salon, dual sauna and steam rooms, six spa treatment rooms, gymnasium and a juice bar.

Volendam’s alternative 88-seat restaurant, Marco Polo, sported the contemporary pan-European warmth of light beech wood. Architect Frans Dingemans strove to create an artists’ bistro with works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Henry Moore, Picasso, Matisse plus a host of unknown talents, each framed in the style of its period. The result was a fine artists’ bistro that looks as if it evolved over the centuries. Open for lunch and dinner by reservation at no additional charge, the Marco Polo featured “California-style” Italian cuisine such as Scaloppine Di Vitello, Costoletta di Vitello Al Carbone, Petto Di Pollo Rustico, Agnello Aromatico, Filetto Al Barolo, Grigliata Di Mare, Pesce Del Giorno, Pizza Marco and Osso Buco Alla Milanese.

Volendam debuted HAL's first 24-hour Internet center/café managed by Digital Seas and called "The Web Site." It allowed passengers to go on-line on a real-time basis, check their own e-mail accounts and stock quotes as well as surf the World Wide Web. The new Internet center, equipped with eight computer terminals and a printer, was located on Upper Promenade Deck between the Erasmus Library and the Hudson/Half Moon meeting rooms in a space that was initially called the Puzzle Corner.

 

Volendam has a floral theme for her interior décor. This is reflected in the ship’s artwork, doors and other design elements as well as fabrics throughout the ship’s public rooms and staterooms. In addition to fresh flowers throughout the ship, Holland America Line has drawn on its collection of artwork to enhance the interior of the ship’s public spaces. Everything from ceramic vases handcrafted by Royal Goedewaagen in Delft, the Netherlands, pre-Columbian sculptures including a female figure in earthenware found near Jalisco, Mexico that dates from about 100 BC and a Jaguar vessel found in Central America from around 1500 AD, to Renaissance-era fountains imported from Italy, are included in her hallway galleries. At the heart of the ship in her atrium, Luciano Vistosi, one of Italy’s leading contemporary glass artists, created “Caleido”, a monumental three-deck-tall crystal sculpture combining red lacquered metal and blocks of glass. Vistosi is also responsible for the “Totem” sculpture on Maasdam and the “Jacob’s Ladder” sculpture on Veendam. For Volendam, he was inspired by the colors of a kaleidoscope

 

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 (Volendam lost eight inside staterooms in order to built the lounge), two additional dining times in the main dining room, a casual dinner option inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times” (taking in the Erasmus Library and the Web Site internet café and adding a coffee bar), 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 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, iPod 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 Volendam, the SOE part 1 refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Erasmus Library, Web Site internet café, Sky Room and Video Arcade. After a dry dock period at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas, Volendam completed her SOE part 1 upgrades to cabins and public spaces on 18 December 2005.

On 27 May 2009 while in Alaska, Volendam 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.

During July 2010, Volendam gained Canaletto, a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner. Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, and which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, will come to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when the port-side forward 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. In addition, a Merabella luxury jewelry shop was added mid-ships forward of, and adjacent to, the Explorers Lounge on Upper Promenade deck. In order to install Merabella, a portion of the Explorers Lounge was gutted and converted.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Copper10-8

[hbsurfcitycruiser]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

 

Copper 10-8, I see I am oh...only 2 years late replying to the start of this ;) But my first cruise was one month after your first cruise, on the exact same ship, with the same itinerary. My family took the Viking Serenade in December of 1991 and I was hooked! I was on it again in June of 1996 for the Mon-Fri itinerary. That was a great ship. My whole family still talks about it to this day. Happy to find a fellow fan :)

[Copper10-8]

Copper 10-8, I see I am oh...only 2 years late replying to the start of this But my first cruise was one month after your first cruise, on the exact same ship, with the same itinerary. My family took the Viking Serenade in December of 1991 and I was hooked! I was on it again in June of 1996 for the Mon-Fri itinerary. That was a great ship. My whole family still talks about it to this day. Happy to find a fellow fan

 

No worries, hbsurfcitycruiser! Btw, the old Viking Serenade is still going strong

 

 

 

ms Scandinavia (1982-present) Build in 1982 as ms Scandinavia by Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Scandinavian World Cruises (the United Steamship Company, Ltd.), a subsidiary for Copenhagen, Denmark-based DFDS D/S Seaways. At the time of her construction, she was the largest cruise-ferry in the world. Upon her delivery to Scandinavian World Cruises on 20 August 1982, she crossed the North Atlantic, arriving in New York City on 25 September 1982 after courtesy visits in Miami and Port Canaveral, Fl, Philadelphia, Pa, Boston, Mass and Port Jefferson, NY. Three days later on 28 September 1982, she was named/christened in New York harbor.

 

 

On 02 October 1982, Scandinavian World Cruises began operating her on a cruise-ferry service from New York City to Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas. Upon arrival there, Scandinavia’s passengers and their vehicles wee transferred to other ships for their intended destinations which included South and North Florida. The ship could accommodate 1,606 passengers and 530 cars. This turned out not to be a successful operation, however, with the run terminated on 29 November 1983 and a decision made to return Scandinavia to Europe.

 

Upon arrival in Copenhagen, she was inserted on the DFDS Seaways’ overnight Copenhagen to Oslo run effective 9 December 1983 continuing on that route until April 1985.

 

In November 1984, she was sold to Sundance Cruise Corporation/Sundance Cruises as a replacement for their stricken pioneer ship, the Sundancer (sunk after striking an underwater rock off the coast of British Columbia, Canada on 29 June 1984), with a 2 April 1985 delivery. Sundance send her to the Blohm + Voss GmbH Schiffbau Werften/ shipyard in Hamburg, Germany where she arrived on 15 April 1985 for a refit making her more compatible for cruising however, keeping her ability to transport vehicles in addition to passengers. She was also given a new name, Stardancer. She departed the yard on 29 April 1985 and, after a transatlantic crossing and Panama Canal transit, she arrived at her new (summer) home port of Vancouver, BC.

 

She would spend that summer of 1985 doing Alaska inside passage cruising to Skagway, Ak and back. She was known as a deluxe alternative to the Alaska State Ferry system. After the Alaska season, her home port became Los Angeles (San Pedro) for cruising as far south as Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican Riviera taking cruise passengers, their cars and campers.In 1986 Sundance Cruises merged with Eastern Cruise Lines and Western Cruise Lines to form Admiral Cruises.

 

When Admiral Cruises was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1990, she became Viking Serenade, the only ship in the fleet that was not originally designed and built for the line. RCCL sent her to a two-week dry-dock at Southwest Marine Shipyard in San Diego, CA in January 1991 where she was converted into a genuine cruise ship with a new gross registered tonnage of 40,143. Among other things, her interior was extensively renovated, she lost her car deck which was replaced with accommodation for several hundred passengers, her funnel was shortened and an RCCL trademark Sky lounge (Viking Crown Lounge) was fitted.

 

 

After emerging from the yard and being christened by her godmother, actress-comedienne Whoopi Goldbergon 27 January 1991, RCCL started operating her on 3 and 4-night cruises from Los Angeles to Mexico’s Baja California; L.A. – CatalinaIsland – Ensenada, Mexico on three, and L.A. – Catalina Island – San Diego – Ensenada on her four-day itineraries.

 

 

On 26 March 2002 she was renamed Island Escape and internally transferred to RCCL and First Choice Holidays’ new subsidiary, Island Cruises. As Island Escape, she was marketed to the British market as a casual ship designed for the young and active crowd and operated in the Mediterranean out of Palma de Mallorca, on one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Western Med, during the northern hemisphere summer. During the southern hemisphere summer season, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil for South American cruises based out of Santos (Sao Paulo).

 

In April 2009 Island Escape joined the fleet of British-based Thomson Cruises but retained her name. Her primary area of operation is the Western Mediterranean and Canary Islands. Thomson describes the ship as the most laidback ship in their fleet, taking a more informal approach to life at sea.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Some additional pics of the former Scandinavia:

 

 

As Stardancer in Admiral Cruises colors in Alaskan waters in 1988

 

 

As RCCL's Viking Serenade departing San Francisco in June 1991

 

 

As Viking Serenade for RCCL at the Los Angeles (San Pedro) Cruise Terminal in 1993 with the Vincent Thomas Bridge behind her

 

 

As Island Escape for Island Cruises arriving in Santos, Brazil in 2003

 

 

As Island Escape for Island Cruises (different colors) at Ajaccio, Corsica in 2006

 

 

As Island Escape sailing for Thomson Cruises and departing Toulon, France in October 2009

[hbsurfcitycruiser]

She still looks great! Thanks so much for the info and photos.

 

Side note, we just booked the Oosterdam for 10/30. Can't wait to cruise :)

[habenicd]

HAL's old Westerdam in 1996.

 

Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

 

Cristop in the Rotterdam Dining Room would patiently take our order each night and then in addition to what we ordered he would bring us what we should have ordered to share. He was right every time.

 

HAL is our favorite "big" ship line and Star Clippers our favorite for "small" ships.

[tamsocal]

Had to post on the longest thread ever .......

First cruise was in 2005 in my mid 30's. Carnival Spirit. Mexican Riviera.

 

Have cruised 2-3 times a year since then. So I guess I am hooked :D

Carnival, Princess & HAL

[pauleydm]

My first cruise was the Scotia Prince in 1997. However, I was not a passenger on the ship, I was a performer. My first cruise as a passenger will be January 23rd 2011 on the Carnival Sensation.

[kyriecat]

My first cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas in June 2000. Hubby and I were celebrating our 5-year anniversary. I had been a "Love Boat" fan as a kid and always wanted to take a cruise. We sailed from San Juan and had stops in St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Maarten. We had spent our honeymoon on St. Maarten and had heard wonderful things about St. Lucia.

 

We loved the ship, the itinerary, and especially the service. The cabin was tiny but at least we had an outside with a porthole for some light. Otherwise, I would have been too claustrophobic.

 

We had the dreaded baby next door on that trip. Hubby and I were awakened 2-3 times a night by baby screams. In the afternoon when we wanted to take a nap after being in port all day, we'd be woken by baby screams. We were extremely sleep deprived by the end of the trip because there was so much that we wanted to do that we were constantly busy, but when we were ready to rest, we couldn't get any. No other cabins available to switch, not that the customer service reps were very sympathetic - "Babies cry, what are we supposed to do about it."

 

After that trip, hubby originally said no more cruises. He wasn't hooked at all! There was more risk of having a bad trip due to your neighbors at sea than on land. At least on land, you can move to a different hotel if you have a problem.

 

Four years later my mom wanted to try cruising. I managed to talk hubby into going since we would know our neighbors - parents on one side & aunt/uncle on the other. We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas out of Galveston, which is only a short drive for us. The service was great, the staff was fabulous, and the ship was wonderful. The cabin was still tiny but not as small as on our previous cruise. The itinerary was only so-so (Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, 3 sea days), but we were hooked after that trip.

[Joan G]

First cruise was the Carnival Jubilee, Eastern Caribbean 1989. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

[cruiseman40]

Isn't that a coincidence. My first cruise was also on the Serenade on RCCL. Ever since I've been totally hooked and addicted.

 

 

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

[SakeDad]

See if anyone remembers this one! It was 1985 and it was a NYC cruise to nowhere on Chandris S/S Galileo!!! Wonder what ever happened to them?:rolleyes:

EDIT:Found the history and pictures of the ship here. She has sunk. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ChandrisGalileo.html

Edited August 14, 2010 by SakeDad

[Copper10-8]

See if anyone remembers this one! It was 1985 and it was a NYC cruise to nowhere on Chandris S/S Galileo!!! Wonder what ever happened to them?

EDIT:Found the history and pictures of the ship here. She has sunk. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ChandrisGalileo.html

 

ss Galileo Galilei (1963-1999) Built in 1963 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone, Italy as ss Galileo Galilei for Trieste, Italy-based Lloyd Triestino di Navigazione S.p.A. Galilei and her younger sister, Guglielmo Marconi, were designed to replace the line’s three older ships, Australia, Neptunia and Oceania on the immigrant service from Italy to Australia.

 

 

The 27,888 gross registered ton ocean liner was launched on 2 July 1961. Her new owners took delivery of her on 23 March 1963 and she operated some Mediterranean cruises for them. She would then depart on her official maiden voyage from Genoa to Sydney on 22 April 1963, arriving there on 15 May 1963. Due to their increased speed, bothGalileo Galilei and Guglielmo Marconi were able to reduce what used to be a month-long voyage to twenty three days, simultaneously introducing a new standard of luxury to immigrant travel.

 

Originally the ships traveled to Australia via the eastern route, passing through the Suez Canal in both directions, but in the later years the return trip to Europe was via the Panama Canal. Both ships sailed successfully for several years until the 1973 oil crisis struck which, combined with the increasing use of commercial airliners, contributed to the demise of the ocean liners. Galilei was scheduled to operate a cruise from Sydney in December 1973 however this was cancelled and she laid idle until 3 January 1974. On 13 January 1975, she struck a reef off the coast of West Africa which forced her to divert to Monrovia, Liberia. She sustained substantial damage to her hull plating and sailed for Genoa where she entered dry-dock for repairs, returning to service in March of that year.

 

Galileo Galilei continued to operate on the Italy-Australia run until quietly departing Sydney on 13 April 1977. (Her sister Marconi had left Australia for the last time on 23 November 1974). It had been originally planned for Galilei to operate the Aussie service until the end of 1977, however a 23 May 1977 departure was suddenly cancelled without explanation, stranding some 1,000 passengers. Upon arrival back in Genoa, she was withdrawn from service and laid up. Her lay-up was short however, and on 21 October 1977 she arrived at the Cantieri Navali Riuniti’s Palermo, Sicily yard for a lengthy reconstruction into a full-time cruise ship.

 

On 24 March 1979, Galileo Galilei started Mediterranean cruise service from Genoa for Italia Crociere (owned by Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., also known as the Italia Line). However, this venture proved unprofitable as soon as 29 September 1979 when Galilei was withdrawn from service and laid up again, this time for four years, interspersed with occasional charters. (Italia Crociere ceased trading in 1980).

 

In August 1983, the vessel was purchased by the Greek-owned Chandris Group. She was again rebuilt, this time with additional cabins on her forward deck, and her name was shortened to just Galileo. In 1984, Galileo began operating Caribbean (short) cruises from Miami, Fl on charter to Fantasy Cruises. This was followed in May 1985 with summer cruises, mostly to Bermuda from New York, but also to Nova Scotia, the Bahamas plus some cruises to ‘nowhere’. After her summer season, Galileo returned to Miami from where she operated five-day cruise to Key West, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

 

In October 1985, Chandris purchased Fantasy Cruises outright, making it their new subsidiary, Chandris Fantasy Cruises, and operating the Galileo (but also their Amerikanis, Britanis and the Victoria) under that banner. Galileo would receive a refit in early 1986 and would continue to operate Caribbean cruises during the winter and Bermuda cruises during the summer seasons.

 

 

When Italy-based Home Lines collapsed in 1988, Chandris made a decision to enter the upscale market. Galileo was therefore sent to the German Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven for a multi-million dollar refit between October 1989 and February 1990. Most of her interiors were rebuilt, and externally her rear superstructure enlarged. On 1 March 1990 she emerged as the ss Meridian, the first ship of Chandris’ new subsidiary, Celebrity Cruises. She received a more stylished white “X” (Greek for “CH” or Chandris) on her funnel, dark blue markings on the upper part of her hull and would operate Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades, Fl as well as a Boston/New York to Bermuda run during a very successful Celebrity career.

 

 

In 1997, following Royal Caribbean International’s acquisition of Celebrity Cruises, Meridian was sold to Singapore-based Sun Cruises, which operated her as ss Sun Vista, cruising throughout the Malaccan Straights from her home port of Singapore. In doing this, Sun Cruises took on giant Star Cruises (the owner of Norwegian Cruise Line) who operated similar itineraries but with newer and superior ships, a battle Sun Cruises would lose.

 

 

During the night of 20 May 1999, while enroute back to Singapore from Phuket, Thailand in the Straits of Malacca, a fire broke out in Sun Vista’s engine room. During the following morning, only a small amount of smoke was observed near the ship’s funnel. However, the fire would spread uncontrollably and this would ultimately result in a total loss of power on the ship. During the late afternoon of 21 May 1999, Meridian’s master, Captain Sven Hartzell ordered the ship abandoned. All 472 passengers and 632 crew were safely evacuated and rescued. Sun Vista went down on 22 May at 0121 hours, 45 nautical miles west of Penang Island in the Andaman Sea.

 

[Copper10-8]

Some additional pics of Galileo Galilei:

 

 

In Naples, Italy in 1965

 

 

Off Fremantle, Australia in 1975

 

 

Off Fremantle, Australia in 1975

 

In 1980 at London (Tillbury)

 

 

As Meridian at Nassau, the Bahamas in 1990

 

 

As Sun Vista in 1998 in Singapore

[eroller]

See if anyone remembers this one! It was 1985 and it was a NYC cruise to nowhere on Chandris S/S Galileo!!! Wonder what ever happened to them?:rolleyes:

EDIT:Found the history and pictures of the ship here. She has sunk. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ChandrisGalileo.html

 

 

 

I sailed on GALILEO a couple times. Once out of Miami and once out of NY, with Chandris Fantasy Cruises. Great ship!

 

My first cruise though was on the beautiful and classic, LEONARDO DA VINCI with the Italian Line. Now that was a ship! I think I was 11 at the time and I sailed with my Grandmother. I remember so many details though, even our cabin, Lido #9. There were three adult pools and two kids pools, all aft on the beautiful tiered decks. One even had a little slide. Back then ships looked ships, and not apartment blocks!

 

Fast forward approx. 33 years, and in November I will sail on my 84th cruise, on the NIEUW AMSTERDAM. You might say my Grandmother created a monster! LOL

 

Ernie