What is the Grand Mistral?

[daniela]

Has anyone heard of this ship? Thanks.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Yes. She is the larger of the two ships operated by the Spanish company Iberojet. Iberojet did not enter the cruise market until a few years ago, but they are a very large and long-established Spanish tour operator, and now a major player in the rapdily growing Spanish cruise market. GRAND MISTRAL normally operates 7-day cruises in the Western Mediterranean from Barcelona, marketed almost exclusively to Spanish passengers.

 

Originally simply known by her yard number - Project J31 - she was built "on speculation" by Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique; by the time she was completed in 1998 she had been chartered by Festival Cruises, and was their first newbuild. They named her MISTRAL and she operated for them until 2004 when they went bankrupt. She was chartered to Iberojet and has operated for them until earlier this year.

 

GRAND MISTRAL is, strictly speaking, an "only ship", but two lengthened versions, EUROPEAN VISION and EUROPEAN STARS, were also built for Festival; they are now with MSC as MSC ARMONIA and MSC SINFONIA; MSC themselves also had MSC LIRICA and MSC OPERA built off the same basic plans (but with different decor and exterior styling). MISTRAL's basic hull design - not lengthened - was also used for Radisson Seven Seas' SEVEN SEAS MARINER, though otherwise they have nothing in common. All these ships were built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

 

A good review with photos of MISTRAL, dating from her Festival days, can be seen here.

 

Iberojet's other ship, the smaller GRAND VOYAGER, which operates similar 7-day cruises from Valencia, has an eerily similar history. She was built in 2000 as OLYMPIC VOYAGER for Royal Olympic Cruises who like Festival went bankrupt in 2004, and again Iberojet were able to pick up an almost-new ship at a bargain price. Like MISTRAL, EUROPEAN VISION, and EUROPEAN STARS, OLYMPIC VOYAGER and her sister OLYMPIA EXPLORER (OLYMPIC VOYAGER was later renamed OLYMPIA VOYAGER to conform to the new naming convention) were financed largely by the shipyard, in this case Blohm+Voss, who like Alstom with the Festival ships were left with a big problem when ROC went under. In this case Iberojet again took only one ship; EXPLORER was chartered to Semester-At-Sea which is an organization that, as its name suggests, offers what is basically a college semester abroad that is actually on a ship doing a sort of world cruise. A good article and photos of GRAND VOYAGER, dating from her period as an ROC ship, can be seen here.

 

Anyhow, hope that helps.

[daniela]

Thanks for all that info Doug, appreciate it.

[daniela]

Our Host Doug was kind enough to give this information:

 

 

 

Yes. She is the larger of the two ships operated by the Spanish company Iberojet. Iberojet did not enter the cruise market until a few years ago, but they are a very large and long-established Spanish tour operator, and now a major player in the rapdily growing Spanish cruise market. GRAND MISTRAL normally operates 7-day cruises in the Western Mediterranean from Barcelona, marketed almost exclusively to Spanish passengers.

 

Originally simply known by her yard number - Project J31 - she was built "on speculation" by Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique; by the time she was completed in 1998 she had been chartered by Festival Cruises, and was their first newbuild. They named her MISTRAL and she operated for them until 2004 when they went bankrupt. She was chartered to Iberojet and has operated for them until earlier this year.

 

GRAND MISTRAL is, strictly speaking, an "only ship", but two lengthened versions, EUROPEAN VISION and EUROPEAN STARS, were also built for Festival; they are now with MSC as MSC ARMONIA and MSC SINFONIA; MSC themselves also had MSC LIRICA and MSC OPERA built off the same basic plans (but with different decor and exterior styling). MISTRAL's basic hull design - not lengthened - was also used for Radisson Seven Seas' SEVEN SEAS MARINER, though otherwise they have nothing in common. All these ships were built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

 

A good review with photos of MISTRAL, dating from her Festival days, can be seen here.

 

Iberojet's other ship, the smaller GRAND VOYAGER, which operates similar 7-day cruises from Valencia, has an eerily similar history. She was built in 2000 as OLYMPIC VOYAGER for Royal Olympic Cruises who like Festival went bankrupt in 2004, and again Iberojet were able to pick up an almost-new ship at a bargain price. Like MISTRAL, EUROPEAN VISION, and EUROPEAN STARS, OLYMPIC VOYAGER and her sister OLYMPIA EXPLORER (OLYMPIC VOYAGER was later renamed OLYMPIA VOYAGER to conform to the new naming convention) were financed largely by the shipyard, in this case Blohm+Voss, who like Alstom with the Festival ships were left with a big problem when ROC went under. In this case Iberojet again took only one ship; EXPLORER was chartered to Semester-At-Sea which is an organization that, as its name suggests, offers what is basically a college semester abroad that is actually on a ship doing a sort of world cruise. A good article and photos of GRAND VOYAGER, dating from her period as an ROC ship, can be seen here.

 

Anyhow, hope that helps.