Your first cruise ship

[RedmondCruiser]

If you wrote a book on this subject I'd be the first to buy one. All the information that you have gathered and with all the photos you have it would be a facinating book.

[u4ea]

Some ships are like cats, many lives!;)

 

Is it true nothing good ever lasts?:confused::eek:;)

Mark...

[Copper10-8]

mv Svea Corona (1975-1995) Built in 1975 as mv Svea Corona by Dubegion-Normandie S.A. Prairie au doc, Nantes, France for Swedish-based Stockholm Rederi Ab Svea (originally Sveabolaget, later often referred to as Rederi AB Svea or simply Svea) to which she was delivered on 15 May 1975.

In June 1976, she began operating on the Stockholm, Sweden - Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland route for Rederi Ab Svea's subsidiary, Silja Line. She was later moved to the Stockholm - Maarianhamnina - Turku route. In 1981, following financial difficulties, Rederi AB Svea sold its shares and towards the end of the year, the company itself was merged into Swedish-based Johnson Line. (Later on in 1990, Johnson Line would merged with Effoa to form EffJohn)

 

In February 1984, she was sold to the Sundancer Corporation, a company owned by Effoa, Johnson Line and McDonald Enterprises, rebuilt and renamed Sundancer for Sundance Cruises. On 30 June 1984 while on only her third Alaskan cruise which started in Vancouver, BC, she struck an underwater reef at Duncan Bay resulting in a large puncture in her hull. Her captain decided to run her up on shore where Sundancer's engine room and everything up to her quarter deck filled with water. On 7 July 1984, she was refloated and towed to Vancouver, where she was declared a Constructive Total loss.

In November 1984, she was purchased by Greek-based Epirotiki S.S. Navigation Co. (Epirotiki Line) who renamed her Pegasus and in December 1984, she departed on her long sea journey from Vancouver to Piraeus, Greece, aided by the oceantug Sunhaili. She arrived at the Greek shipyard in January 1985 where the work to repair her commenced.

1986, while under charter to V.T.C., would find her operating on cruises up and down the east coast of South America. From May until September 1986, she returned once again to Vancouver, BC, this time as a floating hotel ship. For the next several years, Pegasus operated for Epirotiki on Mediterranean cruises in the summer and on Caribbean cruises in the winter.

 

While in Venice on 6 February 1991, a fire broke out onboard resulting in major damage and her partial sinking in the shallow waters of the harbor. In July 1991, for the second time in her careeer, she is declared a Constructive Total Loss. On 29 September 1991, she is towed from Venice to Piraeus, where she arrived on 5 October and is laid up.

In 1994, Pegasus is sold to Greek-based Strintzis Line, owned by Piraeus-based Cosmos Cruises Martim Co. They have plans to rename her Ionian Express and, after a rebuild as a car and passenger ferry, put her to work for their subsidiary, Swansea-Cork Ferries on the Swansea, Wales to Cork, Ireland run.

 

Fate (and Mr. Murphy) will intervene however on 20 November 1994 when, during renovation work at the Perama shipyard, an engine room (again) fire broke out. For the third time in her career, she is declared a Constructive Total Loss and this time, she didn't have any lives left.

In 1995, she is sold to Turkish breakers for scrapping. She arrived in Aliaga, Turkey on 29 March 1995 for an unfortunate date with the blow torches.

[Copper10-8]

If you wrote a book on this subject I'd be the first to buy one. All the information that you have gathered and with all the photos you have it would be a facinating book.

 

Thanks! All this info is available on the internet. Just takes a little time to put it together and, whiel doing so, mistakes are made at times! The real 'walking cruise ship encyclopedia' is former HAL and CC host, Doug Newman. That guy and the amount of knowledge/historic data in his head is incredible

[Copper10-8]

Deleted

Edited February 6, 2009 by Copper10-8

[LDS4me]

Hi Mark, kinda like this?;)

 

That's the one, but she was wearing Admiral's color and emblem at the time we were on her. She has a flat bottom, made it great for getting close to the glaciers in Alaska.

 

Mark.

[Copper10-8]

That's the one, but she was wearing Admiral's color and emblem at the time we were on her. She has a flat bottom, made it great for getting close to the glaciers in Alaska.

 

Mark.

 

 

Stardancer 'doing her thing' in Alaska in Admiral Cruise Line colors

[Copper10-8]

1st one to visit was the ship Jason back in the 80's (very small)

 

Then the First one to eat on was Regent Sea or Star

 

To cruise on, Eugeneo Costa (for 1 Day only) Back in 1992 1st gulf war

they came to canada for some reason.

 

Ship I have eaten on the Most Def Maasdam or old Westerdam (came a lot here in the 90's)

 

But 1st actual cruise will be Eurodam for 7 days 28th Feb

 

I think i will enjoy it a lot, cruising around the Carribbean.

Been to some Islands but never cruised (Heck Im a landlubber) lol

 

 

mts Eros (1965-present) Originally built in 1965 as mts Eros, the second of three cruise/ferries, by Cantieri Runiti dell’ Adriatico, Monfalcone, Italy (her sisters were mts Aphrodite, the lead ship of the class, operated by Kavounides Shipping Co, and mts Adonis, operated by Nomikos Lines). They were the final installment of Italian World War II reparations to the Greek Government on behalf of the Hellenic Tourism Organisation. Eros was operated by Typaldos Lines, sailing three times per week from Piraeus to either Rhodes and Dodecanese or to Crete and back.

 

This service lasted only a year however, as in 1966 after a period in drydock, Eros was transformed into the luxury cruise ship ms Jason (aka Iason) sailing for Greek-based Epirotiki S.S. Navigation Co. (Epirotiki Line) (Aphrodite became ms Stella Oceanis for Sun Line and Adonis became ms Atlantis for K-Lines). Epirotiki would operate Jason on cruises throughout Europe starting in 1967.

 

In 1992, she received another refit that concentrated on her interior design. In August 1995, Epirotiki agreed to merge its operations with Sun Line creating a new company named Royal Olympic Cruise Lines. The International Olympic Committee had a problem with the name Royal Olympic Cruise Line (they own the rights to the name 'Olympic'). but it wasn't until 2003 that the name was changed into Royal Olympia Cruise Lines.

 

Jason/Iason did not fit into the plans of, at the time, Royal Olympic and was subsequently laid up at Piraeus in 1997. In 2001, there were plans for her to be operated under charter to Destina Cruises as Destina Legacy but these did not materialize.

 

Seven years later, following the collapse of Royal Olympia in early 2004, Iason was reactivated for Epirotiki. On 1 February 2005, she was sold to Greek-based Olympic Short Cruises MTME, Co., however only ten months later on 5 December 2005, she was again sold, this time to Derwent Ocean Ltd, who renamed her Ocean Odyssey and had her refurbished in 2006.

In September 2006, she would transit via the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean. In October, she began operating for Indian Ocean Cruises, offering a two-week itinerary around the southwest coast of India, sailing from Goa along the Malabar Coast to the Lakshadweep Islands/Archipelago with mainland India stops at Cochin, Mangalore, Trivandrum and Cape Comorin as well as at Colombo, the capitol of Sri Lanka. In 2009, the island nation of Mauritius will become part of her destinations.

 

Edited February 6, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was on Superstar Virgo, November 2007, 5 nights, Singapore to Phuket and back to Singapore. We chose this cruise as a 'taster' to see if we'd like cruising as much as we thought we might. Well, we're off on Volendam in 34 days - we have well and truly caught the bug, and have a very long wish list of cruises we want to do - only have to save up enough $ now! :D:D:D

 

ms SuperStar Virgo (1999-present) Built in 1999 as ms SuperStar Virgo by Jos. L, Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany and delivered on 2 August, 1999 to Malaysian-based Star Cruises. She was built as the second ship of the "Leo class" and was the second new-build for Star Cruises. Like her sister ship and lead ship of the class, SuperStar Leo, she was designed specifically for the Asian cruise market. Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world behind Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises, and is the dominanant cruise line in the Asia=Pacific market. Star Cruises owns 50 % of the Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America and 100 % of Cruise Ferries brands with a total combined fleet of 22 ships and over 35,000 berths.

Following her lengthy transit from Papenburg to Singapore, SuperStar Virgo entered service on 10 October 1999. On 24 April 2003, she was relocated from Singapore to operate cruises out of Perth, Western Australia due to the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Southeast Asia. Initially that redeployment was planned to last only for a one-month evaluation period, but due to the success of cruising out of Australia, SuperStar Virgo remained based out of Perth until July 2003.

 

 

In 2004, she became the sole "mega-ship", and the only purpose-built ship in the Star Cruises' fleet, when her older sister, SuperStar Leo, was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises' subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). (Newbuilds planned or ordered by Star Cruises after the SuperStar Virgo have either been cancelled or moved to the NCL fleet prior to delivery).

 

On 2 April 2008, SuperStar Virgo relocated once again, this time from Singapore to Hong Kong with the latter city becoming her port of departure until 26 October 2008. This coincided with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

[Cruise4Sunshine]

My first (and longest)cruise was a 14 day trans-canal on the original Sun Princess, the Love Boat, in late 1979. I was a 24 year old travel agent, with not a care in the world, and was chosen to lead a group of 35 clients of our agency on this amazing trip. My Mom & Dad booked at the last minute, and what a treat being able to share this experience with them, they both died a few years later. Since then I've been on short, long and in between cruises with my husband, friends, family and my own children, who are now grown. My youngest graduates high school this summer and, you guessed it, we're doing the Roman Empire with Holland American for her graduation trip.

[Copper10-8]

My first (and longest)cruise was a 14 day trans-canal on the original Sun Princess, the Love Boat, in late 1979. I was a 24 year old travel agent, with not a care in the world, and was chosen to lead a group of 35 clients of our agency on this amazing trip. My Mom & Dad booked at the last minute, and what a treat being able to share this experience with them, they both died a few years later. Since then I've been on short, long and in between cruises with my husband, friends, family and my own children, who are now grown. My youngest graduates high school this summer and, you guessed it, we're doing the Roman Empire with Holland American for her graduation trip.

 

 

Spirit of London (1972-present) Built in 1972 as ms Spirit of London by Cantieri Navali del Tirreno e Riuniti S.p.A., Genoa, Italy for British-based P & O Lines (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company). She had originally been ordered by Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL) and was to be named Seaward (a sister to Southward), but P & O bought her unfinished hull on 30 March 1972 after NCL had pulled out of the deal due to problems with the Italian shipyard. On 11 November 1972, she departed Southampton, England on her maiden cruise to San Juan, Puerto Rico. January 1973 found her cruising on the U.S. West coast.

 

In 1974, P & O bought Princess Cruises and on 9 October 1974, Spirit of London was renamed Sun Princess, joining the Island Princess and Pacific Princess (from Love boat fame) in the Princess fleet. The ship appeared in the 1975 TV series Columbo episode "Troubled Waters", guest starring Robert Vaughn, as well as in the 1980 motion picture 'Herbie Goes Bananas".

 

 

1988 saw the sale of the Sun Princess by P & O to Premier Cruises, where she was initially named Majestic, but then in February 1989, becoming Starship Majestic, one of the "Big Red Boats". In May 1989, she underwent a refit at Lloyd-Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany.

 

 

In 1994, she was chartered to British based shipping company CTC (Charter Travel Club) and on 5 March 1995, she was renamed Southern Cross, leaving Tilbury, England three days later for worldwide cruising.

 

In October 1997, she was purchased by Greece-based Festival Cruises who began operating her as the Flamenco. The year 2003 saw her on charter to a Spanish travel company. After Festival Cruises financial collapse in January 2004, she was laid up at Gibraltar for a month.

 

In February 2004, she was acquired at public action by Fulton Shipping Inc. / Elysian Cruises (both Ravenscroft Ship Management subsidiaries) who first chartered her to Spanish-based Travelplan/Globalia as Elysian Flamenco. That name was changed to her New Flamenco later in 2004.

 

 

In February 2007, she was chartered by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and used as a floating accomodation ship.

 

On 6 November 2007, she was aquired from Fulton Shipping Inc. by Dutch company Club Cruise and used as a hotel ship in Noumea (French Caledonia). However, one year later in November 2008, Club Cruise ceased operations due to their inability to repay loans. The ship, now named Flamenco I, remains under arrest in Singapore awaiting another public auction.

[Copper10-8]

What a great thread ... thanks to all of the posters who provided the pics of the older ships (and, consequently, shipspotting.com)

 

After a couple practice runs across the English Channel, my first real cruise was on the SS Universe Explorer ... 19 days from Nassau to Ensenada in December 2001. Although no longer a luxury liner (SS Brazil), she had the best promenade deck. Add my wonderful dinnermates, (our table was the envy of the dining room) and I was definitely hooked.

 

I managed 4 cruises and a TA crossing in 13 months ... but I haven't been to sea since February 2007. I am getting desperate. I know my next cruise will be on HAL, hopefully the Prinsendam; altho, that South Seas cruise on the Amsterdam in the fall is very enticing.

 

This one is kinda special!! No, not getting paid off besides what I'm getting from the child bride;)

 

ss Brasil (1958-2004) Built in 1958 as luxury ocean liner ss Brasil (her younger sister was named ss Argentina and would operate as Veendam for HAL) by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Pascagoula, Ms for United States-based Moore McCormack Lines. On 16 December 1957 she was launched after having been christened by Mrs. Emmet J. McCormack , the wife of the Line's Chairman of the Board. On 12 September 1958, Brasil departed on her 31-day roundtrip maiden voyage from the Big Apple to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Barbados, Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Montevideo under the command of Captain (Commodore) Thomas N. Simmons.

She would operate this service from New York City along the U.S. East coast to various ports in South America until 1969.

From 16 March until 14 June 1963, she was rebuilt at Bethlehem Steel Company in Baltimore where she received two new decks, called the Sun and the Navigation, which together added 61 new staterooms and increased her capacity by 163 passengers (her total capacity was 670 pax at the time). In addition, new public rooms were added and other public areas were enlarged. On 5 September 1969, ss Brasil, along with her sister, ss Argentina, were laid up in Baltimore, Md due to unprofitability.

 

In April 1971, she was acquired by Holland America Line for ten Million Dollars, however approval from the United States Congress took another year. (Her initial construction had been partially funded by a U.S. government grant so she could converted to a troop carier if need be). HAL renamed her ms Volendam, the second ship in the line's history to carry that name. Volendam is a fishing village not far from Amsterdam on the shores of the former Zuiderzee (Southern Sea) and current IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake). They also purchased her sister, ss Argentina, and after the same refit, named her Veendam (III).

On 10 August 1972, her Dutch crew sailed her from Baltimore to Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany, ariving on 18 August, for a refurbishment/rebuilt into a full-time cruise ship at LLoyd Werft that would last until 14 February 1973. After her interiors were completed in Rotterdam, Volendam left on her HAL maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York, via Southampton, England and Cobb, Ireland, on 16 April 1973. In the Summer of 1973, she started operating out of New York City on various cruises to the Caribbean.

She was laid up Hampton Rhoads (Norfolk), Va starting on 6 January 1974, mainly due to the world-wide oil/fuel crisis. On 29 June 1975, she was chartered by Miami-based Monarch Cruise Lines as Monarch Sun for two years and used by them on three and four-day cruises out of Miami, Fl to the Bahamas and Caribbean. In 1976 however, Monarch Cruise Line was taken over by HAL and so the ship (and her sister) once again was being managed by Holland America Line.

In January 1978 after Monarch was completely absorbed by HAL, she returned to Holland America Line for a second tour as Volendam, cruising for them from New York to Bermuda in the summer and in the Caribbean in the winter season. Her last HAL cruise took place on 21 January 1984.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

 

In October 1983, she was sold to Panama-registered Banstead Shipping Ltd. (owned by the Hong Kong-based C.Y. Tung Group). After another refit at Newport News, Va, she was renamed Island Sun on 27 February 1984 and started cruising from various U.S. ports. On 29 May 1984 she sailed from Hampton Roads, Va via the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec City to be used as a hotel ship by the Jacques Cartier Group until 20 July 1984. On that day, the operators who had chartered her went belly up and she in turn sailed to Newport News to be laid up.

On 10 November 1984, after a Panama Canal plus a trans-Pacific crossing, she arrived in Sasebo, Japan for a major refit (new public rooms and side thrusters installed). December 1985 found her sailing as Liberte for American Hawaii Cruises (but still owned by the C.Y. Tung Group) between Papeete, Tahiti and several Pacific islands (i.e. Bora Bora, Rarioa, Huahine, etc.). This would last until January 1987 when the service was terminated.

 

In May 1987, after yet another layup, this time in San Francisco, she was chartered to the Bermuda Star Line who named her Canada Star. After a north-bound Panama Canal transit, she began operating cruises from New York on 13 June 1987 to Bermuda, Cape Cod and the Canadian Maritimes. The Winter of 1987 saw her cruising from New Orleans, La to Key West, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.

In the Summer of 1988, Bermuda Star Line decided to give her yet another name, Bermuda Star. This was an actual name swap with her sister, the former Argentina/Veendam, who was no longer allowed to sail to Bermuda by its government. Bermuda Star Line wanted to keep that name, Bermuda Star, on the route so gave it to Canada Star. However, towards the end of 1988, that name was indeed changed to Queen of Bermuda.

In August 1990, Bermuda Star Line was purchased by/consolidated with Commodore Cruise Lines and, after a refit in Avondale, La. (starting to sound like Joan Collins here), she was renamed Enchanted Seas. Commodore would use her for cruises out of New Orleans, La to the Caribbean.

On 15 July 1995, she was purchased by V-Ships/Azure Investments, Inc and renamed Universe Explorer. From October 1995 through January 1996, she was modified to prepare her for operating under charter to the Institute of Shipboard Education, which runs a college program, then in association with the University of Pittsburgh. In January 1996, she set off on a cruise to the Caribbean and from Febuary to mid-May 1996, she took off on her first semester voyage for the Institute for Shipboard Education.

On 27 July 1996, while en route from Juneau to Glacier Bay, Ak, carrying 732 passengers and 274 crew members, a fire started in the main laundry room. The fire was contained after four hours but tragically, five crew members died from smoke inhalation and fifty five crew members and one passenger sustained injuries. Universe Explorere limped to Juneau, Ak where her passengers disembarked. Damage to the ship was estimated at $1.5 million.On 2 August 1996, she arrived in Vancouver, BC for repairs.

In November 2002, she was purchased by World Explorer Cruises.

On 3 June 2004, she was on her way to Hong Kong with plans for extensive refurbishment and a return to full-time cruising in the winter of 2004. On 30 August however, all work on her came to an abrupt halt as a result of a dispute over the condition of the ship between World Explorer Cruises and the owner, Azure Investments.

On 9 November 2004, she was sold to Indian scrappers (Rikan Shipping, Inc.) and renamed Universe. She departed Hong Kong on 19 November 2004 and arrived at the beaches off Alang, India on 5 December 2004. She was beached on 7 December to meet her demise at the hands of the breakers.

 

Edited February 9, 2009 by Copper10-8

[4thDAMgeneration]

my first cruise was on the SS Rotterdam in 1987 at the age of 6. i chose this picture because that is what she looked like back then. she really was and still is a beautiful ship. it was my grandmother's favorite ship on which she did 3 world cruises! i am trying to talk my mother into going and visiting her in Rotterdam.;)

 

[Copper10-8]

my first cruise was on the SS Rotterdam in 1987 at the age of 6. i chose this picture because that is what she looked like back then. she really was and still is a beautiful ship. it was my grandmother's favorite ship on which she did 3 world cruises! i am trying to talk my mother into going and visiting her in Rotterdam.

 

 

 

ss Rotterdam V (1959-present) Built in 1959 as ss Rotterdam by the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (Rotterdam Drydock Company), Rotterdam, the Netherlands for the Holland Amerika Lijn/Holland America Line for which she would become their very popular flagship. At 748 feet long, 94 feet wide and weighing 38,650 tons, she would be the largest ship ever built in the Netherlands and she would sail for HAL for 39 years!

She was the fifth ship in the line's history to bear the name of Rotterdam, the principal city in the Dutch province of Zuid (South) Holland, second largest municipality in the Netherlands and the largest port in Europe. The name 'Rotterdam' originally comes from a dam built on the river Rotte.

On 13 September 1958, Rotterdam V was launched by her godmother, HRH Queen Juliana of The Netherlands. Upon the completion of succesful sea trials, she set out on her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York, via Le Havre, France and Southampton, England, on 3 September 1959, arriving in New York on 11 September. One of her passengers was the then Crown Princess of The Netherlands, Princess, now Queen, Beatrix.

She then departed New York on her first cruise on 11 December, 1959, a 49-day cruise circumnavigating South America. She would make her first world cruise in 1961, a seventy seven-day roundtrip from New York. In 1969, Rotterdam made her last regularly scheduled transatlantic crossing and was converted to a one-class cruise ship. She would, however, make four more world cruises in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1997.

From September until October 1989, she received a $15 million dollar (mostly interior) refit at a Portland, Oregon shipyard. On 31 January 1996, HAL announced that the much loved ship would be taken out of service as of 30 September 1997. The reason given by her owners (later disputed) was the new SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) requirements coming into effect and the funds, supposedly U.S. 40 million, required to update the thirty-eight year old vessel. Rotterdam would make a farewell cruise at the end of her Alaska season from Vancouver, BC to Ft Lauderdale, Fl.

In October 1997, she was purchased by Premier Cruises who had her upgraded to SOLAS standards and renamed Rembrandt. Premier kept her classic ocean liner 'feel' and on 21 December 1997, she departed on her first cruise to South America. The summer of 1998 found her cruising in the Mediterranean. Premier however, also had grandiose plans to rename the ship 'Big Red Boat IV' and to paint her hull a bright red, an idea not very popular with her fans. As Big Red Boat IV she would sail out of Los Angeles on three and four-day party cruises to Mexico in the winter and out of Vancouver, BC on seven-day Alaska cruises in the summer.

As faith would have it, Premier Cruise Line ran into financial difficulties. On 13 September, 2000 during a northbound New England/Canada cruise, her captain was ordered to return his ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia. After off-loading her passengers, the ss Rembrandt was placed under arrest. As a special condition of her warrants, she was allowed to depart for Freeport, the Bahamas where she arrived on 30 December 2000 and was laid-up pending sale. Premier Cruise Lines filed for bankruptcy and went out of business.

 

 

On 7 May 2003 Rembrandt became the property of s.s. Rotterdam BV (part of RDM holding or Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij, her original builders). On 17 June 2004, the Polish ocean-going tug 'Englishman' towed her from the Bahamas to the Camell Laird yard at Gibraltar where she arrived on 12 July 2004 and where renovation work was scheduled for her. She would remain docked at the British Crown Colony until October 2005 (see below). By that time, she also had new owner, 'Rederij De Rotterdam BV'.

 

On 25 October 2005, after a tow from Gibraltar by the Spanish tug 'V B Artico', she arrived at Cadiz, Spain, for additional (dry) dock maintenance including the repainting of her hull in her original light gray color. In addition, she was renamed Rotterdam and registered in the same city. 'V B Artico' would tow her again, this time from 10 to 27 February 2006, from Cadiz to Gdansk, Poland where her asbestos was removed and further renovating would take place (see below).

On 25 August 2006 she received yet another tow, this time to Wilhelmshaven, Germany (see below) where she stayed until August 2008 for additional exterior restoration work.

[Copper10-8]

 

On 2 September 2008, she left Wilhelmshaven and on 4 September 2008, she made her triumphant return (see above and below) to her city of birth, Rotterdam, where she was berthed at the “Katendrechtse Hoofd” (Head of Katendrecht) located on the northern edge of Rotterdam Zuid (South) in the Maashaven (River Maas harbor) and where she will serve as a floating hotel, static museum ship and conference center.

 

 

[wilsonqbc]

Wow thanks for all the history on the Jason & Regent Sea, Bermuda Star ect. They were around here all the time in the 80's

Copper 10 when your on the Maasdam in June on the friday

come down by the truck of fruit & Veg & Crane between 8-10 I'll be there.

[leoandhugh]

First "cruise" was not on a cruise ship but on the old Queen Mary, now permanently docked at Long Beach. It was a 5day trip from NYC to Nassau over Thanksgiving in 1954 2days down to Nassau, a day there (anchored) and 2 days back to NYC.:):)

[Copper10-8]

Wow thanks for all the history on the Jason & Regent Sea, Bermuda Star ect. They were around here all the time in the 80's

Copper 10 when your on the Maasdam in June on the friday

come down by the truck of fruit & Veg & Crane between 8-10 I'll be there.

 

Will do that, thanks!

[Copper10-8]

First "cruise" was not on a cruise ship but on the old Queen Mary, now permanently docked at Long Beach. It was a 5day trip from NYC to Nassau over Thanksgiving in 1954 2days down to Nassau, a day there (anchored) and 2 days back to NYC.:):)

 

RMS Queen Mary (1934-present) Built in 1936 as RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary by John Brown & Company Ltd. Clydebank, Scotland for the Cunard-White Star Line for transatlantic service. She was designed to be the first of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service from Southampton to Cherbourg, France to New York City, in answer to the superliners from the European mainland of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

 

With the Germans launching their Bremen and Europa into service, the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race. Cunard planned a 75,000-ton unnamed ship, then known only as "Yard Number 534", with construction beginning in December 1930. Work was halted in December 1931 due to the Great Depression and Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete 534. The loan was granted, with enough money to complete the Queen Mary and to build a running mate, hull No. 552 which would become the Queen Elizabeth. One condition of the loan was that Cunard merge with the White Star Line, which was Cunard's chief British rival at the time and which had already been forced by the Depression to cancel construction on its Oceanic. Both lines agreed and the merger was completed in April 1934.

 

Work on the Queen Mary resumed immediately and she was launched on 26 September 1934. Completion ultimately took 3 1/2 years and cost 3 1/2 million pounds sterling in total. The ship was named after Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. Until her launch the name she was to be given was kept a closely guarded secret. Legend has it that Cunard intended to name the ship "Victoria", in keeping with company tradition of giving its ships names ending in "ia". However, when company representatives asked the King's permission to name the ocean liner after Britain's "greatest queen", he said his wife, Queen Mary, would be delighted. And so, the legend goes, the delegation had of course no other choice but to report that No. 534 would be called RMS Queen Mary. On 26 September 1934, the new liner was launched by Queen Mary as RMS Queen Mary.

 

In August 1936, Queen Mary captured the Blue Riband from the French liner Normandie, with average speeds of 30.14 knots (55.82 km/h) westbound and 30.63 knots eastbound. Normandie was refitted with a new set of propellors in 1937 and reclaimed the honor, but in 1938 Queen Mary took back the Blue Riband (the award received by the ship with the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing) in both directions with average speeds of 30.99 knots (57.39 km/h) westbound and 31.69 knots eastbound, records which stood until lost to the SS United States in 1952.

 

In late August 1939, RMS Queen Mary was on a return run from New York to Southampton. The international situation led to her being escorted by the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Hood. She arrived safely, and set out again for New York on 1 September. By the time she arrived, the Second World War had broken out and she was ordered to remain in port until further notice alongside the Normandie. In 1940 the Queen Mary and the Normandie were joined in New York by Queen Mary's new running mate Queen Elizabeth, fresh from her secret dash from the Clydebank. The three largest liners in the world sat idle for some time until the Allied commanders decided that all three ships could be used as troopships

 

Queen Mary left New York for Sydney, Australia, where she, along with several other liners, was converted into a troopship to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom. Eventually joined by the Queen Elizabeth, they were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage, and often travelling out of convoy and without escort. During this period, because of their wartime grey camouflage livery and elusiveness, both Queens received the nickname "The Grey Ghost". In December 1942, she was carrying exactly 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel. During the war, Queen Mary carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for meetings with fellow Allied forces' officials. He was listed on the passenger manifest as "Colonel Warden" and he insisted that the lifeboat assigned to him had a .303 machine gun fitted to it so he could "resist capture at all costs".

.

From September 1946 to July 1947, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service, adding air conditioning and upgrading her berth configuration to 711 first class, 707 cabin class and 577 tourist class passengers. Following refit, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade as Cunard White Star's two-ship weekly express service through the latter half of the 1940s and well into the 1950s.

 

In 1958, the first transatlantic flight by a jet began a completely new era of competition for the Cunard Queens. By 1965, the entire Cunard fleet was leaving a trail of red ink. Hoping to continue financing their still under construction Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard mortgaged the majority of the fleet. Finally, under a combination of age, lack of public interest, inefficiency in a new market, and the damaging after-effects of the national seamen's strike, Cunard announced that both the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth would be retired from service and both were to be sold off.

 

Many offers were submitted, but it was Long Beach, California who beat the Japanese scrap merchants. And so, Queen Mary was retired from service in 1967, while her running mate Queen Elizabeth was withdrawn in 1968.

 

 

After her retirement in 1967, she steamed to Long Beach, where she is permanently moored as a tourist attraction (museum, restaurants, banquet space and hotel). From 1983 to 1993, she was accompanied by Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, which was located in a large dome nearby (the dome is now used by Carnival Cruise Line as a cruise terminal).

 

On 8 May 1971, the Queen Mary opened its doors to tourists. Initially, only portions of the ship were open to the public as Specialty Restaurants had yet to open its dining venues or the hotel. This did happen eventually however, it has been a financial struggle over the years. The latest plans as of 2007, are to refurbish the ship, and develop a Universal Citywalk type (open air shopping, rerstaurant and entertainment center) Theme resort, shared with Carnival Cruise Lines, and the ships previous operators, The RMS Foundation, which will include, a marina, hotels, retail, and restaurants.

 

On 23 February 2006, RMS Queen Mary 2 saluted her predecessor as she made her port of call in Los Angeles Harbor, while on a cruise to Mexico. The event was covered heavily by local and international media. The salute itself was carried out with the Queen Mary blowing her one working air horn in response to the Queen Mary 2 blowing her combination of two brand new horns pointing forward and an original 1932 Queen Mary horn (donated by the City of Long Beach) aimed aft.

[Copper10-8]

The Queen Mary museum and hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Leaving Southampton for the last time on her way to Long Beach, CA - October 1967

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And at her home in Long Beach with the Spruce Goose dome (now the Long Beach Cruise Terminal) in the background

 

[llamirand]

Thanks for the detailed history of the Rotterdam/Rembrandt/Rotterdam.

 

She was my first cruise experience, from Port Canaveral to Montreal in April of 2000. Never considered I was the type to become a cruiser. Overheard many other passengers saying that as soon as they arrived home, did a load of laundry and checked the mail, they were leaving again on the next ship. How crazy was that? Now I are one. 21 cruises in 8 years :)

[vana]

 

Seaward (1988-present) Built in 1988 by Wartsila Marine Shipyard in Abo, Finland as Seaward for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Upon completion of her maiden voyage, she spent most of her early career cruising in the Caribbean from Miami, Fl. In 1997 she was refurbished and renamed Norwegian Sea but remained in the NCL fleet. Her multimillion dollar renovation included the addition of a fifth restaurant called The Pasta Cafe. In addition, her bars and lounges and other public areas, and some of its suites were refurbished with new looks, including fresh upholsteries, furniture, draperies and color schemes.

She was the third ship in NCL's fleet to embrace Freestyle Cruising, which, according to NCL, bucks the regimented scheduling typical on some other lines. Passengers can eat whenever they want with whomever they please – at the eatery of their choice! – and such flexibility also extends to disembarkation times and dining attire.

In November 1998, Norwegian Sea replaced the trouble-plagued Norwegian Star by starting to operate year-round seven-night "Texaribbean" itineraries from Houston, TX with stops in Cozumel, Roatan, Belize City, and Cancun.

 

In 2005, she was transferred to the fleet of NCL parent, Star Cruises and renamed. SuperStar Libra. In the summer of 2006, she sailed a variety of cruises in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean seas before deploying back to Mumbai in late September 2006. She is currently based in Taiwan and sails from Keelung for part of the year and from Hong Kong between November and March.

 

 

Thank you for the nice memories. Our 1st cruise in 1995 (honeymoon) was on the Seaward and we though it was the mooooossssttttt beautiful ship around...we just went WOW (for the daily experience) and oups (for the lost of balance) the entire week. We started cruising again in 2005 (yes, our 10th anniversary) and haven't stop since... No more NCL for us, we're hooked on X, RCL and soon AZ

Edited February 10, 2009 by vana

[DFD1]

Wonderful stuff, John. Thanks a million.