Ocean Gala Ship Review | CruiseMapper At the stern (aft on deck 3) there is an Outdoor Lounge (alfresco dining area with two large tables plus couch seating) which is roof-protected by the Helideck above. She is headed to India and will arrive at the scrap yard in Alang at the end of the month. It was removed and will be placed aboard Carnival Celebration in time for that vessel's debut in November 2022. Between January and June 1991, she was converted into a full-time cruise ship at the former[7] Southwest Marine Shipyard in San Diego, California. Marella Cruises - Wikipedia It also features separate female and male saunas. She then relocated to Scandinavia and sailed on their flagship route Oslo-Copenhagen. Cunard Princess was sold to MSC Cruises in 1995, where it enjoyed a 14-year career with the popular European cruise line as their Rhapsody. Much like a flight on EasyJet, EasyCruise promised "unbundled" pricing, with surcharges for everything from onboard meals to cabin service. When it emerged, it boasted a new midsection complete with a new dining room, new bars and lounges, and additional passenger accommodation. Island Escape scrapped - Cruise Forum | Latest Cruise News | Cruise.co.uk It was, and still is, one of the more sumptuously-decorated FunShips. ISLAND ESCAPE, Passenger (Cruise) Ship - VesselFinder [20], In February 1988, a chiropractor named Scott Rolston murdered his wife Karen Waltz by strangling her and dumping the body overboard in order to make it look like a drowning. Like the rest of the Fantasy Class, its iconic interiors were designed by longtime Carnival architect Joe Farcus, who gave Imagination's public spaces their over-the-top look. privacy policy, Registered Office: Grosvenor House, Prospect Hill, Redditch, B97 4DL, By using this site you agree to our cookies and privacy policy. All Horizon Deck cabins are with floor-ceiling glass doors opening to private step-out balconies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. On January 4, 2021, the ship was confirmed as sold for scrap and was bound for India. What Made It Special Cruise & Maritime Voyages' Magellan began life in 1985 as Carnival Cruise Line's Holiday. She was finally renamed MS Ocean Gala 1 before being scrapped in 2018. Passenger Capacity: 32. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The 1982-built MS Ocean Gala cruise ship (best known as "MS Island Escape") was constructed by Dubigeon Normandie SA (Nantes France) as the world's biggest cruiseferry at the time. I doubt that in the last decade, at least, or maybe even more than this, we have seen so many cruise ships being recycled in a year, he added. The ship transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line in 1991 and sailed for a period of time as Westward. In November 2021, the vessel was sold for scrap to Turkish interests. Sip on some of Napa's best blends at The . What Made It Special: Sovereign was built in 1988 as Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. Having always had a passion for the water, after selling his interests in Japanese Shipping Companies, Peter embarked upon designing and building a boutique 24-passenger ship to explore the beautiful waters around New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Jalesh Cruises, Peace Boat Ocean Dream at Sea. Other onboard amenities include gift shops, video arcade, internet caf, swimming pool, sports deck, Infirmary/medical center. Thomson Cruises buy Splendour of the Seas ship from Royal Caribbean Carnival Sensation becomes the fifth Fantasy Class ship to be removed from service -- and scrapped. Island Escape - Passenger ship, IMO 8002597, Callsign C6SK4, Flag That trend is changing, though. The 24-hour room service was at extra charge. 9 Cruise Ships Scrapped in 2020 - Cruise Radio Cruise Ship Island Escape. By late-August, the first cuts were being made to Carnival Fantasy's bow, and by early 2021 the ship was gone. The vessel (IMO number 8002597) was last Bahamas-flagged(MMSI 311368000) and registered in Nassau. US Shipbrokers managed the vessel's sale in 2015 and became its commercial management firm. In 1985 she was renamed MS Stardancer and in 1990 MS Viking Serenade before being converted to a cruise ship in 1991. Scrapping began in August 2020, and the ship was totally demolished by February 2021. Cruise & Maritime Voyages purchased Pacific Pearl in 2017 and renamed it Columbus. Star Pisces was sold for scrap due to the collapse of Star Cruises' parent company, Genting Hong Kong, in 2022. The number of cruise vessels removed from the worldwide fleet in 2020 was so high that scrap yards have been struggling to keep up with the demand especially when the vessels are registered in the European Union and, therefore, have to comply with stricter regulations. Peter Bissett, who launched Island Escape Cruises in New Zealand in 2006, sold the original 24-passenger catamaran, Island Passage, in 2018. Palmys kids club is entertaining and imaginative, offering the best childcare and daily activities. Celebration was preceded by Holiday and Jubilee. Kanesaki was murdered in the same manner as Karen Waltz 18 years earlier. As Westerdam, the ship played a leading role in the 1997 comedy film Out to Sea, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as reluctant dance hosts. In July 2020, Costa Cruises sold the vessel to Celestyal Cruises, which promptly refitted the vessel, repainted it in its own livery, and renamed it Celestyal Experience. Tropicale was in service with Carnival until 2000, when it was transferred to Costa Cruises as Costa Tropicale. Its removal leaves just two Fantasy Class ships in service with Carnival: Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise. On Day 11, from Milford Sound is complimentary provided a helicopter transfer to Queenstown. Designed by Joe Farcus, the ship's interiors recall the grand days of Hollywood, with public rooms like the Beverly Hills Bar named accordingly. MS Ocean Gala 1 was a Cruise ship originally built as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia in 1981. She was ordered in 1980 by Dannish ferry operator DFDS as the ms Scandinavia. She is headed to India and will arrive at the scrap yard in Alang at the end of the month. Marella Dream began life in 1986 as Homeric, the last new ship constructed for Home Lines. The ship enjoyed short stints with P&O Australia as Pacific Star and with Spanish operator Pullmantur as Ocean Dream before being transferred, but not renamed, to Peace Boat in 2012. The voyage features an overnight in Queenstown, bus transfer to Fiordland NP's Milford Sound (Te Anau Lake, for a 20-minute helicopter tour and joining the yacht in Doubtful Sound), stopping in Pickersgill Harbour (Dusky Bay), cruising Dusky Sound and Breaksea Sound (Disappointment Cove, Sunday Cove, Third Cove), cruising Moana Uta (Wet Jacket Arm's marine reserve, up to Herrick Creek), overnight anchorage off Oke Island, navigating Vancouver Arm (bay) and Broughton Arm (Southland, Murihiku), then continuing north to the Fiordland sounds Nancy and Charles (Day 8), Caswell and George (Day 9), Bligh and Milford (Day 10). Lounges & Bars:Bounty Lounge(game shows, comedy,live music),The Lookout Bar (late-night disco), The Pub, Champions (themed bar),Cafe Brasil, Mirage (al fresco poolside bar),Sailaway Bar,Sundowner (live music), Cyber Cafe. In November 2020, Island Escape Cruises opened bookings and announced details of the new ship, including an aft helipad (helicopter landing platform), 2x tender boats (used as lifeboats and for disembarkation in ports without docking facilities), 2x Zodiacs (motorized RIBs/rigid inflatable boats used for close-to-shore and inland cruising). A piece of Carnival Ecstasy -- a vintage roadster -- will live on. The ocean liner turned cruise ship started life as Aleksandr Pushkin for the former Soviet Union's Baltic Sea Shipping Company, or BSSC. New company Bissett said Island Escape Cruises (NZ) Limited is a new company that will commence cruising in New Zealand from November until April 2022. The documentary followed the working lives of crew members and gave insight into what it was like to work on a cruise ship. Our first cruise was on her sister ship the Island Star which was bigger and a former Celebrity ship. Both vessels were also notably designed by famed Italian architect Renzo Piano. Ecstasy made headlines in 1998 when a fire broke out in the ship's laundry facilities and the vessel lost power while setting sail from Miami. The vessel (IMO number 9903994) is currently France-flagged (MMSI 538009093) and registered in Majuro/Marshall Islands. His first ship was the Norwegian Majesty. The ship was sold to Chinese interests which, in October 2021, reportedly sold the ship for scrapping, and arrived on-location in December 2021 to be broken up. Fares for the Ultimate Fiordland cruise started from NZD 13950 (~USD 8750 / GBP 7240) per person with double occupancy (2022 currency exchange rates), and are inclusive of overnight hotel and breakfast (in Queenstown), 9-night cruising (on the yacht Island Escape), as well as 2x helicopter transfers. Norwegian Dream sailed for Norwegian Cruise Line until 2008, when it was laid up until its 2012 transfer to Star Cruises. Following the collapse of Pullmantur in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship was laid up in the Mediterranean. Beaching Date: January 2021. Based out of Long Beach, Carnival Inspiration was docked alongside Carnival Fantasy in Curacao in July, where fittings were removed. What Made It Special Easily the most venerable and iconic ship on this list, Cruise & Maritime Voyages' Marco Polo was the last of the "grand dame" ocean liners pressed into cruise service, and one of the few remaining passenger vessels from the 1960's still in active cruise passenger service. We went on her for the Itinerary as we were supposed to be staying in Venice overnight and I think that's why a lot of people had booked it as many had booked concerts in Venice. Built in 1996 at the Bremer Vulkan yards in Germany, it was easily distinguished by its banks of windows at the front of the ship that gave way to a multi-story observation lounge. [1] In 2002, she was transferred to the fleet of Royal Caribbean's new subsidiary Island Cruises as MS Island Escape. Cruise & Maritime Voyages acquired the ship in 2010. With the ship .css-hghiur{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-medium);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;cursor:pointer;color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);border-color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);}.css-hghiur:focus-visible,.css-hghiur[data-focus-visible]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}.css-hghiur:hover,.css-hghiur[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;}being retired from the Fred. What Made It Special: Debuting in 1993, Celestyal Experience started life as Costa Romantica, and was later renamed Costa neoRomantica to coincide with a sweeping refit of the vessel in November 2021 that added new cabins, additional balconies, and refitted public rooms. Pullmantur filed for bankruptcy protection in June as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spacious and indulgent, yet intimate . Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Unusually for a film, the ship is actually referred to in the movie as the "M/S Westerdam", and many scenes were filmed aboard the actual vessel. The government agency was in a race to find new beds before spring when winter contracts signed with hundreds of hotels and campsites to house asylum seekers expire. Here's our running tally of the ship's we've lost in the past few years. After several drydock conversions, the vessel was last rebuilt to passenger capacity 1760 (plus 540 crew). The most popular among bars onboard - the Pub, just like your local. MS Island Escape had 3x restaurants, two of them buffet-style. If the vessel has to be recycled in compliance with a regulation of the European Union, you would probably be looking in Turkey for something like $200 per ton equivalent because of their very limited capacity of the yards, which are compliant with European regulations, Chatziginnis explained. When we boarded we had a letter in our cabin to say that 'due to operational reasons' we wouldn't be doing this. An upscale ship, it was one of the most modern cruise vessels in the world when it first set sail, and was lengthened by 91 feet in 1981. Olsen Cruise Lines in 1996 and renamed Black Watch. The ship arrived in early August at Aliaga, Turkey and was beached alongside sister Carnival Fantasy and former competitor Sovereign. Vard Vung Tau. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The ship was a throwback to another era, offering taps for hot, cold and sea water in cabins; a feature which had been abandoned for some time on contemporary Western liners. Adventure. MS Viking Serenade was launched as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia in 1981. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Tropicale had no direct sister-ships; subsequent newbuilds for Carnival revolved around the similarly-patterned Holiday Class and the Fantasy Class, which all shared some design characteristics but without total commonality. Island Escape - VARD October 2021. delivered. In April 2022 was announced Island Escape ship's Kimberley Australian deployment (July-September 2022) with the new 12-night "Wild Kimberley Coast" itinerary out of Broome. Launched in 1993 as Windward, the midsize vessel underwent a complex stretching operation -- then the largest of its kind -- at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven in 1998. Thenwas immediately chartered and deployed inScandinavia (Kristiansand, Norway) to serve asa floating hotel for social workers involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. Build a pink sandcastle in Bermuda. The idea behind her was that she would double as a cruise ship during the off season. What Made It Special: Horizon was constructed in 1990 as the first of two nearly identical newbuilds for Celebrity Cruises. It was beached for scrapping in early June, 2022. This is why her stern is so angular and steep. The ship was noted for its small size and angular funnel uptakes, as well as its dark wood-panelled interiors that recalled the grand oceangoing ships of yore. At the height of the pandemic, however, those values could be as low as $90 for EU-flagged ships. Much was made about it and sister-ship Regal Princess (1991), which both had distinctive "domes" situated above their navigation bridges. With that many ships entering the scene, cruise lines have to be wary not to oversupply the market, said VesselsValue, a maritime data provider. Get the latest breakingcruise news. In October 2021, Island Escape Cruises Ltd's owner (Peter Bissett) announced that the company will officially start operations in New Zealand in November 2022. "Costa will be informing guests booked on the next Costa Victoria cruises, who will be guaranteed a re-protection in accordance with the applicable legislation.. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. We have built a yacht which goes above and beyond the future global standards for emission, but we want to go further. Restaurants and food bars:Island Restaurant(British and international buffets),Beachcomber Restaurant(24 hours a dayself-service buffets, international theme nights). Bahamas Paradise confirmed to Cruise Critic that Grand Celebration had been sold. Originally based out of New York, the ship has had a number of homeports over the intervening 26 years. In 1990, the ship was sold to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and renamed MS Viking Serenade. 7-day round-trip from Palma de Mallorca -Tue Oct 20 (Palma de Mallorca, departing), Thu Oct 22 09:00am to 06:00pm (Bastia), Fri Oct 23 07:00am to 07:00pm (La Spezia), Sat Oct 24 07:00am to 05:00pm (Villefranche (Nice)), Sun Oct 25 08:00am to 05:00pm (Toulon), Mon Oct 26 09:00am to 06:00pm (Barcelona), Tue Oct 27 (Palma de Mallorca, arrive). [10] On 3 December 2015, it was reported that the vessel had been sold and was on her way to Brest, France for dry-docking, to be renamed Ocean Gala. As many as 13 cruise ships were reduced to scrap in 2020 more than in the five preceding years combined. But Crown Princess was rendered outdated by the introduction in 1995 of Sun Princess and in 1998 by the huge Grand Princess. Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson Cruises) is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. However, its ice-strengthened hull and ample public spaces would serve it well in cruise service. Prices ranged from NZD 14950 pp (Ocean Suite based on twin share) up to NZD 20950 (Owners Suite). Two UK cruise ships have been scrapped on an Indian beach despite assurances they would continue to be operated. Vard Design. What Made It Specia: Columbus started life as an order for Sitmar Cruises that was converted into a newbuild for Princess Cruises after the latter swallowed up Sitmar in the late 1980's. By continuing to use our website you agree to our He has been writing about the cruise industry since 2009 and studying it since 1998. ship owner. Island Escape yacht current location is at West Australia (coordinates -32.14697 S / 115.76578 E) cruising en route to HENDERSON. TUI Group, which owns Marella, would not comment at the time on whether the ship would be sold to another line or sent to the breakers. What Made It Special: The lead vessel in Norwegian Cruise Line's Dreamward-class, SuperStar Gemini began life as Dreamward, and was joined by sister-ship Windward in 1993. Like Black Watch, sister-ship Boudicca also began life with Royal Viking Line, setting sail in 1973 as Royal Viking Sky. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Launched in 1982, Tropicale was Carnival's "test ship": the first newbuild to be created for the company, and the ship that would pattern the basic design and layout for every ship launched for the line over the next decade and a half. Its interiors were designed by long-time Carnival architect Joe Farcus, who gave Ecstasy an overload of neon, glitz and 1990's colors that have been subtly -- but not overly -- toned-down in the intervening decades. The plans were to berth Ocean gala in Port Harnosand, approx 430 km / 270 mi north of Stockholm. [18] The boat had 11 decks, of which 9 were passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins. Cruise Critic will update this article as more details become available. In 2009, Rhapsody was sold to Israel-based Mano Maritime, and operated cruises from Haifa under the name Golden Iris. This is quite young for the normal industry in cruising in our understanding, said Chatziginnis. At the height of the pandemic, however, those values could be as low as $90 for EU-flagged ships. After several drydock conversions, the vessel was last rebuilt to passenger capacity 1760 (plus 540 crew). well you can imagine a week with 2 young boys and no chips.never again. Unfinished and unwanted 9,000-passenger cruise ship to be scrapped In Turkey, the value is considerably less at $280-300 per ton. Following the line's collapse, the ship was auctioned off for just $5.3 million to Greek-owned Seajets. In 1990 when Admiral was merged into Royal Caribbean, she was transferred to Wallenius Wilhelmsen which is owned owned by the Wilhelmsen family who are the largest shareholder in Royal Caribbean and instrumental in their founding. sector At the end of December 2015, Sweden's migration agency signed a hotel ship deal to house 1260 refugees on the chartered cruise ship Ocean Gala. (Updated 1:37 p.m. EST) -- Most modern cruise ships spend 40 years or more sailing the world's seas. The luxury boat was constructed by VARD Vietnam (at Vung Tau Shipyard) and is also available for private charters. Aft on Marina Deck (deck 1) is the Marina platform used for launching the two Zodiacs (stored forward on decks 2-3) and the water toys (kayaks and paddle boards). Island Escape yacht Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review - CruiseMapper The latter was scrapped in 2017, but Holiday continued to sail on as Magellan for now-defunct Cruise and Maritime Voyages. When MS Scandinavia was launched in 1982, she was one of the world's largest passenger ships, and cruising out of homeport NYC New York to The Bahamas. It then went on to become the lead ship for budget-oriented (and now defunct) Ocean Village cruises before ending up at P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Pearl. In May 2022, the ship was confirmed sold for scrap following the bankruptcy of Genting Hong Kong's cruise holdings, which included Star Cruises and luxury brand Crystal Cruises. By the mid-80s DFDS sold her to Sundance Cruise Corp who renamed her Stardancer. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Coronavirus: Updated Cruise Ship Policies and Cancellations, Celestyal Cruises Buys Costa Cruises Ship, Rolling Out the Deals: Why Now Might Be a Great Time to Book a Cruise, Popular Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship To Homeport From Barbados For First Time, Ships Ahoy! Fun fact is, that in 2002, Island Escape was featured in a UK TV mini-series documentary. On Main Deck/Ocean Deck are the Salon (starboard Lounge fitted with large sofas) and the Dining Room/Restaurant (portside), both with floor-ceiling windows, comfortable seating and served by the Bar (central-located in-between). Why not join the UKs largest cruising forum? The former Royal Caribbean ship formerly known as the Viking Serenade, will officially be scrapped. Unfortunately, one cruise operator went a wee bit-er-overboard and ordered a giant 9,000-passenger ship that was set to take its maiden voyage early last year. [19] The next port turned out to be Khalifa, Abu Dhabi, for continued service. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Carnival Fantasy was sent in early July to Curacao where major fittings and fixtures were removed. Nothing about the last few years has been normal as the world continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2002, the renamed ship (MS Island Escape) was deployed in the Mediterranean (during summers) and in South America (in the winters). Massive Cruise Ship Scrapped Before It Sets Sail Once In April 2009, the ship joinedThomson UK (now Marella Cruises)as "Island Escape". However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Cruise ship stuck offshore as . What Made It Special: Cruise fans will remember SuperStar Aquarius better as Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Wind. Island Escape was drydock-refurbished at Damen Shiprepair Brest (France)/shipyard then renamed "Ocean Gala". While these pioneers had been outclassed by . What Made It Special: Carnival Fantasy was revolutionary when it first debuted in 1990. What Made It Special: SuperStar Libra debuted in 1988 as Norwegian Cruise Line's Seaward. ISLAND ESCAPE The current position of ISLAND ESCAPE is at West Australia reported 3 mins ago by AIS. Renamed Norwegian Sea in 1997, the ship operated the line's famous "Texaribbean" voyages from Houston for many years in the mid-1990's before being transferred out of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet in 2005. The other sad consequence of the pandemic is that many relatively young cruise ships are getting scrapped. The vessel joined Thomsons fleet in April 2009. Chatziginnis said the average scrap value in India is $400 per ton. But with little in common with the more grand transatlantic queen, Queen Elizabeth 2, the ship and sister Cunard Countess never really found the right fit in the Cunard fleet. Sign up. MS Ocean Gala 1 - Wikiwand However, Chatziginnis said that steel prices globally have increased dramatically over the past few months and residual value has increased by nearly $100 per ton in each of the major ship recycling counties. In 2016, Thomson cruises replaced Island Escape with Splendour of the Seas.
