Entries from May 2008

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Minerva’s Second Swan Maiden Postponed

Swan Hellenic has been forced to cancel its first cruise with its once and future ship, Minerva, due to unexpected generator difficulties. The eight-night Norwegian Fjords cruise was scheduled to depart from Dover on Friday 23 May, returning on Saturday, 31 May and was scheduled to call at Bergen, Flam, Ulvik, Stavanger and Kristiansand. The [...]

Friday, 16 May 2008

Astoria to Become Spirit of Adventure II?

Rumors are strengthening that Club Cruise’s Astoria, whose charter to Transocean Tours ends in April 2009, has been sold to Saga to become the second ship for its Spirit of Adventure brand. Club Cruise has come on hard times lately recently, having sold the recently-acquired ferry Da Vinci (ex Finnjet) for scrap and been forced [...]

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

From Norwegian Sky to Pride of Aloha and Back Again

It’s official: after weeks of rumors, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that its subsidiary NCL America’s Pride of Aloha will return to the main NCL fleet as Norwegian Sky. If this gives you a sense of déja vu, it’s because the 77,104 GT, 2,002-berth ship was first entered service in 1999 as — you guessed [...]

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Louis Sells Princesa Marissa and Serenade; Buys Thomson Destiny and Thomson Spirit

Louis Cruise Lines‘ parent, Louis plc, has announced that it has sold two of its oldest ships, the 10,487 GT, 628-berth Princesa Marissa and the 14,173 GT, 507-berth Serenade (pictured above), for a combined price of $8.4 million. Both ships are expected to go for scrap. The company also completed the purchase of the 37,773 [...]

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Trouble at Club Cruise? Van Gogh UK Plans Axed; Da Vinci Scrap Rumors; Astoria Sale Imminent?

The past week has looked rather grim for Dutch-based operator Club Cruise. First came the news that Van Gogh Cruise Line, the British subsidiary set up to market its 15,240 GT, 727-berth Van Gogh following the bankruptcy of charterer Travelscope, would cease operations. (It had previously cancelled its summer 2008 cruises in favor of a [...]