2000 – Cunard Line signs letter of intent for building the world’ s largest cruise ship ever, the Queen Mary 2 at Chantiers de L’ Atlantique. – Stefan, ex Stefan Batory, ex Maasdam, is scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey. Together with sister Rijndam, she was one of the first passenger liners in the ’50s to have […]
Cruise industry news 2000 – 2005 Read More »
For interior photographs of Radisson Diamond: https://www.cruiseshipodyssey.com/cruiseships/radisson-diamond/ This Finnish-flagged intimate-sized cruiseship is of the so-called SWATH-design, short for Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull. At the time, Finnish shipbuilder Wartsila offered various types of this catamaran-type design, ranging from ferries to large cruiseship versions capable of carrying over 2000 passengers. But the 20.300GRT Radisson Diamond was the only
SWATH vessel Radisson Diamond (1992) Read More »
During the years from 1970 onwards, the cruise industry has developed into an important holiday product, generating over a million jobs (situation 2022) also outside the cruise industry (hospitality, retail, etc.). In the 1960’s, at the start of this new era, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and deluxe cruise line Royal Viking Line had their
Present day cruising Read More »
In November 1925, Conte Biancamano, built by William Beardmore of Dalmuir, Scotland is delivered to Lloyd Sabaudo. Her interiors were designed and realised by the Coppedé brothers of Florence in their characteristically exuberant style. She starts sailing on the Italy- New York route, but in later years alternates between this route and the Italy – Buenos
Freighter with passenger accommodation, built 1962 for Hamburg-Sud. Spent most of it’s seagoing years on the run to South America. Presently museum ship in Hamburg.
Although the focus of passenger shipping was still on liner services, the North Atlantic run being the most famous one, slowly some shipping lines were considering entering the world of cruising. One of them was the Bergenske Dampskipsselskap, or Bergen Line, of Norway. The contract for their newbuilding was won by the Swedish yards of
Stella Polaris (1927) – Bergen Line Read More »
Atlas, 16,000 GRT, loa 155m, 600 passengers. Although originally planned as the freighter Dinteldijk for Holland America Line, she was delivered in 1952 as the transatlantic liner Rijndam for the Rotterdam – New York service. In 1964 she switched to Australia/ New Zealand service. 1966/ 1967 she sailed for a German sister company of the
Atlas (1951 – 2003) Epirotiki Cruises Read More »
Assedo, 20,500 GRT, loa 176m, 750 passengers. Built in East Germany in 1968. One of a series of five vessels (the others being Ivan Franko, Mikhail Lermontov, Alexandr Pushkin and Taras Shevchenko) Sailed on cruises mostly in European waters mainly for British CTC Cruises and in her later years for Italian Grandi Viaggi. Before her
Assedo (1968 – 2003) Metropolis Turs Read More »
At the end of their careers, both Queens, the Elizabeth and the Mary, were rapidly losing money. The jet airliner had obviously won the battle, and in 1966, almost all transatlantic travellers had deserted the liners……. Plans for a successor of both Queens, known as the Q3-project were short lived. Q3 would have been a transatlantic
Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969) – Cunard Line Read More »
She was one of Royal Caribbean’ Cruises first trio of ships and sailed for RCL from 1970 until 1995 as their Nordic Prince. In 1980 she was lengthened at the Wartsila shipyard by adding a midship-section of 26 mtrs. Sold to Sun Cruises in 1995 and renamed Carousel. RCL demanded her Sky Lounge (a lounge attached to
Aquamarine (1979 – 2015) Louis Cruises Read More »