AIDAprima
Built 2016, Aida Kreuzfahrten, Germany, 145 photographs (2016 ship visit in Rotterdam)
The Floating Palaces
The start of passenger ship interior design between the end of the 19th century up to World War I During the mid nineteenth century travelling by ocean liner was seen as a highly uncomfortable and dangerous mode of transportation. A well-known example hereof is described by novelist Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) when he boarded …
SH Diana – naming ceremony May 4, Amsterdam
On May 4th 2023, the Naming Ceremony of Swan Hellenic’s third ice-class cultural expedition cruise ship, SH Diana, took place in Amsterdam. SH Diana was named by luxury travel visionary and icon Valerie Ann Wilson, Founder and CEO of Valerie Wilson Travel, with Swan Hellenic senior management including CEO Andrea Zito , local dignitaries, VIP guests and …
Ambition – Ambassador Cruise Line naming ceremony, Newcastle May 11, 2023
Photos of Ambition‘s interior and of her naming ceremony here On February 11, 2023, Ambassador Cruise Line’s second vessel was officially renamed Ambition by godmother two times Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE. A series of speeches given in her theatre The Palladium was started by the line’s CEO Christian Verhounig, followed by commercial director Phil Gardner. Then, captain …
Ambition – Ambassador Cruise Line naming ceremony, Newcastle May 11, 2023 Read More »
Retired from 1985 to 1990
Principal passenger/ cruise ships retired since 1985 1985 Ship/ Ex-name(s)/ Year built/ Reason retired Columbus-C, ex-Kungsholm, Europa, 1953, Broken up Regina Prima, ex-Panama, President Hoover, Regina, 1938, Broken up 1986 Ship/ Ex-name(s)/ Year built/ Reason retired Kentavros, ex-Barnegat, 1941, Broken up Mikhail Lermontov, 1972, Sunk, Minhgua, ex-Ancerville, 1962, Hotel ship Turkmenia, 1961, fire Uganda, 1962, …
Cruise ships on order 2022
What did actually materialize in 2022, the first year after the pandemic: As a consequence of the COVID-pandemic, newbuildings for Aranui Cruises and Paul Gauguin Cruises have been put on hold. Also Dream Cruises‘ Global Dream which was being built at MV Werften as wel as an expedition ship for Crystal Cruises have been cancelled now Genting, parent company of Dream Cruises, Crystal Cruises as wel as …
Cruise industry news 1970 – 1979
1970 Royal Viking Line founded, a new company that aims to form a fleet of five star luxury vessels, sailing on world-wide itineraries. Three ships are ordered at once. HAPAG-Lloyd formed from Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hamburg Amerika Line. 1971 Holland America Line (HAL) ends liner services from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to New York and switches …
A slow Start
All text and photographs (unless stated otherwise) © Paul Timmerman Passenger shipping in the first half of the 19th century was limited to liner service mainly from Europe to the U.S. and to the Far East. The first notable passenger line was thee British Cunard Line which started a regular service from the UK to New …
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl was built in Sweden in 1953 for Redieri AB Svea. In 1973 she was sold to Jakob Lines, was renamed SS Bore Nord and converted into a ferry, sailing between Stockholm, Helsinki and Turku. In 1978 she was bought back by the Ånedin Line (named after the British TV series The Onedin Line) …