grt 17042 length: 163,40 m beam: 24,82 m
draft: 6,52 m
owner: Flamenco Transportation Inc., Nassau
cruiseline: Festival Cruises, Piraeus
operator: Festival Cruises, Piraeus
built at Cantieri Navale del Tirreno & Riuniti, Italy
first entered service: 11. November 1972
first cruise for Festival: November 1997
former names and cruiselines:
SPIRIT OF LONDON (P&O Cruises)
SUN PRINCESS (Princess Cruises)
STARSHIP MAJESTIC (Premier Cruises)
SOUTHERN CROSS (Premier Cruises / CTC Cruises)
registry: Bahamas homeport: Nassau
phone: 00871 110 4553
Fax: 00871 630926811
machinery: GMT diesel (13450 kW)
cruising speed: 18 knots
passenger capacity: 720 (European)
crew: 270 (international)
officers: Greek
electric currency: 110 / 220 AC
Cabins are all equipped with radio, TV, air-condition, bathrooms feature shower and toilet. Suites, located on several decks, have seperate living-room, refrigerator and bathtub.
The ship features 1 dining room (2 seatings), a quite large showroom which goes over several levels, which is unusual on such small vessels; it has 186 seats.
There is a casino, a beautiful disco with a splendid view on the sea, a library, a fitness-room, massage-facilities, a children´s playroom, a shopping center and several bars. There is one outside swimmingpool located midships.

The cabins, except the Suites, are tiny but well equipped. Cabin walls, like on Festival´s BOLERO, are thin and you´ll hear your neighbours.
The midships located dining- room lokks almost like a smaller version of the one onboard Celebrity´s ZENITH. It is very charming and light. The service and food was well improoved during the last months and the whole presentation is good. The buffets are beautiful as well.

The FLAMENCO is one of 2 sisterships built in Italy, which were ordered by P&O. Due to internal problems, the 2nd one was not taken over by P&O but entered service with a slightly changed funnel-design for Norwegian Cruise Line as the SOUTHWARD and is today cruising for Airtours Sun Cruises with V-Ships management.
When cruising for Premier it became a scarlet red hull for what Premier is known for. Also during the charter to CTC Cruises, the ship kept this color but was runned by officers and crew from Black Sea Shipping Company, Odessa to which CTC was very close.
When Festival finally purchased the vessel, it underwent an extensive refurbishment and presents itself now with an all-white hull and blue-yellow stripe. It fits in very well to the Festival fleet and was, until the MISTRAL arrived, the largest ship in the fleet.
The interior decor features tasteful earth tones and has many mirror surfaces, especially in the new added casino and Pianobar area. The design of the rooms was very well thought out, so that the ship could easily be used for long-term cruises as well.
The ship is scheduled during the spring, summer and fall season for cruises mainly in European waters. During winter time it is operating under charter to various operators in the Caribbean.
After having replaced the AMERIKANIS for one week cruises in the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia, it is a very popular product in Europe.
Festival is the leading cruiseline which attracts to almost only European passengers, that means you´ll find onboard a mixture of people from Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Switzerland, Austria.... And the style of cruising is typically European. Nothing huge, nothing glamurous, nothing extraordinary but a real good atmosphere in warm, family-style with losts of funny prgrams.
During a Festival Cruises, the ship will call at many different places and you´ll see a lot.
My personal rating: ***+
Cruises with MV FLAMENCO can easily be booked by your local Festival representative. Ask your travel agent for any more details.

This topic is dedicated to Alessandra Barbera who was a very nice guest-relation´s agent onboard FLAMENCO !

Just a picture of
the launching of the SPIRIT OF LONDON (now FLAMENCO) on April 29, 1972

at Cantieri Navali
del Tirreno e Riuniti, Riva Trigoso. Yard no R 290.

It is interesting
to notice the superstructures of the ship were completed before her launching.

Just a heads up. Spirit of London and Southward were originally contracted by Kloster Cruise and S.O.L. was to have been Seaward.

When the shipyard announced that there was to be a dramatic increase in the cost of the second vessle, Kloster Cruise backed out and P&O stepped in, purchased the hull and had her finished to their specifications.

Thnaks for the fascinating parade of information. Ship of the Week is always the highlight of my Sunday Morning reading!

Regards,