Any ideas who they are? What are the names of the first four?

"Cruise Ship Number Five" is a subsidiary of Club Cruise.

She would also be one of the first early 70s cruiseships (also known as the "white wedges") to go for scrap.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Unless while CTC were operating the ship they closed the deck, it should have been possible to walk along under the lifeboats on the same deck as the restaurant which was fitted with the over size port hole round windows.

There was doors going out to this deck from the main foyer at the entrance to the restaurant and in the smaller foyers at the aft end of the restaurant.

What would have been her sister ship is now sailing for Louis Cruises as the Perla and was built in 1971 as the Starward for NCL.
She was built with twin funnels !

When P & O took over Princess Cruises in 1974 her name was changed to Sun Princess and she cruised three areas.

1 - Caribbean from San Juan December to April,
2 - Alaska from Vancouver May to October
3 - Mexican coast from Los Anglees to Acapulco and return during November and early December before starting the Caribbean season again.

Most of her cruises were of seven days duration although she also did some weekend party cruises from Los Angeles to Ensenada.

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Originally posted by Neil Whitmore ( Bob ex P&O Cruises):

What would have been her sister ship is now sailing for Louis Cruises as the Perla and was built in 1971 as the Starward for NCL.

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You mean SOUTHWARD?

A fire on tank top deck and then another in the laundry 6 months later off Baja I think convinced the higher ups it was time to say goodbye. She would have needed a huge sum spent on her to bring her up to the same standard as the rest of the fleet and having no proper buffet and limited deck space and tiny cabins mean't she was leaving even before the older Sitmar sisters.

Mike

The main claim to fame for Sun Princess is that she was the original ' Love Boat ' !

She featured in a TV film called ' Love Boats ' which was based on the novel written by Jeraldine Saunders in 1974.

Jeraldine had been a social hostess on the ship and I have an autographed copy of her novel !

The film was made before the TV series and was shown in the ships cinema the first night of most cruises.

I'm sure DISCOVERY's days are also numbered.

The RVL will definitely be around for a while, given that an awful lot of money has been spent on them in recent years (re-engining etc.).

Best,

[ 01-07-2009: Message edited by: Thad ]

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Originally posted by mike sa:
A fire on tank top deck and then another in the laundry 6 months later off Baja I think convinced the higher ups it was time to say goodbye. Send her to the breakers. Not a significant ship.

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I was part of the inaugural staff for Premier Cruise Lines when she became Majestic. I was also aboard her in July 1991 when another fire nearly blew out the bottom.

My cabin was on the Tween Deck just near the RoRo Deck and Tank Top. The first explosion was about 1am. It initially was caused by ruptured fuel lines spraying fuel onto the engine blocks. The Halon System could not extinguish the fire. The second explosion was while the passengers were mustered in the Galaxy Dining Room and Club Universe Lounge. Passengers Mustered in the Casino had to be squeezed into the lounge as the Casino was bisected by the funnel shafts. The heat was unbearable. By this time flames were several meters from the funnel top and side vents.

The cruise staff primarily managed the evacuation and loading of the life boats. Being a summer cruise and the Disney association at the time, the ship was very full, but not sailing at lifeboat capacity. I can tell you that with 1300 pax, 500 of which were children. With lifejackets donned, it was physically impossible for all to be seated in the boats. Smaller children were laying across the laps of the adults. There was no panic. There was little crying, some quiet weeping and nary an irate person. It was orderly but the tension was palettable.

The boats were swung out and crew were mustering at the liferafts astern. I remember thinking if another explosion hit, we may not have time to lower away all the boats. If the tank top blew, it was possible the bottom would be compromised and she might lurch or roll.

Then suddenly, a gush of acrid smoke bellowed from the funnel casing and all fell silent. The fire was extinguished. We lost one of the crew to cardiac arrest who was fighting the fire.

Majestic was dead in the water, mid July 87F high humidity and no breeze. No power, no flushing toilets, refrigeration goods were staged to keep lockers closed. Mattressed were dragged on deck and sheets strung over cables for shade. The interior of the ship was dark and smelled of burnt wiring. It was putrid. We formed flashlight brigades to retrieve meds and personals for the pax from the darkened decks below.

By Day 2 a sea tug arrived to tow us back to Port Canaveral at a laughable 3 knots. The company had adopted 'The Big Red Boat' slogan at thetime which was recoined 'The Big Dead Boat'.

When we arrived in Port Canaveral under tow on Day 3 and entered the channel, the Oceanic and Atlantic sirened ships horns to announce our arrival and the crew from all three ships lined the deck pointing out to friends and shipmates. Calls were shouted to verify a certain someone was OK. Cheers and cries to our return continued while Majestic was rotated in the turning basin. It felt like the world was watching with planes and helicopters hovering. We had not slept, we ate little, we had not showered, and we all were covered in a sooty film. To this day, the hair on my arms stands as I write this remembering that moment.

As we debarked the pax the entire cruise staff lined the Pursers Lobby, soot covered, smelly, sweaty and sleepless. Never have I experienced an outpouring of thankfulness, kindness and well wishes from out departing passengers. The best of cruises could not match the sincereness of that day. Of course there were a few who could not be consoled, but overwhelmingly the news reports from the awaiting camera crews captured departing passengers defending our handling of the situation.

I left Premier Cruise Lines one contract later for the Rotterdam V. I reflected on that voyage throughout my sea going career, and now at every boat drill where people whine and neglect attention to the drill. It did change me, absolutely it did.

The can scrap the ship, but the memories both good and bad, for me, are eternal.

[ 01-07-2009: Message edited by: TampaMike ]

[ 01-07-2009: Message edited by: TampaMike ]

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Originally posted by TampaMike:

...The can scrap the ship, but the memories both good and bad, for me, are eternal.

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Mike, thanks for sharing your experience. The crew are so often invisible to passengers and that's probably how it should be most of the time. It's reassuring to know that there are professionals in place that are ready and willing to do the right thing when called upon.

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Originally posted by TampaMike:
As we debarked the pax the entire cruise staff lined the Pursers Lobby, soot covered, smelly, sweaty and sleepless. Never have I experienced an outpouring of thankfulness, kindness and well wishes from out departing passengers. The best of cruises could not match the sincereness of that day. Of course there were a few who could not be consoled, but overwhelmingly the news reports from the awaiting camera crews captured departing passengers defending our handling of the situation.

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
Where were the other 600 or so passengers suppose to go in the event of an evacuation?

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