Spring 2008 Millergram (Ocean Liner News)

CALIFORNIA: The little Faithful , a small, former cruise ship that bore such names as Delos, Polar Star, Pacific Star and Xanadu , has been towed from a long lay-up at Alameda to Rio Vista on the Sacramento River. She is rumored to become a floating restaurant. ... CELEBRITY: The 76,000-ton Galaxy, completed in 1996, will have something of a mid-life facelift at a shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The work will be done next spring and follows that given to her near-sister Century . It is presumed that the third of this class, the Mercury, will follow. Meanwhile, excitement mounts for the 122,000-ton Celebrity Solstice, which debuts in December. She'll offer innovative poetry readings as well as Aqua Spa Veranda cabins, a 130-seat Blu specialty restaurant, a glass blowing studio and a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass. ... . The second of this innovative class, the Celebrity Equinox, will enter service in August 2009. She'll start in European service and then shift in winter to the Caribbean. Celebrity has decided to add a 5 th Solstice class vessel, for delivery in 2012. ... CHINA: The 10,000-ton, 1954-built Brazil Maru — long used on the Japan-California-South America run — was presumed to have been scrapped in China in recent years after duties as a Japanese museum ship. Well, a true Asian mystery — she has survived the demolition crews and , according to our good friend Peter Knego, lives as the Pearl Maru in Zhanjiang as a floating entertainment center. ... CRYSTAL: The Jade Garden Restaurant onboard the 13-year-old Crystal Symphony is getting a makeover. It will become Silk Road under the keen eye of famed Japanese food guru Nobu. ... FRANCE: Cie des Illes de Ponant, a successor in ways to the old French Line, is reportedly interested in building two “boutique” cruise ships with 130 cabins each. ... HOLLAND AMERICA: Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will name the new 86,000-ton Eurodam in ceremonies at Rotterdam on July 1 st . Seventy-year-old Beatrix also named the Statendam of 1957 and crossed to New York on the maiden voyage of the Rotterdam in 1959. ... INDIA: Latest victim of the ever-hungry Indian scrappers is the 9,000-ton Lucky. Built in 1962, this 448-passenger ship has had a long and varied life — serving as the Brazilian Princesa Isabel , then the Marco Polo , then as the Greek Aquamarine and more recently as the Odysseus for Royal Olympic Cruises. She was last used as the Lucky Star , running one-night gambling cruises out of Hong Kong. ... MSC CRUISES : Europe's fastest growing cruise line, they will have 12 liners by 2012. ... NEW YORK : Boom times! Over 1 million passengers cruised from New York in ‘07 — sailing from Manhattan, from Bayonne in New Jersey and from Red Hook in Brooklyn. ... NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES: The Pride of Hawaii and the Pride of Aloha have been pulled from Hawaiian cruise service — the Hawaii has become the Norwegian Jade for European cruising while the Aloha is joining parent Star Cruises' fleet for Asian sailings. And then there's some different — the Norwegian Majesty will offer weekly 7-night cruises from Charleston SC to the Bahamas beginning this November. ... ROYAL CARIBBEAN: A fourth Freedom of the Seas class vessel is now being planned for delivery in 2011. She too will be 158,000 tons and carry up to 4,200 passengers. ... SAN FRANCISCO: The 1951-built Oceanic, the former Independence and which departed from a local shipyard under tow in February for, presumably, a scrapyard in India, plods across the Pacific. The 30,000-ton, twin-funnel liner, used until late 2001 in Hawaiian Islands cruise service, has had some added problems, however. She was denied a stop at Honolulu because of the risk of contamination. ... SILVERSEA: The former World Discoverer , being converted with 132 berths for expedition cruising, will sail as the HSH Prince Albert II , honoring the ruler of Monaco. ... SS UNITED STATES : Currently idle at Philadelphia (she's been laid-up since late ‘69), this record-breaker will all but sail again in the brilliant new documentary Lady In Waiting , which will premier onboard another celebrated ocean liner, the Queen Mary , on Saturday, May 3 rd . Created by producer Mark Perry, it is a project of the SS United States Conservancy. While it will be shown on over 80 PBS stations in the months ahead, the gala premier promises to be very special. I'll be there. Try and attend!