Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels

By Peter C. Smith

The stunning elegance and luxurious interiors of todays vast fleet of cruise liners remains unrecorded in all but holiday brochures. This book gives a complete overview of the cream of these ships, todays queens of the sea. Each liner is illustrated and described with color illustrations of external and interior views. Details of the design, building and service history of each vessel are provided with vital statistics of the ship and its facilities.Among the ships included are Cunards Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2, the big new Princess Line liners—Ruby, Grand Sea and Celebrity Eclipse, the two Ocean Village ships and the largest of the P&O liners Ventura, Oceana, Arcadia, Aurora and Artemis. This is a book of reference for maritime enthusiasts, would-be holiday cruisers and those who have been passengers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781783461059

Book preview

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Maritime books by the same Author:

Action Imminent

Arctic Victory

Battle of Midway

Battles of the Malta Striking Forces

Battleship Royal Sovereign

British Battle Cruisers

Cruisers in Action

Destroyer Action

Destroyer Leader

Eagle’s War

Hard Lying

Heritage of the Sea

HMS Royal Sovereign and her Sister Ships

HMS Wild Swan

Hold the Narrow Sea

Into the Minefields

Laforey Class Destroyers

Midway Dauntless Victory

Pedestal, the Convoy That Saved Malta

Royal Navy Ships’ Badges

Task Force 57

The Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown

The Great Ships Pass

e9781783461059_i0001.jpg

First published in Great Britain in 2010 by

Pen & Sword Maritime

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright © Peter C. Smith 2010

www.dive-bombers.co.uk

9781783461059

The right of Peter C. Smith to be identified as Author of this work

has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs

and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is

available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Typeset in 10pt Palatino by Mac Style, Beverley, East Yorkshire

Printed and bound by Kyodo Nation Printing Service, Thailand

Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the Imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military, Wharncliffe Local History, Pen & Sword Select, Pen & Sword Military Classics, Leo Cooper, Seaforth Publishing and Frontline Publishing

For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact

PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED

47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England

E-mail: [e-mail]

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Table of Contents

Also by

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

Preface

Part One - The Ships – The Showcase and the Facts

Part Two - The Stories Behind the Ships

Chapter One - Making the Ships

Chapter Two - Operating the Ships

Chapter Three - Enjoying the Ships

Chapter Four - Future Trends

Chapter Five - Funnels Features

Glossary

Index

Acknowledgements

A book of this complexity would be impossible without the kind and dedicated help from numerous people connected with the ships and the industry. I fully acknowledge my debt to the following individuals and organizations who gave me the utmost assistance in tracking down details and photographs and answering my many questions. Any errors or mistakes in these pages are mine alone, not theirs. Any such errors will be corrected in future editions; however, in many cases figures differ from source to source, even in some of the cruise lines’ own literature, for example passenger numbers, tonnages and dimensions in particular. In alphabetical order then, let me sincerely thank the following:

Margaret Adamic, Paralegal Specialist, Publishing, Corporate Administration. Aimee Ang, Direct Communications Coordinator, Carnival Australia, St Leonards, NSW, Australia, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Jamie Ball, P&O Media, Southampton, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Aly Bello, Public Relations, Carnival Cruise Lines, Miami, Florida, USA, for much patient help and information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Neil Bleach, EC2i Ltd, Southend-on-Sea; Ronald Bruegmann, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems, Hamburg, Germany, for information and for permission to reproduce some of the company’s original images; Jill Channing, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, London, for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Jackie Chase, Manager, Public Relations, Cunard Line, Santa Clarita, California, USA, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Anne Cowne, Information Officer, Corporate Communications, Lloyd’s Register Group Services Ltd, London, for enormous help and information during my several research visits to the Library at Fenchurch Street and her patience at my many questions; Laurel Davis, Public Relations Coordinator, Cunard Line, London, for permission to reproduce original images and Mr Maurizio Etiseo; Erik Elvejord, Director, Public Relations, Holland America Line, Seattle, WA, USA, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Annette Engelke, Director Communications, TUI Cruises GmbH, Hamburg, Germany; Daniel Ferro and his father, Gibraltar, for permission to reproduce his original images; Peter Furian, Salzburg, Austria, for supplying images of the CATMak M 43 for reproduction in this book; Claudio Galbo of Fincantieri SpA, for his kind permission to use photos and materials appertaining to that company and the ships it constructs; Philip Gilston, for permission to reproduce his image of The World; Jessica Gong, Marketing, Princess Cruises, London, for information and permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Friederike Gronemeyer, TUI Cruises, Hamburg, Germany, for permission to use the company’s original images; Peter Hackmann, Head of Corporate Communications, Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, Germany, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Erica Harris of NYC-WAW for huge help in granting permission to use RCCLI images and information; Christine Jacobs, Thomson Cruises, Crawley, for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Marjo Keiramo, Communications Manager, Cruises & Ferries, STX Europe, Turku, Finland, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; John Kuehmayer, AMEM Cruise Ship Database, Salzburg, Austria, for much valuable information and permission to reproduce certain original images; Christin Kusch, Corporate Communications, AIDA Cruises, Rostock, Germany, for much information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Nicole Lerrahn, AIDA Cruises, for permission to reproduce some of the company’s images in this book; Sarah Longbottom, Head Public Relations, MSC Crociere, London, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Caroline Lynas, Corporate Communications, Belfast City Council, Chief Executive’s Department, Belfast; AnneMarie Mathews, Director, Public Relations, Norwegian Cruise Line, Miami, Florida, USA, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Maurizio Eliseo; Esteban Narvaiza of Pullmantur Cruises, for the excellent help in providing information and images for use in the book; Eve O’Neill, Communications Assistant, Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau, Belfast, for permission to reproduce the Bureau’s original image; Peter Meisel, MAN AG, Munchen, Germany; Tsuneo Nakamura, Tokyo, Japan; Peter Margerison, Fotoseeker Image Library, for access to the Fred Olsen images; Andrew Poulton, Director, Corporate Communications, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Carlos Poveda of Visualships, for permission to reproduce some of his original images; Ed Radonic for permission to use his superb images; Gessica Sortino, MAN Diesel AG, Augsburg, Germany, for information and for permission to reproduce some of the company’s original images; Kristian Stensby, Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Group, Coral Gables, Florida, for information and permission to reproduce the artist’s rendition of the Ocean Residences project vessel; Jonny Stewart, Sales and Marketing UK, Costa Crociere SpA, London, for information and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Mrs Jeniffer Drain Tagle, Customer Services, Star Cruises Marketing Communications Department, Hong Kong, for much help and information, and for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Mr Takeda, PR Asuka Cruise Company, Tokyo, Japan, for permission to reproduce the company’s original images; Katie Wright, Siren PR, London, for information and for permission to reproduce Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line International images; Rebecca Zapfe, Siemens AG, Industry Solutions Division, Press Office, Erlangen, Germany, for information and for permission to reproduce some of the company’s original images; Lachlan McCrudden, External Affairs Officer, Fremantle Ports, for permission to reproduce their original images; and finally my long-time editor, Peter Coles, Pen & Sword Maritime, for backing this project from my original conception, for helping me drive it forward to completion and for making it something of special quality.

Preface

The first ship built specifically for what we now call cruise tourism was the 4,409 GRT German vessel Prinzessin Victoria Luise, which was built by Blohm und Voss for the Hamburg-America Line in 1900, the brainchild of its general manager, Albert Ballin. She had 120 first-class cabins, and for her passengers’ amusement there was a gymnasium, a library and a film-developing darkroom. She cruised for four years to destinations in the West Indies, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean before being wrecked. Ballin was a visionary, but what he started even he could never have foreseen. A century on and the cruise line industry dominates the international tourism world like a colossus.

In the last three decades the growth of the cruise line industry has been a remarkable event. The sheer size of the market, North American dominated, has astonished many, even in the industry itself, and until comparatively recently there seemed no end to the phenomenal acceleration of both the number and the size of the ships being built to cater for it. At its pre-recession peak, in 2007, more than 12.5 million took a cruise vacation, as against 3.7 million in 1990, a remarkable leap by any standards. In 2008 the UK cruise industry alone expanded by 11%, while even Spanish interest was almost double that percentage over the same period. What this industry has produced in this unprecedented explosion of expansion are some of the largest, most costly and astounding ships ever to grace the planet’s oceans. These leviathans dwarf even the most famous giants of the past; famous ships of the twentieth century like the Titanic, Queen Elizabeth, Normandie and United States seem almost toy-like when compared to the 220,000 GRT titans like the Oasis of the Seas that are now afloat. Not that they are destined to rule the seas for long, with visions already of even more enormous ships, like the proposed 450,000 GRT Princess Kaguya. The logistics of revenue returns seem to indicate that this trend is unstoppable, for large ships not only carry more passengers, they generate several times the cash flow and have reduced overheads in running and supply costs. So these behemoths will continue to grow as long as the appetite for cruising does.

This book celebrates the greatest of these great ships, those of 40,000 GRT or more, in all their beauty and splendour, and it illustrates not only their external appearance, but also how they are conceived, designed, built and utilized. It is the intention of author and publisher that the book will be regularly updated and become a basic reference tool for lovers of the ultimate in maritime magnificence. It is also hoped that a companion volume covering those cruise ships of less than 40,000 GRT, of which there are an equal number, some of even more breathtaking beauty and elegance, will follow shortly.

NB In this book all tonnages are Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT, or GR) unless otherwise stated. GRT is not the ship’s displacement tonnage but a calculation of its size to the formula 1,000 cu ft of permanently enclosed revenue-generating space = one gross ton. Engine-rooms, fuel and water-bunkerage are discounted under this equation, but food and supply storage is included.

Also note that ships are constantly being sold, reconstructed and modified, and that their names change and details are altered. During the inevitable time-lag between completion of this book and its final publication, some details may well change, but this is unavoidable in a book of this nature.

Peter C. Smith

Riseley, Bedford

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The Author and his wife Pat aboard the Star Princess off Alaska.

Part One

The Ships – The Showcase and the Facts

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Ship: ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS

IMO: 9167227

MMSI: 311263000

Callsign: C6SA3

Operator: Royal Caribbean International

Tonnage (GRT): 137,276

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 311.1 × 38.6 × 8.78 m (1,020 × 155.5 × 28.8 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Aker Shipyard, Turku, Finland. Yard No: 1346

Motive Power: Diesel-electric, 6 × Wärtsilä 12V46 @ 12,423 kW = 74,538 kW total, + 3 MW ABB Azipod thrusters

Speed (knots): 22.5

Launched/Floated out: 5 January 2001

Christened by: Rudy Giuliani

Passenger Cabins: 1,557

Passenger Decks: 12

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 3,840/1,180

Class: Voyager

Registered: Nassau, Bahamas

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy STX Europe)

e9781783461059_i0004.jpg

Ship: AIDAaura

IMO: 9221566

MMSI: 247117400

Callsign: IBNZ

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 42,289

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 202.78 × 28.10 × 6.19 m (665.3 × 92.2 × 20.3 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Aker MTW Werft GmbH, Wismar, Germany. Yard No: 004

Motive Power: 2 × diesel-electric= 27,150 kW

Speed (knots): 19.4

Launched/Floated out: 14 September 2002

Christened by: Heidi Klum

Passenger Cabins: 633

Passenger Decks: 10

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,582/418

Class: Club

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

e9781783461059_i0005.jpg

Ship: AIDAbella

IMO: 9362542

MMSI: 247229700

Callsign: ICGS

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 69,200

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 251.7 × 32.19 × 7.2 m (738.1 × 105.6 × 23.62 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Yard No: 666

Motive Power: 4 × MaK 9M43 diesel-electric engines = 36,000 kW; 2 × electric engines = 12,400 kW

Speed (knots): 21.8

Launched/Floated out: 19 October 2002

Christened by: Eva Padberg

Passenger Cabins: 1,025

Passenger Decks: 13

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,500/646

Class: Sphinx

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

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Ship: AIDAblu

IMO: 9398888

MMSI: 247282500

Callsign: IBWX

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 71,000

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 251.9 x 32.2 x 7.2 m (826.2 x 105.6 x 23.62 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, Germany Y. Yard No: 680

Motive Power: 4 × MaK 9M43C = 36,000 kW

Speed (knots): 19.5

Launched/Floated out: 9 February 2010

Christened by: Jetta Joop

Passenger Cabins: 798

Passenger Decks: 12

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,174/607

Class: Improved Sphinx

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

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Ship: AIDAdiva

IMO: 9334856

MMSI: 247187700

Callsign: ICDH

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 69,200

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 251.76 × 32.18 × 7.2 m (826 × 105.6 × 23.62 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Yard No: 639

Motive Power: 4 × MaK 9M43 diesel-electric engines = 36,000 kW; 2 electric engines = 12,400 kW

Speed (knots): 21.8

Launched/Floated out: 4 March 2007

Christened by: Maria Galleski

Passenger Cabins: 1,025

Passenger Decks: 14

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,500/646

Class: Sphinx

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

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Ship: AIDAluna

IMO: 9334868

MMSI: 247255400

Callsign: ICLP

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 68,500

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 251.7 × 32.2 × 7.2 m (826.77 × 105.64 × 23.62 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Yard No: 666

Motive Power: 4 × MaK 9M43C diesel-electric engines =36,000kW; 2 × electric engines = 12,400 kW

Speed (knots): 21.8

Launched/Floated out: 5 April 2009

Christened by: Franziska Knuppe

Passenger Cabins: 1,025

Passenger Decks: 13

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,500/646

Class: Sphinx

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

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Ship: AIDASol

IMO: 9490040

MMSI: ?

Callsign: ?

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 71,000

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 257 x 32.2 x 7.2 m (738.1 x 105.6 x 23.62 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, Germany & Rostock Neptune Yard. Yard No: 689

Motive Power: 4 × MaK 9M43C diesel-electric engines =36,000 kW; 2 × electric engines = 12,400 kW

Speed (knots): 21.8

Launched/Floated out: Due 2011

Christened by: ?

Passenger Cabins: 1,096

Passenger Decks: 13

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,174/607

Class: Improved Sphinx

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

e9781783461059_i0010.jpg

Ship: AIDAvita

IMO: 9221554

MMSI: 247114900

Callsign: IBNP

Operator: AIDA Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 42,289

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 202.84 × 28.10 × 6.31 m (665.5 × 92.2 × 20.7 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Aker MTW, Werft, GmbH, WISMAR, Germany. Yard No: 003

Motive Power: Diesel-electric – 2 × Wärtsilä 12V38 @ 8,699kW, 1 × Wärtsilä 12V38 @ 5,799kW

Speed (knots): 19.4

Launched/Floated out: 6 October 2001

Christened by: Doris Schroeder-Kopf

Passenger Cabins: 635

Passenger Decks: 10

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,582/426

Class: Club

Registered: Genoa, Italy

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy AIDA Cruises, Rostock)

e9781783461059_i0011.jpg

Ship: ALLURE OF THE SEAS

IMO: 9383948

MMSI: 311020700

Callsign: ?

Operator: Royal Caribbean International

Tonnage (GRT): 220,000

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 360 × 47 × 9 m (1,181.1 × 154.2 × 30 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: STX Europe, Turku New Shipyards, Turku, Finland. Yard No: 1364

Motive Power: 6 × Wärtsilä 12V46C 416v46C diesel-electric = 97,800 kW; 3 × Asea Brown Boveri 17.5 MW azimuth thruster pods

Speed (knots): 20.2

Launched/Floated out: 20 November 2009

Christened by: ?

Passenger Cabins: 2,706

Passenger Decks: 16

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 5,400/2,165

Class: Oasis (formerly Genesis)

Registered: Nassau, Bahamas

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy STX Europe)

e9781783461059_i0012.jpg

Ship: AMSTERDAM

IMO: 9188037

MMSI: 244370000

Callsign: PBAD

Operator: Holland America Line

Tonnage (GRT): 62,735.

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 240 × 32.2 × 7.8 m (777 × 105.8 × 25.6 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA. Yard No: 6052

Motive Power: Diesel-electric + 2 azimuth pods, 2 × Sulzer 16ZAV40S @ 12,799 kW, 3 × Sulzer 12ZAV40S @ 9,871 kW

Speed (knots): 25

Launched/Floated out: 4 January 2000

Christened by: Janet Lanterman

Passenger Cabins: 690

Passenger Decks: 12

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,738/647

Class: R (Rotterdam)

Registered: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy Holland America Line)

e9781783461059_i0013.jpg

Ship: ARCADIA

IMO: 9226906

MMSI: 310459000

Callsign: ZCDN2

Operator: P&O Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 83,500

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 289.90 × 32.20 × 7.77 m (951.12 × 105.64 × 25.5 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA. Yard No: 6078

Motive Power: Diesel-electric + 2 azimuth pods; 4 × Sulzer 6ZAV40S @ 11,520 kW; 2 × Sulzer 12ZAV40S @ 8,640 kW

Speed (knots): 22

Launched/Floated out: 26 June 2004

Christened by: Dame Kelly Holmes

Passenger Cabins: 998

Passenger Decks: 11

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 2,556/976

Class: Vista

Registered: Hamilton, Bermuda

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy P&O Cruises)

e9781783461059_i0014.jpg

Ship: ARTEMIS

IMO: 8201480

MMSI: 310456000

Callsign: ZCDM7

Operator: P&O Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 44,588

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 230.61 × 29.60 × 7.80 m (756.59 × 97.11 × 25.59 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard Helsinki. Yard No: 464

Motive Power: Diesel – 4 × Wärtsilä-Pielstick 6PC4-2L-570 @ 5,799 kW = 23,196 kW total

Speed (knots): 22

Launched/Floated out: 12 February 1984

Christened by: Prunella Scales, CBE

Passenger Cabins: 600

Passenger Decks: 8

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,323/537

Class: N/A

Registered: Hamilton, Bermuda

Former Names: ROYAL PRINCESS

(Courtesy P&O Cruises)

e9781783461059_i0015.jpg

Ship: ASUKA II

IMO: 8806204

MMSI: 432545000

Callsign: 7JBI

Operator: Nippon Yusen Kaisha

Tonnage (GRT): 50,142

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 240.96 × 29.60 × 7.50 m (790.7 × 97.7 × 24.7 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, Japan. Yard No: 2100

Motive Power: Diesel-electric – 4 × MAN 8L58/64 = 37.800 kW total

Speed (knots): 22

Launched/Floated out: 30 September 1989

Christened by: Mary Tyler Moore

Passenger Cabins: 480

Passenger Decks: 8

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 960/545

Class: Harmony

Registered: Nagasaki, Japan

Former Names: CRYSTAL HARMONY

(Courtesy Tsuneo Nakamura and NYK Cruise Ltd)

e9781783461059_i0016.jpg

Ship: ATLANTIC STAR

IMO: 8024026

MMSI: 256205000

Callsign: 9HOC8

Operator: Pullmantur Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 46,087

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 240.39 × 27.84 × 8.15 m (788.6 × 91.3 × 26.7 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Ch. du Nord et de la Méditerranée, la Seyne-sur-Mer, France. Yard No: 1436

Motive Power: Steam turbines – 2 × GE @ 10,849 kW, 1 × Cons. Nav. & Ind. de la Méditerranée (CNIT) La Seyne

Speed (knots): 21.8

Launched/Floated out: 6 November 1982

Christened by: Mrs Ginny Ueberroth

Passenger Cabins: 580

Passenger Decks: 11

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,600/560

Class: N/A

Registered: Valletta, Malta

Former Names: SKY WONDER, PACIFIC SKY, SKY PRINCESS, FAIR SKY

(Courtesy Francis Ferro)

e9781783461059_i0017.jpg

Ship: AURORA

IMO: 9169524

MMSI: 310556000

Callsign: ZCDW9

Operator: P&O Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 76,152

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 270 × 32.2 × 7.9 m (885.10 × 105.8 × 25.9 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Yard No: 640

Motive Power: Diesel-electric – 4 × MAN B&W 14V48/60 = 58,800 kW total

Speed (knots): 24

Launched/Floated out: 18 January 2000

Christened by: HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal

Passenger Cabins: 939

Passenger Decks: 10

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,878/850

Class: N/A

Registered: Hamilton, Bermuda

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy P&O Cruises)

e9781783461059_i0018.jpg

Ship: AZURA

IMO: 9424883

MMSI: 316001535

Callsign: DFDH

Operator: P&O Cruises

Tonnage (GRT): 116,000

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 242.30 × 36 × 8 m (794.11 × 118.1 × 26.3 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA. Yard No: 6166

Motive Power: Diesel-electric + azimuth pods – 6 × Wärtsilä = 42,000 kW total

Speed (knots): 22

Launched/Floated out: 29 April 2008

Christened by: Darcey Bussell

Passenger Cabins: 900

Passenger Decks: 14

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 3,092/1,200

Class: Caribbean

Registered: Hamilton, Bermuda

Former Names: N/A

(Courtesy P&O Cruises)

e9781783461059_i0019.jpg

Ship: BALMORAL

IMO: 8506294

MMSI: 308785000

Callsign: C6114

Operator: Fred Olsen Lines

Tonnage (GRT): 43,537

Dimensions (length × breadth × draught): 217.9 × 28.21 × 7.25 m (714.11 × 92.7 × 23.9 ft)

Constructor & Yard Number: Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, Germany. Yard No: 616

Motive Power: 4 × MAK 8M601/6M34 diesel-electric = 21300 kW

Speed (knots): 22.5

Launched/Floated out: 1 November 1987

Christened by: Lady June Hillary

Passenger Cabins: 579

Passenger Decks: 10

Passengers/Crew Numbers (max.): 1,340/471

Class: N/A

Registered: Nassau, Bahamas

Former Names: CROWN ODYSSEY, NORWEGIAN CROWN

(Courtesy Fred Olsen Lines)

e9781783461059_i0020.jpg