MV Vacationland
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The MV Vacationland is a Canadian RORO ferry that operated across the Northumberland Strait between the ports of Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick and Port Borden, Prince Edward Island.
Built in 1971 by the Government of Canada for Canadian National Railways (CNR) at Port Weller Drydocks near St. Catharines, Ontario, Vacationland was designed for the sheltered waters of the Northumberland Strait; as such, her vehicle decks are open on both sides and she lacks a hurricane bow. She measures 99.06 metres in length, 20.9 metres in beam, and displaces 2775 tons. She has a capacity for 485 passengers and 155 vehicles or 16 tractor trailers. She is a sister ship to the MV Holiday Island.
CNR changed the name of its ferry services to CN Marine in 1977 and then to Marine Atlantic in 1986. The opening of the Confederation Bridge on June 1, 1997 saw Marine Atlantic close its ferry service and all of its vessels on this route except Holiday Island were disposed and sold off by the Crown Assets division of the Department of Public Works and Government Services.
Vacationland's sister ship Holiday Island sailed 100 kilometres to the east end of the strait and began service that month under the colours of Northumberland Ferries Ltd., however Vacationland sailed to Sydney, Nova Scotia and help haul cargo from the Marine Atlantic Borden terminal and was stored there until being sold in 1998 to the Government of New Brunswick. She was renamed MV Fundy Paradise and was intended to be used on the service between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan Island, however funding for making modifications to the docks at both terminals for accepting the ship was never approved. She was mothballed at a scrapyard in Liverpool, Nova Scotia until the Government of New Brunswick decided to dispose of her in 2001. Fundy Paradise was towed back to Sydney and remained docked while listed for sale until 2005 when she was sold to a company from Quebec City. She is rumoured to be intended for use in a new ferry service being implemented on Lake Erie.