Prinsesse Ragnhild in July 2005. |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1981–2008: MS Prinsesse Ragnhild 2008 onwards: MS Bahamas Celebration |
| Owner: | 1981–1990: Jahre Line 1990–2008: Color Line 2008 onwards: Celebration Cruise Holdings[1] |
| Operator: | 1981–1990: Jahre Line 1990–2008: Color Line[1] 2009 onwards: Celebration Cruise Line[2] |
| Port of registry: | 1981–1990: Sandefjord, Norway 1990–2008: Oslo, Norway 2008 onwards: Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
| Builder: | HDW, Kiel, West Germany |
| Yard number: | 164[1] |
| Laid down: | March 1980[1] |
| Launched: | 1 August 1980[1] |
| Acquired: | 31 January 1981[1] |
| In service: | 1981[1] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7904891[1] |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics (as built, 1980)[1] | |
| Type: | cruiseferry |
| Tonnage: | 16,631 GRT |
| Displacement: | 3,210 metric tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Length: | 170 m (557 ft 9 in) |
| Beam: | 24 m (78 ft 9 in) |
| Draught: | 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in) |
| Ice class: | 1B[3] |
| Installed power: | 2 × Stork-Werkspoor 20TM410 diesels combined 18,600 kW |
| Speed: | 21 knots (38.89 km/h; 24.17 mph) |
| Capacity: | 892 passengers 892 passenger berths 603 cars |
| General characteristics (as rebuilt, 1992)[1] | |
| Tonnage: | 35,483 GT (gross tonnage)[3] |
| Displacement: | 3,826 DWT |
| Length: | 205.25 m (673 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 26.60 m (87 ft 3 in) |
| Draught: | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Depth: | 13 m (42 ft 8 in)[4] |
| Installed power: | 2 × Stork-Werkspoor 20TM410 diesels 4 × Stork-Wärtsilä 9FEDH240 diesels 2 × Stork-Wärtsilä 9FEDH240G diesels combined 3,6356 kW |
| Capacity: | 1900 passengers 1875 passenger berths 700 cars |
| Notes: | Otherwise the same as built |
MS Bahamas Celebration is a cruiseferry owned by Celebration Cruise Line.[1] Since March 2009 she had been operating two- and three-day cruises from Port Everglades to the Bahamas.[5] In March 2010 she started operating two-day cruises from the Port of Palm Beach.[6]
The ship was built in 1981 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany as MS Prinsesse Ragnhild for Jahre Line. In 1990 she was transferred to Color Line. In 1992 she was extensively rebuilt at Astilleros Españoles in Cadiz, Spain. She was withdrawn from service with Color Line on 6 May 2008.[1]
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From 1981 to 2004 MS Prinsesse Ragnhild operated on the Oslo–Kiel route, first for Jahre Line and, from 1990 onwards, for their successor Color Line. In 1992 she was radically rebuilt at Astilleros Españoles, Cadiz, increasing her length by 35.25 meters, passenger capacity by 858 and tonnage by 19,224 GRT.[1] On 8 July 1999, there was a fire in the engine room, resulting in a complete evacuation of the ship.[1] With the Scandinavian Star disaster fresh in mind, a full emergency was called and all ships in the area came to the rescue. Helicopters and firecrews from Norway, Sweden and Denmark all participated in the rescue effort,and the evacuation was described by most passengers as "controlled". However, one woman died after the fire as a result of a heart attack.[7] After repairs at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, the ship resumed operations on the third of September. On 1 March 2002, the ship suffered another engine room fire, which was quickly extinguished.[1]
In 2003 Color Line spent 60 mil NOK on upgrading the on-board interior. In 2005 she was transferred to the new Bergen—Stavanger—Hirtshals route, when Color Line introduced the new MS Color Fantasy on the Oslo-Kiel route.[1] On 8 January 2008 Prinsesse Ranghild was moved to Oslo–Hirtshals route, replacing MS Color Festival that was sold to Corsica Ferries.[1][8] In April 2008 Color Line announced that due to "negative financial development" in the service, the Oslo–Hirsthals route was closed down on 6 May 2008, and the Prinsesse Ragnhild was placed for sale.[9] Following closure of the route the Prinsesse Ragnhild was laid up at Sandefjord.[1] On 3 September 2008 Color Line reported the Prinsesse Ragnhild had been sold to the United States-based Celebration Cruise Holdings for €23 million.[10][11] The ship was delivered to her new owners on 1 October 2008, renamed Bahamas Celebration and left Sandefjord on the same date for Freeport, Bahamas.[1]
Celebration Cruise Line’s MS Bahamas Celebration The cruise line began operation in March 2009. In 2010, Celebration Cruise Line announced it would be moving to the Port of Palm Beach due to being overshadowed by larger cruise lines at Port Everglades. The Port of Palm Beach has a passenger terminal that was built to accommodate smaller cruise ships. As of March 15, 2010, they no longer sail to Nassau, Bahamas. Their two-night cruises now depart every other day at 5:30 pm. to Freeport, Bahamas.[12] The Ship is available for cruises to be purchased directly from Celebration Cruise Lines; however, it is primarily used as a lure by time share companies to attract clientele. The time share vacation packages are often comparable in price to traditional cruise lines.
The ship offers four distinct restaurants, a Las Vegas type casino, a two-deck nightclub, multiple lounges, live shows and entertainment throughout the ship, dancing, a complete spa, and deck area with pool, jacuzzis, tiki bar and live music. For children, there are three supervised and age-appropriate kids' clubs with a variety of electronic games and activities. On deck there is also a children's water park area with a 180-foot water slide.
The two-night cruises include a full day in Freeport, Bahamas, where passengers can take advantage of a wide range of excursions including snorkeling, a horseback riding tour where you ride along the beach and actually take the horses into the water, glass bottom boat ride or a day at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort.