MS Island Escape


MS Island Escape
Career
Name: 1982—1985: MS Scandinavia
1985—1990: MS Stardancer
1990—2002: MS Viking Serenade
2002-present: MS Island Escape[1]
Owner: 1982—1985: DFDS
1985—1987: Sundance Cruises
1987—1988: Admiral Cruises
1988—1990: Royal Admiral Cruises
1990—2002: Wilh. Wilhelmsen
2002-present: Island Cruises[1]
Operator: 1982—1983: Scandinavian World Cruises
1983—1985: DFDS Seaways
1985—1987: Sundance Cruises
1987—1988: Admiral Cruises
1988—1990: Royal Admiral Cruises
1990—2002: Royal Caribbean International
2002—2009: Island Cruises[1]
2009-present: Thomson Cruises[2]
Port of registry: 1982—1991: Nassau,  Bahamas
1991—2002: Monrovia,  Liberia
2002 onwards: Nassau,  Bahamas[1]
Builder: Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France[1]
Cost: $100 million[3]
Yard number: 164[1]
Laid down: April 6, 1981[1]
Launched: October 16, 1981[1]
Christened: September 28, 1982[1]
Acquired: August 20, 1982[1]
In service: October 2, 1982[1]-present
Identification: IMO number: 8002597[1]
Status: In active service as of 2010
General characteristics (as built, 1981)[1]
Type: cruiseferry
Tonnage: 26,747 GT (gross tonnage)
4,294 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Length: 185.25 m (607 ft 9 in)
Beam: 27.01 m (88 ft 7 in)
Draught: 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in)
Installed power: 2 × B&W 9L55GFCA diesels
combined 19,850 kW
Propulsion: Twin propellers[3]
Speed: 20 knots (37.04 km/h; 23.02 mph)
Capacity: 1606 passengers
1606 passenger berths
530 cars
51 trailers
General characteristics (as of 2009)[3]
Type: cruise ship
Tonnage: 40,132 GT (gross tonnage)[1]
Length: 189.89 m (623 ft 0 in)
Draught: 7.20 m (23 ft 7 in)
Decks: 10 (passenger accessible)
Capacity: 1544 passengers (lower berths)
1741 passengers (all berths)[4]
Crew: 540
Notes: Otherwise the same as built

MS Island Escape is a cruise ship owned and operated by Thomson Cruises under their Island Cruises brand. She was built in 1982 by Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Scandinavian World Cruises (a subsidiary of DFDS) as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia. At the time of her construction she was the largest cruiseferry in the world. After being withdrawn from Scandinavian World Cruises, she briefly sailed for DFDS Seaways. Between 1985 and 1990 she sailed for Sundance Cruises and Admiral Cruises as MS Stardancer. In 1990 the ship was sold to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and renamed MS Viking Serenade. The following year she was converted into a genuine cruise ship. In 2002 she was transferred to the fleet of Royal Caribbean's new subsidiary Island Cruises. Island Escape joined the fleet of Thomson Cruises in April 2009, but retained her name and continued with her more informal style of buffet restaurants and relaxed dress code.[2]

Island Escape operates in the Canary Islands and the Western Mediterranean under Thomson Cruises. In November 2010, Thomson will spend a further £4 million in refurbishing Island Escape.[5]

Documentary

Island Escape was featured in a mini-series TV documentary which consisted of 10 episodes. The documentary was initially broadcast in the UK during 2002. Repeats of the documentary were later shown on Bravo. The documentary followed the working lives of several crew members and gave a good insight into what it was like to work on a cruise ship.[6][7]

References

External links

Preceded by
MS Finlandia
World's Largest Cruiseferry
1982–1985
Succeeded by
MS Svea