| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
|---|---|
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Royal Caribbean |
| Website | http://www.pullmantur.es |
Pullmantur Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.[1]
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Pullmantur Cruises is the largest Spain-based cruise line. The company mainly markets to Spanish passengers, although cruises on Pullmantur ships are also sold by some travel operators outside the Spanish-speaking world. Most of the company's ships operate an "all-inclusive" product, where some extras, such as brand alcoholic beverages, are included in the cruise price.[1]
Most Pullmantur ships do not operate cruises for the company during the northern hemisphere winter season. Instead, they are either laid up or under charter to other cruise lines, such as the Brazil-based Viagens CVC.[1]
Pullmantur began cruise operations in the 1990s by initially selling cruises onboard SS SeaWind Crown in the Southern Caribbean from Premier Cruises and later also onboard Premier Cruises flagship the SS Rembrandt in the Mediterranean. After Premier Cruises changed their business plan in 1997 and decided to cancel their contracts with operators such as Pullmantur and their following collapse in 2000, Pullmantur acquired their SS Big Red Boat 1 and started their own cruise line, Pullmantur Cruises.[1] The Big Red Boat 1 was reverted to her original name SS Oceanic, and begun cruising around the Mediterranean from Barcelona in May 2005.[2] The Oceanic became hugely successful, and already in 2002 Pullmantur acquired a second ship, MS Pacific (formerly Princess Cruises' famous MS Pacific Princess that starred in The Love Boat TV series),[1] and chartered the former Renaissance Cruises ship MS R Five from Cruiseinvest. The R Five was marketed under the name Blue Dream.[3] Two more ships followed in 2003. Pullmantur acquired MS Superstar Aries from Star Cruises and renamed her MS Holiday Dream,[1] while the R Five's sister ship MS R Six was chartered under the marketing name Blue Star.[4]
In 2004 the R Five was chartered by her owners to Oceania Cruises.[3] In 2005 Pullmantur purchased the R Six, confusingly renaming her MS Blue Dream. A third R-class ship followed in 2006 when Pullmantur bought the Delphin Renaissance and renamed her MS Blue Moon. Later the same year the Pullmantur fleet grew to six ships when the Pacific Sky was purchased from P&O Cruises Australia and renamed SS Sky Wonder. A few months after the purchase of the Sky Wonder the entire Pullmantur company was sold to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.[1]
Following the acquisition by Royal Caribbean several transfers were carried out between the Pullmantur fleet and those of other Royal Caribbean brands. In 2007 the Blue Dream and Blue Moon were transferred to Azamara Cruises, while MS Oceanic II and Celebrity Cruises's MS Zenith joined the Pullmantur fleet in their place[1] (the Oceanic II only spent the 2007 summer season sailing for Pullmantur).[5] In 2008 Pullmantur received Empress of the Seas from the fleet of Royal Caribbean International, and renamed her MS Empress.[1]
More changes are due to follow in 2008. The Pacific and Holiday Dream leave the Pullmantur fleet in April/May for Quail Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, respectively.[5][6] The former P&O Cruises Australia ship Pacific Star is due to enter service as MS Ocean Dream in May.[1] A further new ship is set to join the Pullmantur fleet in late 2008, when RCI's MS Sovereign of the Seas will be transferred to Pullmantur as the Sovereign.[7][8] In April 2008 Lloyd's List reported that Pullmantur were also in the process of purchasing MS Pride of Aloha from Norwegian Cruise Line's subsidiary NCL America.[9] The deal fell through however, and the Pride of Aloha returned to the "normal" Norwegian Cruise Line fleet instead.[10] In March 2009 the Oceanic was sold to Peace Boat and the Sky Wonder was renamed Atlantic Star in April 2009.. In mid April 2009 the Island Star was transferred from Island Cruises to Pullmantur Cruises.
Between 2001 and 2008 Pullmantur ships ran in a variety of liveries. All ships had Pullmantur's logo depicting arrows across a globe on their funnels and the company name and logo on their hulls, but the colours of the funnels and hulls varied from one ship to another. SS Oceanic, SS Sky Wonder, MS Oceanic II and MS Zenith were painted with a white hull and blue funnel,[8][11] MS R Five, MS Blue Dream and MS Blue Moon with a black hull and white funnel, MS Pacific with a white hull and white funnel, and MS Holiday Dream with a white hull and blue funnel with red stripes.[8]
As of 2008 the company is in the process of adapting a new logo, a white circle with a red letter ñ on it. Coinciding with this the ships are painted in a new livery with a red funnel and a white hull, with the word "Pullmantur" written on the hull towards the rear in small letters.[8]
As of 2010 all their ships have the logo: a white circle with a red letter ñ and are painted in a new livery with a red funnel and a white hull, with the word "Pullmantur" written on the hull towards the rear in small letters. However, the MV Pacific Dream does not have the white circle with a red letter ñ but it does have everything else.
| Ship | Built | Entered service for Pullmantur |
Capacity | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Empress | 1990 | 2008 | 2020 | 48,563 GT | Malta | Formerly Empress of the Seas for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines |
| MS Ocean Dream | 1982 | 2008 | 1412 | 35,190 GT | Malta | Formerly Pacific Star for P&O Cruises Australia.[5][12] |
| MV Zenith | 1992 | 2007 | 1774 | 47,255 GT | Malta | Formerly Zenith for Celebrity Cruises |
| MS Sovereign | 1988 | 2008 | 2852 | 73,192 GT | Malta | Transferred from Royal Caribbean International in November 2008. |
| MV Pacific Dream | 1990 | 2009 | 1875 | 46,811 GT | Malta | Former MV Island Star of Island Cruises. Transfer to CDF Croisières de France in 2012. |
| Ship | Built | In service for Pullmantur |
Capacity | Tonnage1 | Status as of 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS SeaWind Crown | 1961 | 1990s—2000 | 734 | 23,306 GRT | Scrapped in China, 2004 |
| MS R Five | 2000 | 2002—2004 | 702 | 30,277 GT | Since 2004 MS Nautica with Oceania Cruises |
| MS Blue Dream | 2000 | 2003—2005 2005—2007 |
702 | 30,277 GT | Since 2007 MS Azamara Journey with Azamara Cruises |
| SS Oceanic | 1965 | 2001—2009 | 1800 | 38,772 GT | Since 2009 sailing for Peace Boat. |
| MS Holiday Dream | 1981 | 2004—2008 | 1158 | 37,301 GRT | Since May 2008 MS Bleu de France with CDF Croisières de France[5] Sold to Saga cruises, enter in service in 2012. |
| MS Pacific | 1972 | 2005—2008 | 626 | 20,636 GT | Since April 2008 sailing for Quail Cruises[6] Lain Up as 2011. |
| MS Blue Moon | 2000 | 2006—2007 | 702 | 30,277 GT | Since 2007 MS Azamara Quest with Azamara Cruises |
| MS Oceanic II | 1966 | 2007 | 782 | 27,670 GRT | Since 2008 MS Mona Lisa for Lord Nelson Seereisen, after her career with Lord Nelson Seereisen she is now a house ship in Oman |
| SS Atlantic Star | 1984 | 2006—2008 & 2009 | 1550 | 46,087 GRT | Formerly Sky Wonder. With out travels for Pullmantur. Maybe in process to be sold. Sold to an unknown buyer and will become Mona Lisa II. |
| 1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT). | |||||
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