MS Prinsesse Ragnhild
Encyclopedia
MS Bahamas Celebration is a cruiseferry
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
owned by Celebration Cruise Line
Celebration Cruise Line
Celebration Cruise Line is a budget cruise line that operates 2 day voyages out of Port of Palm Beach to Freeport, Bahamas. The company was founded sometime in late 2008, and began operations on March 9, 2009. The cruise line took over the operations of Imperial Majesty Cruise Line, which was part...
. Since March 2009 she had been operating two- and three-day cruises from Port Everglades
Port Everglades
Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...
to the Bahamas. In March 2010 she started operating two-day cruises from the Port of Palm Beach
Port of Palm Beach
The Port of Palm Beach is located in Riviera Beach, Florida, in Palm Beach County. The Port is an independent taxing district, with a five-member board of commissioners elected at large by voters within the district. The Port district covers a land area of or approximately fifty percent of the...
.
The ship was built in 1981 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. She was withdrawn from service with Color Line on 6 May 2008.
Princesse Ragnhild
From 1981 to 2004 MS Prinsesse Ragnhild operated on the OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
–Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
route, first for Jahre Line and, from 1990 onwards, for their successor Color Line. In 1992 she was radically rebuilt at Astilleros Españoles, Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, increasing her length by 35.25 meters, passenger capacity by 858 and tonnage by . On 8 July 1999, there was a fire in the engine room
Engine room
On a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
, resulting in a complete evacuation of the ship. 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
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. 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. After repairs at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the ship resumed operations on the third of September. On 1 March 2002, the ship suffered another engine room fire, which was quickly extinguished.
In 2003 Color Line spent 60 mil NOK on upgrading the on-board interior. In 2005 she was transferred to the new Bergen—Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
—Hirtshals
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland on the north coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe.-The town of Hirtshals:...
route, when Color Line introduced the new MS Color Fantasy on the Oslo-Kiel route
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
. On 8 January 2008 Prinsesse Ranghild was moved to Oslo–Hirtshals
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland on the north coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe.-The town of Hirtshals:...
route, replacing MS Color Festival
MS Color Festival
MS Mega Smeralda is a cruiseferry owned by Medinvest and operated by Corsica Ferries. She was built in 1985 by Wärtsilä at the Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland for Johnson Line as MS Svea for use in Silja Line traffic...
that was sold to Corsica Ferries
Corsica Ferries
Corsica Ferries and Sardinia Ferries are marketing names used by Corsica Ferries, a France-based ferry company that operates traffic to and from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia...
. 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. Following closure of the route the Prinsesse Ragnhild was laid up at Sandefjord
Sandefjord
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
. On 3 September 2008 Color Line reported the Prinsesse Ragnhild had been sold to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based Celebration Cruise Holdings for €23 million. 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
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
.
Bahamas Celebration
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
Port of Palm Beach
The Port of Palm Beach is located in Riviera Beach, Florida, in Palm Beach County. The Port is an independent taxing district, with a five-member board of commissioners elected at large by voters within the district. The Port district covers a land area of or approximately fifty percent of the...
due to being overshadowed by larger cruise lines at Port Everglades
Port Everglades
Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...
. 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
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. Their two-night cruises now depart every other day at 5:30 pm. to Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
. 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
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
, 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.
- Color Conference Center
Restaurants
- Crystal Dining Room (Menu based Fine Dining)
- The Cove (Premium/Up Scale for an additional fee)
- Rio's (Themed Buffet)
- Trattoria Di Gerry (Italian)
Bars and entertainment
- The Wynmore Casino
- The View (after dinner shows and dancing)
- Clubs or Pubs for Everyone’s Taste
- Cyber Cafe (Internet Cafe)
- Ocean Breeze Lounge
- Pub 437
Children
- Island Coconuts Club (for ages 3–10)
- Club Wave (for ages 11–13)(contains 1 Xbox 360 for up to 4 players, 99 Nintendo Wiis, 1 PS2 with Da and 1 PS3 With Guitar Hero 3 )
- Club Open Water (for ages 14–17)(contains 1 Xbox 360 for up to 4 players, 1 Nintendo Wii for up to 2 players, Guitar Hero for up to 2 players, Dance Dance Revolution for up to 2 players, and 2 computers for computer games only). There is also a teens club and you can play runescape and world of warcraft on the 2 computers. Very fun if you want to check runescapes g.e. in this cruise.
- 180-foot slide in the Kids of The Caribbean areae