The video order form is in PDF format. To open it, you may need Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free from Adobe's Web site.

Welcome to Volume Nine of THE WORLD's PASSENGER FLEET!

Many have good cause to argue that these are the best times ever for the passenger ship. A seemingly endless procession of newbuilds and their clones continue to emerge from the world's great shipyards. These vessels are not only bigger, they bulge with new perks and amenities that include rock climbing walls, ice skating and bowling rinks, wave machines, and other trendsetting novelties the new conglomerate cruise line board rooms conjure up. And, instead of one or two, we get five, six, or eight of the same.

For some of us, this all comes at a devastating cost. The era when cruise ships had individual personalities, meaningful names, and elegant seagoing lines has come to an end.

This latest installment of my ongoing video series was shot from the rails of some of my favorite dowagers (AUSONIA, ATALANTE, DALMACIJA, REGAL EMPRESS, OCEAN MONARCH and MONTEREY) and even the glistening new MSC OPERA and covers another batch of exterior footage of fifty passenger ships of all shapes and sizes. There are the mighty (RMS QUEEN MARY 2, GRAND PRINCESS, and DISNEY MAGIC), the miniature (CARIBBEAN MERCY, SEA DREAM I, and WILDERNESS DISCOVERER), the latest (PRIDE OF HAWAI'I, CARNIVAL GLORY) , the once greatest, and just about everything in between. In our search for fifty ships, we will visit a wide range of locales, from scenic European harbors to desolate scrapyards, and tropical Caribbean paradise.

Here is an overview of the cast of ships and a word or two about the footage:

MV AEGEAN I: The smart little AEGEAN I, shown during one of her three night Aegean cruises, returns to this series in Golden Sun Cruises' livery. Originally the ro/ro ferry NARCIS, she was converted into the 11,563 gt, 576 passenger AEGEAN DOLPHIN for Dolphin Hellas Cruises in 1986. After a sale to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines fell through in 2005, the ship was arrested and laid up at Eleusis. The footage in this video was shot at the end of September 2001 from the decks of Royal Olympic Cruises' OLYMPIC COUNTESS as we encountered the AEGEAN I at Mykonos and Rhodes. It was a somber time as the impact of the terrorist attacks still had the world reeling.

MV AMSTERDAM : Since this atmospheric footage of the MV AMSTERDAM's late afternoon arrival at Victoria, British Columbia was shot from aboard the departing paddlewheel vessel EMPRESS OF THE NORTH in 2003, she underwent a refit that extended the upper portion of her superstructure. The 1,380 passenger 2000-built AMSTERDAM is the first Holland America Line ship to carry that name and is a modified version of their sixth ROTTERDAM, a slightly expanded version of the STATENDAM quartette built in the early 1990s. Both AMSTERDAM and ROTTERDAM share the title and honor of flagship status within the thirteen member Carnival-owned Holland America fleet.

SS APOLLO: The 1961-built steamship APOLLO, originally the last Canadian Pacific transatlantic flagship EMPRESS OF CANADA, and later Carnival Cruises' first ship, MARDI GRAS, is shown being dismantled at Alang in early 2004. The financial struggles of her last owners, Royal Olympic Cruises, forced her sale for scrap in late 2003. Tons of etched glass and nickel fittings and acres of beautiful wood paneling were stripped out of this handsome, classic liner before she was systematically cut down for scrap. Her delivery name was an abbreviated version of her final cruising name, APOLLON.

MV ATLANTIS : The MV ATLANTIS was built in 1967 as DFDS' ro/ro ferry STAFFORD. In 1985, she was converted into a 400 passenger ship at Perama, and later became familiar in U.S.-based day cruise service as Starlite Cruises' TROPIC STAR out of Miami and the second PACIFIC STAR out of San Diego. In 2002, after many names and a varied career, she became the ATLANTIS for cruises to Santorini from Heraklion, Crete. This footage of ATLANTIS was taken from the AUSONIA's tender and from atop the cliffs of Santorini as she departed for Heraklion.

SS AUSONIA: The extraordinary 12, 609 gt SS AUSONIA returns to The World's Passenger Fleet in Louis Cruise Lines' livery. She was built in 1957 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico's Monfalcone yard for Adriatica Line's Trieste to Alexandria and Beirut service. In 1983, she was purchased by Siosa Lines and in subsequent years received two refits that expanded her superstructure fore and aft. Despite her alterations, the 506 passenger AUSONIA remains one of the most beautiful ships afloat and has been impeccably maintained by her Cyprus based owners, who purchased her in 1998. One of the last active steamships in service, her architecture is typical of the sculpted Italian Liners of the 1950s. In 2006, her owners changed her iconic name to IVORY to match the other bejeweled names of the Louis fleet.

The AUSONIA is shown at Rhodes, Santorini (in some of my favorite tender footage due to spectacular light, a perfect backdrop and the ship's classic beauty), Limassol, and Corfu (in very dramatic twilight footage of her underway).

SS BIG BOAT: When I made my first pilgrimage to Alang in February of 2004, the last remnants of the once majestic, 1961-built 31,793 gt BIG BOAT were being torn apart. She was originally Union-Castle Line's RMS TRANSVAAL CASTLE and later sailed as Safmarine's S.A. VAAL, Carnival's vastly rebuilt FESTIVALE, Dolphin's ISLANDBREEZE, and, lastly, as Premier Cruises' THE BIG RED BOAT III.

MV BLUE DREAM: I shot Pullmantur Cruises' smart, 30,000 gt BLUE DREAM from the decks of the SS MONTEREY at Barcelona in September of 2006. The BLUE DREAM was built in 2000 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique as the 702 passenger R SIX, one of eight identical cruise ships for Renaissance Cruises. After their bankruptcy in 2001, she was laid up at Gibraltar and later, Marseilles, until being sold to Marshall Islands-based owners. In 2003, she was chartered to Pullmantur for Spanish-based cruises geared to a Spanish-speaking market. In 2005, she was given her current name. The BLUE DREAM and her sisters are among the few moderately-sized premium ships built in recent years.

MV CARIBBEAN MERCY: This magnificent little vessel began her long life in 1952 as the POLARLYS for Bergen Lines' Norwegian coastal (or Hurtigrute) service between Bergen and Kirkenes. The 2,153 gt, 450 passenger ship was sold to the Christian Relief Organization, Mercy Ships, in 1993 and given her current name. She is shown at San Diego during the 1997 season when she visited the Pacific West Coast of North America. The CARIBBEAN MERCY provided hope, shelter and medical assistance to many thousands of people during her twelve year career. In 2005, she was laid up at Mobile, Alabama and offered for sale.

MV CARNIVAL GLORY: The 110,239 gross ton, 3,000 passenger CARNIVAL GLORY entered service in 2003 at the same time the mega-conglomerate cruise line's first ship, MARDI GRAS sailed unceremoniously to Indian shipbreakers as the APOLLO. In 30 years, the company grew from a fledgling budget operation with secondhand tonnage into the world's largest cruise line, with a mind-boggling list of subsidiary companies it acquired along the way, including Holland America, P&O/Princess, Cunard, Costa, Seabourn, Windstar, and Aida. These days, there is never just one Carnival ship design, and the GLORY is no exception. She is the second of five "stretched" CARNIVAL DESTINY ships that include CARNIVAL CONQUEST, VALOR, LIBERTY and FREEDOM.

The GLORY is shown arriving on a very windy morning at Nassau from the decks of the classic REGAL EMPRESS and departing that same day after the sun made a cameo appearance.

MV DALMACIJA: The handsome 5,619 gt 284 passenger MV DALMACIJA is shown on her final cruise for Pula-based Croatia Cruise Lines at Kotor and Korcula, and then upon her final departure from Venice for her then owners. Upon completion of her voyage from Venice to the Dalmatian coast and back, she was laid up in November of 2005 and offered for sale. Thankfully, new owners plan to return her to service in 2007. DALMACIJA and her sister, ISTRA (now sailing as ARION for Lisbon-based Arcalia Shipping) were built in 1965 and 1966, respectively, for Yugoslav state line Jadrolinija's service from Venice to the near east via Yugoslavia and Greece. They were converted to full-time cruising in 1968. DALMACIJA helped regenerate tourism to the war-ravaged Balkans in 1999 and was used as a floating set in the Oscar-winning film, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, that same year.

MV DELPHIN: By today's standards, Delphin Seereisen's 554 passenger MV DELPHIN, shown here in her latest livery, is a very good looking ship. The 16,214 gt vessel was built in 1974 as the first of five dual ferry/cruise ships for the Soviet state-owned Black Sea Shipping Company. Originally the BELORUSSIYA, she was renamed KAZAKHSTAN II before becoming the DELPHIN in 1996. I filmed DELPHIN at Mykonos from the OLYMPIC COUNTESS in 2001 and again at Limassol in 2003, just before boarding ATALANTE for a seven night voyage to the Greek isles.

MV DELPHIN RENAISSANCE: The 30,277 gt DELPHIN RENAISSANCE is shown from the decks of Paradise Cruises' MV ATALANTE in heavy swells off the Greek Island of Kos. She was built in 2000 as Renaissance Cruises' 702 passenger R SEVEN and operated as Delphin Seereisen's DELPHIN RENAISSANCE from 2003 through 2006, when she was sold to Pullmantur Cruises to become the BLUE MOON.

MV DISNEY MAGIC: In 2005, the seven year old, 83,338 gt DISNEY MAGIC came to Los Angeles for a series of Mexican Riviera cruises in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Disneyland. Normally, the 1,750 passenger ship operates out of Port Canaveral on cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean. The DISNEY MAGIC is proof that with a little extra effort, a modern ship can be handsome and still garner a profit. Although her forward funnel is a dummy housing an ESPN Sports Bar, her profile, with its twin funnels, long bow, rounded superstructure, and cruiser type stern is a tribute to great transatlantic liners such as QUEEN ELIZABETH, LIBERTE, and HANSEATIC. She was filmed in perfect light as she departed on a sunny California summer afternoon.

MV EMPRESS OF THE SEAS: The 48,563 gt EMPRESS OF THE SEAS was laid down in 1987 for now defunct Admiral Cruises as the FUTURE SEAS. During her construction, Admiral was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the ship was completed as the NORDIC EMPRESS. One of the first modern ships designed exclusively for the three and four day market, the 2,284 passenger NORDIC EMPRESS was also one of the first to have a towering glass atrium complete with waterfall. In 2004, she was refitted and renamed EMPRESS OF THE SEAS. I captured the EMPRESS as she arrived at St. Maarten from the balcony of my stateroom on board the MSC OPERA in early 2006.

MV ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS: The 74,136 gt ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS was built in 1997 as the fifth unit in the six member Vision Class of Royal Caribbean ships. Although the vessels were all of a similar size and passenger capacity, they were actually three sets of twins. The ENCHANTMENT, shown here in her original form, was identical to the 1996-built GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS until she was lengthened at Rotterdam in 2005, increasing her tonnage to 81,278 and her passenger capacity from 1,995 to 2,295. I filmed the pre-stretched ENCHANTMENT from the stern of Holland America's brand new WESTERDAM as the ENCHANTMENT made a late afternoon departure from Ft. Lauderdale.

M/V FUNCHAL: The handsome, compact 424 passenger FUNCHAL returns just after her 1999 refit that saw the addition of another deck atop her stern and the adoption of Portuguese-based Arcalia Shipping's new blue and white funnel livery. The 9,846 gross ton FUNCHAL was built in 1961 for Empresa Insulana's Lisbon to Madeira service. She not only retains her original name, but has made the transition from steam-powered liner to diesel-powered cruise ship and continues to thrive despite newer, larger competition. The FUNCHAL is shown at Oslo, Norway and Visby, Sweden during my two week voyage in her in June of 2000.

USNS GENERAL NELSON M. WALKER: The GENERAL NELSON M. WALKER was built in 1945 at Alameda, California as the P2-SE2-RI type of P2 transport ship USNS ADMIRAL H.T. MAYO. Eight of these 17,000 gt vessels were commissioned to serve in World War Two, while two more were actually completed in 1948 as the famed American President transpacific liners PRESIDENT WILSON and PRESIDENT CLEVELAND. After the war, instead of being converted to passenger ships, the MAYO's seven active sisters were initially transferred to the Military Sea Transportation service for peaceful repatriation of troops and their dependents. The MAYO became the 5,000 capacity austerity class troop transport USNS GENERAL NELSON M. WALKER in 1946 and went on to serve in the Korean and Viet-Nam wars before being laid up in the James River Fleet at Ft. Eustis, Virginia in 1970. The WALKER was easy to distinguish from her sisters by the well deck in her forecastle. In 2004, she was sold for scrap and is shown here in dramatically beautiful footage in January of 2005 as she was removed from the reserve fleet and towed down the James River, destined for Brownsville, Texas for dismantling.

SS GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY: The USNS GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY was built as the P2-SE2-R1-type troopship ADMIRAL W.S. SIMS and was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service after a major refit to become the GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY. Unlike the austere WALKER, she was refitted to carry 1,307 soldiers and had cabins for 250 civilian adults and 181 children. The DARBY was primarily based on North Atlantic service but also served in the Korean War. In 1963, she transported the painting WHISTLER's MOTHER from New York to France. She also brought troops to Viet-Nam before being laid up in 1969. For a time, the DARBY served as a floating prison in Maryland, before becoming a barracks ship at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. In 1999, she joined the WALKER in layup and was sold for scrap in 2005, arriving at Brownsville in March of 2006. I first filmed the DARBY from the WALKER as the latter was being towed out of Ft. Eustis and continued documenting her at Brownsville as she awaited scrapping at the Marine Metals yard.

SS GENOA at Alang: Although cosmetically in excellent condition, the GENOA was delivered to Alang shipbreakers in late 2003 after suffering mechanical problems. She began as the SYLVANIA in 1957 for Cunard's Liverpool to Montreal service and was converted by Sitmar Line into the deluxe 25,000 gross ton, 906 passenger cruise ship FAIRWIND in 1972. In 1988, she became Princess Cruises' first DAWN PRINCESS and in 2003, she began worldwide cruise service for Phoenix Seereisen as the popular ALBATROS. This footage, similar but not identical to that shown in the ON THE ROAD TO ALANG video, was taken from the supertanker HELLESPONT GRAND, which was beached next to GENOA. I also shot her from the beach and a tender the next day.

MV GRAND PRINCESS: When the 108,806 gross ton GRAND PRINCESS entered service in 1998 for Princess Cruises, she was the largest passenger ship in the world and easily distinguished by the towering Skywalker's Disco atop her stern. By today's standards, she might be considered slightly above average size. The GRAND PRINCESS was followed by three identical sisters and no less than five slightly larger, modified sisters. Although she carries nearly 2,600 passengers, she and her Carnival-owned Princess fleetmates are laid out in such a way that crowding is kept to a minimum. GRAND PRINCESS is shown from the new bridge at Dubrovnik and departing Ft. Lauderdale on a late winter afternoon when her captain must have been feeling a bit cheeky as she made a boisterous series of whistle salutes.

MV LE PONANT: The deluxe 850 gross ton, 60 passenger LE PONANT was built in 1991 for French-based Compagnie des Iles du Ponant. She has a small marina amongst her amenities and is powered by diesels as well as sails. LE PONANT cruises in the Mediterranean and Red Seas as well as the Indian Ocean. I shot the departing LE PONANT in perfect lighting conditions from the decks of the arriving AUSONIA at Chania, Crete in the summer of 2004.

MV MAYAN EMPRESS: The 10,513 gross ton MAYAN EMPRESS was built as the top notch Ejsberg to Newcastle ferry WINSTON CHURCHILL in 1968 for DFDS. She was designed and outfitted by famed Danish architect Kay Kørbing and operated on occasional summer cruise service. In 1996, she was sold to Empress Cruise Lines for Mexican ferry service from Tampa, but was laid up in Norway until being sold for scrap in late 2003, arriving at Alang in January of 2004. She is shown in various views from aboard the SS APOLLO and the tender from Apollo at Alang in February of 2004.

MV MONARCH OF THE SEAS: It is hard to believe that Royal Caribbean's 73,937 gross ton, 2,764 passenger MONARCH OF THE SEAS is now middle aged and considered average sized. When she entered service in 1990 as the second of the SOVEREIGN class trio, she and her sisters were not only the biggest, but the most celebrated and impressive new cruise ships in the world. Their profiles were enhanced by well-proportioned superstructures and sterns reminiscent of the famed NORMANDIE of 1935. Today, the SOVEREIGN ships are half the size of RCI's enhanced VOYAGER class, and, while they have been retrofitted with the company's signature rock climbing walls, are relegated to the modest three and four day party cruise market. MONARCH OF THE SEAS is shown in majestic form departing Los Angeles on a summer afternoon.

MV MSC ARMONIA: The 58,625 gross ton MSC ARMONIA was commissioned in 2001 for now defunct Festival Cruises as the EUROPEAN VISION. Although well designed and appointed, her exterior appearance is considered by many to be rather squared off. The 1,566 passenger EUROPEAN VISION was purchased by the Mediterranean Shipping Company and renamed MSC ARMONIA in 2004. I captured the ARMONIA from the top of the wall at Dubrovnik in a very "1960s-style" zoom and then caught more of her from the ferry to Lokrom as she sat in perfect light at the harbor's anchorage. I concluded my views of her from the bluffs of Corfu the following day as she made a spectacular evening departure.

MV MSC OPERA: It is amazing what the swoop of a skilled architect's pen can do, as evidenced by the Cinderella-like transformation of a EUROPEAN VISION-class ship into the stylish 1,760 passenger MSC OPERA. With her domed funnel, softened bulwarks, and rounded stern, the 2004-built OPERA is one of today's best looking ships, both inside and out. She and her sister, MSC LIRICA, were ordered by Festival Cruises but completed for the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The OPERA can be easily distinguished from the LIRICA by the two, versus one, deck of retrofitted balconies in her midships superstructure. The MSC OPERA is shown at Cayo Leventado, Dominican Republic from her tender (for a moment, you can also see the nearby MSC LIRICA as the two "met" for the first time in the Caribbean). In my next shot of OPERA, she departs Venice in all her glory on a late summer evening from the decks of the DALMACIJA.

MV NEW FLAMENCO: When I first saw the 17,000 gross ton, 736 passenger NEW FLAMENCO way back in December of 1973, she was sailing to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles as P&O Lines' SPIRIT OF LONDON. The 1972-built ship was far too new for my taste at the time, and her sleek, well-balanced lines went under-appreciated until recent years when cruise ships got ever boxy and cumbersome looking. She was laid down for Norwegian Cruise Lines as the SEAWARD, but purchased and completed by P&O, who gave her a tall, slender funnel in lieu of NCL's signature uptakes to become their SPIRIT OF LONDON. When P&O acquired Princess Cruises in 1974, she became the first SUN PRINCESS. In 1989, she was sold to Premier Cruises and renamed STARSHIP MAJESTIC and in 1975 became CTC Cruises' SOUTHERN CROSS. In 1997, she went to Festival Cruises as the FLAMENCO and in 2004 was given the name ELYSIAN FLAMENCO before becoming the NEW FLAMENCO for Spanish-based Elysian Cruises. I filmed NEW FLAMENCO from the top of Vistamar, from the harbor cruise boat, and from the decks of the MONTEREY during two of her afternoon departures from Barcelona in September of 2006. She looked spectacular and made surprisingly good speed as she exited the harbor.

SS NEW ORLEANS: Partially broken at Alang in February of 2004, the 23,819 gross ton 729 passenger NEW ORLEANS was originally Moore McCormack Lines' stylish ARGENTINA of 1958. The enduring ship was also well known for her subsequent careers as Holland America Line's VEENDAM, Monarch Cruise Lines' MONARCH STAR, Bermuda Cruise Line's BERMUDA STAR, and, finally, Commodore Cruise Line's ENCHANTED ISLE. I added another shot or two to the footage I took of NEW ORLEANS in ON THE ROAD TO ALANG and included it here.

MV NORWEGIAN MAJESTY: The 40,876 gross ton NORWEGIAN MAJESTY is shown departing Miami not long after her jumbo-ization in 1999, which saw the addition of a 110 foot midsection that increased her passenger capacity from 1056 to 1462. She was laid down as a ferry for Birka Line but completed as Majesty Cruise Lines' ROYAL MAJESTY in 1992. In 1997, she was sold to Norwegian Cruise Line, taking on her current name. Prior to 9-11, I was granted permission from the Miami Pilots Association to film the departing cruise ships from the Pilot Station and the NORWEGIAN MAJESTY is one of the last ones I was able to shoot from that perfect vantage in 2000.

MV NORWEGIAN SUN: NCL's 78,309 gross ton, 1936 passenger NORWEGIAN SUN was introduced in a gala dual naming ceremony at Miami along with her much larger fleetmate, NORWEGIAN STAR, in November of 2001. In most respects, she is identical to the former NORWEGIAN SKY, now sailing as Norwegian Cruise Line America's PRIDE OF ALOHA. Their design is an evolution of now Carnival-owned Costa Lines' COSTA VICTORIA of 1996. I have a shot of the dual naming ceremony at Miami and some nice arrival footage of the SUN from the REGAL EMPRESS taken in early 2006 at Nassau.

MV OCEAN MONARCH: The OCEAN MONARCH has had one of the longest and most varied careers of any cruise ship afloat. She was built in 1955 as Port Line's refrigerated cargo ship PORT SYDNEY, carrying a mere twelve passengers on her long runs between London and Australia. In 1972, she was purchased by Greek interests for conversion to a ferry, but completed for Carras Cruises as the ultra deluxe DAPHNE in 1975. The DAPHNE featured large, beautifully-appointed cabins, a full wraparound promenade, a spacious, well-laid out lido and large public rooms. In many respects, she and her sister, DANAE, were the answer to Sun Line's splendid STELLA SOLARIS. DAPHNE went on to sail for Costa Lines and became the SWITZERLAND for Leisure Cruises. Today, she operates for Majestic Cruise Lines and partner, Golden Star Cruises on classic Aegean island itineraries from Piraeus. This lovely, 16,000 gross ton, 500 passenger ship is a cherished commodity in an increasingly gentrified cruise world. I filmed the OCEAN MONARCH from her tender at Patmos and on a bright sunny morning as she departed Piraeus in October of 2006.

MV ORIENT QUEEN: Fresh from duty repatriating foreign nationals from war-torn Lebanon, the 15,781 gross ton, 850 passenger ORIENT QUEEN had just been chartered to Louis Cruise Lines when this footage was shot as she overtook the OCEAN MONARCH enroute to Mykonos. She was built in 1968 for Norwegian Cruise Lines as the STARWARD and helped pioneer the Miami-based modern cruise industry. She was sold to Festival Cruises and renamed BOLERO in 1995 and then became Abou Mehri's Beirut-based ORIENT QUEEN in 2005 following an extensive refit that saw the addition of a helipad on her foredecks.

MV PATRIOT: The 33,930 gross ton PATRIOT was built in 1983 for Holland America Line as their third NIEUW AMSTERDAM. In 2000, she was chartered to United States Lines, a division of U.S.-owned American Classic Voyages, for Hawaiian-based cruising under the American flag. Reflagging the ship was a notable achievement enabled only by an act of congress, but due to start up problems and the aftermath of 9-11, the PATRIOT was laid up at Honolulu in September of 2001. She was returned to Holland America Line and chartered to Louis Cruise Lines who subchartered her to British-based Thomson Holidays, for whom she sails today as the 1,374 passenger THOMSON SPIRIT. I drove to the port of Los Angeles (150 miles round trip) four times in one week to capture her maiden departure, only to have each attempt thwarted by the U.S. coast guard as they cited the ship for numerous violations. Finally, in the early evening, backlit by the glow of Terminal Island, she sailed past in the glass-like channel. The footage I got was probably better than the daylight footage I had been hoping for.

MV PRIDE OF HAWAI'I: In the wake of the collapse of American Classic Voyages in 2001, Norwegian Cruise Lines bought the incomplete hull of their newbuilding American ship and, with the help of Hawaiian senator, Daniel Inouye, formed their Norwegian Cruise Lines America division. They launched their new Hawaiian product in 2004 with the reflagging of the NORWEGIAN SKY into PRIDE OF ALOHA and followed in 2005 with the completion of the PRIDE OF AMERICA. The PRIDE OF HAWAI'I was christened at Los Angeles in May of 2006 as the third of the company's ships. If the operation is successful, NCLA have announced their next ship will be a rebuilt SS UNITED STATES. First you see the hula dancers, some rainbow-hued fireboat spray, and Daniel Inouye's christening of the ship at Los Angeles with the breaking champagne bottle, fireworks, and cheers of the crowd, and then I cut to the ship's maiden commercial sailing from Los Angeles two days later as she made her way down the channel in perfect light.

MV PRINCESS DANAE: Portuguese-based Arcalia Shipping's 16,000 gross ton, 670 passenger PRINCESS DANAE can be easily distinguished from her once identical sister, OCEAN MONARCH, by the extended forward superstructure which added cabins in lieu of her forward observation terrace. She was built in 1955 as the PORT MELBOURNE and converted at the same time as her sister into the deluxe DANAE for Carras Cruises. She sailed for Costa and Prestige Cruises until a fire at Genoa nearly destroyed her in 1991. Declared a total constructive loss, she sailed for Greece and was rebuilt as the STARLIGHT EXPRESS and later sailed as BALTICA before being purchased by her current owners in 1996.

As the gorgeous AUSONIA steamed into Santorini on a perfect autumn afternoon, the PRINCESS DANAE freed her lines and slowly left the anchorage in radiant light under that spectacular backdrop.

MV PRINSENDAM: Holland America Line's "ultra deluxe global voyager" PRINSENDAM was built in 1988 as Royal Viking Line's final ship, the ROYAL VIKING SUN. The ROYAL VIKING SUN joined the Cunard Line fleet in 1994 and Seabourn in 1999, becoming the SEABOURN SUN. In 2002, she was transferred yet again within the Carnival-owned fleet to Holland America Line, who gave her a significant refit and restyling as their second PRINSENDAM. She measures 37,845 gross tons and carries 766 passengers. She is shown departing Rhodes on a very windy afternoon from the stern of the AUSONIA.

RMS QUEEN MARY 2 (Cover Girl): I was one of dozens of lucky media people gathered on a press boat Cunard had chartered to greet their new flagship, QUEEN MARY 2, as she visited New York for the very first time in April of 2004. Heightened security kept the waters around the QUEEN devoid of the armadas of small craft that greeted her ancestors on their maiden arrivals. She paused at the Statue of Liberty and gave a whistle salute that was sadly drowned out by the clattering of our craft's struggling diesels. Nonetheless, it was a thrill to follow her between the water-spraying tugs up the Hudson to her Manhattan berth. Helicopters hovered and thousands of onlookers lined the harbor banks to get their first look. The QUEEN MARY 2 is a massive 148,528 gross tons but was only the largest passenger ship in the world for two years before the advent of Royal Caribbean's 158,000 gross ton FREEDOM OF THE SEAS in 2006. Unlike the FREEDOM, however, the MARY was built to cross the oceans and carries a mere 2,600 versus the FREEDOM's 3,600 passengers.

MB QUEEN OF THE WEST: Majestic America Cruise Lines' hydraulically powered 1995-built QUEEN OF THE WEST is actually propelled by her large sternwheel, just like the great paddle steamers of the past. The Portland, Oregon-based 3,707 gross ton QUEEN carries 150 passengers on four decks and cruises the scenic Columbia and Snake Rivers year-round. I captured the inbound QUEEN from the little WILDERNESS DISCOVERER at Portland, Oregon in May of 2003 and, again, later that week at Astoria.

SS SALONA: SALONA, an Indian word for beauty, was the final delivery name of this once proud Cunard liner. Built by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland in 1955, the IVERNIA was the second of four intermediate ships commissioned for Cunard's Liverpool to Montreal run. In 1963, she was converted for cruising as the stylish FRANCONIA, operating mainly on New York to Bermuda and Caribbean service. In 1973, she was purchased by the Soviet-owned Black Sea Shipping Company and renamed FEDOR SHALYAPIN for Australian emigrant service and worldwide cruising. Very little was done to alter the ship in her Soviet and, later, Ukrainian years. The 22,637 gross ton, 850 passenger liner was laid up at Iliychevsk in 1994 and, ultimately sold for scrap in late 2003. This footage, also contained in ON THE ROAD TO ALANG, was shot within days of her arrival in February of 2004.

MV SEA DREAM I at Corfu, 29 September 2004: The 4,253 gross ton SEA DREAM I was built as the exceptionally deluxe, yacht like SEA GODDESS I in 1984. This exclusive little ship was considered the ultimate luxury cruise vessel, offering a lifestyle of champagne, fine dining, and caviar to 116 pampered guests. Sea Goddess Cruises was taken over by Cunard Line, which was ultimately purchased by Carnival, who transferred the SEA GODDESS twins to their Seabourn division in 2000, before selling them in 2001 to newly formed Seadream Yacht Club. I caught the SEA DREAM I departing Corfu as I returned from my shore excursion to the lovely AUSONIA.

MV SEAWING: The 16,607 gross ton, 830 passenger SEAWING is captured in her latter day My Travel livery off the coast of Rhodes from the MV ATALANTE a few short months before being acquired by Louis Cruise Lines, for whom she now sails as PERLA. The SEAWING was built in 1971 as Norwegian Cruise Line's SOUTHWARD and was sold to Airtours in 1995, becoming the SEAWING. Aside from her raked back funnel uptakes, she is identical to the NEW FLAMENCO, seen earlier in this video.

MV ST. TROPEZ: The 1600 passenger, 8,500 gross ton ST TROPEZ returns to this video in her tenth incarnation, this time as a Ft. Lauderdale-based gaming ship. Her owners, St Tropez Casino Cruises, provided a free cruise to nowhere and even a buffet style lunch to lure local gamblers on board, but the company closed down in 2005. The ST. TROPEZ began her life as Hellenic Mediterranean Lines' CASTALIA in 1974. She has since been sold to Bahamian owners who have renamed her CASINO ROYALE. In three different day's worth of takes, the ST. TROPEZ is shown at Ft. Lauderdale and pitching through some rather rough swells off the Florida coast.

MV TDI KARADENIZ: Turkish Maritime Lines' 180 passenger TDI KARADENIZ was named for the Black Sea. A coastal liner and cruise ship, she was built in 1997 and measures 3,326 gross tons. In 2005, she was sold to Blue Dream Shipping of Malta and renamed DREAM. I captured a few brief seconds of this interesting little ship at Rhodes during my visit aboard AUSONIA in 2004.

MV THE JASMINE: The 490 passenger, 12,673 gross ton THE JASMINE was built in 1981 as the LEV TOLSTOY, one of six dual ferry/cruise ships for the Black Sea Shipping Company. She is shown here at Perama ready to undergo a refit for Israel-based Mano Cruises in 2001. In 2006, she was sold to Jordanian owners and renamed FARAH.

MV TRITON: The TRITON returns in her Royal Olympic Cruises' blue hull livery. She was built in 1971 as the CUNARD ADVENTURER and later sailed for Norwegian Cruise Line as the second SUNWARD. In 1991, the 14,151 gross ton 832 passenger ship was sold to Epirotiki Cruises who renamed her TRITON. In 1995, she was transferred to Royal Olympic Cruises and, following their bankruptcy, was sold to Louis Cruise Lines in 2005 and renamed CORAL. She is shown at her berth in Rhodes in 2004.

SS UNIVERSE EXPLORER: In perfect conditions, I captured the ship's arrival from the west side of the Lions' Gate Bridge in Vancouver, at her berth, and upon her afternoon departure from underneath the bridge. The 23,372 gross ton UNIVERSE EXPLORER joins her sister NEW ORLEANS in this volume for a sisterly swan song. This wonderful, enduring liner was built in 1958 as the BRASIL for Moore Mc Cormack Lines' New York to Buenos Aires service. In 1969, she was laid up at Baltimore and eventually purchased by Holland America Line, who refitted and renamed her VOLENDAM. In 1975, she became the MONARCH SUN for Holland America's Monarch Cruise Line subsidiary and in 1978 returned to Holland America as the VOLENDAM. In 1984, she became the Quebec-based hotel ship ISLAND SUN, and then in 1985, was sold to American Hawaii Cruises, who refitted her for a short lived Tahiti-based service as the LIBERTE. Bermuda Star Line purchased the 726 passenger ship and renamed her CANADA STAR and then QUEEN OF BERMUDA. In 1990, she went to Commodore Cruise Line and became their ENCHANTED SEAS. In late 1995, she was chartered to World Explorer Cruises and renamed UNIVERSE EXPLORER, doubling as a world cruising campus and summertime Alaskan cruise ship. Tragedy struck in July of 1996 when a fire in her laundry killed five crew members and injured 77 passengers. She was repaired and returned to service until being laid up in 2003. After this final footage of her at a Portland shipyard was taken, she sailed to Hong Kong for a refit, but it was determined that repairs were cost prohibitive. She arrived at Alang for scrapping in December of 2004 under the name UNIVERSE, a year after her sister met the same fate.

MV VISTAMAR: The 330 passenger VISTAMAR was built in Spain in 1989. Primarily marketed in Germany through Plantours, she measures 7,489 gross tons and sails on worldwide itineraries with a recent focus on Mediterranean and Indian Ocean cruises. I filmed VISTAMAR at Piraeus during my cruise aboard ATALANTE in 2003.

MV VOYAGER OF THE SEAS: The 137,276 gross ton, 3,138 passenger VOYAGER OF THE SEAS is the first of a quintet of massive Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's ships that includes the EXPLORER, ADVENTURE, NAVIGATOR, and MARINER OF THE SEAS. By far the world's largest passenger ship afloat when she debuted in 1999, she and her sisters would ultimately relinquish that title to the QM2 in 2004, but Royal Caribbean soon reclaimed the honors in 2006 with their 158,000 gross ton FREEDOM OF THE SEAS. The VOYAGER and FREEDOM class ships are inspired by Baltic superferries that featured long mall-like galleries in their center lined with banks of inward-facing cabins. Among their amenities are the company's signature rock climbing wall as well as ice skating rinks, wedding chapels, and multilevel dining rooms. My first footage of the VOYAGER OF THE SEAS is while she lay alongside at Nassau from the arriving REGAL EMPRESS with huge waves smashing into the harbor breakwater. Then, later that same day, I captured VOYAGER departing Nassau in brilliant light.

MV WESTERDAM: The WESTERDAM is the third of Holland America's quartet of Vista Class ships, whose hulls are identical to parent company Carnival Cruise Line's SPIRIT CLASS, Costa's ATLANTICA and MEDITERRANEA, P&O's ARCADIA, and Cunard's newbuilding QUEEN VICTORIA. The WESTERDAM is the third ship in Holland America Line's history to carry the name, measures 81,811 gross tons and carries 1,848 passengers. She and her sisters are the first major cruise ships to feature two functioning funnels since Italian Line's MICHELANGELO and RAFFAELLO of 1965. WESTERDAM is shown at her Half Moon Cay anchorage during her inaugural U.S. cruise and upon her twilight Ft. Lauderdale maiden departure in December of 2004.

MV WILDERNESS DISCOVERER: Glacier Bay Cruiselines' 683 gross ton "sports utility vessel" WILDERNESS DISCOVERER carried 86 passengers to remote locales ranging from off-the-beaten-track hamlets in Alaska and along the Columbia and Snake Rivers to the Sea of Cortez. The DISCOVERER was originally the Luther Blount-built MAYAN PRINCE of 1992. She and her small fleetmates offered an informal, adventure-style product that included onboard naturalists, guided hikes, kayaking, and snorkeling. Glacier Bay Cruiseline ceased regular operations in late 2005 and all of their ships are presently laid up. I was able to get some lovely footage of the little DISCOVERER from the bluffs of the La Palouse River in eastern Washington state, and some great zodiac footage of her at anchor that same morning. I also include her Portland departure as seen from the balcony of an adjacent hotel.

MV WIND SPIRIT: Carnival-owned Holland America Line's Windstar Cruises subdivision's striking 5,736 gross ton WIND SPIRIT was built in 1988 as the third member of the WIND STAR trio of ships. These 148 passenger vessels are powered by both wind and diesels. With a touch of a button, their four towering masts can be fully rigged within two minutes. Life on board is casual yet elegant as the WIND SPIRIT winters in the Caribbean and spends the summer and fall cruising the Mediterranean. The WIND SPIRIT is shown making a dramatic departure from Santorini fully rigged as she passed the incoming AUSONIA in 2004.

Peter Knego, 11 November 2006

Click here for THE WORLD's PASSENGER FLEET Volume 6, Volume 7, Volume 8, or On the Road to Alang.

Click here to download ordering information for all Videos.

The video order form is in PDF format. To open it, you may need Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free from Adobe's Web site.