Photos: Vacant Cruise Ships Moored Around World Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Table Of Content

• Carnival Fascination
• I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise
• Where Are Some of the Most Famous Abandoned Cruise Ships?
• From left to right, they are: the Queen Mary 2, Aurora, Arcadia, Britannia, Azura, and the Queen Victoria.
• Is it Legal to Explore Abandoned Cruise Ships?
• Where do cruise ships go?
• Cruise passengers shuttled into Venice by motor boat to dodge big ships ban

As we discussed, decommissioned and wrecked cruise ships still retain incredible value, especially to scrapping companies. The vessel was eventually sold in 1971, along with three sister ships named City of Port Elizabeth, City of Exeter and City of Durban. Under the new name of Mediterranean Sky, she was fitted out to become more of a passenger vessel. She operated her final sailing in 1996, but eventually started to list during lay-up. In these cases, any equipment or components deemed of significant value would be dismantled on-site, but the bulk of the ship would remain behind.

Carnival Fascination

Finally, in 2023, a plan was announced to restore the SS United States by RXR Realty and MCR Hotels. The plan is for the ship to hold 1,000 rooms onboard, along with a restaurant and a range of features that guests can enjoy. The plan also includes the SS United States being permanently moored in New York City. On Royal Caribbean’s ships built throughout the 1990s, these nightclubs each had their own name, such as The Crypt and The Labyrinth. Unsurprisingly, environmental concerns were raised about how long the golf balls stayed in the ocean. Unfortunately, most golf balls were not biodegradable and the ones that were more eco-friendly were quite expensive.

I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise

Next are listed some of the Alang-dismantled cruise ships and (converted) classic ocean liners. The largest cruise ship scrap yard is in Alang, India, and it recycles more than 50 percent of the world's abandoned and decommissioned cruise ships. Not only will we explain how these once bustling ships end up getting abandoned, but we will also highlight where some of the world’s most famous abandoned cruise ships and wreckage sites are.

Where Are Some of the Most Famous Abandoned Cruise Ships?

Many ports have turned ships away, fearing they will bring new cases of the virus. The collapse of Indian line Jalesh Cruises in October also led to the scrapping of its only ship, a former Princess vessel. And the former Carnival ship Tropicale, which most recently was sailing for Peace Boat, also has gone to the scrappers. Like the Pacific Dawn, Pacific Aria had been scheduled to be transferred to British line Cruise & Maritime Voyages. Longtime Princess fans will remember Oceana as the Princess ship Ocean Princess.

Garden City couple claims cruise line abandoned them on African island - WLBT

Garden City couple claims cruise line abandoned them on African island.

Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Unfortunately, entering the Galaxy cruise ship is strictly prohibited and the fine amounts to 3000 baht. Now it is the turn of the Queen Elizabeth 2, arguably the last of the great transatlantic liners until she was taken out of service by Cunard in 2008, made irrelevant and uneconomic by the jumbo jet and the cruise ship. Originally ordered by long-defunct Sitmar Cruises, this 2,016-passenger ship began life sailing for Princess after Princess bought Sitmar. It initially sailed as the Regal Princess and was part of the original Crown Class designed by legendary Italian architect Renzo Piano.

Costa Mediterranea

As we will discuss, in some instances, the decision is made to leave the cruise ship where it is, as it could make more financial sense to convert it into a floating hotel, entertainment venue, or tourist destination. Given how valuable full-size cruise ships are, regardless of their age and condition, you might wonder why they would ever sit abandoned rather than being taken for recycling at a ship scrapping yard. Eventually, this cruise ship activity was abandoned as more exciting things to do onboard emerged; eventually, the magic of hitting golf balls into the ocean was replaced with onboard golf simulators. When cruising had a more traditional approach, guests could dine at limited times and venues.

One deacquisitioned vessel -- Princess's Sun Princess -- is destined for an even more unusual future. It has been sold to a Japan-based non-government organization (NGO) that runs educational programs designed to promote peace around the world. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Since the ship was decommissioned so suddenly, the interior was hardly touched.

Its new owners, a China-based company, plan to use it to start a new China-based cruise line for domestic cruising. Unveiled in 1995, the 2,000-passenger Sun Princess was the oldest vessel in the Princess fleet and -- at 77,000 tons -- one of the smallest, too. Like Maasdam, Veendam had a lot of fans at Holland America due to its intimate size.

Cruise passengers shuttled into Venice by motor boat to dodge big ships ban

In all, the brand has lost four ships over the past year -- nearly a third of the vessels it operated at the start of 2020. Carnival Inspiration carried 2,056 passengers, based on double occupancy, and measured about 70,000 tons. One bright spot in all the downsizing for cruise fans is that not all cruise companies have been shedding ships. Among major lines resisting the trend to downsizing -- at least so far -- are Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea and Celebrity Cruises.

Another option is to use retired cruise ships as popular tourist attractions. While we may never know the mysteries of the Titanic, one of the most famous cruise liners of all time, we can get an inside look at other ships like the Queen Mary. With tours and attractions and various dining options available, you’re able to learn more about Queen Mary’s history and learn fun facts, like how the building of this ship was a technological achievement. Unveiled in 1996, this 1,928-passenger vessel was one of the first ships to face the scrappers as cruise lines began cutting vessels in 2020. It was only 23 years old at the time, which was unusually young for a modern-day cruise ship to be scrapped.

This abandoned cruise ship activity is a welcomed change for passenger comfort and onboard safety. Cruising was once considered a fairly posh, traditional and exclusive experience. The most infamous cruise ship, of course, is the Titanic, which was pretty revolutionary for its time. The ocean liner had an impressive design that featured pools, restaurants and onboard activities. Sailing for Royal Caribbean since 1992, Majesty of the Seas was the second-oldest ship in the line's fleet.

The captain of one of the cruise ships parked off the Dorset coast has even started to wave back at his tours using what he describes as a six-foot-long hand made of plywood. Although we couldn’t enter the Galaxy cruise ship itself, we’d still found this place super fascinating. Originally built as the ocean liner Aleksandr Pushkin in 1965, the Marco Polo was one of the oldest ocean liners still sailing until 2020. The collapse of British line Cruise & Maritime Voyages also has led to the scrapping of several ships -- specifically Columbus, Magellan, Astor and Marco Polo. Columbus originally sailed as Princess's Star Princess, and Magellan sailed as Carnival's Holiday. Royal Caribbean's oldest ship was increasingly an outlier in the line's fleet, which is increasingly dominated by giant mega-ships that are chock full of amusements.

It also was the line's only remaining Sovereign Class vessel -- the Sovereign Class is an iconic series of ships that helped revolutionize the cruise industry. Two other Sovereign Class vessels that originally sailed for Royal Caribbean were transferred years ago to Royal Caribbean-affiliated Pullmantur. Thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 cruise industry shutdown, several cruise lines sold off some of their oldest hardware in an effort to eliminate costly upkeep on vessels that had been in service for decades. What was meant to be one of the world’s largest cruise ships is being prepared for its maiden voyage – to a scrapyard. Photos of cruise ships being dismantled into scrap metal at bustling shipbreaking yards around the world illustrate just how deeply the cruise industry is hurting right now.

Of the survivors, perhaps the greatest and saddest is the SS United States. Built in 1950, the liner was the fastest ever built, capturing the coveted Blue Riband for the swiftest Atlantic crossing in both directions during her maiden voyage in 1952. The same fate met the P&O liner Canberra, which featured in a memorable scene in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, and served with distinction as a troop ship in the 1982 Falklands War, as did the QE2. The Queen Mary was eventually declared a hazard to shipping and broken up where she lay. The Queen Elizabeth, the forerunner of the QE2, also taken out of service in 1967, passed through a series of buyers until ending up in the hands of a Hong Kong businessman, who announced the ship would become a floating university.

So I guess it’s left to everybody’s own imagination which only adds to the mysterious vibe of this place. Norwegian Cruises says it has "significant doubt" about its finances, and Carnival, the world's largest cruise operator, has laid off workers and slashed salaries. Those two factors made it an outlier in the Costa fleet and a prime target during the line's recent downsizing. The 2,600-passenger Golden Princess was one of a long line of Grand Class vessels at Princess that helped define the brand over the past two decades. Even after its departure (and the departure of the Star Princess; see below), the Grand Class vessels still represent the majority of the Princess fleet.