There’s a good chance that one of the cruise ships you’ve loved being aboard in the past won’t be sailing when the global cruise lockdown ends. More than two dozen well-known ships from the major cruise lines are showing up with for sale signs on cruise brokers’ websites and several have already been consigned to the scrap yard.
That means if you’ve got $100-million or so to play with, you could even start your own cruise line with a one-owner ship that’s been beautifully maintained.
The harsh reality is that with cruise lines bleeding millions a month in a continuing worldwide shutdown, selling older ships can bring in needed cash. Any cruise ship more than 20 years old in a big fleet is at risk of being left at the dock when cruising resumes. Older ships are less fuel efficient and carry far fewer guests than more modern ships, which will make them less profitable–because it’s likely ships won’t be able to sail at full capacity until the coronavirus threat is eliminated.
Carnival Corp. has confirmed it’s planning to axe as many as 18 ships from its combined fleets in 2020. The other major lines are also putting aging vessels up for bids on ship broker websites. Two Carnival Cruises ships and Costa Victoria, are headed to the scrap yards and two former Royal Caribbean giants are already being cut up. The rumor mills have been buzzing about other well-known ships about to sail into the sunset.
Here are the ships cruise insiders consider most likely to be left adrift:
Elation, Fantasy, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration
Christened in 1990, Carnival Fantasy is the oldest ship in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, and the first of eight ships in a 25-year-old class that, while innovative at the time, are half the size of more current Carnival ships. They’re also less energy-efficient and have few of the balcony cabins that are in demand today. Fantasy and sister ship Carnival Inspiration built in 1996, have been stripped of valuable parts and are being cut up for scrap in Izmir, Turkey.
Carnival Elation that debuted in 1998, is showing up on pre-owned cruise ship sites. Carnival Fascination (1994) and Carnival Imagination (1995) are now for sale as well after being moved to a long-term lay-up status.
Empress of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s oldest ship—called Nordic Empress when it launched in 1990– had already been transferred to a new owner in 2016 when it was brought back because at 1,600 passengers it was an ideal sized ship to start service between Florida and Cuba. When U.S. restrictions halted Cuba sailing, the ship that’s a fifth the size of the line’s Oasis Class vessels again became expendable.
Grandeur and Rhapsody of the Seas
Dating to 1996, Grandeur is the third oldest of Royal Caribbean’s 26 ships, and it was already scheduled to leave the line’s fleet and join Pullmantur in 2021. With that line now insolvent, it’s not clear what the next step might be. Two sister ships in the Vision Class, Splendour of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, have already become part of British line Marella Cruises.
That leaves another Vision Class ship in RCL’s fleet, Rhapsody of the Seas, dating to 1997. It’s showing up on ship broker sites with an asking price of about $150-million, but insiders say the price could be as low as $85-million to a motivated buyer.
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maasdam, Veendam
Holland America, oldest and smallest ship, the Maasdam, had been listed for sale on ship broker sites and the price was “best offer.” Christened in 1993, it’s now 27 years old.
Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium Class
With the arrival of Celebrity’s second Edge Class ship, Celebrity Apex, just before the lockdown, the line is rumored to be looking to offload older ships. Two Celebrity Millennium Class ships have appeared on marine brokers sites in recent months for prices of about $350-million. That was their cost to built 20 years ago, but the ships have recently received $70-million in upgrades. While the ships for sale are unnamed, they are likely the Millennium and Constellation according to industry watchers. Two other ships from the Millennium Class, Summit and Infinity, are also nearing the 20-year-old mark
Costa Victoria and neoRomantica
Unveiled in 1996, the Victoria is one of Costa Cruise’s oldest ships and the vessel has been moved to an Italian shipyard to house workers. While Carnival hasn’t confirmed it, its fate seems to have been sealed when CNN reported the mayor the town of Piombino, Francesco Ferrari, announced on Facebook that the ship had arrived there to be prepared for demolition.
Meanwhile, the Costa neoRomantica, built in 1993 has been sold to Celestyal Cruises, which specializes in Greek Islands itineraries. It was the oldest and smallest in the Costa fleet and was last renovated in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Costa Mediterranea from 2003, is slated to be transferred to a Carnival Corp.-affiliated Chinese cruise company in 2021.
Sovereign, Monarch and Horizon
The insolvency of Pullmantur Cruzierios, a Spanish line 49 per cent owned by Royal Caribbean left three well-known ships with no place to go but the scrap yard. Sovereign—which started life as Sovereign of the Sea and was the world’s largest cruise ship when it was built in 1987 has joined sister ship Monarch of the Seas at a scrap yard in Turkey. The former Celebrity Cruises ship Celebrity Horizon was also part of the bankrupt fleet. Pullmantur had already removed a fourth ship from its fleet, the former Celebrity Zenith, in January.
Royal Caribbean hasn’t commented, but the Cruise Law News blog reports workers in Naples have stripped valuables off the Sovereign and Monarch. The blog cited unidentified crew members who do not wish to be identified saying “everything of value” is being removed from the ships, including artwork and navigational and electrical equipment. Monarch is reported to be anchored off the coast of Turkey waiting to be scrapped.
Pacific Princess and Sun Princess
Princess Cruises hasn’t commented on ships that might be on the market, but Pacific Princess has always been an anomaly in the Princess fleet because it carries just 680 passengers at double occupancy — less than a quarter of the capacity of the newest Princess ships. Built in the late 1990s for long-defunct Renaissance Cruises, it’s a sister to seven other vessels that now form the core of the fleets of Oceania Cruises and Azamara, who might be ready buyers.
Two other Princess vessels that might be targets in a downsizing of the fleet are the two remaining Sun Class ships: Sun Princess and Sea Princess. Unveiled in 1995 and 1998, they’re the oldest ships in the Princess fleet and relatively small, carrying 1,990 passengers at double occupancy.
Celestyal Olympia (ex: Song of America)
Originally built for Royal Caribbean as Song of America, this 38-year old ship is another one listed for sale on several ship broker sites. It debuted in 1982 and the age of 38 and the mileage make it a prime candidate for retirement, especially with the company adding the Costa neoRomantica to its fleet.
Marella Celebration (ex: Noordam)
Marella Cruises has already announced its oldest ship, the 1,262-passenger Marella Celebration will not sail after the pandemic shutdown. It was built for Holland America in 1984 as the third ship to bear the name Noordam, leaving the HAL fleet in 2006. There’s no word on whether the ship is on the market to another cruise line or is due to be scrapped.
Marella Dream is another ship that formerly sailed for Holland America that’s endangered. It dates to 1986, when as the first cruise ship built by Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard, it was launched as the Homeric for the soon-to- be defunct Home Lines. In 1988, it was renamed as the second HAL Westerdam. At the age of 34, its days are numbered.
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