In the news this week was the fire on board the former Cunard Countess, which was laid up at Chalkis in Greece under the name Ocean Countess. A fire on board an empty ship is not as big a disaster as a fire on board a fully laden one, but it can often be the end of a career for the ship.
Generic postcard of one of the sisters under Cunard
I have not sailed on this particular vessel, but did do a short cruise on her sister ship Cunard Princess when she was operating as Rhapsody for MSC in 1996, and I do recall that the ship did not really do much for me. She wasn’t really spectacular, but wasn’t a tub either, Its just that she was forgettable.
At one point a decision will be made as to the disposition of the vessel, and I would not be surprised if she isn’t declared a constructive total loss, which is really a death warrant for most ageing cruise ships. The irony is that when Royal Olympia went under she was in South Africa, and ended up under arrest in Durban.
DRW © 2013-2019. Images recreated 15/04/2016