MV Boudicca
Encyclopedia
MV Boudicca is a cruise ship
owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
. She was built in 1973 by Wärtsilä
Hietalahti shipyard
in Helsinki
, Finland as Royal Viking Sky for Nordenfjeldske Dampsibsselskap, Trondheim, who placed the ship in Royal Viking Line
service. Prior to entering service with her current owners, the ship has also sailed under the named Sunward (for Norwegian Cruise Line
), Birka Queen (with Birka Cruises), Golden Princess (with Princess Cruises
), SuperStar Capricorn (with Star Cruises
), Hyundai Keumgang (with Hyundai Merchant Marine
) and Grand Latino (with Iberojet
).
Hietalahti shipyard
in Helsinki
, Finland. She was one of three near-identical ships ordered by different companies from for Royal Viking Line
service. Her sister ships were Royal Viking Star, owned by ergenske Dampsibsselskap, Bergen], and Royal Viking Sea, owned by F Klaveness & Co, Oslo]. The Royal Viking Sky was launched from drydock on 25 May 1972 and delivered to her owners on 5 June 1973.
, West Germany
. In 1984 Kloster Cruise acquired the entirety of Royal Viking Line. Subsequently in 1991 Royal Viking Sky was transferred to the fleet of Norwegian Cruise Line
(also owned by Kloster) under the name Sunward. Already in 1992 the Sunward was sold to Birka Cruise, who renamed the ship Birka Queen for Baltic Sea
cruising. Her career with Birka only lasted for the 1992 northern hemisphere
summer season, and in late 1992 was chartered back to NCL, reverting to the name Sunward. In 1993 the ship was chartered to Princess Cruises
, becoming their Golden Princess. Following delivery of newer tonnage to Princess Cruises, the company terminated the charter of the Golden Princess. Subsequently Birka Cruises sold the ship to Star Cruises
, who renamed her SuperStar Capricorn.
In 1998 the SuperStar Capricorn was chartered by Star Cruises to Hyundai Merchant Marine
, who renamed the ship Hyundai Keumgang for cruises from South Korea to North Korea. Huyndai's cruise operations failed already in 2001, and the Hyundai Keumgang was returned to Star Cruises and resumed service under the name SuperStar Capricorn. In 2004 the ship was sold to Iberojet
, who renamed her Grand Latino for Mediterranean cruising out of Spain. In 2005 the ship was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
and renamed Boudicca. Following changing of her main engines at the Blohm + Voss
shipyard in Hamburg
, Germany, the ship entered service with Fred. Olsen in February 2006.
In March 2010, the ship was relocated to its new base in Liverpool
, England
, where it has replaced the MV Black Prince, which was also owned by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
The Lido Lounge, an alternative show lounge for cabaret-style performances, is aft on Deck 7, Lido Deck. Also on this deck are the card room and library, as well as cabins placed centrally and for'ard.
The Observatory is for'ard on Deck 9, Marquee Deck, with its own bar; it provides excellent views. The Marquee Bar and a smaller pool are aft, with suites between the two. Above lies the Sun Deck, Deck 10.
The shop, reception and shore tours office are in the centre of Deck 5, Main Deck, and Atlantic Deck 4 contains the fitness centre and beauty salon.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a UK based, Norwegian-owned cruise shipping line with four cruise ships. The company headquarters are in Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom and is owned by Bonheur and Ganger Rolf. The company is part of the Fred...
. She was built in 1973 by Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. It is operated by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, a joint venture between STX Finland Cruise Oy and United Shipbuilding Corporation....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland as Royal Viking Sky for Nordenfjeldske Dampsibsselskap, Trondheim, who placed the ship in Royal Viking Line
Royal Viking Line
The Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.- History :...
service. Prior to entering service with her current owners, the ship has also sailed under the named Sunward (for Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
), Birka Queen (with Birka Cruises), Golden Princess (with Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
), SuperStar Capricorn (with Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
), Hyundai Keumgang (with Hyundai Merchant Marine
Hyundai Merchant Marine
Hyundai Merchant Marine is a South Korean logistics company providing worldwide container shipping services. It was established in 1976 as Asia Merchant Marine...
) and Grand Latino (with Iberojet
Iberojet
Iberojet is a Spanish holiday company, and a constituent of the Orizonia Corporation.-Overview:Iberojet is a wholesale travel company, providing a range of services, most notably air travel. The company's key services are holidays within Spain, the wider European continent and the Mediterranean,...
).
Concept and construction
Royal Viking Sky was ordered by [Nordenfjeldske Dampsibsselskap, Trondheim] from the WärtsiläWärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. It is operated by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, a joint venture between STX Finland Cruise Oy and United Shipbuilding Corporation....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland. She was one of three near-identical ships ordered by different companies from for Royal Viking Line
Royal Viking Line
The Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.- History :...
service. Her sister ships were Royal Viking Star, owned by ergenske Dampsibsselskap, Bergen], and Royal Viking Sea, owned by F Klaveness & Co, Oslo]. The Royal Viking Sky was launched from drydock on 25 May 1972 and delivered to her owners on 5 June 1973.
Service history
Following delivery to Kloster/Royal Viking the Royal Viking Sky was used for luxury cruises around the world. In 1982 she was lengthened from 177.7 metre to 205.47 metre at the A.G. Weser shipyard in BremerhavenBremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. In 1984 Kloster Cruise acquired the entirety of Royal Viking Line. Subsequently in 1991 Royal Viking Sky was transferred to the fleet of Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
(also owned by Kloster) under the name Sunward. Already in 1992 the Sunward was sold to Birka Cruise, who renamed the ship Birka Queen for Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
cruising. Her career with Birka only lasted for the 1992 northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
summer season, and in late 1992 was chartered back to NCL, reverting to the name Sunward. In 1993 the ship was chartered to Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
, becoming their Golden Princess. Following delivery of newer tonnage to Princess Cruises, the company terminated the charter of the Golden Princess. Subsequently Birka Cruises sold the ship to Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
, who renamed her SuperStar Capricorn.
In 1998 the SuperStar Capricorn was chartered by Star Cruises to Hyundai Merchant Marine
Hyundai Merchant Marine
Hyundai Merchant Marine is a South Korean logistics company providing worldwide container shipping services. It was established in 1976 as Asia Merchant Marine...
, who renamed the ship Hyundai Keumgang for cruises from South Korea to North Korea. Huyndai's cruise operations failed already in 2001, and the Hyundai Keumgang was returned to Star Cruises and resumed service under the name SuperStar Capricorn. In 2004 the ship was sold to Iberojet
Iberojet
Iberojet is a Spanish holiday company, and a constituent of the Orizonia Corporation.-Overview:Iberojet is a wholesale travel company, providing a range of services, most notably air travel. The company's key services are holidays within Spain, the wider European continent and the Mediterranean,...
, who renamed her Grand Latino for Mediterranean cruising out of Spain. In 2005 the ship was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a UK based, Norwegian-owned cruise shipping line with four cruise ships. The company headquarters are in Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom and is owned by Bonheur and Ganger Rolf. The company is part of the Fred...
and renamed Boudicca. Following changing of her main engines at the Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
shipyard 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, the ship entered service with Fred. Olsen in February 2006.
In March 2010, the ship was relocated to its new base in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where it has replaced the MV Black Prince, which was also owned by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Public spaces
The 3 formal restaurants, Heligan Room and Tintagel Restaurant to starboard and Four Seasons Restaurant to port, are for'ard on Deck 6, the Lounge Deck. There is a common buffet servery for breakfast and lunch. There is also an informal, buffet restaurant amidships, the Secret Garden. The main show lounge, the Neptune Lounge, sits aft and contains a stage and dance floor. In the daytime this lounge is used for lectures. Between the Neptune Lounge and the various Restaurants are lounges and bars for reading and conversation. Finally, right at the back there is open outside decking and the main swimming pool, plus a poolside buffet which is used when weather permits.The Lido Lounge, an alternative show lounge for cabaret-style performances, is aft on Deck 7, Lido Deck. Also on this deck are the card room and library, as well as cabins placed centrally and for'ard.
The Observatory is for'ard on Deck 9, Marquee Deck, with its own bar; it provides excellent views. The Marquee Bar and a smaller pool are aft, with suites between the two. Above lies the Sun Deck, Deck 10.
The shop, reception and shore tours office are in the centre of Deck 5, Main Deck, and Atlantic Deck 4 contains the fitness centre and beauty salon.