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The 1800-passenger ship Island Escape was sold by Thomson Cruises to Cruise Holdings Inc (a consortium of South Florida-based investors) in December 2015. Island Escape was drydock-refurbished at Damen Shiprepair Brest (France)/shipyard then renamed "Ocean Gala". US Shipbrokers managed the vessel's sale in 2015 and became its commercial management firm. Island Cruises was a cruise line that was founded as a joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and First Choice Travel PLC, each of whom owned 50% of the company.[1] The company operated in Europe, the Caribbean, and South America, aiming its products primarily at markets in the United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina.[2] First Choice was later acquired by TUI Travel.
Island Escape yacht
She was built in 1982 by Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Scandinavian World Cruises (a subsidiary of DFDS) as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia. At the time of her construction, she was the largest cruiseferry in the world.[citation needed] After being withdrawn from Scandinavian World Cruises, she briefly sailed for DFDS Seaways. Between 1985 and 1990, she sailed for Sundance Cruises and Admiral Cruises as MS Stardancer.
Island Escape Deck Plans
She is also capable of carrying up to 14 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience. The cruise ship was the last drydock refurbished at the Damen shipyard (Brest France) in December 2015. Then was immediately chartered and deployed in Scandinavia (Kristiansand, Norway) to serve as a floating hotel for social workers involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. When MS Scandinavia was launched in 1982, she was one of the world's largest passenger ships, and cruising out of homeport NYC New York to The Bahamas. Since 2002, the renamed ship (MS Island Escape) was deployed in the Mediterranean (during summers) and in South America (in the winters). Most of the money was owed to customers who prepaid in 2022 for several 12-day Kimberly voyages (scheduled for 2023) which were eventually canceled.
Photos of Ocean Gala
Fun fact is, that in 2002, Island Escape was featured in a UK TV mini-series documentary. In 10 episodes, it showed the working lives of some of the crew, giving an insight into what it is like working on a cruise ship. Island Escape staterooms (768 total) ranged from Standard Inside and Outside triple and quad cabins (fitted with twin single beds and bunks) to Outside Premier (bigger than standard, with table, chair, sofabed), Outside Deluxe (larger than the Premiers), Balcony (with a mini-fridge).
Watersports equipment (water toys/kayaks and paddle boards), snorkeling and fishing gear are also provided complimentary. The 1982-built MS Ocean Gala cruise ship (best known as "MS Island Escape") was constructed by Dubigeon Normandie SA (Nantes France) as the world's biggest cruiseferry at the time. After several drydock conversions, the vessel was last rebuilt to passenger capacity 1760 (plus 540 crew). Ocean Gala was scrapped in April 2018 in Alang (India), after being laid up for several months in Port Khalifa (Abu Dhabi UAE). On Day 11, from Milford Sound is complimentary provided a helicopter transfer to Queenstown. Island Escape's Fiordland experience also features daily Zodiac tours led by an experienced local tour guide.
Island Escape Cruises deals are inclusive of all the onboard food and beverages (spirits, wines, beers and champagne by the glass, soda, bottled water, brand teas/coffees), unlimited Wi-Fi, all daily activities (entertainment, boat tours, etc), helicopter transfers (shore-ship-shore). In February 2016, Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) announced it was close to signing a deal with US Shipmanagers charter company to bring Ocean Gala to Sweden. The plans were to berth Ocean gala in Port Harnosand, approx 430 km / 270 mi north of Stockholm. The government agency was in a race to find new beds before spring when winter contracts signed with hundreds of hotels and campsites to house asylum seekers expire.
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Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of ISLAND ESCAPE data. The 10-night "Tropical North Queensland" voyage (priced from NZD pp) was scheduled for October 2022. On Main Deck/Ocean Deck are the Salon (starboard Lounge fitted with large sofas) and the Dining Room/Restaurant (portside), both with floor-ceiling windows, comfortable seating and served by the Bar (central-located in-between). The new superyacht Island Escape (VARD Vung Tau yard/hull number 915) was designed by Vard Design (Vard Marine Inc's naval architecture and marine engineering division) and originally planned for delivery in April (postponed for October) 2021.
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In 1985 she was renamed MS Stardancer and in 1990 MS Viking Serenade before being converted to a cruise ship in 1991. She became MS Island Escape in 2002 being renamed once more as MS Ocean Gala in 2015. MS Island Escape was a cruise ship originally built as the cruiseferry MS Scandinavia in 1981.
Her low draft of makes her primed for accessing shallow areas and cruising close to the shorelines. In October 2015, the Island Cruise brand was discontinued after the sole ship Island Escape completed her last scheduled cruise with Thomson Cruises, now operating as Marella Cruises. We have just returned from a Spring Cruise on the Island Escape, the second time we have cruised with Island Cruises on this ship.
The ship was sold to pay back the debtors (financiers and unpaid customers) of Island Escape Cruises NZ who owed them millions of dollars. According to shipping experts, the ultra-luxury vessel was sold for ~AUD 34,5M (USD 23,1M / EUR 21,5M) less than its estimated value. The vessel was last owned by the Miami-based Cruise Holdings Inc and managed by Columbia Cruise Services (CCS) in Hamburg and Limassol. ISLAND ESCAPE current position and history of port calls are received by AIS.
Midship on deck 3 are positioned both tenders (starboard and portside) each feated with a davit crane. The summer homeporting in Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Spain) offering fly-cruises from the UK made the ship also attractive for families. The boat had 11 decks, of which 9 were passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins. In August 2016, Ocean Gala was put up for sale for EUR 17,8 million (~USD 20M).
Island Escape cruise ship deck plan shows a total of 17 staterooms (for max 32 passengers) served by 14 staff/crew. The boat has 4 decks (1 crew-only, 3 passenger-accessible, 2 with cabins), Helideck (aft helipad), Marina Deck (aft), 1x outdoor Jacuzzi (spa pool), Navigation Bridge/Wheelhouse, Outdoor Lounge (alfresco dining area/aft), Outdoor Observation Deck (forward), Salon/Lounge, Dining Room/Restaurant, Bar. The 2021-built cruise yacht Island Escape is a 30-passenger ship owned by Seasons Shipping Co Ltd ((Jongno-gu/Seoul, South Korea-based, 2020-founded company registered in Hong Kong China) and operated under demise/bareboat charter by the New Zealand-based company and travel brand Island Escape Cruises Ltd. Bareboat charter is an arrangement for hiring the ship without the crew or provisions included in the deal.
Floating Accommodations claimed that a sale might be necessary to cover losses they would incur if Migrationsverket failed to pay a SEK 54M kronor (USD 6,44M) bill the company had sent to the agency for the costs of running the vessel. Migrationsverket insisted that the agreement to house asylum seekers on Ocean Gala had been null and void since July. MS Island Escape ship was operated and owned by Thomson UK under the “Island Cruises” brand until December 2015. YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website. Island Escape is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks.
The agency feared that the influx of asylum seekers would pick up again in the coming months due to warm weather. However, the applications of the charter agency for berthing the ship at Harnosand met resistance from local politicians. The Island Escape yacht cruise ship cabins page is conveniently interlinked with its deck plans showing deck layouts combined with a legend and review of all onboard venues. Island Escape (2021-built) is a top-luxury cruise yacht owned and operated by the New Zealand-based company and travel brand Island Escape Cruises Ltd. In November 2020, Island Escape Cruises opened bookings and announced details of the new ship, including an aft helipad (helicopter landing platform), 2x tender boats (used as lifeboats and for disembarkation in ports without docking facilities), 2x Zodiacs (motorized RIBs/rigid inflatable boats used for close-to-shore and inland cruising).
In 2008, Royal Caribbean sold its stake in the company to TUI,[3] and the cruise line's only fully owned ship, the Island Escape, was transferred to TUI's Thomson Cruises. The shows were of good standard with Johnny Mac providing humour and an Elvis Tribute a good sound alike and not taking himself too seriously. But it was the ships own entertainment crew which shone with outstanding personal contributions and superb dance routines. The onboard meals are prepared by professional chefs using the freshest ingredients, including local seafood and the guests' daily catch. At the stern (aft on deck 3) there is an Outdoor Lounge (alfresco dining area with two large tables plus couch seating) which is roof-protected by the Helideck above. An outdoor observation deck (forward on deck 3/at the bow) is furnished with bench seats and small coffee tables.
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