Fiesta [Sun Ambassador, Vera Cruz I, Carnivale, Theodor Herlz]

[starce]

The most difficult picture to see is that of the Vera Cruz which was prepared for cruises by a Greek company (Ambassador Cruises under the name Fiesta) when she caught fire in Perama on October 24, 1999. The ship has been scrapped and all you see is its absolutely perfect white bow ... on the ground like the head of a fish that has been eaten entirely by a cat. Heartbreaking.

Good afternoon to all of you. I know that Ambassador Cruises intented to rename VERA CRUZ ''THE FIESTA''
Regards.

[Henry Casciaro]

Good afternoon to all of you. I know that Ambassador Cruises intented to rename VERA CRUZ ''THE FIESTA''
Regards.

Raimondo, they even printed a brochure (see attached). Another very handsome ship even after her conversion!
Best regards Henry.
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[Nicholas Peppas]

Raimondo, they even printed a brochure (see attached). Another very handsome ship even after her conversion!
Best regards Henry.

Henry and Raimondo. Thanks for this. Henry, your brochures library is extremely rich. Great!

[starce]

Hello Henry, I have personally known the owner of the Ambassador Cruise which then was the same Festival of which I have always said that the former would call Vercruz THE FIESTA as then for The Azur, which was bought by the Ambassador, and immediately chartered to Chandris. I see for the first time brochure as SUN AMBASSADOR.
Regards.

[Nicholas Peppas]

Hello Henry, I have personally known the owner of the Ambassador Cruise which then was the same Festival of which I have always said that the former would call Vercruz THE FIESTA as then for The Azur, which was bought by the Ambassador, and immediately chartered to Chandris. I see for the first time brochure as SUN AMBASSADOR.
Regards.

Hello Raimondo. I agree thus is wonderful. I am glad you corrected the text. It was Henry who posted the brochure, not I.

N

[Ellinis]

After seing the salvaged bow of Fiesta here, lets see how she cam there. She was cut underwater in pieces that were raised and apparently scrapped.

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[Ellinis]

Το άλλοτε "μεσογειακό" της Zim Line, έκανε για 2 δεκαετίες μια καλή καριέρα σαν κρουαζιερόπλοιο στην Καραϊβική. Μετά το πήρε η Festival για να γίνει το πρώτο της κρουαζιερόπλοιο, όμως το καράβι είχε άδοξο τέλος.

Ας το δούμε εδώ, το 1983 ως VERACRUZ I για τη Bahama Cruise Line, πλευρισμένο σε κάποιο νησί στις Μπαχάμες παρέα με το μετέπειτα "δικό μας" MARDI GRAS.

veracr1.jpg
Πηγή με άλλη μια φωτο του πλοίου.

Για το πλοίο αυτό κυκλοφορεί η πληροφορία πως ήταν το πρώτο CARNIVALE της Carnival, αλλά δεν είμαι σίγουρος αν ταξίδεψε με αυτό το όνομα.

She completed her final voyage for Zim on on 27 November 1969 and was sold to the American International Service Travel Services (AIST) - Yes, there is a Ted Arison/Carnival Cruise Line connection here - who renamed her Carnivale (not to be confused with the later CCL Carnivale, the former Empress of Britain) and employed her in the Caribbean as a floating luxury hotel.
πηγή

Maybe Henry can help... if was she actually employed as the CARNIVALE for Arison?

[TSS QUEEN ANNA MARIA]

¶ρη ποτέ δεν ταξίδεψε με αυτό το όνομα, και ποτέ δεν ταξίδεψε για την Carnival. Ήταν χρόνια παροπλισμένο από την νεοσύστατη και με οικονομικά προβλήματα Carnival και πουλήθηκε για να μετασκευαστεί από την νέα εταιρία του και να πάρει το όνομα Veracruz I.

[TSS QUEEN ANNA MARIA]

Να προσθέσω λίγα για την ιστορία του Theodor Herzl. Αγοράστηκε από την AIS Travel Services (που ο Ted Arison ήταν συνέταιρος) το 1969 όταν η ΖΙΜ λόγω οικονομικών προβλημάτων τα πουλούσε όλα τα καράβια της, με σκοπό να δρομολογηθεί σαν Carnival για κρουαζιέρες από το Μαϊάμι προς την Καραϊβική. Η AIS όμως δεν είχε τα απαραίτητα κεφάλαια για να το μετασκευάσει σε κρουαζιερόπλοιο και προτίμησε την αγορά του Empress of Canada το 1972 που ήταν πιο συμφέρουσα. Έτσι το πλοίο παρέμενε παροπλισμένο (βλ.φωτογραφία στη La Spezia)



μέχρι που πουλήθηκε στην Eastern Steamship Co το 1971 και ονομάστηκε Freeport I. To 1975 μετασκευάστηκε εκτεταμένα σε κρουαζιερόπλοιο και άλλαξε πάλι όνομα σε Veracruz I. Το 1976 μετονομάζεται Veracruz. To 1978 πωλείται στην Freeport Cruise Lines (Παναμάς), το 1985 στην Bahama Cruises Inc., και το 1987 στην Bermuda Star Line Cruises. Τελος, το 1990 το αγοράζει η κυπριακή Festival Shipping & Tourist Enterprises Και το μετονομάζει Sun Ambassador. Το τέλος του ήρθε στο Πέραμα το 1991.

πηγή φωτογραφίας ssmaritime

[Henry Casciaro]

Maybe Henry can help... if was she actually employed as the CARNIVALE for Arison?[/QUOTE]

Aris coincidentally I was reading up her history the other day and here is what Anthony Cooke says in his book Liners and Cruise Ships (some notable smaller vessels - first of the trilogy):

"In October 1969 she went to Lisbon for drydocking, having been sold to New Horizons Shipping Ltd. who registered under the Liberia flag with the name Carnivale (at least one photo shows her bearing this name but without the final 'e'). An American based entrepreneur Ted Arison who had been involved in the early days of Norwegian Caribbean Lines was striking out on his own and eventually set up what would eventually be the bigget cruise line in the world - Carnival Cruise Lines. The Carnivale was to have been their first ship but she was in fact a false start. Plans were drawn up for her conversion but for some reason were not acted upon. Instead in 1972 Carnival bought Candaian Pacific's Empress of Canada renamed her Mardi Gras and launched her into the Miami cruise trade. Meanwhile the Carnivale lay idle at Toulon and later at La Spezia. She was eventually transferred to the Panamanian flag but otrherwise nothing happened until 1974 when the New Horizons Company, the ship and the plans for her conversion were sold to the United States Freight Transport for operation by the Bahama Cruise Line......

So no she did not actually operate as such for Ted Arison it seems!

I will upload some brochures and postcards later on today.

Henry