Yard number 164 Construction started 29 February 1980 | Laid down 29 February 1980 Launched 31 July 1980 | |
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Owner 1981–1990 Jahre Line1990–2008 Color Line2008 onwards Celebration Cruise Holdings Operator 1981–1990 Jahre Line1990–2008 Color Line2009–2014 Celebration Cruise LineManager International Shipping Partners Builder Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft | ||
Bahamas Celebration was a mid-size cruise ship formerly operated by Celebration Cruise Line. Between March 2009 and October 2014 she operated two- and three-day cruises from Port Everglades to the Bahamas. In March 2010 she started operating two-day cruises from the Port of Palm Beach.
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The ship was built in 1981 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany as MS Prinsesse Ragnhild for Jahre Line. In 1990 she was transferred to Color Line. In 1992 she was extensively rebuilt at Astilleros Españoles in Cadiz, Spain. She was withdrawn from service with Color Line on 6 May 2008. She was irreparably damaged after a collision with a submerged object on October 31, 2014 and replaced by the MS Grand Celebration.
Prinsesse Ragnhild
From 1981 to 2004 MS Prinsesse Ragnhild operated on the Oslo–Kiel route, first for Jahre Line and, from 1990 onwards, for their successor Color Line. In 1992 she was radically rebuilt at Astilleros Españoles, Cadiz, increasing her length by 35.25 meters and passenger capacity by 858. On 8 July 1999, there was a fire in the engine room, resulting in a complete evacuation of the ship. With the Scandinavian Star disaster fresh in mind, a full emergency was called and all ships in the area came to the rescue. Helicopters and firecrews from Norway, Sweden and Denmark all participated in the rescue effort,and the evacuation was described by most passengers as "controlled". However, one woman died after the fire as a result of a heart attack. After repairs at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, the ship resumed operations on the third of September. On 1 March 2002, the ship suffered another engine room fire, which was quickly extinguished.
In 2003 Color Line spent 60 mil NOK on upgrading the on-board interior. In 2005 she was transferred to the new Bergen—Stavanger—Hirtshals route, when Color Line introduced the new MS Color Fantasy on the Oslo-Kiel route. On 8 January 2008 Prinsesse Ranghild was moved to Oslo–Hirtshals route, replacing MS Color Festival that was sold to Corsica Ferries. In April 2008 Color Line announced that due to "negative financial development" in the service, the Oslo–Hirtshals route was closed down on 6 May 2008, and the Prinsesse Ragnhild was placed for sale. Following closure of the route the Prinsesse Ragnhild was laid up at Sandefjord. On 3 September 2008 Color Line reported the Prinsesse Ragnhild had been sold to the United States-based Celebration Cruise Holdings for €23 million. The ship was delivered to her new owners on 1 October 2008, renamed Bahamas Celebration and left Sandefjord on the same date for Grand Bahama Island.
Grounding off Freeport
On October 31, 2014, Bahamas Celebration struck an unknown object while departing from Freeport, opening up a small hole in the port side. The ship was able to return to the port and all passengers and crew were able to disembark and no injuries were reported. As of November 3, 2014, the hole had been patched, but the ship was still listing by about 10 percent and salvage crews were trying to assess the damage.
In December 2014 it was announced that the ship could not be repaired and would be replaced by the MS Grand Celebration, which would be operated by the newly formed Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. On January 24, 2015 it was announced by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line that the ship has been sold for scrap. The ship arrived at the scrapping yard on October 29 and was gone by the end of 2016.