Owner Saga Cruises Laid down 20 May 1980 Construction started 29 February 1980 Draft 6.2 m | Yard number 165 Length 164 m Launched 16 December 1980 | |
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Name 1981–1985 Astor
1985–2002 Arkona
2002–2010 Astoria
2010–2012 Saga Pearl II
2012–2013 Quest for Adventure
2013 onwards Saga Pearl II Operator 1981–1984 HADAG
1984–1985 Safmarine
1985–2001 Deutsche Seereederei
2001–2009 Transocean Tours
2009 onwards Saga Cruises Port of registry 1981–1985 Hamburg, Germany
1985–1990 Rostock, , German Democratic Republic
1990–1997 Rostock, Germany
1997–2002 Monrovia, Liberia
2002–2011 Nassau, Bahamas
2011 onwards Valletta, Malta Builder Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft | ||
Saga pearl ii a virtual tour in southampton march 2015
The cruise ship Saga Pearl II (formerly Astoria and Quest for Adventure) has been operating for more than 28 years, making cruises worldwide. Saga Cruises acquired the ship, at auction, in August 2009. Saga Pearl II effectively replaced the MS Saga Rose which was decommissioned in 2009. Both ships were formerly operated by Transocean Tours.
Contents
- Saga pearl ii a virtual tour in southampton march 2015
- Saga pearl ii tour ocean cruise
- Astor
- Arkona
- Astoria
- Saga Pearl II
- MV Quest for Adventure
- Saga Pearl II again
- Design
- References
The ship was given the name Saga Pearl II before embarking on her first cruise for Saga in March 2010.
In May 2012, she was renamed as Quest for Adventure. In November 2013 the name reverted to Saga Pearl II. Saga currently have one other cruise ship, the MS Saga Sapphire.
Saga pearl ii tour ocean cruise
Astor
The ship was built in 1981 in the ship yard of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Werk Ross, Hamburg, Yard no. 165. The builder was one of the highest quality builders of the time. The ship was ordered by the newly formed German company Hadag Cruise Line, but was quickly sold to South African company Safmarine, because the ship was not profitable enough.
Arkona
In 1985 the ship was renamed Arkona.
Astoria
As Astoria the vessel operated in the Atlantic Ocean making cruises between South Africa and Europe. This continued for many years, before in 2002 it entered service for Transocean Tours, the company specialized in cruising in Norway and Europe. The vessel then operated closer to the shore, making low-cost cruises for German, Norwegian and Swedish passengers.
In November 2008, a world cruise had to be aborted after serious mechanical problems were identified during a refit in Barcelona. The ship remained laid up in Barcelona until June 2009 when she was towed to Gibraltar. After an auction in August, Saga Cruises acquired the ship after an unsuccessful attempt to do so earlier in the year.
Saga Pearl II
In late 2009, the ship sailed to Swansea, Wales where she underwent a £20million three-month refit in the re-opened Swansea dry dock. She sailed on her first cruise as Saga Pearl II on 15 March 2010 to the Norwegian Fjords.
MV Quest for Adventure
She was renamed MV Quest for Adventure in May 2012 and became the flagship for Saga's Discovery-style Adventure Cruises. She did not undergo a refit at that time but continued in her new role with the same facilities, captain and crew.
In December 2012, MV Quest for Adventure underwent a refit, where she received her new Saga livery funnel. This was like her fleetmate Saga Sapphire's funnel. However, the port side of the funnel was left blank and did not display the "SAGA" logo.
Saga Pearl II (again)
The Quest for Adventure had the name Saga Pearl II restored to it on 21 November 2013 and received the "SAGA" logo on the portside of her funnel.
Design
The ship has a length of 164.30 meters and beam of 22.60 meters. The cruise ship has capacity for a maximum of 449 passengers, they are served by 220 crew members. In spite of the low ratio, the cruise ship offers a luxury service to its passengers. The gross tonnage of the vessel is 18,591 gross tons and this tonnage is driven by 4 MAN main engines with total power of 15,400 kW. The maximum speed of the vessel is 21.4 knots.