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quote:Originally posted by Commodore:No, I heard from about 3 places she was to refurbished for the Bahamas from Pt. Canaveral.She really seems like a nice ship. Her interior is supposed still be good, but she probobly will need new engines.Anyone else got comments.I'm dyning to know, besides Gohaze, you didn't mention the other two vessel, which are in even better shape.
Personally I think investing in new engines for a ship of that age would be rather ridiculous.
I am also yet to see any pictures of the interior of this vessel.
I have seen her in person numerous times and she is a lovely ship from a design standpoint. To my taste she is even more beautiful than Oceanic. In my opinion the Eugenio C was the most attractive of the several ships put out by that yard in the early and mid 1960s, though my favorite postwar Italians would have to be Cristoforo Columbo and her sister Andrea Doria. And not only because the latter one sank .
All the Italian liners have a special place in my heart as I actually have relatives who worked on these ships, and my grandfather still remembers visiting the Rex and Conte Di Savoia as a child.
Anyhow, last I saw Big Red Boat II was at Nassau a few months after the Premier bankruptcy... She looked rather nice despite the red hull, at least from the outside... In fact, she seemed outright sparkling.
Family friends who are very, very experienced cruisers (they were frequent passengers on Sagafjord and Vistafjord back in their younger days) were on her and said that from an accommodations standpoint she was actually quite adequate... But behind the scenes they described her as being in horrible repair...
Another friend of ours works on commercial air-condition and in the process of repairing this ship watched oily bilgewater being dumped overboard. He described her as being absolutely filthy and the worst-managed vessel he had ever witnessed...
So I would say that she is likely not very good from the behind-the-scenes point of view... And I just can't see any sensible company pouring yet more funds into what has turned out to be an absolute money pit.
Big Red Boat III may be in better shape mechanically... But I've seen her many times too, though not layed-up, and she looked downright dingy back in the Premier days. Rust streaked and so on.
As for Rembrandt - she is probably the best of the three... Only five years ago she was in excellent hands... Who knows what she is like now, but I really hope something good comes along. I've actually applauded the demise of some of the less pleasurable ships out there, and just shrugged at the loss of others, but if any ship still intact today is special and should be preserved, she is it. Unlike Augustus and Windsor Castle, she has not yet been laid-up for years on end, and she is more original than the former Augustus as well.
I don't know about the other two ships but I suspect that they may be in somewhat better shape. For one thing, they were actually owned by Premier, wheras BRBII was chartered from the ill-fated Cammell Laird who apparently did a sort of band-aid job on her rather than really getting her fixed "the right way" once and for all.
quote:Originally posted by Commodore:On the Inspiration our table assignment was the captain's table, so we had to give it up.
Why?
T.S. Eugenio C
ata
quote:Originally posted by flotsam'n jetsam:Talking about the Big REd Boat II, check out my T.S. Eugenio C page. Might remind how beautiful and graceful she used to be under Costa colors.T.S. Eugenio Cata
Thanks for sharing the photos! I agree she is one of the most beautiful liners ever built! EUGENIO C was always a favorite of mine as a child (as were many of the Italian liners built in the 60's), and I collected what I could on her. I have a beautiful Costa brochure (from the early 70's) that was produced for all the ships at the time. No prices or itineraries, just many beautiful color photos and a very detailed deck plan. I have the same type of brochure for the FLAVIA, ANGELINA LAURO, FEDERICO C, ITALIA, ANDREA C and maybe a couple others I'm forgetting. I wish such brochures were printed today!
I almost had my chance to finally sail on EUGENIO C, at least in her role as EDINBURGH CASTLE. I didn't care, it was only for one night and I just wanted the chance to explore the ship. About a month before my sailing, it was canceled. I fear I will never have the chance again.
Ernie RollerAtlanta
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