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Author Topic: The Scholar Ship
Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 11-05-2006 09:34 AM      Profile for Linerrich   Email Linerrich   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Royal Caribbean is still backing the Scholar Ship operation, due to sail September 2007. Their latest emails and website say that final decisions are being made on which vessel will be used. With RCI's recent acquisition of Pullmantur, I'm wondering if one of their ships such as PACIFIC would be ideal for this operation. There will be 600 students, plus faculty and staff, so a smaller vessel seems to be needed.

http://www.thescholarship.com/

Any thoughts and ideas out there?

Rich


Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
Tim in Fort Lauderdale
First Class Passenger
Member # 953

posted 11-05-2006 10:20 AM      Profile for Tim in Fort Lauderdale     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Rich,

As Pullamantur needs every berth it can get its hands on right now, I imagine they're not looking at pulling from their fleet.

I'd also be very surprised if they used Pacific for this undertaking as she is a mechanical nightmare. Ships utilized for ventures such as this one also come under increased scrutiny for safety given the nature of the passengers.

Initially, credible speculation had Scholar-Ship chartering Dream Princess, one for the original RCCL trio.

Tim

[ 11-05-2006: Message edited by: Tim in 'Lauderdale ]


Posts: 1468 | From: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Registered: Dec 1999  |  IP: Logged
NAL
First Class Passenger
Member # 1102

posted 11-05-2006 11:13 AM      Profile for NAL     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
What is the former name of the ship PACIFIC?
Posts: 2243 | From: Watsontown, PA | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged
Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 11-05-2006 12:13 PM      Profile for Linerrich   Email Linerrich   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by NAL:
What is the former name of the ship PACIFIC?

Originally, the SEA VENTURE, later the PACIFIC PRINCESS.

Rich


Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
ahrpd
First Class Passenger
Member # 6229

posted 11-05-2006 02:16 PM      Profile for ahrpd     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Wasn't Thomson Destiny (ex Song of America) talked about as a possible candidate?
Posts: 948 | From: gibraltar | Registered: Feb 2006  |  IP: Logged
Cunard Fan
First Class Passenger
Member # 7530

posted 11-05-2006 08:09 PM      Profile for Cunard Fan   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
This seems like a really great idea, to have people go around the world and learn about other culturesand how to be more independent. Thats my opinion anyway.
Posts: 2327 | From: Pasadena just north of Queen Mary | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 11-05-2006 08:31 PM      Profile for Ernst   Author's Homepage   Email Ernst   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Cunard Fan:
This seems like a really great idea, to have people go around the world and learn about other culturesand how to be more independent. Thats my opinion anyway.

I am not so sure.
As much as I love ships and travelling by ship - but a cruise is NOT very suitable to learn more about other cultures. (whatever this means)
Also, I imagine it to be difficult to provide a proper environment for studying (an extended time) as found on a university campus on a ship - e.g. there can hardly be proper library aboard.
I am not completely against it - it's a nice gag - but probalby not much more.
Has anyone here been on such a 'scholar ship'?


Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005  |  IP: Logged
mike sa
First Class Passenger
Member # 5957

posted 11-06-2006 12:31 AM      Profile for mike sa   Author's Homepage   Email mike sa   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Why is Pacific a mechanical nightmare ? I worked on board for 2 years albeit a while ago (well 20 years ago) and have not heard that she has had problems since, I seem to remember she had Sulzer diesels (or was it Fiat) both of which tend to just plod along forever.
Posts: 2272 | From: Durban, South Africa | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
Beezo
First Class Passenger
Member # 1505

posted 11-06-2006 01:00 AM      Profile for Beezo   Author's Homepage   Email Beezo   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I currently have a friend who is doing the Semester-at-Sea Program. She e-mailed me about 2 weeks ago and said it has been one of the best experiences of her life...

Brian


Posts: 865 | From: Massachusetts, USA | Registered: Aug 2000  |  IP: Logged
PamM
First Class Passenger
Member # 2127

posted 11-06-2006 04:43 AM      Profile for PamM   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I have heard various ships mentioned since this came out.. it will be interesting to see which one is chosen in the end.

There is always a charter of Mona Lisa available now She would make a great vessel fot this scheme imo.

Pam


Posts: 12176 | From: Cambridge, UK | Registered: Jun 2001  |  IP: Logged
NAL
First Class Passenger
Member # 1102

posted 11-06-2006 07:32 AM      Profile for NAL     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks, Rich. I thought Pacific might be the former
Sea Venture and Pacific Princess. I am also wondering why she is now a mechanical nightmare.

Posts: 2243 | From: Watsontown, PA | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged
cruisemole
First Class Passenger
Member # 2459

posted 11-06-2006 08:16 AM      Profile for cruisemole   Email cruisemole   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Princess wont have expended much effort in the later years, but 'Nightmare' is an exaggeration, better reserved for basket cases like the Norway.

However, the ships combination of small cabins and spacious public areas would seem quite suitable for students.


Posts: 343 | From: dear ol'blighty | Registered: Sep 2001  |  IP: Logged
Tim in Fort Lauderdale
First Class Passenger
Member # 953

posted 11-06-2006 10:24 AM      Profile for Tim in Fort Lauderdale     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by cruisemole:
Princess wont have expended much effort in the later years, but 'Nightmare' is an exaggeration, better reserved for basket cases like the Norway.

However, the ships combination of small cabins and spacious public areas would seem quite suitable for students.


When I sailed her back in 2000, she was in 'decent' mechanical shape, but by the time she left Princess in 2002, she was a mechanical and structural nightmare.

The A/C was tenuous at best, her obs lounge and magradome leaked like a sieve, her diesels were temperamental, her electrical system was in worse shape than the FP&L powergrid after a category 3 hurricane and she suffered from excess rot in her tanks and double bottoms. In fact, I sailed on one of her final voyages and a senior officer told me that P&O would not agree to a dry-dock and inspection until after the handover to her new owners and the final papers signed, lest they discover a litany of problems and back out of the sale.

To this day, I don't believe they've ever been able to put right her mechanical and structural woes and she still sails with auxiliary diesel generators and A/C equipment mounted aft of her funnel.

Tim


Posts: 1468 | From: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Registered: Dec 1999  |  IP: Logged
desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 11-06-2006 11:12 AM      Profile for desirod7     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:

When I sailed her back in 2000, she was in 'decent' mechanical shape, but by the time she left Princess in 2002, she was a mechanical and structural nightmare.

Tim


It is a shame she was left to rot. Her twin that was modernized works quite well in the "destination oriented cruise market" The Love Boat hotel GA is the prototype of the modern cruiseship.

I was on her in 2002 right before Tim. There was visible rust and looked a bit frayed at the edges. The engines did put out a bit of vibration, but the HVAC and MEP seemed to work fine in the passenger areas.

Her engines are FIAT diesels.

During the last 6 months at Princess, she was on leaseback from the new owners and leads me to believe that maintinence was minimal.

Ships are like lobsters: They rot real fast if not compulsively taken care of.

[ 11-06-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]


Posts: 5727 | From: Philadelphia, Pa [home of the SS United States] | Registered: Oct 2000  |  IP: Logged
feargus
First Class Passenger
Member # 3982

posted 11-06-2006 04:24 PM      Profile for feargus   Email feargus   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
If the Pacific were in such bad shape as described above, ie rotten steel work in tanks etc she would not have passed Class inspection and would not be trading. I would be interested to know what this senior officer did for a job. I have worked on the Pacific in her Princess days and yes her engines are Fiat and yes they are not so great but they do work. The hardest thing with all ships of her age is spare parts, they are available but usually have a very long lead time on delivery, this would probably explain the box genset she has at the present time. As for the aircon not working very well, the sea air does destroy the fins on the evap banks, that plus all the dirt and dust that has been caught over the last few decades. Replacing them is an option but again these things are special order. When i worked on the BRB II we changed 29 of these units at a very high cost to the owner and had to wait for the delivery. if memory serves it was six months.
Posts: 249 | From: Halifax,Canada / Abu Dhabi, UAE | Registered: Jul 2003  |  IP: Logged
Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 11-14-2006 07:04 AM      Profile for Linerrich   Email Linerrich   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
An article in today's Miami Herald gives readers insight into what the Scholar Ship is all about. No ship announced yet, but they are saying it would likely be an 1100-pax. vessel.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/16005845.htm

Rich


Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged
Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 11-14-2006 08:42 AM      Profile for Ernst   Author's Homepage   Email Ernst   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
UCB....interesting.....thanks for the article.

[ 11-14-2006: Message edited by: Ernst ]


Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005  |  IP: Logged
mike sa
First Class Passenger
Member # 5957

posted 11-14-2006 09:36 AM      Profile for mike sa   Author's Homepage   Email mike sa   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
They are still talking about a charter, as RCI would be the charterer it would seem that Pacific is not an option especially as Pullmantuur would not wish to release her, perhaps the old Mona Lisa might get a look in ? She would be ideal for the distances etc.
Posts: 2272 | From: Durban, South Africa | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
LeBarryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 5308

posted 11-14-2006 10:37 AM      Profile for LeBarryboat   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The Scholar Ship project is an interesting idea, and it would be a great way to teach about different cultures by visiting different places around the world. Just working on a cruise ship is a cultural experience. I do wonder, however, how the staff onboard this Scholar Ship will manage the youth (students) during off-duty hours and the long days at sea...what a dream school that would be...kind of like going to college on the love boat...lots of distractions from studies.
Posts: 1955 | From: Minnesota | Registered: Jan 2005  |  IP: Logged
Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 11-14-2006 10:46 AM      Profile for Linerrich   Email Linerrich   Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by LeBarryboat:
I do wonder, however, how the staff onboard this Scholar Ship will manage the youth (students) during off-duty hours and the long days at sea...what a dream school that would be...kind of like going to college on the love boat...lots of distractions from studies.

Being on a ship is a more controlled environment than if the students were living on any campus on land. There are far more "distractions" in any college town than on a passenger ship. I would think boredom would be more likely than too many distractions from studies.

Rich


Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged

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