Pullmantur Cruises

"Pullmantur Cruises" is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.cite web |url=http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/cruiseline.cfm?CruiseLineID=110 |title=Cruise Ship Reviews > Pullmantur |accessdate=2008-04-16 |date=2007-08-27 |format= |last=Newman |first=Doug |work=Cruise Critic |publisher=The Independent Traveler, Inc ]

Overview

Pullmantur Cruises is the largest Spain-based cruise line. The company mainly markets to Spanish passengers, although cruises on Pullmantur ships are also sold by some travel operators outside the Spanish-speaking world. Most of the company's ships operate an "all-inclusive" product, where some extras, such as alcoholic beverages, are included in the cruise price.

Most Pullmantur ships do not operate cruises for the company during the northern hemisphere winter season. Instead, they are either laid up or under charter to other cruise lines, such as the Brazil-based Viagens CVC.

History

Pullmantur began cruise operations in the late 1990s by chartering MS|SeaWind Crown from Premier Cruises. After Premier Cruises collapsed in 2000, Pullmantur acquired their SS "Big Red Boat 1" and started their own cruise line, Pullmantur Cruises. The "Big Red Boat 1" was reverted to her original name SS|Oceanic|1965|6, and begun cruising around the Mediterranean from Barcelona in May 2005. [cite web |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/oceanic_1965.htm |title=S/S "Oceanic" (1965) |accessdate=2008-04-16 |format= |last=Asklander |first=Micke |work=Fakta om Fartyg |language=Swedish ] The "Oceanic" became hugely successful, and already in 2002 Pullmantur acquired a second ship, MS "Pacific" (formerly Princess Cruises' famous MS "Pacific Princess" that starred in "The Love Boat" TV series), and chartered the former Renaissance Cruises ship MS|R Five from Cruiseinvest. The "R Five" was marketed under the name "Blue Dream".cite web |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/r_five_2000.htm |title=M/S "R Five" (2000) |accessdate=2008-04-16 |format= |last=Asklander |first=Micke |work=Fakta om Fartyg |language=Swedish ] Two more ships followed in 2003. Pullmantur acquired MS "Superstar Aries" from Star Cruises and renamed her MS|Holiday Dream, while the "R Five"'s sister ship MS|R Six was chartered under the marketing name "Blue Star".cite web |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/r_six_2000.htm |title=M/S "R Six" (2000) |accessdate=2008-04-16 |format= |last=Asklander |first=Micke |work=Fakta om Fartyg |language=Swedish ]

In 2004 the "R Five" was chartered by her owners to Oceania Cruises. In 2005 Pullmantur purchased the "R Six", confusingly renaming her MS|Blue Dream. A third "R"-class ship followed in 2006 when Pullmantur bought the "Delphin Renaissance" and renamed her MS|Blue Moon. Later the same year the Pullmantur fleet grew to six ships when the "Pacific Sky" was purchased from P&O Cruises Australia and renamed SS|Sky Wonder. A few months after the purchase of the "Sky Wonder" the entire Pullmantur company was sold to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Following the acquisition by Royal Caribbean several transfers were carried out between the Pullmantur fleet and those of other Royal Caribbean brands. In 2007 the "Blue Dream" and "Blue Moon" were transferred to Azamara Cruises, while MS|Oceanic II and Celebrity Cruises's MS|Zenith joined the Pullmantur fleet in their place (the "Oceanic II" only spent the 2007 summer season sailing for Pullmantur).cite web |url=http://dougnewmanatsea.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/pullmantur-cruises-2008-itineraries-fleet/ |title=Pullmantur Cruises 2008 Itineraries & Fleet |accessdate=2008-01-28 |date=2007-09-27 |format= |last=Newman |first=Doug |work=At Sea with Doug Newman ] In 2008 Pullmantur received "Empress of the Seas" from the fleet of Royal Caribbean International, and renamed her MS|Empress.

More changes are due to follow in 2008. The "Pacific" and "Holiday Dream" leave the Pullmantur fleet in April/May for Quail Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, respectively.cite web |url=http://dougnewmanatsea.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/quail-cruises-unveils-2008-program/ |title=Quail Cruises Unveils 2008 Program |accessdate=2008-01-28 |last=Newman |first=Doug |date=2008-01-24 |work= |publisher=At Sea With Doug Newman] The former P&O Cruises Australia ship "Pacific Star" is due to enter service as MS|Ocean Dream in May. A further new ship is set to join the Pullmantur fleet in late 2008, when RCI's MS|Sovereign of the Seas will be transferred to Pullmantur as the "Sovereign". [cite web |url=http://www.cruisebusiness.com/news.php?u=20071012225117 |title=Say goodbye to Sovereign! The first ever modern megaship to join Pullmantur fleet |accessdate=2007-10-13 |date=2007-10-12 |format= |last= |first= |work=Cruise Business Review |publisher= ] cite web |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Pullmantur.html |title=Pullmantur |accessdate=2008-04-16 |format= |last=Boyle |first=Ian |work=Simplon Postcards |publisher= ] In April 2008 Lloyd's List reported that Pullmantur were also in the process of purchasing MS "Pride of Aloha" from Norwegian Cruise Line's subsidiary NCL America. [cite web |url=http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/ncl-close-to-offloading-cruiseship-trio/20017522772.htm;jsessionid=C139FEAE5B7ACF39DD67C12590103669 |title=NCL close to offloading cruiseship trio |accessdate=2008-04-14 |date=2008-04-14 |last=Joshi |first=Rajesh |coauthors=Lowry, Nigel |format= |work= |publisher=Lloyd's List ] The deal fell through however, and the "Pride of Aloha" returned to the "normal" Norwegian Cruise Line fleet instead. [cite web |url=http://dougnewmanatsea.com/2008/05/07/from-norwegian-sky-to-pride-of-aloha-and-back-again/ |title=From "Norwegian Sky" to "Pride of Aloha" and Back Again |accessdate=2008-07-12 |date=2008-05-07 |last=Newman |first=Doug |coauthors= |format= |work=At Sea with Doug Newman |publisher= ]

Logo and livery

Between 2001 and 2008 Pullmantur ships ran in a variety of liveries. All ships had Pullmantur's logo depicting arrows across a globe on their funnels and the company name and logo on their hulls, but the colours of the funnels and hulls varied from one ship to another. SS|Oceanic|1965|6, SS|Sky Wonder, MS|Oceanic II and MS|Zenith were painted with a white hull and blue funnel, [cite web |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/oceanic_II_1966_b_3.htm |title=M/S "Oceanic II" i Pireus 31/5-2007 |accessdate=2008-04-16 |format= |last=Koutsoukis |first=Georges |work=Fakta om Fartyg |language=Swedish ] MS|R Five, MS|Blue Dream and MS|Blue Moon with a black hull and white funnel, MS|Pacific with a white hull and white funnel, and MS|Holiday Dream with a white hull and blue funnel with red stripes.

As of 2008 the company is in the process of adapting a new logo, a white circle with a red letter ñ on it. Coinciding with this the ships are painted in a new livery with a red funnel and a white hull, without the company name or logo on the hull.

Fleet

References

External links

* [http://www.pullmanturcruises.com/ Official web site]