Remember the Big Red Boat?

We also were on the Big Red Boat for our 1st cruise, back in 1999, Boy was it a surprise when we docked in the Bahamas and looked up, up, up, at the other cruise ships. I have looked for those premiere ships and found that most of them were taken to Alang, India to the ship breakers to be dismantled. We can't wait until July for our "Wonder" cruise. A question though, for anyone who knows, Is there a parking area where we can pay to park very close by to the terminal? I really don't want to walk for miles with luggage and trying to drag the 7 year old along with all he thinks he needs with him.
 
Welcome to the Dis, gatorellis. :disrocks: Yes, there is a fairly large parking lot across the street from the terminal, a short walk. If there are 2 adults in your party, one can be dropped off at the terminal with the bags while the other goes to park the car. Last time we parked there, 2004, it was $10/day. (Tips I've read here are to not park near trees nor leave food in your car due to the [admittedly remote] possibility of ants.)

captchris said:
I see you are in Mass, staying inside today? We probably have about 20 inches in SE Connecticut.
Yes, we were clobbered yesterday. But as long as we can fly out Wednesday and board Magic on Saturday it's fine by me! :teeth:
 
captchris said:
I understand thats what you said, but it seemed some others were confused.


If you were meaning me by my comment of also having pics of the two ships together, I was meaning the original one, not the big red boat II so no confusion here :teeth:
 
TIGGER41681 said:
. My little sister had Tweety tuck her in one night and Tweety did not fit though the door way of the cabin. It was the funniest thing!!

Thanks for the mental picture :lmao:
 
We still have the key to our room on the Oceanic. We went for our honeymoon in 1987. Next year we will go on the Wonder for our 20th. The big red boat was our first cruise and this will be our second. Can't wait :woohoo:
 
mermaidlady, you have the patience of a saint. There's no way I could wait 20yrs between cruises!
 
So, was there actually only one ship that Disney used, or did they use several of Premier's ships? Does anyone know exactly which ships were used by Disney?
 
pictures, pictures, we want pictures!

i know this is asking alot, but please go dig out all your old photos. my sil talks about her "disney cruise" and that she doesn't care anything about going again. i keep telling her that the dis says its not the same. oh, the power of the dis boards :teeth:
 
Pea-n-Me said:
We captured this picture of The Big Red Boat ll in Freeport in 2003. Amazing when you see it next to Wonder. :earseek: Yes, funny when you tell people you're going on a Disney cruise and they still imagine you're going on the Big Red Boat. :lmao:

DisPhotos003.jpg

The boat you photographed is no more (read on below):

There were actually three "Big Red Boats" (appropriately labeled Big Red Boat, Big Red Boat II and Big Red Boat III). All three were run by Premier Cruise lines, which back in the 1980s was "The Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World."

The Big Red Boat was originally built and launched in 1963 as the Oceanic of the Home Lines. She did Transatlantic crossings between Canada, England and France until 1985, when she was sold to Premier. Premier changed her name a year later to the Big Red Boat, and she was in service until 2000. When Premier folded that year, she was sold to the Spanish cruise operator Pullmantur, which gave her back her original name. She still sailing on European itineraries, and here's a recent photo:

Oceanic09_Pullmantur.jpg


The Big Red Boat II was originally built and launched as the Eugenio C for Costa cruises in 1966. Originally doing transatlantic routes from Europe to South America, she moved into cruising in 1976 and stayed in the role until 1996, when she was sold Lowline Shipping, who renamed her Edinburgh Castle and used her on low cost cruises from northern British ports. When Lowline went bankrupt in 2000, the ship was chartered (not sold ) to Premier Cruise Line, becoming their Big Red Boat II. Premier collapsed less than a year after obtaining her, and she sat in Nassau until March 2005, when she was sold to Indian shipbreakers. She reached Alang in May and was completely scrapped by December of last year.


The Big Red Boat III was built as the Transvaal Castle, launched in 1961 in England for the Union-Castle Line, and served on their route to South Africa from Southampton from 1962 to 1969. The latter year, she was sold to a South African conglomerate and re-named the Transvaal Castle.

She served on Africa to Britain routes until 1977, when she was sold to Carnival Cruise Line, who rebuilt her in Japan as the Festivale, the second ship in the fledgling new Carnival line (the first was the Mardi Gras). In 1991, she was sold to Dolphin Cruise Line who renamed her Island Breeze, and in 1999 she passed to Premier cruises. They first sailed her as the IslandBreeze, later renaming her Big Red Boat III.

When Premier folded, the Big Red Boat III was sold to shipbreakers in Alang, India. She ended up holding the sad distinction of being the first Carnival Cruise liner to be scrapped.

Hulk of the Big Red Boat IIIin Alang, India, in 2004:

alg-bigboat.jpg
 
I was on the Majestic, & the Ocenanic the third time I don't know which ship it was. I'm looking in my pictures to find old pic's
 
karylrocks said:
So, was there actually only one ship that Disney used, or did they use several of Premier's ships? Does anyone know exactly which ships were used by Disney?
During the years that Premier was the Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World, there were usually two ships, and sometimes three ships, in the Big Red Boat brochure, from the following list of four ships:

Premier StarShip Royale (built 1958),
Premier StarShip Oceanic (built 1965)
Premier StarShip Atlantic (built 1981)
Premier StarShip Majestic (built 1972)

Actually, Disney didn't "use" any of Premier's ships. Premier operated the cruise line. Premier simply had a marketing and licensing agreement with Disney.

gatorellis said:
I have looked for those premiere ships and found that most of them were taken to Alang, India to the ship breakers to be dismantled.
None of the four ships from Premier's Disney period went to the ship breakers in Alang, India.

Here's the actual status of the four ships:

  • Premier StarShip Royale — sank in 2000 off the Virginia coast; at that time, she was named the SeaBreeze; no passengers onboard; crew taken off by helicopter
  • Premier StarShip Oceanic — now operated by the Spanish operator Pullmantur as the Oceanic
  • Premier StarShip Atlantic — now operated by MSC as the Melody
  • Premier StarShip Majestic — operated in recent years as the Flamenco (I don't have more details)

The Big Red Boat II (S.S. Eugenio C) went to the ship breakers in Alang, India, but that ship didn't even join the Premier fleet until 2000, long after Premier's Disney period — in fact, after the launch of the "real" Disney Cruise Line.
 
kehouse said:
pictures, pictures, we want pictures!


Here you go:

Big Red Boat:

StarShipOceanic02.jpg


StarShipOceanic03.jpg


Big Red Boat II:

BigRedBoatII-02.jpg


Big Red Boat III (right after Premier acquired it, while it was still named the Island Breeze and painted blue:)

TransCastle024Prem.jpg


A family gets ready to board The Big Red Boat after a four day stay at DIsney World, June, 1988:

Big_red_boat_1998.jpg


The Promenade deck on the Big Red Boat III:

seabprom.jpg


Skeet shooting off the rear deck of the Big Red Boat, July 2000:

skeet.jpg
 
Here's my big red boat story - I was in the 8th grade when my parents took my brother and I on the "Disney cruise." When we got back to Port Canaveral, all the passengers had to go to one of the lounges while customs cleared the boat. The process took a couple hours, so to pass the time they had bingo game - and the winner got a free return cruise. Well, let's just say we were cruising again a couple month later!
 
thanks, for the memories, that is what I remembered have one of the same post cards. Thanks for the history also :teacher:
 
We went on our honeymoon on the Big Red Boat in October 1989. We enjoyed it, but nothing like the "wow" of the Disney boats. Couldn't imagine a long cruise on it. We remember the days spent in WDW before the cruise much better. The package we bought included the Hotel Royal Plaza - that was as close as we could get to really being on property.

I recall our server at Palo in '01 remarked that she was supposed to work on the Big Red Boat, but then Premier folded, and she ended up on the Wonder.
 
I was a crew member on The Majestic in 1989/1990
I worked In the Casino bar with a guy called U.B.
I came from the Canberra and worked in the Bars.
The charactors that use to be onboard were Chip and Dale, Captain Hook, Smee I think Goofy and Pluto were there as well infact they had the original pirate night!!!
I think I will have to dig out some of my old pictures.
Chucklechops :goodvibes
 
My husband and I were on the Majestic for our honeymoon in 1989. Wow, we didn't remember how small the ship actually is next to the ships toady. We will be on the Magic this November for our 17th anniversary and DD's 14th birthday. Thanks for the info. We got out the old photos and remembered way back when. Boy time does fly!!!!! :goodvibes :goodvibes
 
I was on one of the ships OC or Mag 1987 for our 20th anniversary. Boy that was many moons ago. Yes the ships are bigger & better. This April were are using DCL for grandson 8th birthday.
 
OK... this thread is really interesting to me!! My cruising days go back to when I was in high school I took a cruise on Home Line's Oceanic. It had to have been 1983? It was a 10 day Carribbean cruise, but one of the posts mentioned that it was doing transatlantic cruises at that time? I find this history so fascinating and thank all of you for providing info... where do you find a lot of this? I would love to know if this is the same ship I was on lonng ago! I would also love to find out what's happened to the other ship I sailed on long ago. It was archaic then so I'm sure it's got to be scrap metal by now! Thanks! :)
 
cornish pixie said:
I think I will have to dig out some of my old pictures.
PLEASE DO! If you have a scanner I would love to see some of those! We have very fond memories of the BRB - Oceanic. But we sailed after it was Looney Tunes.
 


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