#FerryToCruiseship- Of the quartet of cruiseships in Dublin Port today, Ocean Majesty (as pictured) has the most unconventional background, having been launched in 1966 as a side-loading car ferry for Mediterranean service, writes Jehan Ashmore.
In her current role, Ocean Majesty with a 672 capacity has German passengers on board who embarked on 17 August from Hamburg on a charter cruise (Hansa Touristik) of the UK and Ireland.
The 10,417 tonnes cruiseship had sailed northbound through the Irish Sea and berthed in Dublin around noon. According to her itinerary, the ports of call so far visited were Plymouth, the Pool of London involving a transit through Tower Bridge as part of a two-day stopover in the capital.
She is operated by Athens based Majesty International Cruises who in 1994 rebuilt the former Trasmediterránea ferry, Juan Marsh, which served a career mostly between Spain and the Balearics and also to the Canary Islands.
Likewise of the quartet of cruise callers, Juan March was also a member of a quartet of almost identical Albatros-class sisters (two pairs of half-sisters).
The Portuguese flagged Ocean Majesty is completely unrecognisable as the former ferry (See Photo) which saw radical rebuilding of superstructure. Note the gentle sweeping curvature of her decks. Her hull form has an attractive flared bow and retained cruiser stern that these days displays Madeira as her port of registry.
Tonight she heads for Belfast and then several Scottish ports of call. They are Fairlie, Ullapool, Kirkwall and Rosyth and followed by a day at sea before her return to the German North Sea port on 29 August.
This season sees Ocean Majesty operating more than 12 cruises, the first cruise started in Nice and other embarkation ports are Warnemunde and later this year from Venice.
