Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Explorer of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean, was built in 2000. A large ship, with a gross tonnage of 137,308 and dimensions of 1,020 by 127, she carries 3,224 passengers with a crew of 1,285 and will be in Bar Harbor July 8 and Aug. 5.
This photo shows an earlier visit to Bar Harbor.


122 Visits Scheduled for Bar Harbor in 2008

BAR HARBOR — This summer, 24 cruise ships will visit Bar Harbor a total of 122 times. Most of the ships are frequent visitors to the area, though three will be making their first voyages to the island.
Cruise ships visit Bar Harbor primarily during September and October for fall foliage cruises. Some ships, such as the Maasdam, are frequent visitors to Bar Harbor, starting her visits in May.
The cruise ship industry is a lucrative one for Bar Harbor. Ships come to the area do so in the fall, for the most part, after the summer tourists have left. Passengers and crew visit the local shops, eat in local restaurants and enjoy the ambiance of the area.
Most ships are at anchorage A or B, in the harbor, because they are too large to dock. Passengers are ferried ashore by cruise ship tenders, or by local boats, such as Whale Watching Friendship V, leased by the cruise lines for the occasion.
Sometimes weather conditions cause ships to cancel a scheduled visit, i.e. fog, storms, etc., but for the most part ships manage to keep to their schedule.
Although security does not allow visitors to go aboard, just seeing the ships at anchor and talking to crew and passengers is worth a visit to Bar Harbor when the ships are in port.

The following ships are scheduled to visit Bar Harbor this year:

Maasdam: This is a Holland America ship and is a frequent visitor to Bar Harbor. She is an older ship, built in 1995. Her gross tonnage is 55,441 and her dimensions are 715 by 101. She carries 1,200 passengers and has a crew of 622. Her schedule is as follows: May 11, 23 and 25; June 6, 8, 20 and 22; July 4; Aug. 8, 15, 17, 29 and 31; Sept. 12, 14, 26 and 28; Oct. 10.

Bremen: The former name of this ship was Frontier Spirit. She too is an older ship, built in 1990. She is German, registered in the Bahamas. Her gross tonnage is 6,752 with dimensions of 364 by 56. She carries 164 passengers and has a crew of 94. Her scheduled visit is May 30.
Grandeur of the Seas: Built in 1996 and marketed by Royal Caribbean. She, too, flies the flag of the Bahamas. She has a gross tonnage of 73,817 and her dimensions are 886 by 106. She carries 2,950 passengers and has a crew of 760. Her schedule is June 15; July 13; Aug. 10; Sept. 6 and 21; Oct. 5.

Queen Mary 2: She is a British ship and currently the flagship of Cunard Lines. She is large, with a gross tonnage of 148,528. Her dimensions are 1,132 by 135. She carries 2,620 passengers and has a crew of 1,253. She is too large to go through the Panama Canal. Her scheduled visit is July 5.

Explorer of the Seas: This ship, marketed by Royal Caribbean, was built in the year 2000 and is registered in the Bahamas. She, too, is a large ship, with a gross tonnage of 137,308 and her dimensions are 1,020 by 127. She carries 3,224 passengers with a crew of 1,285 and will be in Bar Harbor July 8 and Aug. 5.

Grand Caribe: This ship is an American, Canadian, Carribean Line ship, classified as a mini cruise ship. She is an American ship. Her gross tonnage is 94, with dimensions of 183 by 42. She carries 96 passengers with a crew of 17. Her schedule is as follows: July 14, 15, 22, 23 and 31; Aug. 1, 8 and 9.

Norwegian Dawn: This ship is a Norwegian Cruise Line ship registered in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line ships are noted for free-style dining, which means that passengers have open sitting at dinner time. She was built in 2002. Her tonnage is 91,740 with dimensions of 964 by 105. Originally she was ordered as Superstar Scorpio. She has a crew of 1,300. Her Bar Harbor visits include July 17; Sept. 4, 11, 17 and 25.

Caribbean Princess: This is a Princess Line ship registered in Bermuda. She was built in 2004. She, too, is too large to go through the Panama Canal. She has a gross tonnage of 112,894 with dimensions of 935 by 118. She carries 3,592 passengers and has a crew of 1,142. She is on her maiden voyage to Bar Harbor. Her schedule is Aug. 28; Sept. 4, 11 and 17; Oct. 1, 9, 15 and 22.

Norwegian Dream: She is also a Norwegian Cruise Line ship registered in the Bahamas. She was built in 1992. Her gross tonnage is 50,764 and her dimensions are 758 by 94. She carries 1,948 passengers with a crew of 750. Her Bar Harbor visits include Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Aidaaura: This is an Italian ship, run by Aida Cruises. She was built in 2003. She, too, is on a maiden voyage to Bar Harbor. Her gross tonnage is 42,289 and her dimensions are 634 by 91. She carries 1,266 passengers. Aida cruises is a rapidly expanding Cruise Line with at least nine ships. Visits to Bar Harbor include Sept. 13, 18 and 30; Oct. 8 and 20.

Sea Princess: This ship, built in 1998, is a Princess Cruise Line ship and flies the British flag. Her former name was Adonia. Her gross tonnage is 77,499 with dimensions of 856 by 106. She carries 1,950 passengers and has a crew of 900. She will be in Bar Harbor, Sept. 16 and 30 and Oct. 6.

Eurodam: This is Holland America Lines newest ship. This is her first visit to Bar Harbor. Her maiden voyage was in June of this year. She has a gross tonnage of 86,000 with a length of 935 feet. She carries 2,044 passengers. More than 800 of her cabins are balconized. Her crew numbers 800. Visits to Bar Harbor include Sept. 18, 24 and Oct. 9.

American Star: Built in 2007, she is an American Cruise Line ship. This ship is known as a mini cruise line ship. She has a gross tonnage of 100 with dimensions of 215 by 46. She carries 100 passengers. Her visits to Bar Harbor include June 16 and 17; July 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28; Aug. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 27 and 28; Sept. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29.

American Glory: Built in 2003, this American Cruise Line ship has a tonnage of 100. She carries 49 passengers. Her schedule is as follows: Aug. 6, 7, 25, 26 and 31; Sept. 1, 9, 10, 16 and 17.

Queen Elizabeth 2: A favorite ship. It is her last year of service. She will retire at the end of 2008 and become a convention center in Dubai. Cunard’s oldest ship, she was built in 1969. Her tonnage is 70,327. Her dimensions are 963 by 105. She carries 1,815 passengers. She has visited Bar Harbor many times and will be sorely missed. She has a crew of 921. Her only visit is Sept. 17.

Crystal Symphony: She is operated by Crystal Cruises and is registered in the Bahamas. She was built in 1995 and has a gross tonnage of 50,202. Her dimensions are 771 by 97. She carries 960 passengers and has a crew of 545. Visits to Bar Harbor are scheduled for Sept. 20, Oct. 4, 12 and 26.

Jewel of the Seas: This is a Royal Caribbean ship built in 2004. She is registered in the Bahamas. Her gross tonnage is 90,000 and her dimensions are 961 by 97. She carries 2,100 passengers with a crew of 1,050. Her schedule is as follows: Sept. 22 and 29; Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 25.

Royal Princess: Her former name was R Eight and Minnerva II. She was built in 2001 and is a Princess Line ship registered in the Marshall Islands. Her gross tonnage is 30,277 and her dimensions are 695 by 85. She carries 698 passengers and has a crew of 373. Her two visits to Bar Harbor are scheduled for Sept. 23 and 29.

Constellation: This is a Celebrity Cruise Ship an offshoot of Chandris Shipping. One of her features is a bank of glass elevators that ride up the side of the ship giving one the impression of riding over the sea. She was built in 2002 and is registered in Liberia. Her gross tonnage is 90,280 with dimensions of 954 by 105. She carries 2,038 passengers with a crew of 999. She visits on Oct. 3, 15 and 19.

Saga Ruby: Her former names were Vistajord and Caronia. As the Caronia, she often traveled to Bar Harbor. She is now operated by Saga Cruises of Europe and registered in the Bahamas. Cruise passengers are senior citizens, the ship accepts passengers who are 50 years of age or older. This is a beautiful older ship. She was built in 1973, with a gross tonnage of 29,292 and dimensions of 628 by 82. She carries 677 passengers with a crew of 376. Her only visit is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Norwegian Majesty: This is an older Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Her former name was Royal Majesty. She was built in 1992 but has been “stretched” since then. She has a friendly captain and crew. She is registered in the Bahamas. Her gross tonnage is 40,876 and her dimensions are 680 by 91. She carries 1,462 passengers and has a crew of 660. She will visit in October being in the harbor Oct. 7, 14, 22 and 29.

Artemis: This is a Royal Princess ship registered in Great Britain. Her former name was Royal Princess. She was built in 1984. Her gross tonnage is 44,588 and her dimensions are 738 by 95. She carries 1,200 passengers and has a crew of 520. She is operated by P and O. Oct. 29 will be her only visit to the area.

The last ship visiting Bar Harbor for this year is the Norwegian Majesty on Oct. 29.
As she sails away, Bar Harbor will settle down for the winter. Before that, however, plan to come and visit the ships. It is a thrilling experience.

This is indeed an exciting Cruise Ship schedule!
I will be in Bar Harbor to see all of the ships that visit. I have been welcoming passengers and making friends with cruiser's for years! This year alone, I will be meeting a total of 56 friends as they come to shore in Bar Harbor, it is a yearly ritual for myself and the many friends I have made with the yearly passengers onboard these spendid ships!I will also be meeting new friends that my friends have brought along to meet me! How exciting!
This is not to be missed folks!!!

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