MS ''Crown Iris'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

owned by the Israeli cruise line

Mano Maritime Mano Maritime (Hebrew: מנו ספנות, ''Mano Sapanut'') is a shipping company founded by Moshe Mano and is a subsidiary of the Mano Holdings Group. It operates cargo ships, passenger ships and undertakes other maritime services. The company wa ...

since 2018. She was originally ordered by

Birka Line Birka Cruises (formerly Birka Line) was an Ålandian shipping company that operated a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea with Stockholm as the starting point under the name Birka Cruises. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary, Birka Cargo. During ...

as MS ''Birka Queen'' from the

Wärtsilä Marine Wärtsilä Marine (; ) was a Finland, Finnish shipbuilding company. The company was created in 1987 in order to improve shipbuilding productivity by combining the Wärtsilä and Valmet yards under the same organisation. The yards were located in ...

Turku Shipyard in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, but completed by Kvaerner Masa-Yards as MS ''Royal Majesty'' for Majesty Cruise Line. In 1997 she was sold to Norwegian Cruise Line as MS ''Norwegian Majesty'' and lengthened by at the

Lloyd Werft Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH is a dockyard in Bremerhaven. It was founded in 1863 by the shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd, first mainly used as a repair workshop for the company’s own merchant fleet. This new yard was established in ...

shipyard in

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. She was sold to Louis Cruises as MS ''Louis Majesty'' from 2008 to 2012 when she was chartered to

Thomson Cruises Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson Cruises) is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. History The company had initially entered the cruise market in 1973, but due to rising fue ...

as MS ''Thomson Majesty'' before being returned to Louis Cruises/Celestyal Cruises, as the ''Majesty''. In 2018 the ship was sold to

Concept and construction

''Birka Queen'' was ordered by

for short cruises out of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

as a running mate to . The ship was ordered from

, but the shipyard went bankrupt in 1989. Operations were soon reorganized under the name of Masa-Yards, but the price of the ship was increased in the process, and Birka therefore refused to take delivery. Instead, the build contact was sold to Majesty Cruise Line, who took delivery of the ship on 2 July 1992, renaming her ''Royal Majesty''. Due to her past, the ship has some features uncommon for cruise ships, such as the highest

Finnish-Swedish ice class Finnish-Swedish ice class is an ice class assigned to a vessel operating in first-year ice in the Baltic Sea and calling at Finland, Finnish or Sweden, Swedish ports. Ships are divided into six ice classes based on requirements for hull structura ...

Service history

Following delivery, ''Royal Majesty'' set on her maiden voyage, a

transatlantic crossing Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe or Africa and the Americas. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between Western Europe and North America. Centuries ...

from

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, on 7 July 1992. She was christened in New York City on 21 July 1992 by

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

. Following this, she was used on three- and four-night cruises out of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In 1994 she initiated a new

northern hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

summer season itinerary with cruises from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

St. George's, Bermuda St. George's (formally the Town of St. George or St. George's Town), located on the island and within the parish of the same names (and on the northern side of St. George's Harbour), settled in 1612, is the first permanent English (and later Br ...

, returning to Florida for the winter season. NorwegianMajesty

On 10 June 1995, ''Royal Majesty'' grounded on Rose and Crown Shoal about east of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and about from where the watch officers thought the vessel was. Investigators found that the officers failed to act on visual cues about the vessel's location, over-relying on the automated bridge system. The vessel, with 1,509 persons on board, was en route from St. George's, Bermuda, to Boston, Massachusetts. There were no deaths or injuries as a result of this accident. Damage to the vessel and lost revenue, however, were estimated at about $7 million. In August 1996 she participated in the Titanic Expedition Cruise, an expedition to the sinking site of . Sailing from Boston, passengers spent five days circling the site with many celebrities and survivors from the famous ship onboard while parts of ''Titanic'' were being salvaged. Louis Majesty Rhodes

Majesty Cruise Line ceased operations at the end of the 1997 summer season, and ''Royal Majesty'' was sold to

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an American cruise line founded in Norway in 1966, headquartered in Miami, Florida, and incorporated in the Bahamas. It is the List of cruise lines, fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling ...

. She was renamed ''Norwegian Majesty'', and in 1999 she received a lengthening at the

shipyard in

. Similar lengthenings had been carried out on NCL's and the previous year. The lengthening of the Norwegian Majesty however was more technically complicated than those of the other ships, as she had not been designed for such an operation. In 2004 the ownership of ''Norwegian Majesty'' was transferred to NCL's parent company

Star Cruises StarCruises is a cruise line owned by the Malaysian company Resorts World Cruises. Previously it operated in the Asia-Pacific market and was owned by Genting Hong Kong. It was the 18th largest cruise line in the world after Carnival Corpora ...

in preparation for potential transfer to the Star Cruises fleet or sale at a later date. She remained in NCL service without other changes. On 23 April 2008 ''Norwegian Majesty'', was sold to the

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

-based

Louis Cruise Lines Celestyal Cruises (formed in 2014) is a succession to Louis Cruises and Louis Cruise Lines. The Cruise line was a subsidiary of Louis plc (founded in 1935 as the first travel agency in Cyprus) until November 2021 when Searchlight Capital Partners ...

. Louis Cruise Lines had reportedly outbid International Shipping Partners with their offer of $162 million. The deal was completed on 29 July 2008, but ''Norwegian Majesty'' was chartered back to Norwegian Cruise Line until October 2009. On 24 June 2009, Louis revealed that ''Norwegian Majesty'' would be renamed ''Louis Majesty''. On 3 March 2010, three

rogue wave A rogue wave is an abnormally large ocean wave. Rogue wave may also refer to: * Optical rogue waves, are rare pulses of light analogous to rogue or freak ocean waves. * Rogue Wave Software, a software company * Rogue Wave (band), an American in ...

s hit ''Louis Majesty'', killing two passengers, and injuring a number of others, while on a 12-day cruise around the Mediterranean. The waves, which were reportedly in excess of high, collided with the side of the vessel, smashing several windows in the saloon area. Water was taken on in the saloon area, which then drained down the decks below. The ship returned to port at

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

to receive repairs. ''Louis Majesty'' was chartered to Thomson Cruises from May 2012 and renamed ''Thomson Majesty''. It sailed from Corfu in the summer and the Canary Islands in the winter. On 10 February 2013, while the ship was docked in Santa Cruz de la Palma in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, five crew members were killed and three others injured during a safety drill when the lifeboat they were in fell into the sea, trapping the occupants. Julian Bray, Marine Analyst in the UK, writing in the Cduck media news blog, confirms that crew were taking part in a training exercise to load, launch, and recover lifeboats, complete a regular risk/ safety programme and to ensure crew members have had recent practical training. Malta's Maritime Safety Investigation Unit subsequently issued a safety alert following the discovery of significant corrosion on the inner strands of the fall wire involved. The wire rope had parted approximately where it rested over the topmost sheave, when the davit was in its stowed position. The fore and aft davit's fall wires had been replaced on 22 August 2010 and the next scheduled replacement was due in August 2014. In her later career with Thomson Cruises, she was given a refit adding several balcony cabins to the ship. In November 2017 she joined "Celestyal Cruises" and renamed simply as "Majesty".

Service as ''Crown Iris''

In late 2018, the ship was sold to the Israeli cruise line

(Mano Cruise) and renamed ''Crown Iris''. The ship went through an extensive refit in Chalkis Shipyards,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

during 2019. All the guest rooms were renovated and five new restaurants were established, a basketball court was added to the superstracture of the ship and a yellow water slide was added to one of the outdoor pools. The exterior design of the ship was also upgraded, graphics of "waves" in blue and turquoise were painted on both sides of the ship and the flooring of all decks was replaced. On 11 April 2019, the ''Crown Iris'' launching ceremony was held in the

Port of Haifa The Port of Haifa ('';'' ) is the largest of Israel's three major international seaports, the others being the Port of Ashdod, and the Port of Eilat. Its natural deep-water harbor operates all year long and serves both passenger and merchant shi ...

, Israel. The ship operates holiday cruises from the ports of

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

and

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. The ship's destinations are

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. On 10 October 2023, with the beginning of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

by Israel, the ''Crown Iris'' participated in the rescue of Israelis and brought them back to Israel from Cyprus. On 9 October 2024, the ''Crown Iris'' rescued three Turkish citizens whose

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

sank near the island of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

. During the 2025 Iran-Israel War, the ''Crown Iris'' participated in an operation to rescue Israelis back to Israel from Cyprus. The ship transported over 2,000 Israelis from Cyprus back to Israel. Also, the ''Crown Iris'' transported over 1,600 tourists from Israel to Cyprus.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crown Iris, MS 1991 ships Maritime incidents in 2010 Maritime incidents in 2013 Passenger ships of Norway Rogue wave incidents Ships built in Turku Ships of Celestyal Cruises Ships of Norwegian Cruise Line