The MS ''Thomson'' ''Celebration'' was 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 know ...

owned by

TUI UK TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for ''Touristik Union International'' ("Tourism Union International"). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to ...

, and last operated by their

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

-based

Marella 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 ...

. She was built in 1984 by

Chantiers de l'Atlantique Chantiers de l'Atlantique is a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. It is one of the world's largest shipyards, constructing a wide range of commercial, naval, and passenger ships. It is located near Nantes, at the mouth of the Loire, Loire river ...

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

for

Holland America Line Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...

(HAL) as MS ''Noordam''. On 29 April 2020, Marella announced that the ship would be retired from the fleet and sold for scrap. The ship beached for scrap in Aliaga, Turkey in 2022.

History

''Marella Celebration'' was built by

in 1984 for

as ''Noordam'' at a cost of $160 million and became the third HAL

vessel Vessel(s) or The Vessel may refer to: Biology *Blood vessel, a part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body *Lymphatic vessel, a thin walled, valved structure that carries lymph *Vessel element, a narrow wat ...

to bear the name.'Life Onboard' brochure - published by Thomson Cruises - pg 10 She was originally furnished with a $1 million art collection, some of which, including a 17th-century Oriental screen, can still be found on board. Her sister ship, ''Thomson Spirit'', also originally operated for HAL as . After ''Noordam'''s last sailing with HAL, the ship was taken out of service and 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 ...

and later rechristened as ''Thomson Celebration''. On 9 October 2017, Thomson Cruises announced to be renamed Marella Cruises.

TUI Group TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for ''Touristik Union International'' ("Tourism Union International"). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to ...

renamed ''Thomson Celebration'' to ''Marella Celebration'' at the end of October 2017. On 14 September 2022 the ship left Eleusis towards Aliaga, towed by the tug ''Vernicos Sifnos''.

References

External links

Photos of the ''Thomson Celebration''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marella Celebration Cruise ships 1983 ships