''Pearl Mist'' is a small
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 ...
, built in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
.
[
After her completion, years of legal dispute delayed her being put into operation, and she did not leave on her inaugural voyage until June 2014. She is currently operated by Pearl Seas Cruises.][
]
Design and description
''Pearl Mist'' is a cruise ship with a gross tonnage
Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...
of 5,109. The ship is long overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...
and between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...
. The vessel has a beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
* Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
** Laser beam
* Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized g ...
of .[ ''Pearl Mist'' was fully renovated in 2023 with a brand new interior design throughout the small ship. The ship's small size is described as a virtue, allowing the vessel to visit small ports that have to be skipped by larger vessels.][ The ''Pearl Mist'' sails the Great Lakes each summer season, as well as the Canadian and New England coastlines, including the St. Lawrence Seaway, in spring and fall. The ship is the only fully stabilized 100% private balcony cruise ship sailing the Great Lakes.
The vessel is described as being outfitted as "luxury", with 105 double rooms, all equipped with an outside balcony.][ The vessel is equipped with ]WiFi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...
.
Service history
''The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', reported the vessel was ordered from Irving Shipyards
Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is a Canadian shipbuilder and in-service support provider.
The company owns industrial fabricators Woodside Industries in Dartmouth, Marine Fabricators in Dartmouth, Halifax Shipyard as the largest facility
and company h ...
by Pearl Seas Cruises in 2006 for $43.5 million as the first ship built for the cruise line.[ The ]keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...
for ''Pearl Mist'' was laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one ...
on 23 July 2007 and that Pearl Seas and Irving began their dispute in 2007, just five months after construction of the vessel began.[ The vessel was launched on 14 March 2008.][ The ship was completed in June 2010.][ However, due to the dispute, Pearl Seas Cruises refused to accept the ship and ''Pearl Mist'' was laid up at ]Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada.
History
Shelburne lies at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia, at roughly the same latitude as Portland, Maine in the United States. The Mi'kmaq call the large and well-sheltered ...
to await the outcome of the legal process.[
Years of legal battles ended after a ]United States Federal Appeals court
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court ...
made a ruling in 2013 and a settlement was reached. ''Pearl Mist'' was accepted by Pearl Seas Cruises and towed to Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland in April 2013. The vessel was later taken in hand by Chesapeake Shipbuilding Chesapeake Shipbuilding is a shipbuilding company, based in Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately ...
, based in Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury ...
for fitting out. ''Pearl Mist'' made her maiden voyage in June 2014.[
In the summers her passengers visited ]Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...
ports.[ In the winters her passengers visit the Caribbean.][ In 2016 ''Pearl Mist'' started offering excursions that departed from ]Port Everglades, Florida
Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2019, Port ...
, on an 11-day circuit of Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, visiting Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especia ...
, Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains ...
and Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. .[
In January 2018, Pearl Seas Cruises announced a new itinerary for Maine and Bay of Fundy.]
See also
*
References
{{Reflist,
refs=
[
{{cite news
, url = http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/pearl-seas-cruises-demand-for-cuba-remains-strong.html
, title = Pearl Seas Cruises: Demand for Cuba remains strong
, work = ]Seatrade Cruise
Seatrade is an Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,[Seatrade Cruise
Seatrade is an Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,][Seatrade Cruise
Seatrade is an Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,][Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...]
, first = Kevin
, last= Rector
, date = 23 June 2014
, page =
, location =
, archiveurl =
, archivedate =
, accessdate = 23 July 2015
, quote = A lengthy legal dispute between the ship's buyer and its builder delayed its cruise schedule for years.
[
{{cite news
, url = http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-06-14/business/bs-bz-pearl-mist-20130518_1_cruise-ship-mystery-ship-carolyn-spencer-brown
, title = After years of dispute, cruise ship Pearl Mist gets closer to launch
, newspaper = ]Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
, first = Candy
, last= Thompson
, date = 14 June 2014
, page =
, location =
, archiveurl =
, archivedate =
, accessdate = 23 July 2015
, quote = After a four-year buffeting in the legal system, the Pearl Mist has finally found haven in Maryland. The owner of the 335-foot cruise ship and the Canadian shipyard that built it have parted ways in a nasty divorce that involved two federal courts and an arbitration panel that itself was reduced to internal squabbling.
[
{{cite news
, url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-benefits-from-tourists-on-american-cruise-ship-1.2739927
, title = Windsor benefits from tourists on American cruise ship: Pearl Mist makes five stops in the city carrying 210 passangers ic
, newspaper = ]CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.c ...
, date = 18 August 2014
, page =
, location = Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...
, archiveurl =
, archivedate =
, accessdate = 23 July 2015
, quote =
[
{{cite news
, url = http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2014/07/23/cruise-ontarios-great-lakes-georgian-bay-this-summer
, title = Cruise Ontario's Great Lakes, Georgian Bay this summer
, newspaper = ]Niagara Falls Review
The ''Niagara Falls Review'' is a daily newspaper distributed in Niagara Falls and also serving the nearby towns of Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake area in Ontario, Canada. The paper is owned by Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar ...
, first = Jim
, last=Fox
, date = 26 July 2016
, page =
, location =
, archiveurl =
, archivedate =
, accessdate = 23 July 2015
, quote = There’s a new luxury cruise ship plying the cool waters of the Great Lakes and Georgian Bay this summer. Cruises on the Pearl Mist set sail from Toronto and Chicago and go where the bigger cruise ships can’t reach.
Cruise ships
2008 ships
Ships built in Nova Scotia