MS Ambition
{{short description|Cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = | display title = }} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:Croisière AMBITION au port à Casablanca.jpg | Ship caption = MS Ambition at Casablanca in 2023 }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = | Ship flag = | Ship name = *1999–2003: Mistral
| Ship owner = | Ship operator = *1999–2003: Festival Cruises
| Ship registry = *{{flagicon|France}} Mata Utu
| Ship route = | Ship ordered = 1996 | Ship builder = *Chantiers de l'Atlantique
| Ship original cost = | Ship yard number = J31 | Ship way number = | Ship laid down = | Ship launched = 2 January 1999 | Ship completed = | Ship christened = 25 June 1999 | Ship acquired = | Ship maiden voyage = 17 July 1999 | Ship in service = 1999–present | Ship out of service = | Ship identification = *Call sign: C6FL6
| Ship fate = | Ship status = In service | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = {{sclass|Mistral|cruise ship}} | Ship tonnage = {{GT|48,200}} | Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{convert|216|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|28.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship draft = | Ship depth = {{cvt|6.8|m|ftin}} | Ship decks = 8 passenger decks | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ramps = | Ship ice class = | Ship power = emissions standard IMO Tier III | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = {{convert|19.5|kn}} | Ship capacity = 1,248 passengers (double occupancy) 1,727 passengers (maximum capacity) | Ship crew = 670 | Ship notes = When docked can plugin to external power and turn-off engines }} |
MS Ambition is a cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line. Completed in France as Mistral for Festival Cruises in 1999, She sailed between 2005 and 2019 as Grand Mistral with Ibero Cruises and Costa neoRiviera with Costa Cruises. The ship was in service as AIDAmira with AIDA Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, until her sale in 2022 to Ambassador Cruise Line, who renamed her Ambition, commencing sailing in May 2023.
History
=''Mistral''=
File:Mistral Kiel2003.jpg Harbour, May 2003]]
The ship was originally ordered by Renaissance Cruises in mid 1996, but the order was later withdrawn.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cybercruises.com/mistral.htm|title=Festival Cruises' Mistral|last=Mazorra|first=Arturo Paniagua|date=1999-12-14|website=Tutto Crociere: The Cyberspace Cruise Magazine}} The yard and bankers together held ownership of the ship through a company called Auxiliaire Maritime. During construction at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the order was taken over by Festival Cruises, which would receive its first new-build vessel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.castlesoftheseas.nl/grand-mistral-1.html|title=Grand Mistral|website=Castles of the Seas}}
Festival Cruises chartered the ship for the first 12 years, with the option to purchase the ship after the first six years. The ship was floated out on 2 January 1999 from the shipyard and was christened on 25 June 1999 by Claude Deschamps, wife of French football player Didier Deschamps.{{Cite book|title=Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels|last=Smith|first=Peter C.|publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84884-218-2|location=Barnsley, England|pages=91}} Mistral sailed on her maiden voyage on 17 July 1999, a seven-day cruise from Genoa to the Greek islands. She was deployed to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean after her inaugural Mediterranean season and later operated primarily from Cuba. Festival Cruises collapsed in 2004 and most of the company's fleet, including Mistral, was sold off.
=''Grand Mistral''=
File:Grand Mistral in Malta Harbor 12 May, 2006 (2) (cropped).jpg, 2006|alt=]]
Mistral was initially sold back to Alstom Group, parent of her builders, and chartered to Viajes Iberojet and operated by Ibero Cruises, having been marketed as Iberostar Mistral. Mistral was officially sold to Iberojet at an auction and subsequently renamed Grand Mistral, debuting for the cruise line on 30 May 2005.
In 2007, Carnival Corporation & plc formed a joint venture with Orizonia Corporation under the latter's Iberojet Cruceros brand, with Carnival owning 75% and Orizonia owning 25% of the company.{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-to-partner-with-Iberojet-Cruceros-in-joint-venture|title=Carnival to partner with Iberojet Cruceros in joint venture|last=Cogswell|first=David|date=2007-02-08|website=Travel Weekly}} With this, Grand Mistral would now be owned and operated by the new joint venture company.
File:Grand Mistral IMO 9172777 in Tallinn 22 May 2012.JPG
In August 2013, it was announced that Grand Mistral would be transferred to Costa Cruises in November, and her intended South American itineraries from Santos, Brazil would be cancelled.{{Cite news|url=https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/iberocruceros-grand-mistral-to-become-costa-neoriviera.html|title=Iberocruceros' Grand Mistral to Become Costa neoRiviera|last=Norton|first=Theresa|work=TravelPulse|date=2013-10-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/9804-grand-mistral-south-america-season-cancelled-ship-transferred-to-costa.html|title=Grand Mistral South America Season Cancelled, Ship Transferred to Costa|date=2013-08-29|website=Cruise Industry News}}
=''Costa neoRiviera''=
File:Croisière COSTA NEORIVIERA au port.jpg, 2019]]
In September 2013, Costa Cruises announced that the transferred ship, which would be renamed Costa neoRiviera, would take a central role in launching a new sub-product that would focus on smaller ships with longer port calls, more overnights, and new exotic locales among the offered itineraries.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/9950-overnights-and-unusual-destinations-mark-new-costa-project.html|title=Overnights and Unusual Destinations Mark New Costa Project|date=28 September 2013|website=Cruise Industry News}} In October 2013, Costa revealed that she would be based in Dubai, with her debut set for 24 November 2013. The company reportedly invested €10 million into transforming the ship for integration into its fleet.{{Cite web|url=https://www.portalworldcruises2.com/2013/11/costa-investe-mais-de-10-milhoes-de.html|title=Costa investe mais de 10 milhões de euros na renovação e manutenção de sua frota|last=Capella|first=Daniel|date=9 November 2013}}
Costa neoRiviera left Costa's fleet in October 2019 after it was announced on 25 May 2018 that the ship would be transferred to sister brand, AIDA Cruises.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/19054-costa-neoriviera-to-become-aidamira-in-2019.html|title=Costa neoRiviera to Become AIDAmira in 2019|date=25 May 2018|website=Cruise Industry News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news-headlines/costa-neoriviera-transferring-become-aidamira|title=Costa neoRiviera is transferring to become AIDAmira|last=Kalosh|first=Anne|date=2018-05-25|website=Seatrade Cruise News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/21622-costa-neoriviera-to-become-aidamira-after-55-million-drydock.html|title=Costa neoRiviera to Become AIDAmira After $55 Million Drydock|last=Mathisen|first=Monty|date=2019-09-25|website=Cruise Industry News}}
=''AIDAmira''=
File:At Playa de Las Teresitas, Tenerife 2021 018 (cropped).jpg in 2021]]
Costa neoRiviera entered dry dock at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa on 30 October 2019 for a $55 million transformation to integrate her into the AIDA fleet. She departed the shipyard on 28 November 2019 and arrived in Palma de Mallorca on 29 November 2019 for her christening. AIDAmira was officially christened by Franziska Knuppe on 30 November 2019 in Palma de Mallorca.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22006-aidamira-christened.html|title=AIDAmira Christened|date=2019-12-01|website=Cruise Industry News}}
AIDAmira was the fourth ship to be in AIDA's "AIDA Selection" program, along with {{ship||AIDAaura}}, {{ship||AIDAcara}}, and {{ship||AIDAvita}}, utilizing the fleet's smaller ships to perform longer itineraries calling in exotic locales.{{Cite web|url=https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/first-aidamira-cruise-canceled-last-minute|title=First AIDAmira cruise canceled last minute|last=Erdmann|first=Frederik|date=2019-12-02|website=Seatrade Cruise News}} Her inaugural cruise was scheduled to leave on 4 December 2019 to Sète and Barcelona, but was cancelled at the last minute due to continued renovations requiring her to stay in Palma de Mallorca until 4 December. The ship left for her maiden season in South Africa, offering 14-day cruises from Cape Town.
In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, six passengers were quarantined on AIDAmira, after they had flown on a plane with another guest who had later tested positive for COVID-19. Ultimately, more than 1,700 passengers were held, pending their test results, while the ship was docked at Cape Town.{{cite web|title= 1,700 trapped on Cape Town cruise ship in Covid-19 drama|url= https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-03-17-1700-trapped-on-cape-town-cruise-ship-in-covid-19-drama/|website= The Sunday Times|date= 18 March 2020|access-date= 18 March 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200318012422/https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-03-17-1700-trapped-on-cape-town-cruise-ship-in-covid-19-drama/|archive-date= 18 March 2020|url-status= live}} By 19 March, all tests returned negative, and passengers were allowed to disembark.{{cite web|url=https://cruisearabiaonline.com/2020/03/19/aidamira-cleared-of-coronavirus-in-cape-town-as-sa-shuts-down-cruise-operations/|title=AIDAmira cleared of Coronavirus in Cape Town as SA shuts down cruise operations|work=Cruise Arabia & Africa|date=19 March 2020|access-date=17 May 2021}} She was scheduled to return to the Mediterranean from May to September 2020, sailing within the Eastern Mediterranean region from Corfu, but the pandemic caused AIDA to suspend its operations through the summer.{{Cite news|last=Kalosh|first=Anne|date=27 May 2020|title=May 27 updates: Costa/AIDA delay, Victory won't operate in 2020, new AQSC timeline|work=Seatrade Cruise News|url=https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/may-27-updates-costaaida-delay-victory-wont-operate-2020-new-aqsc-timeline|access-date=30 June 2020}}
After being laid up since 2020, AIDA Cruises sold the ship in January 2022 to Ambassador Cruise Line.{{cite web|url=https://www.aida.de/aida-cruises/presse/pressearchiv/newsdetails/aida-cruises-baut-selection-programm-aus.24494.html|title=AIDA Cruises baut Selection-Programm aus|date=2022-01-26|access-date=2022-01-26|language=german}}{{cite news |title=Former AIDAmira Arrives in Bar City, Montenegro |url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27526-ambassador-cruise-line-launches-deployment-for-2023-2024.html |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=Cruise Industry News |date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406075458/https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27149-former-aidamira-arrives-in-bar-city-montenegro.html |archive-date=6 April 2022 |location=New York}}
=''Ambition''=
File:Ambition-cruisevessel2-lloyd hg.jpg
Ambassador Cruise Line renamed the ship Ambition and in April 2022 sent her to Bar, Montenegro to await an extensive refit prior to commencing service in March 2023.{{cite news|last1=Payne|first1=Holly|title=Ambassador purchases AIDAmira, will enter service next year as Ambition|url=https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/ambassador-purchases-aidamira-will-enter-service-next-year-ambition|access-date=27 January 2022|work=Seatrade Cruise News|date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127205544/https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/ambassador-purchases-aidamira-will-enter-service-next-year-ambition|archive-date=27 January 2022|location=Colchester}}{{cite web|url=https://portalcruceros.cl/ex-aidamira-llega-a-montenegro-a-la-espera-de-remodelacion/|title=Ex AIDAmira llega a Montenegro a la espera de remodelación|date=2022-04-06|accessdate=2022-04-06}} In September 2022, the ship began a six-month charter to the Scottish Government to provide accommodation on the River Clyde in Glasgow for refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, delaying commencement of her cruise program.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-16 |title=Ambassador Cruise Line Charters Ship to the Scottish Government |url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28054-ambassador-cruise-line-charters-ship-to-the-scottish-government.html |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Cruise Industry News |language=en-gb}}{{cite news |last1=Boonzaler |first1=Jonathan |title=Ambition will join Tallink-owned cruise ferry in Scotland to house Ukrainian refugees |url=https://www.tradewindsnews.com/cruise-and-ferry/ambassador-lines-up-refugee-role-for-recently-purchased-cruise-ship/2-1-1278223 |access-date=16 December 2022 |work=TradeWinds |date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821171841/https://www.tradewindsnews.com/cruise-and-ferry/ambassador-lines-up-refugee-role-for-recently-purchased-cruise-ship/2-1-1278223 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |location=Oslo}}
In April 2023, a four-week refit took place at the Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany.{{Cite web |title=Kreuzfahrtschiff "Ambition" verlässt Bremerhavener Lloyd Werft |url=https://www.nordsee-zeitung.de/Bremerhaven/Kreuzfahrtschiff-Ambition-verlaesst-Bremerhavener-Lloyd-Werft-136417.html |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=NZ-Online |language=de}} Ambition was upgraded to comply with the International Maritime Organization's Tier III emission standards, which required a reduction in the ship's production of nitrogen oxide. The dock work at Lloyd Werft also included maintenance work on the propulsion units, rudders and stabilizers, as well as a new coat of paint in the shipping company's colors. Ambition left Bremerhaven on 8 May 2023 before travelling to Port of Tyne in Newcastle on 11 May for the naming ceremony. Former sailing champion and double Olympic Gold medalist Shirley Robertson christened and was named godmother of the ship.{{Cite web |title=Shirley Robertson OBE to christen Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition |url=https://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/shirley-robertson-obe-to-christen-ambassador-cruise-lines-ambition-1 |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=CruiseandFerry.net |language=en-GB}} The first stop on the ship's maiden voyage was from Newcastle to Dundee, Robertson's birth place.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|IMO 9172777}}
- [https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/our-ships/ambition/ Ambition at Ambassador Cruise Line]
- [http://www.costacruise.com/usa/costa_neoriviera.html Costa neoRomantica - pictures and video of the ship|Costa Cruises]
{{Portal bar|Transport}}
{{Mistral class}}
{{Ibero Cruises}}
{{Costa Cruises}}
{{AIDA Ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambition}}
Category:Ships of AIDA Cruises
Category:Ships of Costa Cruises