what is the "big red boat"?

[RCCLCruiser2010]

i heard this ship alot, is the something special about that ship?

[Bonnie J.]

Could be wrong but the 'Big Red Boat' used to be a Premier ship which was somehow connected with Disney - before Disney had its own ships. This was years ago. Then Pemier bought the Dolphin line. Then Premier's ships were repossesed- in middle of cruise!!- Never knew what happened to the Big Red Boat as it disappeared when The Dolphin Line was purchased. Maybe its a reef somewhere, it was an OLD ship. Anyone know what happened to her?

[Krazy Kruizers]

In the February issue of Cruise Travel there is a picture showing the Big Red Boat (ex-Transvaal Castle, Festivale, Island Breeze) beached on Alang Beach in the Gujarat province on the northwestern shores of India's Gulf of Cambay waiting to be broken apart - that was in February 2004. By now, she is gone forever.

[Arwenmark]

Yes to me it was a very special ship the Premier Oceanic, the first ship I sailed on and in the Aries suite at that for My 20th anniversary, that was 18 years and many cruises ago now.

I was very sad to see her go.

and Yes she did have a partnership with Disney before they entered the cruiseline business themselves, which is in fact what put Premier out of business really.

[TrentS]

There were more than one "BIG RED BOAT", but I doubt you've heard much about them lately as Premier Cruises went out of business in September 2000. It wasn't Disney that did them in as much as it was the fact that they had very old ships with extremely high maintenance costs that used far more fuel than newer more efficient ships. Personally I love the old ships, but their old, outdated ships just couldn't compete with the new modern ships that the majority of people want.

 

Oceanic is the only former Premier ship that's still sailing. It's now with the Spanish line Pullmantur... http://www.pullmanturcruises.com/oceanic.html

[chasetf]

Here are the Big Red Boats....

Big Red Boat I (Oceanic, StarShip Oceanic) Built 1965

Big Red Boat II (Eugenio C, Eugenio Costa, Edinburgh Castle) Built 1966

Big Red Boat III (Transvaal Castle, S.A.Vaal, Festivale, IslandBreeze) Built 1962

Big Red Boat IV (Rotterdam, Rembrandt) Built 1959

 

This link provides additional information.... http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/

Type in "Big Red Boat" in the search field..

[Keith1010]

Premier Cruise Lines used to offer seven day packages out of Port Canaveral as the Big Red Boat You could sail on the ship for three or four days and then stay at Disney World for the remaining days. They had a variety of Hotel packages to choose from that varied by price. I know in the early 1990's they had three boats the Atlantic (36K tonnage), Oceanic (40K tonnage) and the Majestic (17.5K tonnage) The cruise was focused primarily for families with young children. Once Disney rolled out their first boat, they lost their niche and tried to offer other types of criuses but with older boats and competive pricing from other cruise lines such as Carnival eventually this line went bankrupt and out of business.

 

Keith

[Capt_BJ]

 

POLAR SEA & POLAR STAR at McMurdo.....

[Shadow8]

Big Red Boat I (Oceanic, StarShip Oceanic) Built 1965

Big Red Boat II (Eugenio C, Eugenio Costa, Edinburgh Castle) Built 1966

Big Red Boat III (Transvaal Castle, S.A.Vaal, Festivale, IslandBreeze) Built 1962

Big Red Boat IV (Rotterdam, Rembrandt) Built 1959

 

 

I'm not sure which ship it was, but one of the "Big Red Boats" sank with

just the crew on it after being sold by Premier.

 

 

Patti

7 cruises, including 2 on The Oceanic (Big Red Boat I)

[TrentS]

Big Red Boat I (Oceanic, StarShip Oceanic) Built 1965

Big Red Boat II (Eugenio C, Eugenio Costa, Edinburgh Castle) Built 1966

Big Red Boat III (Transvaal Castle, S.A.Vaal, Festivale, IslandBreeze) Built 1962

Big Red Boat IV (Rotterdam, Rembrandt) Built 1959

 

 

I'm not sure which ship it was, but one of the "Big Red Boats" sank with

just the crew on it after being sold by Premier.

 

 

Patti

7 cruises, including 2 on The Oceanic (Big Red Boat I)

Rotterdam V/Rembrandt was NEVER a "Big Red Boat"... It was proposed but the outcry from those who loved her was too great and they abandoned that idea.

 

It wasn't a "Big Red Boat" that sank, it was Sea Breeze I that sank under suspicious circumstances off the Carolina coast while on it's way to layup in Freeport. The crew were all rescued.

[dkjretired]

was our first cruise when it was the big red boat, I believe in 93. The Disney characters were indeed on board and we had a package which put us up in the Yacht and Beach Club at Disneyworld. After they lost their contract with Disney which was actually quite a while before Disney had their cruise line, they hooked up with Warner Brothers and had the Loonie Tunes on board. Fun cruise for the kids.