Galileo To Bermuda

[oldIrish]

:confused: Can anyone supply me with the dates the Galileo (later became the Meridan) sailed from Phila to Bermuda.

[G'ma]

:confused: Can anyone supply me with the dates the Galileo (later became the Meridan) sailed from Phila to Bermuda.

 

The cruises from Philadelphia were "special" cruises and only a few over the summer. It was in the mid-1980's. I had a travel agency in So. Jersey during the 80's and we did several group cruises on her Philly departures. Her homeport was NY.

 

Here, for your info:

 

GALILEO GALILEI / GALILEO / MERIDIAN / SUN VISTA 1963

Completed in 1963 as the GALILEO GALILEI by Cant Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Trieste for Lloyd Triestino, she was launched on 2nd July 1961, but due to industrial disputes, it was 22nd Apr.1963 before she started her maiden voyage from Genoa for Fremantle and Sydney. Her high 24 knot service speed enabled her to sail from Genoa to Sydney in 23 days. She had fully air conditioned accommodation for 156-1st and 1,594-tourist class passengers and carried 443 crew. Her length was 700ft and beam 94ft and gross tonnage 27,907 tons. She continued the Australia trade, using the Suez Canal until it was closed in 1967 when she was diverted via Cape Town and Durban. In Oct.1968 she returned to Genoa from Sydney via the Panama Canal and then made round-the-world cruises and limited cruises out of Sydney as well as Italy - Australia voyages. On 13th Jan.1975 she struck rocks off the West Coast of Africa, diverted to Monrovia where inspection found major damage to her hull. The cruise was cancelled and she returned to Genoa for repairs. The Italian government withdrew subsidies in about 1975, and the Australia service which had been running at a loss continued until May 1977 and was then terminated. Refitted as a full time cruise ship with accommodation for 900 single class passengers, she made short Mediterranean and European cruises in 1979-80. She spent considerable time laid up and in 1981 was chartered to Chandris for a while. Laid up again until late 1983 when she was sold to Chandris Line who completely refitted her and used her on cruises out of New York and Miami and in 1984 renamed her GALILEO. In 1989 Chandris created an up market company called Celebrity Cruises, had the ship rebuilt at Hamburg and renamed MERIDIAN. Used on high quality cruises out of US ports until June 1997 when she was sold to Metro Holdings of Singapore. Renamed SUN VISTA in 1998 she cruised out of Singapore mostly to Thailand. On 19th May 1999, while carrying 472 passengers and 632 crew, fire broke out in the engine room near Singapore. There was no loss of life, but so much water was pumped into her to try to extinguish the fire that she sank.

[Essiesmom]

My niece went to Bermuda on her with her high school class in 1988 but I don't know whether it was from NYC or Phila. EM

[PurpleCow]

We sailed on the Meridian in the early 90's. I was so sad watching the video of her burning and sinking. She was a class act.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I believe that could have been in 1984. She was doing a series of East Coast cruises that spring, summer and fall and I think there were some from Philadelphia.

[dmrrn73]

I remember the Meridian, I was on that one in 1996, first time to Bermuda, that trip sold me on Celebrity and I have been on 4 more Celebrity to Bermuda cruises since. I was on one of them when the Meridian sunk, that was crazy to see it.