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Pullmantur Cruises was a
cruise line A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...
headquartered in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
-based travel agency Pullmantur. In 2006, Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by U.S.-based Royal Caribbean Group, but Royal Caribbean later sold a 51% stake in the cruise line to Spain-based investment firm Springwater Capital, retaining a 49% stake. Pullmantur Cruises was the largest Spain-based
cruise line A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...
. The company mainly marketed to Spanish passengers, although cruises were also sold by some travel operators outside the Spanish-speaking world. Some of the company's ships operated an "all-inclusive" product, where some extras, such as brand alcoholic beverages, were included in the cruise price. Originally, most Pullmantur ships did not operate cruises for the company during the
northern hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
winter season. Instead, they were either laid up or under charter to other cruise lines, such as the
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
-based Viagens CVC. On 22 June 2020, due to the economic impact caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, Pullmantur's owners announced they had filed for reorganization of Pullmantur under Spanish insolvency laws. Pullmantur under Administration review was hoping to restart some operations with MV Horizon, laid up in
Eleusis Elefsina ( el, Ελευσίνα ''Elefsina''), or Eleusis (; Ancient Greek: ''Eleusis'') is a suburban city and municipality in the West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is situated about northwest from the centre of Athens and is part of i ...
Bay, and two Celebrity Millennium class cruise ships. By December 2020, a reorganization plan had been developed, to restart some cruises, with financial assistance from Royal Caribbean. Since mid July 2021 it was in process of liquidation.


History

Pullmantur began cruise operations in the 1990s by initially selling cruises on board , founded by Anastasios Kyriakides (subsequently merged with Premier Cruises), in the Southern Caribbean from
Premier Cruises Premier Cruises was a cruise line holding company formed in the early 1990s that focused on the family cruise market as well as on developing cruise operations in new geographic markets. The company's business focus was to acquire older cruise ves ...
and later also on board Premier Cruises flagship the SS Rembrandt in the Mediterranean. Premier changed its business plan in 1997 and canceled its contracts with operators, such as Pullmantur, and later collapsed in 2000. Pullmantur then acquired SS ''Big Red Boat 1'' and started its own cruise line, Pullmantur Cruises. ''Big Red Boat 1'' reverted to her original name , and began cruising around the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
from
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in May 2005. The ''Oceanic'' became very successful, and in 2002, Pullmantur acquired a second ship, MS ''Pacific'', from Princess Cruises, and chartered the former Renaissance Cruises ship from Cruiseinvest. ''R Five'' was marketed under the name ''Blue Dream''. Two more ships followed in 2003 when Pullmantur acquired MS ''Superstar Aries'' from Star Cruises and renamed her , while ''R Five''s sister ship was chartered as ''Blue Star''. In 2004, ''R Five'' was chartered to
Oceania Cruises Oceania Cruises is a cruise line based in Miami, Florida, that operates six cruise ships on worldwide itineraries. It typically offers cruises that last between 10 and 14 days, but is also known for its long cruises lasting up to 195 days. The ...
. In 2005, Pullmantur purchased ''R Six'', and renamed her after ''R Five'' exited the fleet. A third ''R''-class ship followed in 2006 when Pullmantur bought ''Delphin Renaissance'' and renamed her . Later that year, Pullmantur's fleet grew to six ships when it purchased ''Pacific Sky'' from P&O Cruises Australia and renamed her . In August 2006, Royal Caribbean Group announced it would purchase Pullmantur, making it Royal Caribbean's first wholly owned European brand. The acquisition was expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of the year. Following the acquisition by Royal Caribbean, several transfers were carried out between the Pullmantur fleet and those of other Royal Caribbean brands. In 2007, ''Blue Dream'' and ''Blue Moon'' were transferred to Azamara Club Cruises, while and
Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in ...
' joined the Pullmantur fleet in their place. ''Oceanic II'' had only spent the 2007 summer season operating for Pullmantur. In 2008, Pullmantur received '' Empress of the Seas'' from
Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International (RCI), also formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Flo ...
and renamed her . ''Pacific'' and ''Holiday Dream'' left the Pullmantur fleet in April and May for Quail Cruises and
CDF Croisières de France CDF Croisières de France was a cruise line that catered to the France, French cruise market, with French as the primary language used on board. CDF was a subsidiary of Pullmantur Cruises, and offered cruises to the Mediterranean operating from mi ...
, respectively. Also in May, Pullmantur purchased ''Pacific Star'' from P&O Cruises Australia and renamed her MS ''Ocean Dream''. was also transferred to Pullmantur and renamed ''MS Sovereign''. In April 2008.
Lloyd's List ''Lloyd's List'' is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734. It was published daily until 2013 (when the final print issue, number 60,850, was published), and is ...
reported that Pullmantur was in the process of purchasing ''
Pride of Aloha ''Norwegian Sky'' is a ''Sun''-class cruise ship owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She was originally ordered by Costa Cruises as ''Costa Olympia'' from the Bremer Vulkan shipyard in Germany, but she was completed in 1999 by the Lloyd ...
'' from
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8. ...
's subsidiary NCL America. However, the deal fell through and ''Pride of Aloha'' joined Norwegian's fleet. In January 2009, ''Sky Wonder'' was renamed ''Atlantic Star,'' and in March, ''Oceanic'' was sold to
Peace Boat is a global non-government organization headquartered in Japan established for the purpose of raising awareness and building connections internationally among groups that work for peace, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable dev ...
. In mid-April 2009, ''Island Star'' was transferred from Island Cruises to Pullmantur Cruises. In April 2013, Royal Caribbean transferred '' Monarch of the Seas'' to Pullmantur. ''Ocean Dream'' was chartered to Peace Boat to replace ''Oceanic'' and ''Pacific Dream'', which had been renamed ''Horizon,'' was transferred to CDF. In 2014, ''Zenith'' joined sister ship ''L'Horizon'' in the CDF fleet. In 2014 it was announces that the '' Majesty of the Seas'' would join the Pullmantur-fleet in 2016, but these plans were cancelled in 2015, and ''Empress'' was transferred back to Royal Caribbean in early 2016. CDF ceased operations in early 2017, and both ships in the CDF fleet were transferred back to Pullmantur. In July 2019, it was announced ''Zenith'' would leave the fleet in early 2020, having been chartered to ''
Peace Boat is a global non-government organization headquartered in Japan established for the purpose of raising awareness and building connections internationally among groups that work for peace, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable dev ...
''. Later in 2019, Pullmantur announced ''
Grandeur of the Seas ''Grandeur of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. Features include a full-service spa, six whirlpools, an outdoor jogging track and a number of bars and restaurants. It was announced on ...
'' would be transferred from Royal Caribbean to Pullmantur, joining the fleet in April 2021. There plans were cancelled in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of the crew members onboard ''Horizon'' were reported to have tested positive for the
coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the co ...
following the company's suspension of operations. In early-June 2020, Pullmantur's fleet had been moved into "cold lay-up" due to the company's extended suspension of operations given the pandemic.


Reorganization plan

On 22 June 2020, Pullmantur's owners announced that, due to the significant economic impact caused by the pandemic, they had filed for reorganization of Pullmantur under Spanish insolvency laws. It was also reported Pullmantur had begun dismantling part of the interiors of MS ''Sovereign'' and MS ''Monarch,'' with claims that "everything of value" was removed. A December 2020 news item stated that four companies had been declared bankrupt: Pullmantur S. A., Pullmantur Cruises SL, Pullmantur Holdings SL y Pullmantur Maltesas. Pullmantur Cruises announced a plan to return and restart cruise operations. In a series of questions on Facebook addressed to the costumers, Pullmantur had been asking for feedback on what would they like to see when they resume cruises. Among the questions the company asked was if guests are willing to pay 10-15 % higher prices than previously offered if it ensured a safer experience for everyone. After the fate of two Pullmantur ships, the Monarch and the Sovereign, was sealed in Aliaga scrapyard in Turkey, the company might try to resume cruises with the Horizon which was in cold lay-up in Greece Elefsinas Bay. The restart would be a tough task for Pullmantur since the company declared bankruptcy in July 2020. They said working together with the bankruptcy administration to introduce a new business plan that involved the return to operation and guaranteed the viability of the company, according the CEO of the company, Richard J. Vogel. Recently, the company has been in the spotlight in the Spanish media saying that Pullmantur left its headquarters in Madrid because of the inability to pay rent. Local media also reported that 127 employees out of 311, working in the headquarters had not received salary for the month of August 2020. Addressing this issue Pullmantur CEO, Richard J. Vogel, sent an email Friday 18.09.2020 to the entire staff, assuring them that the salary would be paid in following days. Regarding the non-payment of rent and the company moving out from the headquarters, Vogel said that they were reviewing different options, but there was no decision made to it. The plan certainly required reorganization, as the board of directors had acknowledged in June 2020: "Despite the great progress the company made to achieve a turnaround in 2019 and its huge engagement and best efforts of its dedicated employees, the headwinds caused by the pandemic are too strong for Pullmantur to overcome without a reorganization". The December 2020 news item stated that the Royal Caribbean had agreed to provide some funds to allow Pullmantur to move ahead with a "viability plan, and to carry out the reorganization process necessary to adapt the company to the new reality with a new fleet". In the meantime, negotiations were underway with the over 300 employees who were no longer working. In early 2021, Peace Boat returned ''Zenith'' to Royal Caribbean after chartering a larger cruise ship. In July 2021, however, Pullmantur was completely liquidated. As of 2021, ''Horizon'' and ''Zenith'' are still laid up in
Eleusis Elefsina ( el, Ελευσίνα ''Elefsina''), or Eleusis (; Ancient Greek: ''Eleusis'') is a suburban city and municipality in the West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is situated about northwest from the centre of Athens and is part of i ...
bay,
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, awaiting sale, disposal, or re-entry into service by Royal Caribbean Group.


Fleet


Former fleet


See also

* Wamos Air


References


External links


Official website
{{Subsidiaries of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Cruise lines Royal Caribbean Group