Life is not over for plucky little cruise ship Spirit of Adventure. After the 350-passenger vessel finishes her winter season in the Far East and sails her farewell cruise next April from Cyprus to Rome, she will reappear in a new guise – or more accurately, an old one.
For the 9,570-ton ship, which has been operated by an arm of Saga Cruising since 2006, is going back to being called MS Berlin, and will sail a series of Mediterranean voyages for Germany’s fifth-largest travel company.
Some details of the new operation have appeared on an FTI website, together with a picture of the ship (above) in livery unchanged from its Spirit colours, apart from the new name on the bow.
The ship has long been one of my favourites; it is small, friendly, and has a charm which is personified in quirky cruise director Neil Horrocks, and cocktail pianist and all-round action man Clive Carrington.
Before she is replaced by Quest for Adventure – currently sailing as Saga Pearl II – that farewell cruise will take her to some of the Greek ports such as Kos and Monemvasia which I visited while on board this Easter, and to Black Sea ports including Yalta, Sevastopol, Odessa and Constanza, where she took me in 2007.
Spirit arrives in Civitavecchia on May 4, 2012; 17 days later she will embark on her maiden voyage as Berlin. Ports of call detailed on the FTI website include Genoa, Naples, Venice, Messina and Dubrovnik, but no other details of the itineraries are available.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Neil, Clive, and the rest of the Spirit team will have flown from Rome to Southampton to do their stuff when Quest for Adventure makes her own maiden voyage to Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Tobermory, on May 6.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
Not sure I’ll be following when Spirit reverts to Berlin. Think I’ll stick with Quest and hope there are some familiar faces around