Transocean Tours
MS Astor
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Operator:Transocean Tours
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1987 / 1996
Length / Tonnage: 574 / 20,159
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 295 / 650
Officers / Crew: German / Russian / Ukrainian
Operating Area: Worldwide
Overview: she was built in 1987 for the Southafrican Marine Corporation (Safmarine) by Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG in Kiel / Germany. Due to the political climate at the time she was transferred to the Marlan corporation and registered in Mauritius. She was initially operated by British Morgan Leisure under full charter for mainly British passengers.
Her career got off to a rough start when Carnival cruise line complained that the logo on her funnel was too similar to their own. The owners were able to fix this problem by painting a white stripe through the logo but they were unable to fix the bigger problem of not being able to attract enough passengers. As a result the ship was put up for sale in 1988.
She was purchased by Sovcomflot and placed under the management of Black Sea Shipping Company. Her registration was transferred to Odessa and she was renamed MS Fedor Dostoevskiy. She was briefly chartered by Transocean Tours of Bremen
before being placed under long term charter for the German Neckermann Seereisen group.
In 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, management of the ships was transferred to Prestige Cruises of Monte Carlo - a joint venture of Sovcomflot and Costa Crociere and was registered in Nassau in the Bahamas. In 1992 management changed again, this time to a new company named Fedor Dostoevskiy Ltd..
In December 1994, she was chartered by AquaMarin Cruises and her name was changed back to MS Astor. When AquaMarin Cruises went out of business in late 1996, Transocean Tours took over the ship under full charter for 10 years.
Today, MS Astor operates worldwide. She is very popular with the German cruising community and the level of service, and quality of food are very good. Cabins are larger than average and are equipped with a minibar, satellite TV, radio, and plenty of storage space Bathrooms are equipped with showers, hair dryers, bathrobes and slippers. Her main dining room is one of the nicer rooms afloat. She has a nice pool and plenty of deck space.
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