Big Red Boat

[KAMLEM1]

I'm new here so I aplogize if this question has been asked a million times. What ever happened to the Big Red Boat? Are the Wonder and Magic similar?

 

[stephmarty]

We cruised on the Big Red Boat a couple of years ago. The last I heard of it was in a televised news story. Premier Cruise Lines went bust and the ship was seized while at sea! A real nightmare for the passengers. They were alerted by loudspeaker to pack their bags and prepare to disembark because the ship was "being seized." Passengers were forced off in the Bahamas with no way home. Many had to spend the night in the airport because there were not enough flights or available hotel rooms to accomodate everyone. I doubt if the passengers were ever reimbursed since the company went bankrupt. I wonder where the actual ship is now?

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Disney had a marketing agreement with Premier Cruise Lines (a.k.a. "The Big Red Boat") a few years ago, but Disney discontinued that agreement. Then they started their own cruise line in which they had a lot more control over the total experience. As stephmarty, Premier went bankrupt and was shut down, but not until after DCL was up and running.

 

[Werner Weiss]

From 1984 to 1994, Premier Cruise Line ("The Big Red Boat") had an agreement with Disney to be the "Official Cruise Line of Walt Disney World." During that time, Premier operated various older ships, including the StarShip Oceanic, StarShip Majestic, and StarShip Atlantic. Premier sold 1-week land/sea vacations, along the same lines as the Disney Wonder today. There were even Disney characters onboard.

When the agreement with Disney ended, Premier struck a deal to have Warner Brothers cartoon characters for family cruises. By 1997, Premier was down to a single ship, the StarShip Oceanic.

After a change of ownership, Premier branched out beyond Port Canaveral, adding various "classic" ships. But with competition from major cruise lines with newer, larger ships, Premier found it increasingly difficult to make money. In September 2000, Premier Cruise Line shut down. At that time, Premier had six ships, including the prize of its fleet, the Rembrandt, built in 1959 as Holland America's Rotterdam V.

Here's what happened to the three main ships of Premier's Disney years:

• StarShip Oceanic (built 1965), which remained part of Premier Cruise Line until the company's demise, is still called the Oceanic, but is now operated by Pullmantur Cruises (Spain).
• StarShip Majestic (built 1972) is now the Flamenco, operated by First European Cruises.
• StarShip Atlantic (built 1982) is now the Melody, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (Italy).

In June 2001, the Orlando Sentinel ran an article about the fate of Premiere's final fleet of ships. In October 2001, Cruiseshares announced plans to turn the Rembrandt into a timeshare cruise ship.

It's amazing how many people don't realize that the Big Red Boat and the Disney Cruise Line are two entirely different cruise lines.

It's possible that if Premier had not pioneered the Walt Disney World land-and-cruise vacation concept, there would be no Disney Cruise Line today.

__________
source of information about three main ships of Premier's Disney years:
http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/other/former_ship_names.asp

 

[mmouse37]

To answer the last part of your question, are they simililar....NOT AT ALL. The Wonder and Magic are just beautiful classic ships. The big red boat was just old. The W&M are larger, faster and have much more activites, plus, they are run by Disney...can't get better than that!!!!

MJ

 

[candleonwater]

It is interesting how many people, when they hear I'm going on a Disney cruise, say "Oh, the Big Red Boat!"...

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Thanks for stopping by, Werner Weiss. I knew that if anybody had the details, it'd be you.

 

[CamColt]

LOL, Candleonwater! When we told someone we went on the Disney cruise they said they had been on it too...like 10 years ago. I tried explaing, no, I had been on Disney, not the big red boat(which I had been previously though), and they just couldnt get it that what they had been on wasnt Disney.

I had 5 years between my 2 cruises and sort of forgot about BRB. I could tell the Wonder was bigger than BRB, but not sure exactly how much bigger. I then saw a picture of the 2 together, and WOW! BRB looked like a little fishing boat compared to the Wonder.

 

[smjj]

I tell them they are not the same and they look at me funny. The difference between the Big Red Boat and the Disney ships is as different as night and day. Having sailed on the BRB in 1996 and twice now on the Magic and can say there is no comparision. On our first 4 day trip on the Magic in 1998 we docked next to the BRB in Nassau. When they are next to each other you can see for yourself just how different they are...smjj

 

[Disney Dreamer]

We just returned from Jan. 13 Wonder with the Freeport stop. I noticed 2 of the Big Red Boat ships are docked there. They look pretty sad next to the Wonder.

It is amazing how many people think the Disney Cruise is still the Big Red Boat. This was our 3rd DCL cruise and everytime I tell someone we are going I still have at least 2 or 3 people that say oh, the Big Red Boat! After seeing those 2 ships in Freeport, I now understand why the don't think it's very exciting!!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You gotta' hand it to the Disney/Premiere marketing team. It's incredibly difficult to build brand recognition. The fact that people still have brand recognition over five years after that marketing alliance ends speaks to how well they did their job.

 

[Amzey]

I cruised on the Big Red Boat (Oceanic) in 1997 and had a wonderful time - but this is having had nothing (except a cruise on the QE2 when I was 4) to compare it to. I was definitely shocked when I boarded the Carnival Destiny in 1998 - obviously a huge difference from the Big Red Boat.
The one thing I was extremely pleased with on BRB was our cabin steward.. my sister and I would be in tears after we got home just thinking about how nice she was.
Someone asked me the other day when I mentioned taking a Disney Cruise if it was the Big Red Boat.. can't remember who it was though.

 

[Werner Weiss]

I found a picture of the Premier Oceanic and Disney Magic, side by side. I also found a smaller picture that provides a better comparison of size.

Not surprisingly, the Disney Magic looks more impressive than the Big Red Boat.

 

[mom2tiggers]

Did the BRB sail to Castaway Cay (Gorda Cay) too?

My aunt kept insisting that they went on the Disney Cruise. I was so confused since they went in 94 & Disney didn't start until 98. Then she mentioned that the private island was the best part. She couldn't remember the name of the island though, but I'm assuming it was Castaway Cay?

 

[lynetteSC]

I believe the BRB stopped at Port Lucaya ... not 100% sure about that!

HOWEVER, I am sure that lots of people have these two confused! EVERYDAY at my office people ask me for the BRB prices!!! It makes me CRINGE!!!! LOL! There is HUGE difference!!!

 

[Werner Weiss]

Premier had "Blue Lagoon Island"

Disney purchased Gorda Cay and turned it into Castaway Cay.

From http://www.phholidays.co.uk/Activities/Cruise/cruiselaunch.htm

Norwegian Cruise Line was the first to feature a private island in 1977. But today, Disney Cruise Line, whose first ship debuted in July 1998, has the most extensive facilities of all on its private island (which is wholly owned, not leased, like all others).

Some private islands change names depending on the day of the week and what ship is in. Beaches that look idyllic for 200 passengers can prove extremely noisy and crowded with 2,000 or more passengers from a large ship anchored for a “Beach Barbecue.” Cruise lines have their own names for these islands. For example: Blue Lagoon Island (Premier Cruise Lines), Castaway Cay (Disney Cruise Line), Catalina Island (Celebrity Cruises), Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean International), Little Stirrup Cay (Norwegian Cruise Line), Half Moon Cay (Holland America Line), Princess Cays (Princess Cruises), and Serena Cay (Costa Cruises).

 

[gscott8075]

We went on the Big Red Boat in 1992. It was our first cruise and we were young - it was a great trip - until we went on DCL 6 years later. This is an amazing - but 100% true tale -

Here are some notes...Werner would be proud!

Premier leased an island - as many cruise lines do!

It is called Great Guana Cay and it is in the Abacos - Premier called it Treasure Island. While Castaway Cay is head and shoulders above Treasure, we enjoyed how the Big Red Boat did this part...

We were anchored at sea - tenders took passengers places. We ate dinner (Humberto who is now a head server on the Magic was our server) and during desert, Captain Hook and his men "invaded" the dining room and took all of us "hostage" We made our way to the tenders who took us to Tresure Island for a night time Junkanoo party. It was awesome - tiki torches led the way, a steel band played music...

That night, Steph and I went for a walk along the beach. She stopped and realized that something was missing - it was her engagement ring. We looked around hopelessly. We borrowed a rake to dig around the sand. We flashed a flash to see if it would sparkle. The only thing that sparkled were our eyes - I was blinded for a good minute!

We gave up and left the rake about a foot in the sand and made our way back to the no longer fun festivities. (I told her to leave her jewelry in the safe. Women!)

We returned to the ship and it was a very quiet evening. The next morning, we returned to the island on the tender. We walked back to where the rake was only to discover that the tide had buried it almost to the top. Great - I started critcizing again - and then just shut my mouth and started digging. After an hour, we gave ourselves 10 minutes. It was hopeless. Then, with the last dig with my hands, up came the ring - totally unbelievable!

Total jubilation - if only the BRB had the surial bath!

We recreated the scene and took pictures for posterity - which I am reviewing as I write this. The rest of the day was awesome - we snorkeled for the first time - it was just great.

Anyway, the ring fiasco aside, the night time on the beach and two day access to the island was more enjoyable than Disney's 8-4 visit to paradise.

Thanks for starting this thread - it was a great trip down memory lane! I thought about it when we were in Freeport over New Years and saw th two BRB's in Freeport.

Take care!

 

[gscott8075]

Werner, maybe Premier changed the name after the Disney Deal ended - I am looking at a picture of the signage on the Island - it was called Treasure Island - and my photo album has noted which list it as Great Guana Cay.

Interesting!

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by gscott8075
Here are some notes...Werner would be proud!

Yes! I really enjoyed reading your account of your visit to Treasure Island during your 1992 Big Red Boat cruise.

Originally posted by gscott8075
Werner, maybe Premier changed the name after the Disney Deal ended - I am looking at a picture of the signage on the Island - it was called Treasure Island - and my photo album has noted which list it as Great Guana Cay.

Interesting!

Poking around the Web, it seems that "Blue Lagoon Island" was Premier's name for Salt Cay, and "Treasure island" was Premier's name for Great Guana Cay.

I found this interesting item about "Treasure island" as part of a longer article:

From http://www.samurai.com/lists/trawler-world-old/2000/12/0473.html

In 1989, and 1990 the northern part of Guana was developed as a cruise ship destination and was used by Premier Cruise Lines "Big Red Boat". For about two years, until early 1993 it was in use. At that time, they stopped visiting because too many trips had been cancelled as a result of innopportune weather at the channel entrance. The peculiar thing was, when they left, everything was left behind.

I also found a very nice postcard site about Premier Cruise Line.

 

[lpizzu]

We just returned from a Disney Wonder New Years Eve cruise and it was wonderful. When we were docked in Freeport we saw The Big Red Boat II and The Big Red Boat III. They are NOTHING like the Disney Wonder and Magic. They look like tug boats next to Disney's ships.