Song of America
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Celestyal Olympia in 2015.
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| History | |
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| Name: |
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| Owner: |
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| Port of registry: | |
| Ordered: | 1 November 1979 |
| Builder: | Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard, Helsinki, Finland |
| Cost: | $ 140 million |
| Yard number: | 431 |
| Launched: | 26 November 1981 |
| Acquired: | 11 November 1982 |
| In service: | 5 December 1982 |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | Operating |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type: | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | 214.51 m (703 ft 9 in) |
| Beam: | 28.41 m (93 ft 3 in) |
| Draught: | 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in) |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: | Twin propellers |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Capacity: | 1,575 passengers |
| Crew: | 540 |
| General characteristics (as Thomson Destiny) | |
| Tonnage: | |
| Decks: | 12 |
| Capacity: | 1,611 passengers |
| Crew: | 540 |
MS Celestyal Olympia is a cruise ship owned by the Cyprus-based Celestyal Cruises, formerly Louis Cruise Lines. In April 2012 she was named Louis Olympia after operating as the Thomson Destiny for Thomson Cruises. She was built in 1982 at Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as MS Song of America. Between 1999 and 2004 she sailed for Sun Cruises as MS Sunbird. She was previously under charter to the United Kingdom-based Thomson Cruises until April 2012 as the MS Thomson Destiny. She has since sailed for Louis Cruises as MS Louis Olympia, and as MS Celestyal Olympia since 2014.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines had operated throughout the 1970s with three ships that had been built at the Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. Two of these had been lengthened towards the end of the decade, but due to increased demand RCCL decided to order a larger new ship, again from the Wärtsilä Helsinki shipyard.
For the interior layout of their new ship RCCL decided to adapt a system with cabins to the fore of the ship, furthest from engine noise, and public spaces to aft. This layout was widely used on ferries built by the Wärtsilä shipyard, but has been rarely used for cruise ships. The public spaces on decks five and seven were built with 1½ times the standard deck height, leading to deck 6 only existing in the forward part of the ship.
The Song of America was launched from drydock on 26 November 1981. Following fitting out she was delivered to her owners on 11 November 1982.
Following a voyage across the Atlantic, the Song of America entered service with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines on 5 December 1982 on a cruise from Miami to Nassau, San Juan and St. Thomas. This remained her main itenerary for the early parts of her career with RCCL.
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