Golden Iris

The 1975-built/2022-scrapped MS Golden Iris cruise ship was last owned by Mano Maritime Israel (a shipping company, subsidiary of Mano Holdings Group, owned by Moshe Mano), which also owns container carriers/boxships. The vessel was constructed in Copenhagen, Denmark (by BWSC/Burmeister & Wain Shipyard) for Cunard Line (via Cunard Cruise Ships Ltd) and launched under the name "MS Cunard Conquest". Her last fleetmate was Crown Iris (fka "Louis Majesty" and "Princess Iris").

The vessel (IMO number 7358573) was last Panama-flagged (MMSI 371771000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

In 1977, the 1000-passenger ship Cunard Conquest was renamed "Cunard Princess". In 1995, the vessel was sold to StarLauro Cruises (now MSC Cruises). Between 1995-2006, she was named "MS Rhapsody", under the ownership of Gramerco International Corporation. The last shipowner, Mano Maritime, acquired her in 2009 via Mint Marine Ltd.

Golden Iris was retired in 2018 and put up for sale. After being laid up for four years in Greece, the liner was sold for scrap in 2022. On July 11, 2022, the 45-year-old vessel (renamed GOLD CLUB) arrived at Turkey's Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard, where she was beached for dismantling. GOLD CLUB's AIS transmitted for the last time on November 27, 2021 (at 7:09 UTC), showing the ship docked south of Port Chalkis/Chalkida.

An interesting fact is that this ship was originally one of two vessels ordered by the USA-based Overseas National Airways. Hugh Hefner (1926-2017, American magazine publisher and founder of Playboy magazine) was involved in the design process, envisioning these ships as "floating Playboy Clubs".

After construction in Denmark, Cunard Line transferred Cunard Conquest (hull/BWSC yard number 859) to a shipyard in Italy for outfitting. Cunard Princess entered service in 1977 with a roundtrip maiden voyage from NYC (New York, USA) to Bermuda. Later, her deployment expanded to Alaska, Florida, and the Mexican Riviera. She was briefly chartered to the Italian shipping company Lauro (now MSC Group) for Mediterranean voyages. In 1990-91, Cunard Princess was chartered by the US government as a recreation center in the Persian Gulf.

Decks and Cabins

Golden Iris staterooms (400 total) included both outside and inside cabins, among them 38 Suites. None featured step-out balconies. All staterooms offered standard amenities: 1x Queen-size bed (or 2x single beds), living area (mirrored vanity table with chair, full-length closets/wardrobes with drawers), en-suite bathroom (WC, shower with curtain, toiletries/soap and shampoo dispensers), TV, mini-bar (refrigerator), direct-dial phone, electronic safe box (chargeable), hairdryer, and individual air-conditioning.

The vessel had 8 decks, of which 7 were passenger-accessible and 6 had cabins.

The picture below shows the ship's deck plan infographic with all onboard venues and facilities.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

Golden Iris featured the main dining room (Meridian Restaurant), a Lido buffet restaurant (Outrigger Buffet), and Outrigger Cafe.

Although built in Denmark, all interior decorations of Golden Iris were completed in Italy. Guests enjoyed a variety of cruise packages, comfortable staterooms, live entertainment, and numerous onboard events. The ship was famously known as Israel's "golden passenger liner".

Facilities included a fitness center (with sea views), wellness and sports areas (Beauty Salon, Spa, Sauna, Gym, Jogging Track), a duty-free shopping arcade, fully stocked modern bars, spacious swimming pools (including a children's pool), poolside bar, large outdoor Jacuzzi/whirlpool, sundecks, Children’s Play Room, Library, Card Room, Show Boat Lounge (with dance floor and stage for live performances), Photo Gallery, 8 Bolls Night Club (disco with dance floor and stage), TopSail Lounge, Casino (gaming bar lounge with slot machines), and a Piano Bar.

Itineraries

Golden Iris' itinerary program was seasonal, based on roundtrips from homeport Haifa, Israel.

She operated 2- to 5-day voyages to the Greek Islands, visiting Rhodes, Cyprus (Limassol, Larnaca), and Crete (Agios Nikolaos).

Combined Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea cruises included Greece (Thessaloniki, Kavala, Syros Island), Romania (Constanta), and Bulgaria (Varna, Burgas).

Homeporting in Haifa was from March through November, with about 60 roundtrips scheduled annually and a yearly passenger capacity of around 50,000.