Ocean Dream
Ocean Dream was the final operating name of a 1972-built cruise ship with a long history under multiple owners and names.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Ocean Dream was the final commercial identity of a classic cruise ship originally completed as Spirit of London. Built in Italy and placed into service in 1972, the vessel was initially intended for Norwegian Caribbean Line under the name Seaward. Construction was delayed after its shipyard encountered financial difficulties and was taken over by the IRI Group. The partially completed hull was ultimately sold to P&O, which finished the ship and named it Spirit of London. The vessel entered the P&O orbit during the formative period of modern mass-market cruising. In 1974, P&O acquired Princess Cruises and transferred Spirit of London to that fleet. Princess operated the ship as Sun Princess, alongside vessels including Island Princess and Pacific Princess. Its long length and distinctive superstructure reflected an earlier generation of cruise-ship design, while its connection to Princess Cruises placed it in a prominent role in the company’s developing passenger-cruise network. The ship experienced several operational incidents during its career. A laundry-room fire in 1979 occurred while the vessel was under charter to Mutual of Omaha, but the fire was controlled before passengers needed to use the lowered lifeboats. A more serious auxiliary-engine-room fire in 1991 left the ship without propulsion and required a tow back to Florida. These events did not end its career, and the ship continued to be transferred, refurbished, renamed, and redeployed. In 1988, P&O sold the ship to Premier Cruises. It first became Majestic and then Starship Majestic after an interior refurbishment. During this era, the vessel benefited from Premier’s relationship with Disney as a licensed cruise-line partner. In 1994, CTC acquired the ship and renamed it Southern Cross. Festival Cruises later operated it as Flamenco beginning in 1998. The vessel also gained a place in popular culture: its interiors appeared in television productions including Columbo, Starsky & Hutch, and The Love Boat, as well as the film Herbie Goes Bananas. Festival Cruises collapsed in 2004, and the ship was sold at bankruptcy auction to Cruise Elysia for $12.25 million. The new owners renamed it New Flamenco. A charter-related dispute involving Fulton Shipping, Globalia Business Travel, and the ship’s ownership chain eventually reached the United Kingdom Supreme Court. The court held that the charterer was liable for the owner’s net lost profits under the final extension and that the ship’s subsequent profitable sale did not constitute mitigation of those losses. Club Cruise acquired New Flamenco in 2007 and used it as a hotel ship in New Caledonia. After Club Cruise failed in late 2008, the vessel remained laid up near Singapore for more than a year and was designated for scrapping. In 2012, Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises rescued the ship from the scrapyard, renamed it Ocean Dream, and painted a dragon motif on its bow. Under its final identity, it operated cruises from Haikou in China to Halong Bay in Vietnam. The revival was temporary. After being abandoned without crew or adequate maintenance for approximately a year, Ocean Dream capsized and sank in shallow water off Laem Chabang near Si Racha, Thailand, on 27 February 2016. An attempt to right the vessel failed, and authorities and owners decided to dismantle it at the site. Demolition began by late 2017, and by the end of 2019 much of the wreck visible above the waterline had been removed. Ocean Dream therefore represents not a continuing cruise brand but the final chapter in the commercial life of a historically long-lived ship.
History
The vessel later known as Ocean Dream was ordered in 1970 by Norwegian Caribbean Line as Seaward. Its construction was disrupted when Cantieri Navali del Tirreno & Riuniti encountered financial problems and was taken over by the IRI Group. The new owner cancelled the original building contract, prompting protests from Norwegian Caribbean Line. A compromise allowed partial completion, but Norwegian Caribbean Line sold the hull to P&O, which completed the ship as Spirit of London. Spirit of London was placed into service in 1972. Because of its original Norwegian Caribbean Line design, it shared a close visual relationship with Southward, although the two ships differed in tonnage and funnel design. Both were approximately 537 feet long, and their similar superstructures reflected the standardized design approach used for early large-scale cruise vessels. P&O’s acquisition of Princess Cruises in 1974 brought Spirit of London into the Princess operating system. The ship was renamed Sun Princess and operated alongside Island Princess and Pacific Princess. It remained active through the late 1970s, including a charter to Mutual of Omaha. In September 1979, a laundry-room fire required emergency preparations, including lowering lifeboats to embarkation level, but the fire was contained before an evacuation was necessary. P&O sold the ship to Premier Cruises in 1988. It was first renamed Majestic and then Starship Majestic in 1989, after an interior refurbishment. The ship operated during Premier’s period as a licensed Disney cruise-line partner. It also became a recognizable filming location. The interior was used extensively for the 1975 Columbo episode “Troubled Waters,” preserving a record of the vessel before its later refurbishment. The ship also appeared in productions associated with Starsky & Hutch, The Love Boat, and Herbie Goes Bananas. A serious incident occurred in 1991 when an auxiliary-engine-room fire disabled the ship and left it dead in the water. Passengers and crew moved toward the lifeboats, and the vessel was ultimately towed back to Florida. In 1994, CTC purchased the ship and renamed it Southern Cross. Festival Cruises began operating it as Flamenco in 1998. Festival Cruises collapsed in 2004. At the resulting bankruptcy auction, Cruise Elysia acquired the vessel for $12.25 million and changed its name to New Flamenco. A complicated charter history later produced a significant English commercial-law dispute. Cruise Elysia had chartered the ship to Fulton Shipping, and Globalia Business Travel subsequently assumed the relevant rights and liabilities through novation. The charter was extended, but Fulton disputed the final extension and returned the ship in October 2007. Globalia pursued damages for the profit it expected from the remaining charter period. The dispute ultimately reached the United Kingdom Supreme Court, which ruled that Fulton’s breach exposed it to the net loss of profits and that the ship’s later sale was legally separate from mitigation of the charter loss. Club Cruise acquired New Flamenco in 2007 and used it as a hotel ship in New Caledonia. Club Cruise failed in late 2008, leaving the vessel laid up near Singapore for more than a year. It was then sold for scrap, but the vessel was rescued in 2012 by Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises. Renamed Ocean Dream, it received a dragon painted on its bow and entered a regional cruise service linking Haikou, China, with Halong Bay, Vietnam. The ship’s final period was short-lived. It was abandoned without crew or adequate maintenance for about a year and capsized and sank in shallow water off Laem Chabang, near Si Racha, Thailand, on 27 February 2016. An attempt to right the vessel failed. Authorities and the owners decided to scrap it in place. Demolition was visible by late 2017, and by the end of 2019 a large portion of the wreck above the waterline had been removed. Ocean Dream is therefore a defunct vessel identity rather than an active cruise operation.
- 2017
On-site scrapping begins
[1]After an unsuccessful attempt to right the wreck, dismantling began at the sinking site.
- 2016
Capsizes and sinks in Thailand
[1]The abandoned ship sank in shallow water off Laem Chabang near Si Racha.
- 2012
Renamed Ocean Dream
[1]Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises rescued the ship from a proposed scrapyard fate and relaunched it for cruises between Haikou and Halong Bay.
- 2007
Used as a New Caledonia hotel ship
[1]Club Cruise acquired New Flamenco and used it for hotel accommodation in New Caledonia.
- 2004
New Flamenco enters Cruise Elysia ownership
[1]Following Festival Cruises’ collapse, Cruise Elysia bought the vessel at bankruptcy auction and renamed it New Flamenco.
- 1998
Festival Cruises adopts the Flamenco identity
[1]Festival Cruises began operating the vessel as Flamenco.
- 1994
Becomes Southern Cross
[1]CTC purchased the ship and changed its name to Southern Cross.
- 1989
Renamed Starship Majestic
[1]The ship received an interior refurbishment and adopted the name Starship Majestic.
- 1988
Sold to Premier Cruises
[1]Premier Cruises acquired the ship and initially renamed it Majestic.
- 1974
Becomes Sun Princess
[1]P&O transferred the vessel into Princess Cruises operations following its acquisition of the cruise line.
Products and positioning
A veteran, multi-purpose passenger vessel repositioned over time between mainstream cruising, charter operations, hotel-ship use, and regional Asian cruises.
Cruise ship · 1972
Ocean Dream cruise ship
Ocean Dream was a large passenger cruise vessel whose final operating configuration served regional Asian itineraries. Under Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises, it operated cruises from Haikou in China to Halong Bay in Vietnam. The ship’s business identity changed repeatedly over its life, and its later Ocean Dream period followed earlier deployments in mainstream cruising, charter service, and hotel-ship accommodation. The vessel is no longer operational after sinking in Thailand in 2016 and subsequent on-site dismantling.
Hotel ship · 2007
Ocean Dream hotel-ship accommodation
The underlying vessel was also used outside conventional cruising. During the Club Cruise period, then operating as New Flamenco, it served as a hotel ship in New Caledonia. This deployment illustrates the ship’s later repositioning as an adaptable hospitality asset rather than solely as an ocean-cruise product.
Brand decisions
2016
Decision to scrap the sunken vessel on siteOtherBackground
Ocean Dream capsized and sank in shallow water off Laem Chabang after being abandoned without crew or maintenance for approximately a year. An attempt to upright the ship failed.
Action taken
The vessel was designated for on-site scrapping rather than another salvage and redeployment attempt.
Aftermath
Demolition was visible by late 2017, and much of the wreck above the waterline had been removed by the end of 2019.
2012
Reactivation as Ocean DreamStrategyBackground
The vessel had spent more than a year laid up near Singapore and had been destined for scrapping after the failure of Club Cruise.
Action taken
Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises acquired and renamed the ship Ocean Dream, added a dragon design to the bow, and placed it on a Haikou–Halong Bay cruise itinerary.
Aftermath
The relaunch temporarily extended the commercial life of the aging vessel, but the ship later became abandoned, sank in 2016, and was dismantled in place.
Recent events
- 2017
On-site demolition of the wreck begins[1]
Other
After the failed salvage attempt, dismantling of the wreck began at the sinking site.
- 2016
Ocean Dream capsizes and sinks off Thailand[1]
Other
The abandoned vessel capsized and sank in shallow water off Laem Chabang near Si Racha, Thailand. A salvage attempt to right it was unsuccessful.
- 2012
Runfeng rescues and renames the vessel Ocean Dream[1]
M&A · Product launch
After a period laid up near Singapore and facing scrapping, Runfeng Ocean Deluxe Cruises acquired the ship, renamed it Ocean Dream, added a dragon design to the bow, and relaunched cruises from Haikou to Halong Bay.
- 2007
Club Cruise uses the ship as a hotel vessel[1]
M&A
Club Cruise acquired New Flamenco and deployed it as a hotel ship in New Caledonia.
- 2004
New Flamenco is sold after Festival Cruises collapse[1]
Bankruptcy · M&A
The ship was sold at a bankruptcy auction for $12.25 million to Cruise Elysia, which renamed it New Flamenco.
- 1998
Festival Cruises begins operating the ship as Flamenco[1]
Other
After earlier ownership and name changes, Festival Cruises placed the ship into operation under the name Flamenco.
- 1991
Auxiliary-engine-room fire disables the vessel[1]
Other
A fire in the auxiliary engine room left the vessel without propulsion and led to a tow back to Florida.
- 1979
Laundry-room fire is contained during charter voyage[1]
Other
A fire broke out in the laundry room while the ship was chartered by Mutual of Omaha. Lifeboats were lowered to embarkation level, but the fire was controlled without their use.
- 1974
P&O transfers the ship to Princess Cruises operations[1]
M&A
Following P&O’s acquisition of Princess Cruises, the ship was operated as Sun Princess within the Princess fleet.
- 1972
Spirit of London enters service[1]
Product launch
The Italian-built vessel entered service after a delayed construction process that began with an order from Norwegian Caribbean Line.
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