Built in 1991 for Royal Caribbean and known as Monarch of the Seas, this vessel was the largest ship afloat at the time of her launch, accommodating around 2,744 passengers. The first ship in the fleet to be fitted with balconies the groundbreaking facilities included a basketball court, shuffleboard courts and even a rock climbing wall, installed after a refit in 2003. 

Launching in January 1988, Sovereign began life as Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas, sailing Caribbean itineraries including stops at Coco Cay (once called Little Stirrup Cay) the line’s private island. The largest cruise ship in the world at the time and regarded a ‘megaship,’ it was the first to flaunt a multi-deck atrium with glass elevators and sweeping staircases. 

Drawing passengers from across the globe, Carnival Cruise Line owns some of the world's most exciting ships, but the Miami-based operator has sold or scrapped four vessels from their fleet since the start of the pandemic. One of the most beloved was Carnival Fantasy. Entering service in 1990 and the first of Carnival’s Fantasy Class of eight ships, she broke the mold with her revolutionary interior that included a huge atrium. Groundbreaking when launched, this 70,367-ton, 855-foot (260m) long vessel would be dwarfed by today's megaships but still had a 30-year career sailing around the Western Caribbean and Mexico from Miami, and more recently from Mobile, Alabama. 

Built in 1987, the 650-passenger Astor was a traditionally-styled ship with teak wood decks and it had a loyal following in Europe, South Africa and Australia. In 2013, Astor sailed for Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) under charter for the Australian market, before becoming a permanent member of the fleet in 2014.

The ship was set to be renamed the Jules Verne and operate Northern European cruises from France in April 2021. However, Cruise & Maritime Voyages collapsed and was placed into administration in July 2020 and the Astor was sold for just $1.7 million. In November 2020 she was beached in Turkey and the ship has since been completely scrapped.

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Launched in the early 1970s, the 804-passenger Black Watch was originally owned by Royal Viking Line. With its generous promenade and public spaces, it was once considered among the most luxurious ships in the world. 

After briefly sailing for Kloster Cruises in the 1980s, the ship was transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in the 1990s and sailed out of New York. NCL sold her to Fred Olsen in 1996 when the ship was renamed Black Watch in honor of an infantry battalion of the Scottish military. In August 2020, Black Watch was sold as an accommodation ship for workers and is currently docked at Tuzla in Turkey. Hopefully her current guests are enjoying facilities including the pool deck as much as passengers did during Black Watch's 48 years of service. 

Sister ship to Black Watch, Boudicca also began its life with Royal Viking Line, having first set sail in 1973. In the early 1990s Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the ship and a couple of years later it was chartered to Princess Cruises, sailing as Golden Princess. More owners followed before Fred Olsen acquired her in 2005. 

In 2018, Boudicca’s interior and passenger cabins underwent a major upgrade but sadly the ship followed in its sister’s wake and was sold as an accommodation vessel in 2020. Boudicca will be remembered for her lively entertainment and flamboyant seasonal stops – such as at the flower festival on the Portuguese island of Madeira pictured here – and also for her poignant cruises, including a one-day special for D Day veterans of the Second World War in June 2019. 

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Usually adults-only the ship was known for its varied dining spots, friendly service and world cruise itineraries. But following CMV's collapse in July 2020, Columbus was sold at auction for an unknown sum. Bought by a Greek ferry operator she was then sold on again, with the Alang junkyard in India her final port of call.  

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Starting life in the mid-1980s as Carnival Cruise Lines’ MS Holiday, Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Magellan was a small but much-loved ship with British cruise fans thanks to its affordable itineraries departing from Tilbury port, near London, UK. 

Originally built in the 1960s for the Soviet Union's Baltic Shipping Company and first known as the Aleksandra Pushkin, the Marco Polo was one of the last surviving ocean liners built for transatlantic crossings. Designed to withstand broken ice, in her later years the Marco Polo made regular trips to Antarctica. 

There were also dalliances with P&O Australia and Pullmantur Cruises, before being transferred to Japanese-based Peace Boat in 2012 and used for their educational and sustainable voyages. The ship sailed as the Ocean Dream until 2020, before she was reported as scrapped in Alang, India in January 2021. 

When CMV went into administration in 2020, Astoria was put up for auction in February 2021 and it seemed likely she would never sail again. Hope is on the horizon that she may be spared however, as this piece of maritime history was recently purchased by a Portuguese consortium. 

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The Horizon began life in 1990 as part of the Celebrity Cruises fleet, and featured 721 cabins, a Broadway-style show lounge and two pools. In 2005 it became Island Cruises’ Island Star before transferring back to Royal Caribbean and then to its Spanish-owned subsidiary Pullmantur in 2008. 

Built in 1984 as Holland America Line’s MS Noordam, Marella Celebration was bought by Thomson in 2005 and continued to sail as Thomson Celebration. Many of the ship's original features were retained including teak decks and artwork dating from the 16th century. When the company was reborn as Marella Cruises in 2017, the 1,250 passenger ship became Marella Celebration. However, there was no celebrating to be done when the vessel left the fleet last April and was said to be junkyard-bound. 

A similar fate awaits the Marella Dream, which was built in 1986 as the last new ship for the now defunct Italian firm Home Lines. Two years later, the ship became Holland America Line's MS Westerdam, briefly becoming a movie star in the 1990s comedy Out to Sea which starred Walter Matthau. The ship was transferred to Costa Cruises in 2002 and entered service for Thomson in 2010, before being renamed as Marella Dream in 2017. In 2020 it was reportedly sold for scrap and destined for the Aliağa junkyard in Turkey. However, the ship has been sitting in limbo in Eleusis, Greece since November 2020.

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The 1,500-passenger Grand Celebration was more than a cruise ship, she also helped the people of Grand Bahama Island during the devastating events caused by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. However, the ship was sold for scrap during the COVID-19 pandemic and headed for the Alang junkyard in India at the end of 2020.  

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