MS Grand Mistral Cruise Ship at CT1, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

An early morning view of the MS Grand Mistral berthed alongside CT1 (Cruise Terminal 1) of the Admiralty Pier, part of the Western Docks of Dover Harbour:


(Click this MS Grand Mistral Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)

The red-bricked structure to the right of the passenger ship is the Cruise Terminal 1 building, previously Dover Marine Railway Station (partial view) and Dover Western Docks Railway Station. Above the CT1 building are the Western Heights with the stern of the vessel obscuring Shakespeare Cliff (part of the White Cliffs of Dover.

The photo was taken on a cycle ride (1) at 6.22 am, Tuesday the 7th of September, 2010, from near the end of the Prince of Wales Pier. The foreground structure on the left-hand side of the photo is the lighthouse (2) with the roof of the Harbour View Cafe at top-right.

The passenger ship is on a Northern European tour. It has just arrived from IJmuiden, (Holland, Netherlands) and left Dover later in the day for Le Harve (France) before ending its journey at Bilbao (Northern Spain).

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MS Grand Mistral and Ibero Cruises (3) (4)

The MS Grand Mistral is a cruise ship currently sailing for Ibero Cruceros (Ibero Cruises website) and was formerly owned by Festival Cruise Line (Festival Cruises).

Ibero Cruises (Spanish: Ibero Cruceros) is a British-American and Spanish owned cruise line based in Madrid, Spain. The company was founded in 2007 as a joint subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & PLC and Orizonia Corporation, under the executive control of Costa Cruises Group, Carnival Corporation's European division. The cruise line is aimed at the Spanish and Portuguese speaking market.

Ibero Cruises started operation with three ships: Grand Mistral and Grand Voyager, were provided by Orizonia from its Iberojet fleet, and the third, Grand Celebration, was provided by Carnival Corporation from its Carnival Cruises fleet. A fourth ship, the Grand Holiday, has also been transferred from the Carnival fleet.

An official Ibero Cruzeiros webpage contains a single paragraph stating:

Grand Mistral is an elegant ocean liner, with an ambiance full of charm and good taste. At the same time, the ship is very cozy, a perfect setting for a cruise that the whole family can enjoy during the holidays.

(Portuguese: "Grand Mistral é um transatlântico elegante, com uma ambientação cheia de charme e bom gosto. Ao mesmo tempo, é um navio muito aconchegante, cenário perfeito para um cruzeiro em que a família toda se diverte durante as férias.")

A Grand Mistral video from Ibero Cruzeiros of Brazil:

Vessel Details (3)

Name: 1999-2003: Mistral, 2003 onwards: Grand Mistral
Owner: Iberocruceros
Operator: 1999-2003: Festival Cruise Lines, 2003 onwards: Iberocruceros
Port of registry: France, Mata Utu; Marshall Islands, Majuro; Italy, Genoa; Portugal, Madeira
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Completed: 1999
Status: In Active Status as of 2010

General characteristics (3) (5)

Type: Cruise Ship
Tonnage: 48,200 GRT
Length: 216 ft (66 m)
Beam: 28.8 ft (8.8 m)
Decks: 8
Speed: 19.5 knots
Capacity: 1,700 Passengers
Crew: 670
Call Sign: CQNK
IMO: 9172777
MMSI: 255803860

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Notes and Sources

Robsons Yard Flats

(1) Cycle route begins at Robsons Yard Flats in the Tower Hamlets area of Dover, then: Athol Terrace (Eastern Docks) - Seafront Promenade - Prince of Wales Pier (Western Docks) - Robsons Yard.

This is where I do my Evolution and Psychology research! (archive)

(2) The Prince of Wales Pier Light is a white conical tower 46 feet high. It was built in 1902 and has a "very quick flashing green" beam.
(3) Wikipedia: Grand Mistral
(4) Wikipedia: Ibero Cruises
(5) Marinetraffic: Grand Mistral

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The main photo first appeared at:

MS Grand Mistral Cruise Ship , Cruise Terminal 1, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour

Also in port this day:

MS Athena Cruise Ship and Tugs in the Western Entrance, Dover Harbour

MS Costa Atlantica Cruise Ship just after Daybreak, Dover Harbour

To be uploaded:

MS Grand Mistral Cruise Ship, Sunrise before the Storm, Dover Harbour

Click to see all Dover Grand Mistral, Costa Cruises, Ibero Cruises, and Cruise Ship photos.

Clickable thumbnails of all harbour-related photos on the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog on the Port of Dover Page (also linked to at the top of the page below the blog title).

The Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.

Port of Dover travel and tourism in the Western Docks.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town