Hapag-Lloyd
Europa left on her maiden voyage from Genoa on 8 January 1982, to destinations in Africa. Subsequently, she was used for luxury cruising all over the world, including on the Amazon River.[1][9] On 3 August 1985, Europa ran aground off the coast of Greenland. She was refloated three days later.[10]
On 30 April 1992, Europa collided with the Greece-registered container ship Inchon Glory outside Hong Kong. No passengers on board Europa were injured. Initially she was towed to Kaohsiung, where passengers were evacuated. Subsequently, the ship was towed to Singapore for repairs. After lengthy repairs, Europa re-entered service on 7 July 1992.[1]
In the mid-1990s, Hapag-Lloyd decided to order a replacement for Europa (again, also named Europa).[11] In preparation for delivery of the new Europa, the 1981 Europa was sold to Star Cruises on 5 April 1998, but was chartered back to Hapag-Lloyd until 30 June 1999.[1]
Star Cruises
Star Cruises took over Europa in Hamburg on 1 July 1999. On the same date, she was renamed SuperStar Europe, and five days later, left Hamburg for Singapore, where she arrived on 31 July 1999. After receiving a $15 million renovation at Sembawang shipyard, in which balconies were added to the suites under the bridge wings,[1][2] SuperStar Europe officially began operating for Star Cruises in October 1999, homeporting in Laem Chabang. After just five months of service as SuperStar Europe, the ship was renamed Superstar Aries in February 2000.[1]
In March 2001, Star Cruises announced that SuperStar Aries would be transferred to the fleet of their subsidiary, Orient Lines, in 2002 as Ocean Voyager. However, these plans were shelved following the drop in passenger numbers caused by the September 11, 2001 attacks.[12] As a result, SuperStar Aries was deployed to cruise from Thailand and Taiwan. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, the ship was based in Singapore, replacing
Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises renamed the ship Holiday Dream and primarily used her for cruises aimed at a Spanish-speaking clientele.[1][2] She regularly operated cruises in the Caribbean.
Croisières de France
In September 2007, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the new owner of Pullmantur Cruises, made public their plans for establishing Croisières de France, a new cruise line aimed at the French market. Holiday Dream was given a €30 million refit at Barcelona by Finnish MML Shipbuilding in spring 2008,[13] with her interiors refurbished to accommodate French clientele.[2][5]
Following the refit, the vessel was renamed Bleu de France and entered service as the first ship of the Croisières de France brand.[14] During the northern hemisphere summer season, she operated cruises in the Mediterranean from Marseille, while for the winter season, she offered cruises in the Caribbean from La Romana.[15]
Saga Cruises
British-based Saga Cruises acquired Bleu de France in 2011, after the vessel completed two seasons of cruising for the Brazilian cruise operator CVC.[16]
The ship, renamed Saga Sapphire,[17] received an extensive refit at Fincantieri between November 2011 and March 2012 before joining the Saga fleet. Work included refurbishing the interior, creating new cabins (including additional balcony accommodation to her superstructure), an overhaul of the machinery, and repainting and maintenance of the hull.[18]
During her career with Saga, she experienced several incidents. In April 2012, during her maiden voyage, she suffered an engine failure, forcing Saga to cancel the 16-day voyage.[19] In May 2014, while cruising near the Isle of Mull, in
ANEX Tour
In August 2019, Turkey-based ANEX Tour had reportedly purchased Saga Sapphire for its first ship to launch its cruise business, with a scheduled debut in mid-2020 from Antalya.[21] In April 2020, Saga's managing director Nigel Banks said Saga's plans to transfer Saga Sapphire to ANEX Tour may be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] On 18 June 2020, the sale was completed and it was announced the ship would debut for ANEX Tour in 2021 as Blue Sapphire.[6]
In June 2023, most of the ship's sailings were cancelled. In July 2024, the ship returned to service.[23]
