Spanish operator Happy Cruises has chartered the former Delphin Voyager (1990/21,884gt) for weekly Mediterranean and Adriatic cruises until October, using Venice, Piraeus and Istanbul as base ports. She takes over the published itineraries of one of Happy’s other two chartered ships, Gemini (1992/19,083), which is now operating in the Baltic for the first time between Copenhagen and Tallinn.
Happy Dolphin previously sailed for German-based Delphin Kreuzfahrten until the company went bankrupt last summer and she was returned to her Greek owners. In December 2010 she was renamed Hainan Express during a short charter to Far East interests for the Chinese New Year. Happy’s third ship, Ocean Pearl (1970/22,945gt), formerly Royal Caribbean’s Song of Norway and later Sundream of Airtours, sails virtually year-round from Valencia and Barcelona.