Is It Unlucky to Rename a Cruise Ship? (I Cruised on One With Five Names!)

Many sailors are superstitious, and it has long been believed that it is unlucky to rename a ship.

But it is very common for cruise ships to change their names when they are sold or transferred between cruise lines.

I recently sailed on a ship that had had FIVE different names! Marella Voyager began its life in 1997 as the MV Mercury, then became the Celebrity Mercury, Mein Schiff 2, and later Mein Schiff Herz.

TUI, owners of Mein Schiff 2 and Mein Schiff Herz, are the parent company of Marella cruises. They swapped the ship to a different arm of the company and renamed her.)

Where the Superstition Comes From

In maritime tradition, a ship’s name was tied to its identity and fate.

It’s considered unlucky to rename a ship due to maritime superstition that changing a vessel’s name angers the sea gods, such as Poseidon or Neptune.

The sea gods keep a record of all ships in the “Ledger of the Deep”.

To avoid bad luck, a formal renaming ceremony must be performed to purge the old name from the gods’ records and ensure safe passage under the new name.

Why Cruise Ships Change Names

Cruise ships seem to regularly change their names. Reasons include:

• Sale or transfer to a new cruise line within the parent brand.
  • Some ships are renamed multiple times in their lifetime, as they are swapped from one line to another.
  • This is exactly what happened with Marella Voyager.
• Sometimes ships are rebranded after a refurbishment.
  • It’s all about marketing. What sounds better to the average person? Come and sail on an old ship or a “relaunched, totally refurbished” ship with a new name. It gives the ship a whole new lease of life.

If a ship has a bad reputation, the name may be changed. Carnival Triumph became universally known as the “poop ship” after an electrical fire stopped her toilets from working in 2013. She now sails as Carnival Sunrise.

The electrical fire on Carnival Triumph caused the air conditioning to fail and the toilets to stop working. The ship was adrift for several days, and the conditions onboard the ship were said to be horrendous.

The ship was completely refurbished and renamed Carnival Sunrise in 2019 – probably in an attempt on Carnival’s part to distance itself from the negative reputation of Carnival Triumph.

Rituals and Traditions Around Renaming

Historically, a ceremony would be performed to “erase” the old name from the records before the new name was blessed.

Ceremonies where Champagne is cracked on the side of the ship are modern echoes of this ancient tradition.

Some lines still hold special events when renaming ships.

A Real Example: Cruising on a Ship With Five Names

I recently sailed on the Marella Voyager, which, although it was the newest ship to join the Marella fleet, had a past life sailing under several different names.

• She was built for Celebrity Cruises in 1997, and sailed initially as MV Mercury.
• In 2008, her name was changed to Celebrity Mercury, as part of a wider strategy to prefix each ship’s name with the brand’s name.
• In 2011, the ship was transferred to TUI Cruises, the sister company of Celebrity, and renamed Mein Schiff 2.
• In 2019, a new build ship took over the name Mein Schiff 2, so she was renamed Mein Schiff Herz.
• After a major renovation, the ship officially joined the Marella Cruises fleet in June 2023 as Marella Voyager.

We really enjoyed sailing on the Marella Voyager – so much that I booked another cruise on her whilst still onboard! Marella’s fully inclusive approach to cruising really suits me well.

I loved the refurbishment that Marella has carried out on her. There seems to be lots of space for all the passengers onboard.

On some newer, bigger ships, it seems that every square foot is occupied with things that make more money for the cruise line. Space seems to be at a premium.

Marella Voyager is still going strong, so it would seem that superstitions surrounding ship renaming don’t hold much weight today.

Do People Still Believe It’s Unlucky?

Some traditional sailors and cruise fans still mention this superstition.

The modern cruise industry regularly renames ships without any fear of repercussions.

Many ships that have been renamed have had long, successful careers, so it wouldn’t appear that the superstition holds much weight.

I wouldn’t think twice about booking a cruise on a ship that had had a previous name. After all, my favourite, and first cruise ship, Norwegian Spirit, had previously sailed as Superstar Leo long before I ever set foot on her.

Rumour has it that when she sailed as Superstar Leo, they had a show in the theatre featuring Siberian tigers! The rows of theatre seats start a long way back from the stage, so maybe that is true…

Have a look at what I thought of Norwegian Spirit when I sailed on her after her most recent refit here:

Before You Go

I like an older, smaller cruise ship. They are often more quirky than the newer ships, and often feel like they have more space for the passengers onboard.

9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Avoid Cruising on Older, Smaller Cruise Ships

Find out about the ship that was refurbished and had 314 extra balconies added on here:

How This Ship Added 314 Extra Balcony Cabins 11 Years After Her Launch