Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will retire the 42-year-old Black Prince in October 2009.
The 441-passenger ship, built for the cruise line in 1966, will operate four Farewell Cruises out of the U.K. before its retirement.
The Black Prince began life as a joint passenger/freight ferry operating between the U.K. and the Canary Islands in the winter and the U.K. and Norway in the summer, Fred Olsen said. It was converted to a full-time cruise ship in 1987.
The ship's four final cruises will begin on Sept. 9 with a 10-day cruise roundtrip from Liverpool, England, followed by a three-day mini cruise from Liverpool to Southampton, England, then a 10-day Southampton roundtrip itinerary, and finally a 14-day trip to the Canary Islands, which will end in Southampton on Oct. 16, 2009.