Designed by Copenhagen-based naval architect Tage Wandborg of Knud E. Hansen A/S, the Sunward was constructed as a large, purpose-built passenger-and-car liner that provided a safe and comfortable ride for passengers en route to the Mediterranean via the often-stormy waters of the Bay of Biscay.

[3] Later during the autumn season, representatives from Silja Line working for Celebrity Cruises were interested in a possible purchase of the Sunward, but it turned down since it was not an ice class vessel.

[9] The pioneering Sunwardwas sold to the French state-owned Compagnie Generale Transmediterranee (CGTM) in 1972, entering service as the Ile de Beaute the following year.

[10] Ile de Beaute was transferred to Société Nationale Maritime Corse Méditerranée (SNCM), but was eventually sold to Eastern Gulf, Inc. due to its small size for the fleet.

Eastern Gulf, Inc. renamed the Ile de Beaute as the Grand Flotel converted for hotel use in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates in 1977.

[11] In 1993, Danish Cruise Lines returned the Scandinavian Song back to SeaEscape, which began cruises-to-nowhere and weekly trips on April 16 to Freeport, Bahamas.

[12] In December 1993, the Italian company Fratelli Cosulich, and Havanatours went into a joint venture to sail the 300-passenger ship––now known as the Santiago de Cuba–- to different Cuban ports, as well as trips to Cozumel and Montego Bay, Jamaica.