The MV Vacationland is a Canadian RORO

RORO

Roll-on/roll-off ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels...

 ferry that operated across the Northumberland Strait

Northumberland Strait

The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...

 between the ports of Cape Tormentine

Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick

Cape Tormentine is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The community derives its name from a headland of the same name which extends into the Northumberland Strait, forming the easternmost point in the province.-Railway:...

, New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

 and Port Borden, Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

.

Built in 1971 by the Government of Canada for Canadian National Railways (CNR) at Port Weller Drydocks

Port Weller Drydocks

Port Weller Drydocks is a shipbuilder located on the Welland Canal at the Lake Ontario entrance.Founded in 1946, the two drydocks are located on the east side of the canal in Port Weller, Ontario...

 near St. Catharines, Ontario

St. Catharines, Ontario

St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...

, Vacationland was designed for the sheltered waters of the Northumberland Strait; and as such her vehicle decks are open on both sides and she lacks a hurricane bow. She measures 99.06 metres (325 feet) in length, 20.9 metres (67 feet) in beam, and displaces 2775 tons. She has a capacity for 485 passengers and 155 vehicles or 16 tractor trailers. She is a sister ship to the MV Holiday Island

MV Holiday Island

The MV Holiday Island is a Canadian RORO ferry that operates across the Northumberland Strait between the ports of Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia...

. She is power by two Ruston V-16 16CSVM Ruston diesel train engines that produce 3625 horsepower each giving a total of 7250 horsepower. Her propellers are of the Voith-Schnieder Cycloidal design which are located in the bow and stern of the ship. They are variable pitch that turn opposite one another that propells the ship and steers it as well. The table diameter that the blades are housed in is 14.5 feet. Her sister ship the MV Holiday Island has the same propulsion machinery and main engines.

The MV Vacationland had her sea trials at Port Weller Drydocks in mid April 1971 and her sister ship MV Holiday Island had her sea trials a week before the first week of April 1971. Their keels were laid at the Port Weller Drydock in November 1969. The MV Vacationland enter service on the Cape Tormentine-Borden run a week later after the MV Holiday Island which arrived first the week before in May 1971.

CNR changed the name of its ferry services to CN Marine

CN Marine

CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...

 in 1977 and then to Marine Atlantic

Marine Atlantic

Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...

 in 1986. The opening of the Confederation Bridge

Confederation Bridge

The Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. It was commonly referred to as the "Fixed Link" by residents of Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming. Construction took place...

 on June 1, 1997 saw Marine Atlantic close its ferry service and all of its vessels on this route except Holiday Island were disposed and sold off by the Crown Assets division of the Department of Public Works and Government Services

Public Works and Government Services Canada

Public Works and Government Services Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for the government's internal servicing and administration....

.

Vacationlands sister ship Holiday Island sailed 100 kilometres to the east end of the strait and began service that month under the colours of Northumberland Ferries Ltd., however Vacationland sailed to Sydney

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....

, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 and help haul cargo from the Marine Atlantic Borden terminal and was stored there until being sold in 1998 to the Government of New Brunswick.

Upon her purchase by the Government of New Brunswick Vacationland was renamed MV Fundy Paradise with the intention of using her for service between Blacks Harbour

Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick

Blacks Harbour is a Canadian village in Charlotte County, New Brunswick.Referred to simply as Blacks by locals, the village is situated on a harbour of the same name opening onto the Bay of Fundy. It is situated 15 kilometres southeast of the town of St...

 and Grand Manan Island. Funding for making modifications to the docks at both terminals for accepting the ship was never approved and she was towed to the Steel and Engine Products Ltd. shipyard in Liverpool

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...

, Nova Scotia where she was mothballed until the Government of New Brunswick decided to dispose of her in 2001.

Fundy Paradise was towed back to Sydney from Liverpool and remained docked at Sydport while listed for sale until 2005 when she was sold to a company from Quebec City. In summer 2009, she was towed from Sydney to Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

 where she is undergoing a major refit and conversion for rock and sand transportation on the Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...

.