It’s official: Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Ecstasy will not be returning with another cruise operator.
The still-beloved 31-year-old cruise ship, which sailed its last trip to Carnival earlier this month, has filed a travel plan for Aliaga, Turkey, the site of a major ship removal operation that is became the final resting place for such iconic ships as Princess Cruises’ Pacific Princess – the original “Love Boat”.
On Monday, ship tracking sites showed the Carnival Ecstasy crossing the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda, on its way to the Mediterranean and Turkey.
For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up to the TPG Cruise Newsletter.
A Carnival spokesperson confirmed to TPG on Monday that the Carnival Ecstasy was en route to Turkey for “recycling”.
Built in 1991, Carnival Ecstasy is the line’s oldest ship and one of the last remaining ships in Carnival’s hugely successful eight-ship Fantasy-class series, which debuted in 1990 and was instrumental in the growth of the cruise industry.
At the time Carnival Ecstasy arrived, Carnival only had a small number of ships. The arrival of the ship and her seven sisters between 1990 and 1998 catapulted the line into the big leagues of North American tourism.
Related: Why I’m Sad Carnival Is Retiring Its Older Ship
For many years, the Fantasy class ships formed the core of the Carnival fleet. However, Carnival has been rapidly removing them to cut costs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Carnival retired four of its eight Fantasy-class ships shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and earlier this year removed the fifth ship in the series from its fleet – Carnival Sensation.
Carnival Ecstasy is the sixth of eight original Fantasy-class ships to launch from Carnival’s fleet.
While still beloved by Carnival fans, in part for their intimate size, the Fantasy-class ships notably lack a large number of balcony cabins—the kind of cabin everyone wants these days. Most of the cabins on these ships are ocean view cabins that only offer a window or porthole, or inside cabins with no windows.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Carnival Cruises and Itineraries
Fantasy-class ships also have relatively fewer amenities and facilities than Carnival’s newer and larger ships.
At 70,367 tons, Carnival Ecstasy was one of the largest cruise ships in the world when she set sail. Its passenger capacity of 2,052 people, based on double occupancy, was a lot at the time. It no longer even comes close to cracking the list of the 50 largest cruise ships, some of which can hold more than 5,000 people. Cruise ships have gotten bigger and bigger over time.
Carnival’s newest ship, the recently unveiled Mardi Gras, is more than twice the size of Carnival Ecstasy at 181,808 tons. It can carry 5,282 double-occupancy passengers (6,465 with each bunk and pull-out sofa filled).
Related: The 8 Carnival Ship Classes Explained
Carnival Ecstasy was one of the most productive ships in Carnival history, sailing more than 2,300 voyages in 31 years from eight home ports – Miami, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville, Florida; Galveston, Texas; Long Beach, California; New Orleans; Charleston, South Carolina; and Mobile, Alabama.
The line is said to have carried about 5.5 million passengers during its long career.
With the launch of Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival is down to just 23 ships in its fleet. However, the line will soon take delivery of a 24th ship, the 5,282-passenger Carnival Party. The vessel is currently under construction at a shipyard in Italy.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
