Published October 14, 2022 14:58 by
Naval Executive
Carnival Cruise Line cruise ship Carnival ecstasy docked on Saturday, October 15 in Mobile, Alabama ending its final voyage and ending a 31-year career. Earlier this year, the cruise line announced plans to retire the ship as it works to modernize its fleet. One of the most dominant brands in cruises, Carnival is working to regain its footing after the pandemic.
The sold-out five-day cruise, which included stops in Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, was the last of more than 2,300 voyages for the ship. According to Carnival, the ship carried nearly 5.5 million passengers during its career operating over the years from; Miami, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville, Florida; Galveston, Texas; Long Beach, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Charleston, South Carolina; and most recently Mobile.
“We certainly had a lot of fun Carnival ecstasy over the years,” said John Heald, retired cruise director and today brand ambassador for the cruise line. “Mrs Ecstasyas we knew her then, was a game-changer when she entered the fleet, alongside her Fantasy-class ‘SuperLiner’ sisters, and we have the innovations of that time to thank for many of the features our ships are now known for. .”
Introduced in 1991 she was among the largest cruise ships in service (photo Allan Jordan)
of Ecstasy was the second of a class of modern cruise ships built by Wartsila (later Kværner Masa) and launched by Carnival in the early 1990s in response to the introduction by competitors of large cruise ships, 70,000 gross tons, each with more than 2,000 passengers. At the time, they were among the largest passenger ships ever built, but small compared to the modern 150,000 to 200,000 gross ton ships that are the standard for Carnival and others in the broader industry segment.
Carnival surprised the cruise industry by designating the first of the class, the Fantasy on 3- and 4-day sailings from Florida to the Bahamas, making it the first time a large, modern cruise ship has been introduced to the market. When Ecstasy entered service in April 1991 she was deployed on 7-day cruises and the ships’ success prompted Carnival to continue expanding the class. Ultimately, eight ships were built with the first six using standard shaft propulsion and the last two, Paradise AND elationbecoming the first cruise ships equipped with Azipod propulsion, now the industry standard.
At just over 70,000 gross tons and accommodation for over 2,000 passengers, the class was extremely successful for Carnival and proved versatile for their deployment. In recent years, the class has been used for smaller markets such as Mobile and Jacksonville, as well as short cruises of five days or less in duration as an entry-level product for the line. The class was also famous for its brightly colored interior decor, extensive use of themed decor and novelties such as colored lighting, all designed to live up to their marketing as a “fun ship”.
The multi-deck, color-changing atrium was one of the signature elements of the Fantasy-class ships
While the ships were modernized, their size limited Carnival’s ability in recent years to add the same amenities as larger ships. Carnival had renovated the ships to have some balcony staterooms, but they lacked a large percentage of the popular staterooms found on the new ships.
Three of the Fantasy-class ships, Fantasy, inspirationAND Imagination were retested and sold for scrap in Turkey during the pandemic, while a fourth, Fascinationwas sold to Chinese buyers, but also went for scrap in 2022. Carnival in the spring of 2022 announced that it would not reactivate sensation instead he would sell it for scrap and retire Ecstasy. The cruise line is left with the two newest ships in the class, which are also the smallest in its current fleet of 23 cruise ships.
Carnival announced that it is keeping the elements of Carnival ecstasy, including a 1934 Rolls Royce that had been positioned on the ship’s promenade but was removed earlier this year. Carnival has not announced the fate of the ship, but it is widely expected that it will also be recycled in Turkey.
The car that had been on the boardwalk since the cruise ship was built was removed this summer (Carnival Cruise Line)
of Carnival ecstasy will be replaced in Mobile by Spirit of Carnival (88,500 gross tons). The decade-newer ship will take over the market in October 2023, offering more balcony cabins and newer amenities.
Carnival Corporation recently reported that future bookings were increasing across its brands, while attendance lagged behind forecasts for the quarter that ended in August. Amid efforts to continue rebuilding brands after pandemic-related hiatus, Carnival Cruise Line is introducing its second large LNG-fueled cruise ship, 180,000 gross tons Carnival celebration with her maiden voyage on November 20, 2022. Meyer Werft is also building a third ship of the new class for delivery in 2023. Carnival also recently renamed a cruise ship from Costa as Bright carnival and in 2023 and 2024 will begin trading two Costa cruise ships as Costa by Carnival as it expands and modernizes its cruise operations in North America.
