Carnival Ecstasy set sail on its final voyage yesterday, and the ship that has carried nearly 5.5 million vacation guests since 1991 drew many longtime Carnival travelers to Mobile, Ala. to start the farewell journey.
The sold-out five-day cruise, which includes visits to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, is the grand finale after more than 2,300 voyages for the ship. CCL brand ambassador John Heald, who served as Carnival Ecstasy’s cruise director in the ship’s early days, is hosting a large group of Carnival Ecstasy fans.
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“We’ve certainly had a lot of fun at Carnival Ecstasy over the years,” Heald said. “M/S Ecstasy, as we knew her then, changed the game when she entered the fleet, alongside her Fantasy-class ‘SuperLiner’ sisters, and we have the innovations of that time to thank for many of our features. ships are popular at the moment.”
Carnival Ecstasy was built in Helsinki, Finland and debuted as the cruise line’s second “Fun Ship” of the revolutionary Fantasy class. Over the years, the ship has served eight Carnival ports, including Miami, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville, Fla., Galveston, Tex., Long Beach, Calif., New Orleans, La., Charleston, SC and most recently, Mobile, Alas.
An important piece of Carnival Ecstasy memorabilia, a 1934 Rolls Royce Saloon that was parked by the ship’s aptly named Rolls Royce Cafe, will remain part of the fleet – aboard the new Carnival Party.
The car that millions of Carnival guests have admired will become a feature of Carnival Celebration’s The Gateway, a two-story area of the ship that celebrates the excitement of exploring new destinations and highlights the evolution of Carnival’s ships over 50 years the last. The new ship will debut at PortMiami on November 20.
Carnival will resume sailings from its home port of Mobile, Ala. in October 2023, when Carnival Spirit arrives and offers a variety of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from the Port of Mobile beginning October 6. The new seasonal six- and eight-day sailing program features visits to destinations in the Bahamas, Mexico and Belize.
