It is official: Carnival Cruise LineCarnival Ecstasy will not be returning with another tour operator.
The 31-year-old cruise ship is still a favorite, departing for the last ride for the Carnival at the beginning of this month. Princess Cruises‘Princess of the Pacific – the original “Love Boat.”
On Monday, ship-tracking websites showed Carnival Ecstasy crossing the Atlantic Ocean just southeast of Bermuda, en route to the Mediterranean and Turkey.
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A Carnival spokesman on Monday confirmed to TPG that Carnival Ecstasy is en route to Turkey for “recycling”.
Built in 1991, the Carnival Ecstasy is the company’s oldest ship and one of the last surviving ships in Carnival’s hugely successful eight Fantasy-class series, launched in 1990 and the company tool to promote the development of the tourism industry.
By the time Carnival Ecstasy arrived, Carnival had only a small number of ships. The arrival of the ship and its seven sisters between 1990 and 1998 catapulted the line into the major leagues of North American travel.
Related: Why I’m Sad Carnival Is Retiring Its Oldest Ship
For many years, Fantasy-class ships have been the core of the Carnival fleet. However, Carnival quickly scrapped them to cut costs since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
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Carnival retire four of the eight Fantasy-class ships right after the COVID-19 pandemic started and earlier this year remove the fifth vessel in the series from its fleet – Carnival Sensation.
The Carnival Ecstasy was the sixth of eight Fantasy-class ships that originally departed the Carnival fleet.
While still popular with Carnival fans, in part because of their friendly size, Fantasy-class ships are notable for lacking a large number of balcony cabins – the type of cabin everyone wants to show off. now. Most of the cabins on these ships are ocean-facing cabins, with only windows or windows, or no windows inside the cabin.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Carnival Trains and Cruises
Fantasy-class ships also have fewer amenities and locations than newer and larger Festival ships.
At 70,367 tons, the Carnival Ecstasy was one of the largest cruise ships in the world when it first set sail. Its passenger capacity of 2,052 people, based on double capacity, was plenty at the time. Now it doesn’t even come close to breaking 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, recently launched ship Mardi Gras, more than double that of Carnival Ecstasy with 181,808 tons. It can carry 5,282 passengers in double capacity (6,465 with any pull-down bunk beds and pull-out sofas filled).
Related: 8 classes of Carnival ships, explained
The Carnival Ecstasy is one of the most productive ships in Carnival history, having made 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 airline claims to have carried nearly 5.5 million passengers during its long career.
With the departure of Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival has only 23 ships left in its fleet. However, the airline will soon receive the 24th ship, carrying a capacity of 5,282 people. Carnival celebration. The ship is currently under construction at a shipyard in Italy.
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