After an incredible career that spanned over 30 years, during which 5.5 million guests enjoyed a fun-filled vacation onboard, Carnival Ecstasy is sailing her final cruise.
The occasion has brought many fans to Mobile, Alabama, to bid a fond farewell to a much-loved ship for her last sold-out cruise.
Carnival Ecstasy played an essential part in how Carnival became one of the most successful cruise lines worldwide. To keep the memory alive, Carnival removed an eye-catching piece of memorabilia from Carnival Ecstasy to place it onboard its newest cruise ship, Carnival Celebration.
Sold-Out Final Cruise
While there is no denying that Carnival Ecstasy reached her prime a while back, plenty of people still consider the Fantasy-class cruise ship to be one of the best ships in Carnival’s fleet. The smaller size meant Carnival Ecstasy was perfect for big-ship fun in a smaller ship environment.
Onboard the sold-out final five-day voyage, which includes visits to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, is Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, who served as Carnival Ecstasy’s cruise director in the ship’s early days.
Heald is hosting a large group of Carnival Ecstasy fans and perhaps saying a few fond farewells to the ship for himself.
“We’ve certainly enjoyed a great deal of fun on Carnival Ecstasy over the years,” Heald said. “M/S Ecstasy, as we knew her then, was a game-changer when she entered the fleet, along with her Fantasy-class ‘SuperLiner’ sisters, and we have the innovations of that time to thank for many of the features our ships are known for now.”
Since the ship was constructed in Helsinki and sailed on her first voyage back in 1991, she welcomed more than 5.5 million guests onboard during more than 2,300 cruises.
As she is sailing for her final cruise, there is no surprise then that many Carnival Cruise Line fans headed to Mobile, Alabama, to catch the last glimpse of Carnival Ecstasy.
Many of those fans sailed onboard over the last 30 years from any one of the eight Carnival homeports Ecstacy has been based at, including Miami, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville, Galveston, Long Beach, New Orleans, Charleston, and most recently, Mobile, Alabama.
The Memories Remain
Although Carnival Ecstasy‘s shell will soon be on a beach where workers will slowly break the ship into scrap metal, Carnival Cruise Line has ensured that the memories remain.
A 1934 Rolls Royce Saloon, an important piece of Carnival Ecstasy memorabilia that had been parked by the ship’s aptly named Rolls Royce Café, will stay a part of the fleet.
The iconic blue vintage car once sat behind velvet ropes, offering a touch of mystique and luxury to the City Lights Promenade. The Rolls Royce was removed from Carnival Ecstasy in June. Since then, the car has been shipped to the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, and placed onboard the new Carnival Celebration.
The car, admired by more than 5 million Carnival guests, will become a feature of Carnival Celebration’s The Gateway, a two-deck area of the ship which celebrates the excitement of exploring new destinations and highlights Carnival’s evolution of vessels over the last 50 years.
Those wishing to take a cruise from Mobile, Alabama, onboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship will need to wait until October 2023.
Carnival Spirit will begin sailings from the Port of Mobile starting October 6, with various cruises to the Bahamas, Belize, and other Eastern and Western Caribbean destinations.
