Carnival Cruise Line is known as America’s Cruise Line since they sail from more ports in the U.S. than any other line. Carnival currently has 27 cruise ships cruise ships in service with another five on order or under construction. They also have two ships moving over from sister cruise line P&O Cruises Australia.
A total of 40 different cruise ships have sailed under Carnival Cruise Line since the company’s first cruise in 1972. Here is a look at what happened to the 13 cruise ships that are no longer sailing under the Carnival Cruise Line brand.
Mardi Gras (1972-1993)
Mardi Gras was Carnival’s first cruise ship. On the maiden voyage, the cruise ship ran aground on a sandbar shortly after leaving Miami. Future voyages went much smoother. The cruise ship sailed under Carnival for 21 years before being sold. The ship sailed under the names Empress of Canada, Olympic, Star of Texas, Lucky Star, Apollo, and Apollon. The ship was finally scrapped in 2003.
Carnival Cruise Line brought back the name Mardi Gras for their first Excel class ship that debuted in 2021.
Carnivale (1975-1993)
Carnivale was a 31,500 gross ton cruise ship and Carnival Cruise Line’s second ship. After 18 years in service with Carnival, the ship was sold and sailed under the names Empress of Britain, Queen Anna Maria, Fiesta Marina, Olympic, and The Topax. In 2008, the ship was sold for scrap after sailing for 52 years.
Festivale ( 1977-1996)
Also known as the Big Red Boat III, Festivale sailed with Carnival for 19 years. While Festivale was the third ship in Carnival’s fleet, it was also the last ship purchased by Carnival before building their own vessels. After 19 years in service with Carnival, the ship was sold and sailed under the names Transvaal Castle, S.A. Vaal, Island Breeze, and the Big Red Boat III. The ship was sold for scrap in 2003.
Tropicale (1982-2001)
Tropicale was the first cruise ship custom built for Carnival Cruise Line. The construction of the ship kicked off the beginning of a multi billion dollar shipbuilding boom that helped propel the cruise industry into what it is today. The ship spent 19 years sailing with Carnival before being sold to Costa. After sailing with Ocean Dream and the Peace Boat organization, the vessel was scrapped in 2021.
Holiday (1985-2009)
The first of three Holiday class ships from Carnival, Holiday spent 24 years in Carnival’s fleet. The ship was renamed Grand Holiday when transfered to Iberocruceros in 2009. The cruise ship now sails under the name Magellan and is currently for sale for $55,000,000. The cruise ship was used to house victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The vessel was also used as a hotel for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. It was eventually sold for scrap in 2021.
Jubilee (1986-2004)
Jubilee spend 18 years in Carnival’s fleet before being transferred over to sister cruise line P&O Cruises Australia. The ship sailed under the name Pacific Sun and then Henna in 2013. The ship was sold for scrap last year.
Carnival Cruise Line reused the name Jubilee for their third Excel class ship.
Celebration (1987 -2008)
The third and final Holiday class ship from Carnival Cruise Line, Celebration spent 21 years sailing with the cruise line. In 2008, the ship was sold to Iberocruceros and was renamed Grand Celebration. The cruise ship sailed with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line until 2020 when it was sold for scrap.
Carnival Cruise Line brought back the name Carnival Celebration for their second Excel class ship.
Carnival Fantasy (1990-2020)
Carnival Fantasy was the first of eight Fantasy class ships from Carnival. After 30 years of offering cruises, the ship was scrapped in 2020 along with a few sister ships.
Carnival Ecstasy (1991-2022)
Carnival Ecstasy sailed with Carnival for 31 years before being scrapped. The ship briefly returned from the cruise shutdown before being taken out of service 7 months later.
Carnival Sensation (1993-2022)
Carnival Sensation was scrapped in 2022, although the ship’s last cruise was in the spring of 2020. It remained in Carnival’s fleet even though it was out of service for the last two years. The cruise line decided to sell the vessel for scrap instead of returning it to service.
Carnival Fascination (1994-2020)
Carnival Fascination spent 26 years sailing with Carnival before being sold to Century Harmony Cruise Ltd in 2020. A year later, the ship was sold for scrap.
Carnival Imagination (1995-2020)
Carnival Imagination spent 25 years with Carnival before being another casualty of the cruise shutdown. The ship was sold for scrap in 2020.
Carnival Inspiration (1996-2020)
Carnival Inspiration spent 24 years with Carnival before being sold for scrap in 2020.
