Ancient Carnival History???

[srm54]

I know in 1988 i took a 3-4 day cruise to the Bahamas out of I think Tampa (maybe Miami). I went on a Carnival Cruise ship (an older Carnival Cruise ship - must have been purchased from someone else. very chopped up floor plan.:eek:) Hoping somebody out there has a better memory than I do and can help me remember the name of the ship that did short cruises to the Bahamas. I guess I am having senior moments :rolleyes: Thanks for any help.

[bigman01]

It was probably either the Carnivale, Festivale or Tropicale. More than likely it was one of the first two, from your description.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Tropicale was the first ship built specifically for Carnival. Carnivale and Festivale were both purchased from another company.

 

Hope that stirs your memory and you can remember which one. :D

[k2excursion]

Since you remember being on the Tropicale, we can rule that one out as your mystery ship, and like bigman said, it was the first one built specifically for Carnival. Their first 3 ships were all former ocean liners, bought by Carnival--Mardi Gras, Carnivale, and Festivale. All 3 were in service and being used by Carnival in 1988. Look up each ship on a search engine for pictures, and see if anything rings a bell. All 3 have been sold for scrap within the last 7 years. The beloved Tropicale, however, is still in service for "Pullmantur Cruises" as the Ocean Dream.

 

I love finding out about the history of these ships. I would love to hear more of what you remember about them, especially of the mystery ship.

[mohavemommy]

I know in 1988 i took a 3-4 day cruise to the Bahamas out of I think Tampa (maybe Miami). I went on a Carnival Cruise ship (an older Carnival Cruise ship - must have been purchased from someone else. very chopped up floor plan.:eek:) Hoping somebody out there has a better memory than I do and can help me remember the name of the ship that did short cruises to the Bahamas. I guess I am having senior moments :rolleyes: Thanks for any help.

I sailed on the Carnivale out of Miami to the Bahamas in 1986. The hallways to the cabins were like some maze. Hopefully this will jog your memory if this was the ship. Here are a few pics of it that I took:

 

[Cricket63]

WOW!! Big difference from the ships now. Thanks for sharing!

[Ashleezmom]

Thanks for the pictures!! Very interesting to see the difference time makes. Wow :)

[firefly333]

I sailed 3 times on Carnival out of Ft. Lauderdale in the 80s too. I wish I knew which ship it was. We went to Bimini and Freeport.

[bigman01]

Their first 3 ships were all former ocean liners, bought by Carnival--Mardi Gras, Carnivale, and Festivale.

 

Ahhh yes, I forgot about the Mardi Gras. And if I'm not mistaken, Carnivale and Festivale were sister ships. I think Carnival bought both of them from the same shipping company.

 

My first cruise was on the Tropicale. And I will always have fond memories of her. Sure, a lot of things have gotten better over the years with new ships, but there's just something about the classic cruise liners that's missing today.

[bigman01]

I sailed on the Carnivale out of Miami to the Bahamas in 1986. The hallways to the cabins were like some maze. Hopefully this will jog your memory if this was the ship. Here are a few pics of it that I took:

 

 

Btw, great pics of the Carnivale, mohavemommy! :)

[DOTTE]

I sailed on the Carnivale out of Miami to the Bahamas in 1986. The hallways to the cabins were like some maze. Hopefully this will jog your memory if this was the ship. Here are a few pics of it that I took:

 

 

The Carnivale was the first ship we sailed on back in June, 1986. Sure wish I had taken more pics of it. Thanks for the pics!!!

[rpouls]

I was on two Carnival cruises to the Bahamas in the early 90's - one was on the Carnivale and the other on the Mardi Gras. Very small ships compared to today's fleet!

[Sweet_Tea]

I sailed on the Carnivale out of Miami to the Bahamas in 1986. The hallways to the cabins were like some maze. Hopefully this will jog your memory if this was the ship. Here are a few pics of it that I took:

 

Wow, what a difference 25 years make. Thanks for the pics, very interesting. It seems as if they only offered porthole rooms at that time, not a balcony in sight.

[mohavemommy]

Ahhh yes, I forgot about the Mardi Gras. And if I'm not mistaken, Carnivale and Festivale were sister ships. I think Carnival bought both of them from the same shipping company.

 

Actually, all 3 ships were different. The Festivale was more streamlined than the Carnivale.

 

Festivale:

 

Carnivale:

 

Mardi Gras:

[bigman01]

Actually, all 3 ships were different. The Festivale was more streamlined than the Carnivale.

 

Oh yes, definitely all 3 ships were different. By "sister ships", I meant that they were bought by Carnival from the same company. At least I think they were, but I could be wrong.

 

But design-wise, they were definitely different. :D

[mohavemommy]

Wow, what a difference 25 years make. Thanks for the pics, very interesting. It seems as if they only offered porthole rooms at that time, not a balcony in sight.

 

Correct! There were no balconies on the Carnivale. We had an oceanview cabin which was a port hole. It was up so high that I had to crawl on a chair in the cabin to look out. People I met on the cruise had a suite with twin beds that were bolted to the floor. What a way to spend their honeymoon! :p

[DocF]

The Mardi Gras and the Carnivale were true sister ships, having been built for the Canadian Pacific's North Atlantic service. Empress of Canada and Empress of Britain were their original names. Festivale was built for South African service and was the S. A. Vaal when purchased into the Carnival fleet. Original name was Transvaal Castle. She was much larger than the two CPR sisters. All three of these ships had multiple rebuildings over the years and ended up looking quite different.

 

Doc

[bigman01]

The Mardi Gras and the Carnivale were true sister ships, having been built for the Canadian Pacific's North Atlantic service. Empress of Canada and Empress of Britain were their original names. Festivale was built for South African service and was the S. A. Vaal when purchased into the Carnival fleet. Original name was Transvaal Castle. She was much larger than the two CPR sisters. All three of these ships had multiple rebuildings over the years and ended up looking quite different.

 

Doc

 

Ahhh, there ya go. I knew two of the three were sister ships, just got confused on which two it was. Thanks for the correction, Doc. :D

[dan40]

I sailed 3 times on Carnival out of Ft. Lauderdale in the 80s too. I wish I knew which ship it was. We went to Bimini and Freeport.

 

 

Bimini? I didn't know Carnival ever went to Bimini. Had to be a tender port.

That island really cracked me up. The "Kings Highway," is about 10 small blocks long and just barely 2 lanes wide and the "Queens Highway" is about 4 blocks longs and not even 8 feet wide. And they're the best roads on the island!! Not exactly a transportation hub!!:D:D:rolleyes:

[JO-TRAVEL ALOT]

I sailed the Mardi Gras in March of 92. My friend and I were 19 and it was our first cruise. Inside cabin. No TV. Two cots bolted to the wall, but the drinking age was 18 and we had a ball. I have been on 7 cruises since 07 and my friend would just flip out if she saw how big and nice the ships are now days. I wish Carnival would give me credit for that cruise. They say no computer records from that long ago. My kids wouldn't want to cruise on those old ships I bet.

[Essiesmom]

I sailed the Mardi Gras in March of 92. My friend and I were 19 and it was our first cruise. Inside cabin. No TV. Two cots bolted to the wall, but the drinking age was 18 and we had a ball. I have been on 7 cruises since 07 and my friend would just flip out if she saw how big and nice the ships are now days. I wish Carnival would give me credit for that cruise. They say no computer records from that long ago. My kids wouldn't want to cruise on those old ships I bet.

But if you were paying, they would go...

Sometimes, you have to go on what is available. In 2005 I went on a group tour to Greece, and it included a four day Greek islands cruise. The ship was Louis Lines Calypso, 11,000 tons. I wondered how it would seem after progressively working my way up to Star Princess. Well, it was definitely Motel -6, small cabin, no theater or shows, but the food was excellent, and the service outstanding. They even had towel animals! And when you are visiting two islands a day, the ship hardly matters. Sometimes you have to do it just for the experience (and the value). EM

[goodml]

I sailed the Mardi Gras in March of 92. My friend and I were 19 and it was our first cruise. Inside cabin. No TV. Two cots bolted to the wall, but the drinking age was 18 and we had a ball. I have been on 7 cruises since 07 and my friend would just flip out if she saw how big and nice the ships are now days. I wish Carnival would give me credit for that cruise. They say no computer records from that long ago. My kids wouldn't want to cruise on those old ships I bet.

 

If you saved anything from that voyage, like an embarcation photo etc, they will give you credit. We got credit for our 1989 sailing on the Holiday.

[Fergus]

We sailed on the Mardi Gras in (I think) 1985. My husband had won the cruise at his company's Christmas party. We went to Nassau. It is AMAZING to think back on that! The cabin was sooo tiny and it had that thin indoor/outdoor carpet (about the thickness of a blanket and SCRATCHY) and, like someone else said, it was a LUXURY cabin with a porthole that I couldn't even see out of! Two bunks bolted to the wall. The bathroom was so small you had to step into the shower to shut the door behind you. I think the sink may have been in the actual cabin part.......? You had to step over thresholds at all the doors in the hallways. There was an indoor movie theater with wooden seats. I can't remember what movie we saw, but my husband did - now I've forgotten it again. The dining room was down in the interior of the ship, very 70's mod decor, and I remember the waiters came out of the kitchen dancing with the flaming baked Alaska on their heads!!! I think somewhere I do still have an embarkation photo, ran across it one time when I was searching for a photo of something else. I'll have to try to find that - it might put me up to Platinum! :)

[scchasgal]

I sailed the Mardi Gras in March of 92. My friend and I were 19 and it was our first cruise. Inside cabin. No TV. Two cots bolted to the wall, but the drinking age was 18 and we had a ball. I have been on 7 cruises since 07 and my friend would just flip out if she saw how big and nice the ships are now days. I wish Carnival would give me credit for that cruise. They say no computer records from that long ago. My kids wouldn't want to cruise on those old ships I bet.

 

If you have anything to prove you were on that ship you can scan it with a copy of your driver's license, the address you lived at, and date of birth (on license)

 

Send it in an email to socialnetworking@carnival.com or you can fax it to 305-406-6156

[mtchg]

and it got me hooked!! Looking back now; the cabin was so small, the toilet was IN (yes, that's what I said) IN the shower..I was with a girlfriend and we had bunk beds; but even though this was a far cry from the "The Love Boat" luxury wise; the service was great, the food was delicious; the games around the dinky pool were hilarious...and the shows were entertaining.

 

I got the worst sunburn of my life; was literally sun-poisoned for a couple of days after...yet I still had the bug.....the rest is history.

 

 

MItch

[LHP]

If you saved anything from that voyage, like an embarcation photo etc, they will give you credit. We got credit for our 1989 sailing on the Holiday.

 

Yes, had to have 8 added....

 

had embarkation pictures for 7 of the 8...and Carnival excepted a Kodak photo in front of the ship (along with an old luggage tag~don't ask me how that was still around) for the first one in 1982.