Tag Archives: Carnival Imagination

Carnival Imagination Beached in Turkey for Scrapping

Posted on by
2
Carnival Imagination

The Carnival Imagination has arrived in Aliaga, Turkey, for her demolition.

The Imagination becomes the third Carnival Fantasy-class vessel to be retired following the company’s pause in operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ship joins the Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Inspiration, Pullmantur Monarch and Pullmantur Sovereign at Turkey’s ship-breaking yard, with more cruise ships expected to follow.

The Imagination was built at Kværner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, and launched into service in 1995.

Carnival Cruise Line to sell two more ships

Posted on by
Reply

Track Carnival Imagination's Current Position / Location - Carnival Imagination Cruise Ship Tracker - Carnival Cruise Lines - CRUISIN

Carnival Cruise Line has announced the sale of two more ships from its fleet.

Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination, which had previously been put on long-term lay-up status and removed from published itineraries, will leave the fleet.

Fascination launched in 1994 and Imagination in 1995. Carnival said their sales were in line with the corporation’s plan to ‘accelerate the removal of less efficient ships’ from its fleet.

This follows the sale of Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration in July.

When it returns to operations, Carnival will operate four upgraded Fantasy-class ships – Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise – which are part of the line’s Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program.

“While we are sad to see Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination leave our fleet, it is a necessary move as it allows us to focus on ships that offer the greatest variety of features and stateroom accommodations for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival is also to delay the return to the sailing of four ships until after dry dock enhancements are completed in the first half of 2021.

The impacted ships and itineraries are:

Carnival Magic: itineraries operating from Miami will be cancelled until March 13, 2021

Carnival Paradise: itineraries operating from Tampa will be cancelled until March 19, 2021

Carnival Valor: itineraries operating from New Orleans will be cancelled until April 29, 2021 (including a transatlantic cruise from New Orleans on January 25, 2021, and the return from Barcelona on February 26, 2021)

Carnival Spirit: itineraries operating from Brisbane will be cancelled through May 16, 2021, with the first sailing being the Singapore to Brisbane voyage embarking on June 12, 2021.

“This extended pause in our operations has also impacted shipyard availability, and we’ve had to reschedule required dry docks. As we continue to work through issues related to our eventual return to operations, we are committed to providing our guests and travel agent partners with certainty where we can, although we regret disappointing our guests.  We appreciate the continued support and understanding of our guests and hope to welcome them back on board soon,” Duffy said.

Carnival ships Fantasy and Imagination depart fleet

Posted on by
Reply
T0727CARNIVALFANTASY_HR_C
The Carnival Fantasy in Mobile, Alabama, in 2017. Photo Credit: Alabama Cruise Terminal

Carnival Cruise Line has sold two Fantasy-class ships and will put two others in a layup.

Carnival also will bolster deployment throughout its network of homeports in mainland U.S. drive markets.

The Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold and are headed to Turkey. The ships were sold to undisclosed buyers, but they are en route to Izmir, home of one of the world’s largest shipbreaking yards.

The Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move into a long-term layup with no timeline identified for their return to service.

The line also made changes to its ship deployment in order to leverage its U.S. homeports.

The Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile, Alabama, and assume the itineraries that the Fantasy and Fascination had been sailing. Passengers on those ships are being rebooked on the Sensation.

The Carnival Sunrise will move from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, assuming the Sensation’s itineraries. The change puts a larger, upgraded ship (the Sunrise received a $200 million upgrade in 2019) on short itineraries out of Miami. Passengers booked on the Sunrise’s four- and five-day itineraries from Fort Lauderdale will be automatically moved to sailings from Miami.

Itineraries for the Imagination and Inspiration from Long Beach, Calif., were cancelled through April. The Carnival Panorama will continue to operate seven-day cruises from Long Beach while the Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja, Mexico.

The Carnival Radiance will go directly from Europe, where it is scheduled to undergo a $200 million upgrade, to Long Beach in April, to assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by the Imagination and Inspiration. Passengers will be rebooked on the Radiance, which will have new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark.

Carnival cancelled the Fascination’s sailings from San Juan and Barbados this year and next and will not replace them.

Carnival president Christine Duffy said that the line will continue to invest in its four remaining Fantasy-class ships.

“[They] work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships,” Duffy said. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.”

A rendering of Carnival's second Excel-class ship, sister to the Mardi Gras.

Carnival also confirmed that the sister ship to the Mardi Gras will arrive in November 2022. Under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard, the ship will sail out of Miami as previously announced. It will be the Carnival’s second ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas.