We love cruises. We wait for the new ships. We are amazed by their size, technology, onboard entertainment. However, we undeservedly forgot about the ships that stood at the origins of the cruise industry, which in fact made this type of vacation popular.
This article is the beginning of a series of articles about the cruise companies' former ships and their fate.

Today we will tell you about the former fleet of

Carnival Cruise Line

.
27,000-ton Mardi Gras was the first ship of the company. I wonder if someone remembers her?
Before she became the first Carnival Cruise Line's ship, she sailed under the Canadian Pacific Line's flag and was called Empress of Canada for 11 years.
In 1972, the liner became the flagship of the newly established company, Carnival Cruise Line.

© René Beauchamp/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

Mardi Gras served Carnival Cruise Line until 1993.
By that time, the company's fleet already had several ultra-modern cruise liners. In 1993, Mardi Gras was sold to the Epirotiki company. Further owners of the liner were: Royal Olympic, Direct Cruises, and Royal Olympic again.
The ship was renamed by each company. She is known as Olympic, Star of Texas, Lucky Star, and Apollon.
In 2003, the ship was sold for scrapping, after serving for 42 years!

Mardi Gras's older sister, Empress of Britain, was the second ship of Carnival Cruise Line.
The ship was launched in 1955. The liner sailed under the flag of Canadian Pacific Line for 10 years. Then she spent almost 10 years under the Greek Line's flag and under the name of Queen Anna Maria.
In 1976, the cruise liner was bought by Carnival Cruise Line and named SS Carnivale.

© Rich Turnwald/Wiki/CC BY-SA 4.0

SS Carnivale pleased guests of Carnival Cruise Line until 1993.
It is likely that this article is now read by people who traveled on this beautiful liner. By the way, originally she was not the cruise liner, but an ocean one!
In 1993, the ship was given to a subsidiary called Fiesta Marina Cruises. She was named Fiesta Marina. In 1994, the liner was sold to the Epirotiki company, like her sister, Mardi Gras. The ship was named Olympic.
In 1996, the cruise liner was given to Royal Olympic Cruises.
In 1997, former SS Carnivale was sold to Thomson Holidays and named Topaz.
In 2003, the ship began to "serve" in an organization called Peace Boat.
In April 2008, the ship was scrapped.

Beautiful 32000-ton cruise liner called Festivale was the third ship of Carnival Cruise Line.
The ship was built in 1961 and operated on itineraries between England and Africa. The liner was named Transvaal Castle, and later - S.A. Vaal.
In 1977, the ship was bought by Carnival Cruise Line and rebuilt at the Japanese shipyards from the ocean liner into a cruise "fun-ship" (the cost of the changes was almost $ 30 million).

© Krdort/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

The ship sailed under the flag of Carnival Cruise Line until 1996.
It's interesting to know, that in 1996, the old ocean liner Festivale met the ultra-modern cruise liner in the company's fleet. It was Carnival Destiny that crossed the 100,000-ton mark for the first time.

© WikiEK/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

Let's return to Festivale. With the advent of new cruise liners, it was decided to sell old ships.
Dolphin Cruise Line became the new owner of the ship. A few years later she moved to Thomson Cruises, and then to Premier Cruise Line.
The new ship's names were IslandBreeze, Big Red Boat III, and The Big Red Boat.
In 2003, the ship was scrapped.

Tropicale was the fourth liner in the fleet. She was the first cruise liner that was built for Carnival Cruise Line.
The ship was launched in 1980.
The 36,000-ton beauty could accommodate more than 1,400 passengers and 550 crew members.

Ocean Dream as Tropicale, 2008.

Cruise liner sailed under the flags of Carnival Cruise Line until 2001, then she was given to the subsidiary -

Costa

- and became known as Costa Tropicale.

© JeanbaptisteM/Wiki/CC BY 2.0

In 2005, the cruise liner was sold/given to another Carnival's subsidiary - P&O Cruises Australia. The ship was renamed as Pacific Star.
In 2008, the ship was sold to Pullmantur Cruises. There she was called Ocean Dream.


In 2012, the ship was given to the Peace Boat organization. The cruise liner is still in service!

© Chiga Kenjii/Wiki/CC BY-SA 4.0

Holiday, a new ship of the Holiday-class, was the fifth cruise liner of Carnival Cruise Line.
The ship was launched in 1985. Her tonnage is 46,000 tons.


The ship made cruises under the Carnival's flag until 2010.
In 2005, the ship served as a shelter for the victims of the disaster during Hurricane Katrina!


In 2010, the ship began her new life under the flags of Iberocruceros, one of the Carnival's subsidiaries.
The ship was named Grand Holiday.
It is worth noting that the Carnival's funnel, known throughout the world, has remained on the ship. It was only repainted.

© Piergiuliano Chesi/Wiki/CC BY 3.0

An interesting fact: during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the ship served as a 4-star hotel.
In 2014, the cruise liner was bought by Cruise & Maritime Voyages. She joined the company's fleet in spring 2015 under the new name - Magellan.
The ship still makes cruises.

© DXR/Wiki/CC BY-SA 4.0

The Holiday's sister, Jubilee, was the next cruise liner of Carnival Cruise Line.
The liner was launched in 1985.
The ship remained in the Carnival's fleet until 2004.

© WikiEK/Wiki/CC BY 3.0

In 2004, the cruise liner was given to P&O Cruises Australia. The ship got the new name - Pacific Sun.

© Bahnfrend/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

In 2012, the ship joined the fleet of HNA Tourism Cruise. She was named Henna.

Pacific Sun approaching the wharf in Darling Harbour
© Saberwyn/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

The ship made cruises in the Asian market for 3 years, but in November 2015, the company ceased its cruise activities, and the liner was put up for sale for $ 35 million.
With there being no interested buyers, the ship was scrapped in 2017.

The Holiday-class cruise ship, Celebration, became the last ship for today.
The ship was launched in 1986.
The ship served Carnival Cruise Line until 2008.

© Jon Worth/Wiki/CC BY-SA 2.0

In 2008, after repairs, the ship was given to the subsidiary - Iberocruceros - and named Grand Celebration.


In early 2014, the ship was to be given to Costa Cruises under a new name, Costa Celebration.
On November 21, 2014, the day before departure on the first cruise, it was reported that the ship was sold. The next day the liner was removed from the Costa fleet. All reservations were canceled, tourists who booked cruises got their money back or made reservations on other cruise liners.
A few weeks later it became known that the ship was bought by a newly formed company - Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.
The ship's name remained the same - Grand Celebration.
The ship is now in service and makes cruises from Florida.

© Beyond My Ken/Wiki/GFDL

There's no doubt that new ships will be added in this list.
For example, it is already known that Carnival Splendor will move from Carnival to P&O Cruises Australia in late 2019.

© Sparrowman980/Wiki/CC BY-SA 3.0

Has anybody been on these ships? Please, share your experience and photos in the comments... After all, it will become history soon... It's already become...