Carnival feeling arrived at her last port of call on schedule, as the vessel arrived today at the Aliaga demolition yard in Turkey. It will now be several days or weeks before the next stage of demolition of the ship begins, but its long open water voyages are over. The ship also ran aground on April 5.
Carnival feeling Failed for disposal
The Fantasy-class ship was sold for scrap earlier this year after it was announced that it would not return to service as planned.
Instead, the ship‘s planned routes from Mobile, Alabama were reassigned to carnival ecstasyand while Carnival feeling continued to accommodate crew members transitioning into and out of quarantine periods, she would no longer accommodate passengers.
When it debuted in 1993, the ship had cost $250 to build and was welcomed into the fleet with great fanfare.
The vessel weighs 70,367 gross tons and her 10 decks can accommodate 2,056 passengers in double occupancy and up to 2,634 guests when fully booked, with 920 international crew members providing truly sensational service.
Carnival feeling left the United States from his post in the Bahamas on March 18sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for the last time on her way to the shipbreaking facility.
The ship was due to arrive at the yard on April 4, which it did exactly as planned, completing its 29 years of service with punctuality and distinction.
It may take a few hours or days for the ship’s transponder to be deactivated as the shipyard officially takes possession of it and the cruise ship ceases to be an active ship. It has already run aground on April 5, one of the last stages before the start of demolition.
Next steps
The ship will now rest at anchor at the shipyard while the other crew members leave the ship and additional supplies and materials are unloaded. At this time, the scrapping process will begin with an interior dismantling, although the hull will remain temporarily intact.
When space becomes available for the vessel to be safely beached, it will be brought to shore and stabilized for safe cutting which will split the hull into sections for removal and recycling. As the hull is opened, larger equipment and interior materials will continue to be removed.
Carnival Cruise Line specifically selected the Aliaga yard for this process due to its higher safety standards and stronger commitment to environmentally friendly techniques.
Not only will this protect local workers – shipbreaking is a dangerous profession and injuries are common in many yards – but it will also ensure that the vessel poses the least possible risk to the immediate environment and habitats.
The overall process of demolishing a ship can take several months from the time the ship arrives at the yard until the last bits of metal are removed, the hull is dismantled and the ship ceases to exist.
Former Fantasy-class ships
Carnival feeling now suffers the same fate as its Fantasy-class sisters in recent months. Fantasy Carnival, Carnival inspirationand Fantasy Carnival were all demolished in the same way at the Aliaga shipyard, on the west coast of Turkey, on the Aegean Sea.
Fantasy Carnival was the first to arrive at the yardofficially anchored in Aliaga Bay on July 29, 2020. Carnival inspiration soon followed, his transponder going silent on August 3, 2020. Fantasy Carnival joined her sisters the following month, officially going silent on September 14, 2020.
Another sister ship, Carnival Fascinationwas also scrapped in February 2022, but this work was carried out at the Gadani yard in Pakistan while the the ship had been sold to different operators before finally being scrapped.
Only three of the eight Fantasy-class ships are still in service today. carnival ecstasyhowever, will retire in October, following a final departure from Mobile, Alabama on October 10.
This final trip will be a 5-day Western Caribbean itinerary, visiting Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico. It is not yet known if the ship will be demolished or could be sold to another company.
The last two Fantasy-class ships are expected to remain in service. Carnival Paradise sails 4- and 5-day Western Caribbean itineraries from Tampa, Florida, while Carnival Exhilaration offers 4 and 5 day cruises from Jacksonville, Florida to the Bahamas.
Risen ships
Fantasy-class ships have long been popular with Carnival cruisers who appreciate smaller, more intimate ships and the ships’ multi-story open atrium designs. Yet, although five of the eight sister ships have already retired, they may not be gone for good.
Carnival’s next Excel-class ship, Carnival CelebrationEast incorporate different aspects of the retired Fun Ships into its decor and art elements.
While the company has yet to release many details about these commemorative highlights, it’s possible that some nods to famous Fantasy-class ships will be found aboard the cruise line’s new ship during her cruises. debut in November.
In this way, and in the hearts and memories of the millions of passengers who sailed on board, Carnival feeling and all of her retired sister ships will never be forgotten.
