Floating Paradise Lost: The CARNIVAL ECSTASY's Final Cruise

[@karenryan3496]

The Fantasy was my first cruise. I loved hat ship as well!

[@ChrisFrameOfficial]

Thank you for sharing this very special, emotional voyage. Amazing how good she looked right to the end.

[@midshipcinema]

Aww, thanks so much Chris! Always delighted to know you are watching these. All the best to you and your fantastic KZbin channel for 2023!

[@quirkycruise6641]

And love "Farcusian!" ... best name!

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you! It's in the Knego lingo. :)

[@eagleso]

Thanks for the love video The Imagination Ecstasy 🚢 My first cruise was on The Carnival Imagination back in 2005. It is sad to see The Fantasy Class go.

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Very sad to see these ships go, as well.

[@jacksonclavierproductions]

Amazing video as usual. Glad I got to sail on ecstasy this year before it was scrapped.

[@midshipcinema]

Aww, thank you so much. I, too, am glad I finally sailed in her. Hope to get on ELATION and PARADISE before they go off to Turkey. Thanks for posting here. :)

[@diogocatalano9557]

Marvelous video, Peter, a great delight.

[@midshipcinema]

So appreciate your watching and posting, Diogo. :)

[@cheryldep6316]

Peter - Another fabulous video! In this case, I can actually say "I was there for the final Ecstasy cruise with you". That was one of the absolute best cruises I have ever been on and for those of us that were there, it is so special that you documented it so extraordinarily. I am sailing on one of her Fantasy class sister ships in 2 weeks, the Paradise, with my youngest daughter. I am doing my best to get on these old ships before they are just a memory like the Ecstasy. It truly was a pleasure meeting you and sailing with you on the Ecstasy. Happy New Year! Cheryl & Oz

[@midshipcinema]

Awww, thanks so much, Cheryl! It was such a pleasure meeting you and Oz! Hope to sail with you again one day!

[@quirkycruise6641]

Ecstasy was one of the first cruises I ever took! bitter sweet

[@midshipcinema]

Wow, what an intro that must have been! Thanks so much for commenting and posting. :)

[@ErenTopcu]

Great Video as usual my big brother !!! You are unqiue in maritime world !!!

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you, Eren! Such a pleasure to know you.

[@PhilipBarrett1]

Thank you for documenting this and all the ships you do!

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much, Philip! I can't help myself but am always happy when people share the same love for these old ladies. :)

[@focus3415]

I watch doug Parker every day with his cruise news as I love cruise ships and used to live in Southampton in the 70s and remember seeing all the p@O CHANDRIS AND UNION CASTLE SHIPS THOSE WERE THE DAYS

[@midshipcinema]

P&O, Chandris and Union-Castle had some of my all time favorite ships. Yes, Doug is a terrific guy and a great reporter. Thank you for posting. :)

[@jasoncooperpcola]

My first solo cruise on the Ecstasy was in April of 2022. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together and give her a farewell. I was on her final sailing and won the Snap-On wrenches, Via Pre /195 crew sign and a the photo of the ship in front of the Twin Towers. It was awesome to see what John Heald had to say about these pieces again!

[@midshipcinema]

Hi Jason! Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Wow, that's fantastic that you were the winner of those treasures. Congratulations! :)

[@JS-wi5lf]

Your videos are lovely. Thank you!

[@midshipcinema]

That's very kind of you to post. Thank you and glad you enjoy them.

[@bandstep3990]

Excellent video, Peter (again). I never sailed the Ecstasy but sailed on her sister ships, Imagination and Inspiration many times. Very sentimental-thanks again for the memories.

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much! Both of the I ships were here, so close. I did many visits to them but never sailed, thinking it was something I could do anytime. Ah well. Thank you for posting.

[@Chihuahua4ever]

I got teary-eyed watching this. I'm happy to say that I had the opportunity to cruise her in 2003. I'm a fan of the Joe Farcus decor and loved the neon signs/lights. Sad to see her scrapped.

[@midshipcinema]

Awww. I was teary eyed during that entire cruise. She was a special ship with a lot of heart and soul. I, too, loved the Neon Bar. So many great fixtures that sadly were not saved. Hoping there is a restaurant or hotel in Turkey filled with them.

[@richatom71]

Wonderful video Peter .Thank you for sharing .

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting, Richard! :)

[@scupking]

My first and only cruise was on this ship in 2000! Was so much fun! I wish this video was in HD and full screen...

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you. Appreciate the feedback, too. I'll keep an open mind about that in the future. Still learning things here.

[@superteckmp]

Well done. Great. Thank you

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much. :)

[@jubilem]

Thank you for sharing this. As a Finn, very proud of the craftsmanship that produced so long lasting and loved ship.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you, Juha! Deservedly proud. The Finns have built some spectacular ships. And even in her final days, the CARNIVAL ECSTASY was a fine old lady, indeed.

[@michaelholmes8350]

Got married in the ship's library on Thanksgiving Day 2007, reception with family in the disco bar, they all debarked to the dock in Galveston, and we did a 3 day honeymoon cruise to Cozumel. Best day ever!!!!!😎😎

[@kickingbuttd7485]

Peter another excellent video I’m glad you made it onboard for the final voyage!! I’m also glad they painted the ship till the very end and kept her looking good till the very end.

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much! Yes, Carnival sent her off with honors and kept her pristine to the end. :)

[@izbiz671]

We cruised on the Ecstacy in early 2000s...She made many passengers happy and it's sad to see her being scrapped.... RIP

[@midshipcinema]

Truly a fun ship. Visited her many times but really fell in love with cruising on her. Great size and design. Thanks for posting.

[@russwilloughby501]

Damn it, Peter....I can't believe you got me all misty-eyed over a Carnival ship! Seriously, a great video. To quote Frank Braynard, "When a ship dies it's just like a person has died." CE made a LOT of people happy, which is what it's all about.

[@midshipcinema]

LOL, thank you, Russ! Honored to have you watch and delighted that you enjoyed it! Here's to a great New Year for you both! :)

[@wayneyim8714]

What a surprise to see this video when I woke up this morning. Thank you for making this video!

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much for watching and posting, Wayne! Happy New Year!

[@chrismusic1180]

Thank you for the great video. It made me nostalgic for all those Fantasy class ships of the 1990s (which I never fully appreciated until now). I think there are only 2 remaining in service, and sadly, I’m sure these will be gone soon, too.

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much for watching and posting. If the economy doesn't tank, there is some hope for ELATION and PARADISE as both have had major refits in recent years and are wearing the new Carnival livery.

[@quirkycruise6641]

Excellent tribute :)

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so much, QuirkyCruise! By the way, yours is my favorite site for cruise blogs and info! Proud to be a contributor. :)

[@quirkycruise6641]

@@midshipcinema ❤

[@JosephWoolf-ct4bt]

My first cruise was on the Carnival Ecstasy back in Sep 2004. My cruise left on a Monday late afternoon from Long Beach CA. The next morning Tuesday we arrived anchored off of Catalina Island (which is only 26 miles away), and we had a great day there. We left Catalina about 4:30 in the afternoon. We then sailed to Ensenada Mexico, which is about 130 miles away, and we had our formal night a few hours later that night. Early on Wednesday morning we docked in Ensenada Mexico, which is about 30 miles south of San Diego CA. we had a great day in Ensenada. When we left Ensenada about 10:00 P.M. the port of Ensenada gave the ship a firework tribute since it was the Carnival Ecstasy's final trip to Ensenada before it was repositioned to Florida. Thursday, we had a sea day where the captain came on the P.A. and said we were going to be cruising in large circles about 30 miles off of the coast of San Diego. Friday morning, we arrived back in the port of Long Beach next to the original Queen Mary. There were many trucks on the dock that morning because they were provisiong the ship for the next cruise leaving later that afternoon heading to the Panama Canal and Florida.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you for sharing your memories of her, Joseph. Happy New Year!

[@FFlyDDrum1]

Great video

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you. :)

[@GardeningLadybug]

Thank you so much for the update

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks for watching.

[@mrslinarcos]

Beautiful video Peter, we never got to sail on ECSTASY, but we did on the FANTASY, SENSATION, CELEBRATION and our final cruise was on the IMAGINATION. The interviews were on target with what I thought. What the captain gave you was a wonderful surprise. I know you're going to cherish that piece of history. I loved the whole interior/exterior wall through. The auction was incredible, passengers were really paying a lot of money for the memorabilia from the shop. Even John's jacket 🧥 LOL 😆😆. I LOVED 😍 this video, thank you for an outstanding job.

[@midshipcinema]

Awww, thanks so much, Deborah! So glad you enjoyed it -- there was so much to cover! Doing all the interviews and having such unfettered access was so great. He was a wonderful captain and I hope to sail with him again. Editing the auction was tough but otherwise, it would have been a two hour video. John is a brilliant comedian and excellent emcee. He was born for that job. Have a wonderful NYE and all the best for 2023!

[@mrslinarcos]

@@midshipcinema you're welcome. It's hard to get everything done on a video. However, getting what you can is always appreciated. 😁🛳️🛳️

[@grantmclaren888]

I always enjoy your vlogs Peter. The various 'influencers' commenting in this flog seemed rather confused, tongue tied and out of their depths ... not knowing how to react to this ship. But you, thank the gods, put everything back to perspective!

[@midshipcinema]

That's very kind of you, Grant. Well, we all have our different styles. Mine doesn't get all the views and subscribers of many vloggers out there but hopefully will one day. Happy New Year!

[@cyrodosanjos9411]

Parabéns pelo seu novo video sempre bom rever esses antigos navios

[@midshipcinema]

Obrigado, Cyro! Thank you for watching and posting here. :)

[@jantiedemann3857]

Fantastic documentary, as always. Happy New Year @Peter Knego.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so much, Jan! And a very Happy New Year to you, as well!

[@jaydee9508]

Excellent video as always Peter! Sailed on Ecstasy in 1997 as a much younger man. Great memories. So glad we have your footage so we can go back and revisit the Ecstasy anytime we would like.

[@midshipcinema]

Very cool! She was still completely original back then. Thank you for posting. :)

[@georges7340]

Another great documentation of cruising history! Very much enjoy your personal stories and connections with some of these iconic ships. The gift you got from Captain Coppola was an especially touching moment. As always, thank you again for another great tour !

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so very much, George! Appreciate your posting here and so glad you enjoyed the tribute to the dearly departed CARNIVAL ECSTASY. :)

[@seannyice8130]

Wonderful documentary Peter. I'm sad to see theses Fantasy Class ships go. May they live on in memories, memorabilia, and film.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so much. These ships, among the most successful ever built, certainly have left a lot of fond memories.

[@stevenorris9]

Thanks for this wonderful video, the Carnival Ecstasy was my first Fantasy class ship I've sailed on. I never would have thought back in April of 2019 this would have been my first and last time on board this lovely old ship. This video brought back some great memories of my family's time we spent aboard. Thanks again Peter and others who documented her final voyage.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so much for your kind comment and taking the time to post here. So happy you enjoyed it. :)

[@map3384]

My wife and I traveled on her twice. First was on our honeymoon on August 21, 1995 and again in July 1998 with our first son and second as a stowaway. We absolutely loved her. We’ve travelled on several other Fantasy class ships including the Paradise twice and will be a third time in 2024. Still nothing beats the Ecstasy. She was scrapped too soon.

[@lauriebradman9661]

What a touching video! I have never been on a cruise -- crazy, right? I came to know about you from your coverage of The Pacific Princess (The Love Boat), the most famous cruise ship of all time. :) Thank you for sharing this final voyage with the world.

[@midshipcinema]

Well, thanks so much, Laurie! So glad you watched this one, too. And here's to the beautiful PP and her equally gorgeous twin, IP. Thanks for coming along on this voyage. :)

[@markhooper1352]

Thank you so much Peter, another superbly informative, celebratory and well narrated cruise farewell. I must admit that the Joe Farcus interiors are not my absolute favourite amongst cruise ship designs, however I fully appreciate each and every detail that has been invested in his vessels. John Heald is always a pleasure to watch, and whilst he gives Julie McCoy a solid run for her money, our beloved Julie will always be the world's most famous and loved Cruise Director in my book ;-) Thank you again Peter, such a pleasure to watch.

[@midshipcinema]

Wow, thanks so much, Mark, for your very kind and fun post here! So happy you enjoyed the tribute to the ECSTASY. I totally understand how you feel about the Farcus interiors. It took me a long time to get to where I am now with them. Perhaps it's because most modern ships are so bland in comparison. And here's to both John Heald and Julie McCoy in CD superstardom! Thanks again! :)

[@PhilipBarrett1]

The Fantasy (my first crusie ship), and the ecstasy, were special. They had a special recipe that was so perfect. John had it right, the size was right.

[@midshipcinema]

Yes, and we are all hoping that Carnival will see fit to build some smaller ships that aren't just for its other divisions. FANTASY and ECSTASY had such vibrant personalities and spectacular details that took me many years to properly appreciate. Thanks for posting.

[@pocketwatch5149]

Great Documentary Peter! sad to see her go through. No ship lasts forever. But Happy New Year!

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you so much. She certainly went out in style. Sparkling to the end. Happy New Year to you, as well. :)

[@pocketwatch5149]

@@midshipcinema thanks!

[@nordisk1874]

Seeing my former shipmate Doug in here it’s awesome! I’ve sailed on many ex liners and cruise ships, I worked on small US Flags ships. I want to sail at least on cruise on the Paradise before she goes. I remember her with the big nonsmoking sign on her stern! My former professor was on the Ecstasy for the fire. I remember hearing CM story on her!

[@midshipcinema]

Cool. Thanks so much for posting. Hope to sailing on PARADISE soon, as well.

[@oceanlinerfanatic]

What a great and powerful video. I never got to sail on her but I did see her in Cozumel and Barcelona a few years back. Has scrapping started on her yet?

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks so much, Ocean Liner Fanatic! :) So happy you enjoyed it. I have not seen any photos of her being cut yet, so am not sure. I do know photos at Aliaga are getting more and more difficult to take. Appreciate your watching and posting here.

[@747fa]

Thank you Peter. But "paradise" lost, to some thinking people, as a cruise ship/s they're not purely from the aspect of transmission in viruses, waiting times and overcrowding. You do a great job and I too have enjoyed cruising but on smaller ships. Thank you.

[@midshipcinema]

Thank you. Of course, Paradise is in the mind of the beholder. It's just the name I picked for videos that represent ships that are no more. I, too, love smaller ships and the way things are going, this one is actually now considered "smaller". :) Again, thank you for posting.

[@JJMHigner]

This is one of the first cruise ships I got introduced to through a program either on the Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel many years ago. I think it was the Know Zone. One of the hosts went aboard the ship and did a brief tour throughout. This was 1996 or so. I had no idea that she was part of a much larger class, but this is one of the things that got me into ships and Maritime dreams! She will be greatly missed and a bit singular in her own right even within her class.😢😢

[@midshipcinema]

So true, Justin! She had a distinct personality, as did the FANTASY and SENSATION. The latter four were a bit more toned down and thus less interesting to me, although I dig the PARADISE's very loose ocean liner theme. Really happy to see you here catching some of these videos. Very cool! :)

[@raymondcote2913]

Love the Fantasy Class.

[@RoastBeefSandwich]

My wife and I sailed Ecstasy several time out of Charleston and we have good memories of the ship and the crew. We were sad to hear of her scrapping, but couldn't make it to her final voyage sadly. At least Ecstasy was given a send-off, sadly several of her sisters (including my favorite of the class, Fantasy) never received.

[@midshipcinema]

Hats off to Carnival for giving ECSTASY a fantastic farewell. Thanks for watching and commenting. :)

[@saxyben81]

I sailed on her a month and a half before this to these ports. I am from Mobile and we have the Spirit now. I will never go back to Progreso but I love Cozumel. Went on the Glory this past August along with Roatan and Belize.

[@pnpphotographyinc.5812]

We sailed on Ecstacy in Oct of 1996 for our Honeymoon. We had Suite U111. We have a photo of us with the Rolls Royce that was on board, Excited to take a photo of the photo with the same Rolls on the New Celebration this October 2023. Good Buy old Friend !

[@midshipcinema]

She certainly had a lot of flair and personality. So glad I got to sail in her after all the years of visiting and watching her from other ships. She will be missed.

[@velezdragon3574]

Ironic stairway to heaven was being played in her autriem made me teary eyed as if she knew she was going to ship heaven with some of her sisters I can’t wait to go on her sister carnival paradise and hope the last two fantasy class ships have many more happy years

[@midshipcinema]

Yeah, it was quite a good song choice for those musicians, who were great.

[@melodyjanes9141]

❤uforeverectasy

[@midshipcinema]

Awww. She had that effect on people. I cherish my one cruise in her.

[@melodyhall6886]

I cruised on this ship 🚢 out of Charleston.

[@robertetchell7804]

when i was younger intrested in ships i never heard of fan boy but thats great there are fans of this ship they should join the steamship historical society of america if any of them are members just like i am and maybe if there world ship society members too like i am i like to meet people on cruises that are intrested in ships just like i am i hope i do on my cruise to alaska on the VOLLENDAM in 2023

[@midshipcinema]

Hi Robert! Fanboy is a Millennial term for someone who is a fan of something, in this case, the CARNIVAL ECSTASY. I'm pretty sure Geoff and Tom are members of the SSHSA and maybe even the WSS. Hope you are well and thank you for posting. Happy New Year.

[@robertetchell7804]

If I meet both of them I wil asked them if there members of the SSHA and the WSS

[@melodyjanes9141]

My first ❤

[@midshipcinema]

Nice ship for a first. Thank you for watching and posting. :)

[@graceygal2664]

Something seems to have gone wrong in this video there's not any sound at all Edit now it's working just have been in my end

[@midshipcinema]

Whew! I was trying to figure out what could have gone wrong as it was playing OK on this end. Thank you for posting. :)

[@velezdragon3574]

Sad to see her go in such good shape wonder why they couldn’t sell her to new owners ?

[@midshipcinema]

Much newer ships are getting scrapped now. This is not a good time to buy used ships, I'm afraid.

[@GardeningLadybug]

Shame the don’t save her funnel and put it onto the “Carnival” Luminosa.

[@jeffross5424]

"why are they scrapping her?"...major shareholders want that...she's not a money maker anymore and why we have these behemoths with town sized passenger count floating around

[@midshipcinema]

Yep. Pretty much. She made money but not enough compared to the new ones which carry many more people and basically cost the same to operate.

[@jeffross5424]

@@midshipcinema sign of the times peter...i believe bigger isn't always better, shame really and why i'm looking forward to sailing on the volendam now that she's considered small

[@midshipcinema]

@@jeffross5424 Yep, bigger is definitely not better in my book but I understand why it works for the bottom line and having all the distractions so many people expect when they take a cruise. VOLENDAM is a nice size. :)

[@TheBigWWI]

Sad.

[@midshipcinema]

Thanks for watching.

[@bayousbambino427]

Yeah, smashing 12 different styles and a panopoly of neon lights together does not good design make. While Farcus' work is frequently meritous--each individual element needs to be taken out of its chaotic context to be appreciated. When in the context of his orgy of materials and colours, the quirkiness and consideration of the elements is drowned out. Less really is more, Joe. The individual who thinks ships now all resemble banal luxury resorts needs to take a voyage with Celebrity.

[@coronet32]

How old was she

[@searching4amy]

31 yrs old. First sailing 1991

[@wowitskevin]

Such a shame what the pandemic did to cruising... pre-pandemic this ship would have most likely been moved to a smaller cruise line and lived on.

[@Ax86_K]

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@flogrown2014]

The ecstasy was the first ship I was ever on. My senior class trip was taken aboard the ecstasy. Ohhh the memories I have from that cruise lol. My senior class was on the ship as well as regular cruise passengers. BUT, there was also a high school band from Texas on the ship as well. Pretty sure my friends may have kids in Texas they don’t know of lol. It was in May of 2000 if anyone else was on that cruise with a bunch of rowdy high school kids lol

[@midshipcinema]

LOL, that sounds about right! My bet is that every sailing of that fun ship had similar stories and shenanigans. Thanks so much for sharing your memories here. :)