Who remembers the FESTIVALE!!??

[hawaii6o]

The Festivale was my first cruise on our honeymoon out of San Juan. Then we did the Tropicale a year later. Miss the way cruising was back then.

[dnj1]

It was nice to see an older ship. Thanks for the pics. Times have surely changed.

[CRUZBUDS]

The absolute best promotional cruise video ever made was called "The Magic of Festivale"

 

Kathy Lee was in it of course. It told the story of two couples and a woman traveling alone on the Festivale. The actors were recognizable character actors. The script and production values were first rate. It is hilarious. I have it somewhere on VHS -- I need to convert it to digital.

[oo ee oo ee baby]

Does anyone remember, back in the day, no towel animals .... they used to take your nightie, lay it out on the bed, and fold it into pretty fan-like designs?

 

I thought it was cool then, but now I might think it was creepy. Someone's been rummaging around in my undie drawer!

[eroller]

The absolute best promotional cruise video ever made was called "The Magic of Festivale"

 

 

 

 

I have that video! Yes it's a lot of fun. Follows them from embarkation to the end of the cruise as I recall.

 

Ernie

[nonna5]

Does anyone remember, back in the day, no towel animals .... they used to take your nightie, lay it out on the bed, and fold it into pretty fan-like designs?

 

I thought it was cool then, but now I might think it was creepy. Someone's been rummaging around in my undie drawer!

 

I thought it was creepy then also. I use to hide my nightie and my husband would laugh at me.

[chocolate melting cake]

Our first cruise also. Remember the "frog races?" I think Carnival had a "deal" with several St Thomas stores. They'd announce that anyone who went there and purchased mechanical frogs could enter them in pool races the next sea day. We bought one, of course----and when it went in the pool one of its legs fell off! While the other frogs battled it out across the pool our creature just swam in circles!:D:D

 

What I miss when we look back at pictures is the huge floral bouquets around the ship.

[timh33]

She was our 1st. Cruise also back in 84 .8 days And it was GREAT!!!!!!!!

[CRUZBUDS]

I have that video! Yes it's a lot of fun. Follows them from embarkation to the end of the cruise as I recall.

 

Ernie

 

Harry Hardy from Harrisburg PA was the star "I'm not going" :D

[wecamp]

Ok here are photos from Aug 1984. I found most of our photos were of the ports, Nassua, St Thomas and San Juan. Very few of the ship, but we apparently took a Bridge Tour. (I don't remember it) In todays world it is lacking "high tech" for sure.

And I find it a little funny that we only bought 4 photos (arrival, handshake, 1 port, and 1 dining room table shot) and they are 5x7". Our last cruise I spend $150 on pictures. But I did find a 10 picture postcard book of the ship. I always bought postcard books of places we visited.

Hope this link works. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20744699@N02/

[monygrl]

Does anyone remember, back in the day, no towel animals .... they used to take your nightie, lay it out on the bed, and fold it into pretty fan-like designs?

 

I thought it was cool then, but now I might think it was creepy. Someone's been rummaging around in my undie drawer!

OMG..YES..I had this sexy black negligee and our steward found it and made something or other out of it.

This was my one and only cruise. We went for our tenth anniversary, Sept 1992, and now we are going on the Imagination for our 30th .

 

Good times. They were calling my husband the Mayor of Carnival because he did anything and everything. Games, conga lines, Limbo, up all night. I remember they did the game onstage where it was like musical chairs, but they used hats, and DH grabbed it off some ladies head and took her wig with it :D Poor lady, but she took it well. I was mortified and crawling under my table.

[T. Advisor King]

Our first cruise was the Carnivale in 1991. Because of price, we had to choose between the bunk beds and the porthole. We picked the port hole, but ended up getting bumped up, after boarding, to the biggest suite on the ship.

 

The Inspiration has models of its two older ships, including the Carnivale, at the entrance to its MDRs.

[cruzn buckeye]

OMG..YES..I had this sexy black negligee and our steward found it and made something or other out of it.

This was my one and only cruise. We went for our tenth anniversary, Sept 1992, and now we are going on the Imagination for our 30th .

 

Good times. They were calling my husband the Mayor of Carnival because he did anything and everything. Games, conga lines, Limbo, up all night. I remember they did the game onstage where it was like musical chairs, but they used hats, and DH grabbed it off some ladies head and took her wig with it :D Poor lady, but she took it well. I was mortified and crawling under my table.

On my first cruise, we were in a hurry coming back from port to get ready for dinner. So, we just dropped our clothes and went. I didnt even know the steward would be in there. We get back , and our room is immaculately clean. Even my makeup and hair brush and everything else stacked neatly on the counter. Looked at the bed... all clothes folded neatly... even my undies :eek: I really didnt want someone else handling my undies.. so I since then, I make absolute sure, that those are not left out:rolleyes:

[WishIwasOutThereNOW]

people looked a lot thinner in those days. :D i think i was too. a lot of water under the bridge since then tho.

[Sarapdot]

Ok here are photos from Aug 1984. I found most of our photos were of the ports, Nassua, St Thomas and San Juan. Very few of the ship, but we apparently took a Bridge Tour. (I don't remember it) In todays world it is lacking "high tech" for sure.

And I find it a little funny that we only bought 4 photos (arrival, handshake, 1 port, and 1 dining room table shot) and they are 5x7". Our last cruise I spend $150 on pictures. But I did find a 10 picture postcard book of the ship. I always bought postcard books of places we visited.

Hope this link works. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20744699@N02/

 

 

Great pics!!! :)

[loubetti]

Micky Aronson, the inspiration behind Carnival was an Executive at NCCL, know known as NCL. In a power struggle, he left the company. He leased a couple of ships, figured he had to offer a "different" product than was being offered by NCCL and ....bingo! Out came the biggest cruise line in the world!

 

Noooo.....

 

It was not Micky "Aronson", it was Ted Arison, Micky's father who founded Carnival. Otherwise your facts are correct. ;)

 

Trvia: What bad thing happened on Carnival's first sailing?

[loubetti]

...anyway, nice photos, thanks for sharing them! I visited the ship one time when it was docked in New York. That was when ships were ships; former ocean liners. Sadly, they are all gone now.

 

Some good reading is John Maxtone Graham's book "Liners to the Sun". It's all about the shift from crossing to cruising, starting mostly in the 70s, and the conversion of ocean liners for that new purpose.

 

Another good book is his legendary "The only way to cross". It's all about the history of the great ocean liners from the mid 19th century up until QE2. I bought it and read it while on QE2 for my second cruise, and I became hooked on ships and cruising after reading it.

 

I've met John several times, and while he can be a bit aloof, he's a good man, and his writing is second to none. Then again, we have Bill Miller, whose dozens of books are also legendary. It's all good reading, and I suggest you do it.

[CRUZBUDS]

Noooo.....

 

 

Trvia: What bad thing happened on Carnival's first sailing?

 

She ran a ground on a sand bar -- They opened the bars and the "Fun Ships" were born :D

[eroller]

Noooo.....

 

It was not Micky "Aronson", it was Ted Arison, Micky's father who founded Carnival. Otherwise your facts are correct. ;)

 

Trvia: What bad thing happened on Carnival's first sailing?

 

 

An interesting book about Ted Arison and how he started Carnival is called "Devils on the Deep Blue Sea". The book suggests that not everything was on the up and up when Arison left NCL and founded Carnival. Stories of money gone missing (apparently to start Carnival) and lawsuits.

 

Ernie

[eroller]

 

I've met John several times, and while he can be a bit aloof, he's a good man, and his writing is second to none. Then again, we have Bill Miller, whose dozens of books are also legendary. It's all good reading, and I suggest you do it.

 

 

Great book suggestions. I've read them a few times now over the years.

 

I've sailed with JMG (and his wife) and Bill Miller several times now, mostly on Cunard and Celebrity. I really enjoy their lectures, and of course Bill Miller (aka Mr. Ocean Liner) is truly one of those bigger than life characters.

 

Ernie

[rwdtgb]

What a great ship sailed on her in 1984 I prefered cruising back then but 40 something cruises later I am still loving cruising.

[crusinpsychRN]

She ran a ground on a sand bar -- They opened the bars and the "Fun Ships" were born :D

 

If you don't know that answer you never went to a Past Guest party!

[CRUZBUDS]

If you don't know that answer you never went to a Past Guest party!

 

Does that mean I don't get a ship on a stick? ;)

[outdoors27]

OP Great pictures, this was my second cruise as a kid with my parents. How times have changed.

[elvis fan]

One of my favorite ships! I just scanned a bunch of pics from a cruise on the FESTIVALE in July 1982. Great memories of a great ship. Really loved Carnival back then. It was adults oriented, a little naughty, and a whole lot of fun! It's ships like the FESTIVALE that coined the phrase "The Fun Ships". None of the corporate nonsense and co-branding we find today ... just good ole fun!

 

Hope you enjoy the pics.

 

Ernie

 

Great pics thanks for posting! Our 1st cruise was on the Carnivale back in '85 a much different experience back then!