Two Carnival Cruise Ships Have Been Sold and Two Others Going to Long Term Lay-Up Status

[sealynx]

I wouldn't be surprised if these two beauties would also go to the scrapyard. It's almost like math: 2 ships in long term layup + Carnival anouncing they will remove 2 further ships from the fleet = the same 2 ships going to the scrapyard (okay, I'll admit, it's speculation). I just wonder why Carnival is so tight lipped about this. With the first 2 they almost gave information about their fate after they were beached.

[roeco9084]

I wonder if maybe they want to keep them until the market improves then sell them at a later date? I was surprised that the Fascination was put into long term lay up as u would think they would want to keep the balcony ships and shed the non balcony ones. I guess well have to see where Imagination ends up in long term lay up? 

[Jamman54]

6 minutes ago, roeco9084 said:

I wonder if maybe they want to keep them until the market improves then sell them at a later date? I was surprised that the Fascination was put into long term lay up as u would think they would want to keep the balcony ships and shed the non balcony ones. I guess well have to see where Imagination ends up in long term lay up? 

The four remaining Fantasy Class ships all have balconies. 

[BlerkOne]

On 8/23/2020 at 2:56 PM, ch09 said:

This ship will be docking at Mega 2 cruise terminal and will be there for two days and not at Brion Wharf where the Fantasy & Inspiration were tied up. It will also only be there for two days and not five or six. The slot machines likely will be removed whether or not the ship is headed to Turkey  or to cold storage, since Carnival does not own them.

They also don't own the "temporary" auxiliary generators added to most of the ships.

 

Balconies wouldn't take more than a few weeks to add.

[toad455]

Again, Carnival will have 25 ships by 2022 when the Celebration joins and the Fascination & Imagination get scrapped. Really don't see Carnival keeping these two ships.

[THIS IS US!]

16 minutes ago, toad455 said:

Again, Carnival will have 25 ships by 2022 when the Celebration joins and the Fascination & Imagination get scrapped. Really don't see Carnival keeping these two ships.

Agreed. I’m just happy Long Beach now has ships with balconies to replace the imagination and inspiration. The quick local trip will be even more fun with a balcony to relax on.

[roeco9084]

It Appears Imagination which is in Curaco has its transponder set to Aliaga. Im thinkin she went to Freeport to be destored and most valuables taken off rest are being taken off in Curaco.

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by roeco9084

[N7786W Flyer]

2 hours ago, roeco9084 said:

It Appears Imagination which is in Curaco has its transponder set to Aliaga. Im thinkin she went to Freeport to be destored and most valuables taken off rest are being taken off in Curaco.

 

 

Not a surprise, but I still hate to hear it.  Wonder how long before Fascination follows?

 

Garnett

[roeco9084]

5 hours ago, N7786W Flyer said:

 

Not a surprise, but I still hate to hear it.  Wonder how long before Fascination follows?

 

Garnett

Well a good thing is Fascination hasnt moved since it got to Cadiz. But Imagination has been sailing to Freeport then Curaco. I did see the Fascination on a ship broker site so maybe they plan to sell her to make up for the losses their takin for sending ships to scrap

 

[jimbo5544]

Confirmed Imagination sold for scrap

 

https://www.cruiseharbournews.com/imaginationscrap.html

Edited August 26, 2020 by jimbo5544

[xDisconnections]

8 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Confirmed Imagination sold for scrap

 

https://www.cruiseharbournews.com/imaginationscrap.html

Sweet. That's another one.

[fluffy0]

[PhillyFan33579]

12 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Confirmed Imagination sold for scrap

 

https://www.cruiseharbournews.com/imaginationscrap.html

I wonder how long Carnival planned to keep all of their Fantasy class ships prior to the current coronavirus. No doubt all 8 ships would still be cruising today without this virus. Sad how devastating this virus has been and continues to be to the cruise industry. 

[xDisconnections]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I wonder how long Carnival planned to keep all of their Fantasy class ships prior to the current coronavirus. No doubt all 8 ships would still be cruising today without this virus. Sad how devastating this virus has been and continues to be to the cruise industry. 

I’d guess somewhere between 3-5 years for them to slowly make modifications to their fleet.

[BlerkOne]

19 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Confirmed Imagination sold for scrap

 

https://www.cruiseharbournews.com/imaginationscrap.html

 

I had seen that, but confirmation to me would be an announcement by Carnival. I had never heard of that blogger's rag until now. But some people do think if it is on the Internet, it must be true.

[shof515]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

I had seen that, but confirmation to me would be an announcement by Carnival. I had never heard of that blogger's rag until now. But some people do think if it is on the Internet, it must be true.

 

if past trends is true like before, Carnival wont officially post any news until the ship is at the ship breakers in middle of September

[BlerkOne]

22 minutes ago, shof515 said:

 

if past trends is true like before, Carnival wont officially post any news until the ship is at the ship breakers in middle of September

 

Probably. My understanding is ship breakers don't take ownership of a ship until it is delivered. Want to buy a cruise ship?

[embarkation75]

22 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Confirmed Imagination sold for scrap

 

https://www.cruiseharbournews.com/imaginationscrap.html

 

Not surprising. Once Carnival pulled Imagination from active service last month, it was only a matter of time before she joined Fantasy and Inspiration on the scrap heap in Turkey.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

I had seen that, but confirmation to me would be an announcement by Carnival. I had never heard of that blogger's rag until now. But some people do think if it is on the Internet, it must be true.

It must be

[stobe1]

 

I doubt that she is making the trek to Turkey for a Sunshine/Sunrise makeover.

Edited August 27, 2020 by stobe1

[toad455]

And how soon before the Fascination is confirmed?

[xDisconnections]

Just now, toad455 said:

And how soon before the Fascination is confirmed?

Hopefully soon.

[N7786W Flyer]

36 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

Hopefully soon.

 

Pardon me for asking, but why do you seem to revel in the destruction of the Fantasy class?  I get that you don't enjoy the ships, but others do and, I presume, are sad to see them go.

 

Again, maybe I am missing something, but if you don't like the ships, fine...just don't book them and let others, who do enjoy them continue to cruise on them.  I don't see how their continued existence somehow diminishes your cruise experiences.

 

Forgive me if I am misinterpreting your intentions.

[tidecat]

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I wonder how long Carnival planned to keep all of their Fantasy class ships prior to the current coronavirus. No doubt all 8 ships would still be cruising today without this virus. Sad how devastating this virus has been and continues to be to the cruise industry. 

The only thing we can be reasonably sure of was Fantasy was most certainly a goner in January 2022, when the Fascination was set to reposition to Mobile.

 

Unless if Carnival was willing to return to San Juan later in 2022, I would suspect Ecstasy was likely a goner near the end of 2022 as well simply due to being 31 years old and due for drydock, and the Sensation or Elation would have likely taken over in Jacksonville. It's also possible Imagination gets the boot in 2022 instead of Ecstasy as she would have been due for drydock as well.

 

It's also possible Inspiration could have been retired in 2021 instead of being sent to drydock, in which case I think you see the redeployment of Radiance to Long Beach take place. Imagination would likely just sail alongside Sensation in Miami, or replaced Sunrise in Fort Lauderdale before being retired in 2022 (and Ecstasy likely lives another 2.5 years)

 

So even in the most aggressive scenario, you have 3 ships leaving by December 2022: Fantasy, Inspiration, and Imagination (or Ecstasy).

 

Since Carnival doesn't have anything on order after Celebration, we can't really extrapolate too much.  But if you assume a new ship every two years, we are likely saying goodbye to Sensation in late 2024 to avoid a January 2025 drydock. Ecstasy, Inspiration, and Imagination bow out in 2024 if they haven't already.

 

Fascination likely doesn't get retired until 2026. At this point Mobile has to step up to at least Spirit class, if not Conquest class. This could also mean a larger ship in San Diego or Sydney.

 

Elation and Paradise may survive 2028, depending on what the plans are for a 32-year old Carnival Sunshine, and new ports in Tampa, Jacksonville, and/or Baltimore.  It's possible Sunshine bows out here instead of a Fantasy-class ship if Carnival finds themselves the proud new owner of a vessel in excess of 150,000 tons. By sometime in the 2030s, the Elation and Paradise, though, inevitably meet the same fate.

[xDisconnections]

1 hour ago, N7786W Flyer said:

 

Pardon me for asking, but why do you seem to revel in the destruction of the Fantasy class?  I get that you don't enjoy the ships, but others do and, I presume, are sad to see them go.

 

Again, maybe I am missing something, but if you don't like the ships, fine...just don't book them and let others, who do enjoy them continue to cruise on them.  I don't see how their continued existence somehow diminishes your cruise experiences.

 

Forgive me if I am misinterpreting your intentions.

Believe it or not, I have enjoyed every one of my cruises on a Fantasy class ship. It’s just time for Carnival to scrap them and move on in order to remain competitive. At one time, the company was a leader in innovative and revolutionary concepts within the cruise industry and sadly, they no longer are. As Carnival wishes to distance itself from the party reputation and actually provide an immersive experience on par with its competitors, they cannot have these older ships ruining the brand image they are trying to transform. When I first saw the Mardi Gras, it created excitement and I thought it was a ship I would enjoy and considered booking. This new direction is everything Carnival should be pushing for and they cannot move forward without regaining a competitive advantage. On itineraries a Fantasy class ship is running, the brand’s primary competitor is using ships larger than the Dream class with newer concepts to capture more audiences.

 

As to why I constantly post and share my opinion regarding its departure, it’s simply because it’s the unpopular opinion that isn’t typically voiced. It creates engagement and discussion opportunities that provide a bigger scope of vision regarding the internal side of the business. Memories of these ships are great and they’ll always be there. The ships still being part of the fleet though will not help the brand image or reputation.

 

The only sad part would be the loss of jobs but they will be replaced later on by new and more efficient cruise ships.

Edited August 27, 2020 by xDisconnections