| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1991-2007: Ecstasy 2007-onwards: Carnival Ecstasy |
| Owner: | Carnival Corporation & PLC |
| Operator: | Carnival Cruise Lines |
| Port of registry: | Panama |
| Route: | Western Caribbean |
| Builder: | Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki New Shipyard, Finland |
| In service: | 1991-present |
| Refit: | 2009 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8711344 |
| Status: | In Active Service as of 2010 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fantasy class cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 70.367 GT |
| Displacement: | 7.180 DWT |
| Length: | 855 ft (261 m) |
| Beam: | 103 ft (31 m) |
| Draft: | 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in) |
| Decks: | 12 |
| Installed power: | 2 × Sulzer-Wärtsilä 8ZAV40S diesels 4 × Sulzer-Wärtsilä 12ZAV40S diesels 42240 kW |
| Propulsion: | Two propellers |
| Speed: | 21 kn (38.89 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 2056 passengers (lower berths) 2634 passengers (all berths) |
| Crew: | 920 |
The Carnival Ecstasy is a Fantasy class cruise ship, which began operation with Carnival Cruise Lines in 1991. Features include three pools, whirlpools, a variety of dining options, nightclubs, a casino, and duty-free shopping. She is currently offering four- and five-day Western Caribbean itineraries out of Port Canaveral, Florida.[1] In late 2011 the Ecstasy will be home-ported in New Orleans, doing four- and five-day Western Caribbean cruises. [1] The Ecstasy will now switch her home port from New Orleans to Port Canaveral, Florida. She will sail with her sister ship the Carnival Sensation and the Carnival Dream. The Carnival Elation will replace her in New Orleans and in Port Canaveral she will sail alternating four-day and five-day cruises. The four-day cruise will depart every Thursday, stopping at Nassau, Half Moon Cay or Freeport, while the five-day will stop at Nassau, Freeport and Half Moon Cay or Key West, which departs on Mondays and Saturdays. The Ecstasy will continue her calls in Galveston up until September 8, 2011 and will continue her calls out of New Orleans from September 22 to November 5.[2]
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The ship suffered heavy damage in 1998 after the laundry room in the ship's stern caught fire damaging much of her stern and aft section.
After Hurricane Katrina, the ship spent six months in New Orleans serving as quarters for evacuees and relief workers. Now, the Ecstasy travels on four and five day itineraries throughout the Western Caribbean from Galveston, Texas.
On July 1, 2007, David Ritcheson, the victim of the April 22, 2006 Harris County, Texas assault incident, jumped off the MS Ecstasy and died.[3]
On the afternoon of July 20, 1998, MS Ecstasy had departed the Port of Miami, Florida, en route to Key West, Florida, with 2,565 passengers and 916 crewmembers on board when a fire started in the main laundry shortly after 1700. The fire migrated through the ventilation system to the aft mooring deck where mooring lines ignited, creating intense heat and large amounts of smoke. As the Ecstasy was attempting to reach an anchorage north of the Miami sea buoy, the vessel lost propulsion power and steering and began to drift. The master then radioed the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance. A total of six tugboats responded to help fight the fire and to tow the Ecstasy. The fire was brought under control by onboard firefighters and was officially declared extinguished about 2109. Fourteen crewmembers and eight passengers suffered minor injuries. One passenger who required medical treatment as a result of a pre-existing condition was categorized as a serious injury victim because of the length of her hospital stay. Carnival Corporation, Inc., the owner of the Ecstasy, estimated that losses from the fire and associated damages exceeded $17 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of fire aboard the Ecstasy was the unauthorized welding by crewmembers in the main laundry that ignited a large accumulation of lint in the ventilation system and the failure of Carnival Cruise Lines to maintain the laundry exhaust ducts in a fire-safe condition. Contributing to the extensive fire damage on the ship was the lack of an automatic fire suppression system on the aft mooring deck and the lack of an automatic means of mitigating the spread of smoke and fire through the ventilation ducts.Passengers received a full refund and were offered a complimentary cruise for the inconvenience.
On 21 April 2010, at approximately 12.55 pm U.S. central time, the ship was forced to perform a maneuver to avoid an object in the water which resulted in the ship briefly listing to the port side. The object was a large buoy which was adrift and mostly submerged thereby preventing it from being detected by the ship's radar. The Carnival Ecstasy was on the final leg of a five-day cruise that departed Galveston on Saturday, April 17 with stops in Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico. According to a passenger, "The ship was shuddering. Just shake shake shake and that's when all the dishes were coming out. It was a mess, it looked like a food fight and that's when everybody jumped up screaming and running trying to get outside ... We thought we were going over. We really thought the whole ship was going to be tipped over ... They had to close down stores, all the glass went flying and it broke the glass on the outside of the liquor store. People were crawled all over everybody and screaming and it was horrible and we finally got out to hang on the side of the balcony railing because it was tipped so much, if you didn't, you'd be sliding back into the restaurant." Subsequent reports from Carnival Cruise Lines indicate 60 passengers were treated for minor injuries after the ship listed 12 degrees. From passenger reports of half the water being dumped from the pool, and the amount of damage to fixtures aboard ship, the approximate list is estimated to be between 25 and 30 degrees.
Carnival has announced a new program that will be applied to all Fantasy class ships. It involves many upgrades to the Fantasy ships. After Ecstasy completed its Hurricane Katrina charter, it went into drydock. While there, it received some of the upgrades that are part of the Evolutions of Fun program. These include a new mini golf course on the sports deck, refurnishing of all the staterooms, new children's facilities, and the remodeling of the gift shop and Lido deck restaurant, The Panorama Bar And Grill. In 2009 the ship received the Full Evolutions of Fun which includes the children's water parks and "Camp Carnival" where parents can drop off their child, the card room converted into the "Circle C lounge" for 12-14 year olds, "Serenity" adult only decks, refurbishing of the ship's aft lounge, additional 98 balconies and other small improvements.
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