No one could have envisaged the huge success Carnival Cruise Lines would have in the following years, when they started operations in 1972 with their second hand Mardi Gras. Two more former liners Carnivale and Festivale were introduced shortly afterwards in 1975 and 1977.
To their initial three converted liners were added Tropicale (1981), Carnivals first newbuilding and a series of (near-) sister ships Holiday (1985), Jubilee (1986), and Celebration (1987).
Carnivals’ success knew no limits and so they embarked on an ambitious scheme of 8 sister ships, Carnivals first mega-ships, measuring 70.000 GRT.
Apart from a series of 8 sisterships (actually two series of 4 with minor differences) built for Renaissance Cruises between 1989 and 1992, a shipbuilding programme of this size was unheard of. Nowadays, also other lines Princess Cruises and RCCL order series of cruise vessels, but so far not more than 4 or 5 identical ships and often specific hull design is repeated like that of the 8000-series hull which was repeated for Carnival, Costa, Cunard and Holland America ships. Contract prices for the Fantasy class varies from $ 225 mio to $ 330 mio. They were built between 1990 and 1998 by Kvaerner Masa yards from Finland.
These ships were the first in the Carnival-fleet to introduce the superliner-cruiseship in 1990 when the first ship of the series, Fantasy, came online. Later they were surpassed of course by considerably larger ships, like Carnival Destiny in 1996, the fist ever cruise liner to weigh over 100,000 GRT. They were the last large cruiseships to have all lifeboats on the upper deck instead of having them placed in a recess on promenade deck level. Today’s cruiseships are too high and lifebats would have to travel too great a distance to travel downward to ocean level. Another first was that Carnival Elation, which entered service in 1998 was fitted with Azipods, electrical motors situated outside the ship, not needing a propellor shaft and saving space for additional cabins to be fitted.
Normally, any cruise lines’ newest vessel is placed on prestigious itineraries taking a week or longer, but the Fantasy, the series’ first ship was presented to the public on 3 and 4 day cruises to the Bahama’s. One of the reasons that Carnival is still keeping the Fantasy-class up to date is because many passengers have stated that they like them because they are more intimate and carry around 2000 paasengers, half that of the newer Carnival ships.
Inside they feature the same asymmetrical lay-out introduced by Holiday in 1985 with a promenade on the starboard side by which all main passenger facilities can be accessed. Indeed, the Fantasy-class of ships have introduced several features still used on Carnival newbuildings today and they are kept up to date by continuous refits and upgrades.
Their interiors are without exception designed by Joe Farcus, who has designed all Carnival ships from the start in 1972 with Mardi Gras. Of course he is known for his flashy style, bright colours and lighting and a different theme for each individual vessel he did the interior decorating for.
Farcus has used a variety of themes when designing the interiors of the Fascination-series of cruise ships.
For example:
Ecstasy – reflects the urban scene,
Sensation – where sounds and lights must stimulate the human senses,
Imagination – classical details and mythology,
Paradise – reminiscent of former famous passenger ships.
The Fantasy class consists of the following vessels:
Fantasy (1990), Ecstasy (1991), Sensation (1993), Fascination (1994), Imagination (1995), Inspiration (1996), Elation (1998), Paradise (1998).
These ships have introduced several innovations to the cruise industry:
– Paradise was the worlds first non smoking cruise ship, as was shown on the ships side by a non-smoking sign. Passengers caught smoking (even on the outer decks) were kindly requested to leave ship the next port and were fined. However in the long run, this was not a particularly popular concept and it was ended after a short period.
– Elation and Paradise differ from their sister ships in their propulsion system. They are powered by two 14 MW Azipods. Azipod has several advantages like saving weight, giving increased speed, reduced vibration and thus adding to passenger comfort. Because no propellor shaft is needed and part of the machinery is housed in the outboard pods there is extra room for passenger cabins.
– Apart from their promenade, each ship in this class features a 6 deck atrium forward, in which “miles’ of neon tube lighting are used which in some cases change colour during the day. Before these could be installed, problems concerning the warmth produced by these neon tubes had to be addressed. It was solved by dimming these lights by using a lower electrical current. In Carnival’s Fantasy class ships, to change decks passengers can only use the glass panorama elevators in the Atrium which take you from deck 7 all the way to deck 12 where the atrium is covered by a glass dome. There are no connecting stairs. This obstructs passenger flow a bit.
In all 8 vessels the lowest four decks are dedicated to passenger cabins. Further below the ships stores, machinery spaces and crew quarters are situated.
As an example of one of this series we have a closer look at the Fascination, on which we embarked in 1998 for a short cruise from Port Canaveral to the Bahama’s and Key West. Her interior is a bit calmer, with less glitz than her sister ships Fantasy, Ecstasy and Sensation which entered service before her, and of course her interiors were also designed by Carnival’s house architect Joe Farcus who used the theme Hollywood movies on this ship.
Apart form decorating public spaces following along this theme, he added something special: wax figures of life size Hollywood stars standing and sitting along Hollywood Boulevard, the main starboard promenade connecting public spaces on Promenade deck. It adds flavour to this already lively Carnival “Fun Ship”.
Besides this promenade, where we find the asymmetrical lay-out which has been a feature onboard all newbuilt Carnival ships since 1985 and which gives easy access to all public rooms, in Fascinations’ case, two rooms attract your attention. First the Passage to India lounge. It has two statues of strikingly dressed elephants at its entrance, standing there like guardians of this room. Inside, more elephant heads are found staring at you from several columns. A seated Buddha, a statue of Shiva, multi armed like an octopus, and the special furnishing gives this adventurous lounge the atmosphere of India at the time of the British Raj.
Another spectacular room is the Tara, with its uninviting chairs. Two famous figures in wax, Rhett and Scarlett are standing by the fire place. It is difficult to label this room, Victorian style would probably be the most accurate, I guess.
Showtime! The Palace, seating appr. 1000 passengers, where spectacular Broadway style shows are performed. No need to mention that sound equipment was state of the art here back then. Far more intimate is the Puttin’on the Ritz nightclub on the other end of Hollywood Boulevard. Cabaret performances take place here.
A place not to be missed at night is the Diamonds Are Forever Discotheque, where sparkling glass is to be found everywhere: on the walls, on the ceilings (especially the marvellous lighting fixtures), and even the tables seem to radiate.
The above mentioned public room are all situated on Promenade deck, along with some additional watering holes like Bogarts Café, where wax figures of Bogie and Bacall await you, and the art-deco style Beverly Hills Bar at the far end of the connecting promenade, Hollywood Boulevard.
On the deck below, Fascination offers two restaurants, the Imagination and Sensation Dining rooms, each seating 650 passengers. They are partitioned, by the use of panels and they have two levels, making them quite intimate in spite of their size. Informal meals are possible on Lido deck, where the Coconut Grove Bar and Grill is an excellent spot for having breakfast and lunch. Two serving counters on either side and a salad bar in the middle offer plenty of choice. It is adorned with bamboo and palm trees, to strengthen the Caribbean feeling……
On Lido deck, Verandah deck and Sun Deck literally everything is present for quiet sunbathing or fun in the sun. Swimming pools, whirlpools, a water slide, a spot for playing volley ball, it is all there.
Presently, the first of this successful series of sister ships, which highly contributed to Carnivals stunning success since it was founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, has already been in service since 1990 and they were extensively refitted starting in 2007 part of the FUN SHIP 01 program. A spectacular new pool area was created. The kids part ow features a 4-story tall and 300 foot long “Twister Water Slide.” Another slide consist of three side-by-side tubes 82 feet long. Also, a new nine-hole miniature golf course was added. Ocean View Staterooms received balconies and were upgraded as well with new fabrics and finishings and flat panel televisions and new interconnecting staterooms for families are now available. Further more, enhancements indoors include a coffee cafe with specialty coffees, a new art & photo gallery was created and the atrium bar has been remodeled. New sound and lighting systems have been installed in every public room, and all over the ship flat screen televisions giving info about life on board which also show (sports) news were installed. Also the biggest LED TV screen at sea, Theatre by the Sea was installed, the Serenity Retreat adulys-only complex introduced and the Your Time dining concept implemented.
Since October 2011 the FUN SHIP 2.0 program has started , which represents a $500 million fleetwide investment featuring Guy’s burger joint serving free of charge, an upgraded music program overseen by Carnival’s official DJ Irie, new stage shows and a new onboard comedy program led by George Lopez, the lines new comedy director.
New venues include the Cherry on Top shop, Cucina del Capitano (family restaurant), Sport Square, the Red Frog Rum Bar, Bluelguana Tequila Bar, located on pool deck and als a new Library Bar with automatic wine dispensers, the EA Sports Bar featuring interactive video games and where you can watch sports on a giant video wall and last but not least the traditional coctail bar, the Alchemy Bar.
On pool deck a Mexican dining venue was introduced, Bluelguana Cantina serving burrito’s, taco’s etc. Finally The Game Show lets passengers play Hasbro classics on stage and on huge LED screens while production shows led by Braodaway and West End -level producers feature energetic shows with impressive special effects.
These comprehensive programs have been rolled out in 2016 for Inspiration (Jan Feb) , Fantasy (Feb), Imagination (Sep), in 2017 for Ecstasy (Jan), Elation (Aug Sep), Sensation (Feb) and in 2018 Fascination (Feb), Inspiration (Nov) and also included new hull paint and the possibiity to use on shore electrical power instead of having to run the ship’s own diesels in port thus saving the environemt.
Starting from 2006, in order to align them to the rest of the fleet, Carnival has added the prefix Carnival to all of their ships’ names so they will follow the naming convention of the other ships in the fleet.
The eight Fascination-series of ships marked Carnivals entry into the mega cruise liner era, and today -not in the least because of their extensive refits and intimate size- remain very popular among the cruising public.
Unfortunately, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Carnival is restructuring its fleet. As a result of this Carnival Fantasy and Inspiraton have already been sent to the breakers in Turkey and Carnival Fascination and Imagination are in long-term lay-up now so it is feared that other ships of this series will follow shortly…
