Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed the sale of an additional two Fantasy-class cruise ships following parent company Carnival Corp’s announcement of an accelerated fleet sell off.
However, the cruise line also confirmed that at least four of its venerable Fantasy-class cruise ships will be kept in service post-COVID-19.
Carnival says four Fantasy-class cruise ships will be kept in service
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Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise will all be kept in service.
They were recently upgraded as part of Carnival’s Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program, getting additional balcony staterooms as well as enhanced dining and entertainment options.
The announcement was made as part of the confirmation that the cruise line has sold Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination, joining Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration, which we scrapped in July.
“While we are sad to see Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination leave our fleet, it is a necessary move as it allows us to focus on ships that offer the greatest variety of features and stateroom accommodations for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival Fascination, launched in 1994, and Carnival Imagination, introduced in 1995, were sold as part of Carnival’s accelerated fleet sell off, which was announced earlier this week.
Carnival Fantasy was scrapped along with Carnival Inspiration in July
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The cruise line’s parent company Carnival Corp has said that it will be retiring 18 ships, instead of the 13 announced earlier this year.
Related to its ongoing ship enhancement program and the current pause in cruise operations, Carnival also advised guests and travel agents that it is delaying the return to operations of four ships until after scheduled dry dock enhancements are completed in the first half of 2021.
The four impacted ships and resulting cancelled itineraries include:
Carnival Magic itineraries operating from Miami will be cancelled until Mar. 13, 2021
Carnival Paradise itineraries operating from Tampa will be cancelled until Mar. 19, 2021
Carnival Valor itineraries operating from New Orleans will be cancelled until Apr. 29, 2021 (including the transatlantic cruise from New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2021 and the return from Barcelona on Feb. 26, 2021)
Carnival Spirit itineraries operating from Brisbane will be cancelled through May 16, 2021, with the first sailing being the Singapore to Brisbane voyage embarking on June 12, 2021.
“This extended pause in our operations has also impacted shipyard availability, and we’ve had to reschedule required dry docks,” said Duffy. “As we continue to work through issues related to our eventual return to operations, we are committed to providing our guests and travel agent partners with certainty where we can, although we regret disappointing our guests.”
“We appreciate the continued support and understanding of our guests and hope to welcome them back on board soon,” she added.
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