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Ecstasy (ship)
Encyclopedia
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, FL.. In late 2011 the Ecstasy will be home-ported in New Orleans, doing four- and five-day Western Caribbean cruises. The Ecstasy will now switch her home port from New Orleans to Port Canaveral
, Florida
together 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.
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.
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.
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.
Fantasy class
The Fantasy class is a cruise ship class operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. The first vessel of the class, Fantasy, entered service in 1990. All eight vessels of the class were constructed by Kvaerner Masa Yards, in Helsinki, Finland. The Elation and the Paradise differ from the other ships of the...
cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
, which began operation with Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
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, FL.. In late 2011 the Ecstasy will be home-ported in New Orleans, doing four- and five-day Western Caribbean cruises. The Ecstasy will now switch her home port from New Orleans to Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
together she will sail with her sister ship the Carnival Sensation and the Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream is a Dream class cruise ship. At 130,000 tons, she is the biggest the line has ever built. Her sister ship, Carnival Magic is the latest in the Carnival Cruise Lines ships, being delivered on April 27, 2011, while her other sister ship Carnival Breeze is expected out in June...
. 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.
History
The ship suffered heavy damage in 1998 after the laundry roomLaundry room
A laundry room is a room where clothes are washed. In a modern home, a laundry room would be equipped with an automatic washing machine and clothes dryer,and often a large basin, called a laundry tub, for hand-washing delicate articles of clothing such as sweaters, and an ironing board...
in the ship's stern caught fire damaging much of her stern and aft section.
After Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, 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
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
from Galveston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
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.
Fire
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
Automatic fire suppression
Automatic fire suppression systems control and extinguish fires without human intervention.According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1,602,000 fires reported in the United States in 2005. There were 3,675 civilian deaths, 17,925 civilian injuries, and $9.2 billion in...
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.
Emergency Turn
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."Evolutions of Fun"
Carnival has announced a new program that will be applied to all Fantasy classFantasy class
The Fantasy class is a cruise ship class operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. The first vessel of the class, Fantasy, entered service in 1990. All eight vessels of the class were constructed by Kvaerner Masa Yards, in Helsinki, Finland. The Elation and the Paradise differ from the other ships of the...
ships. It involves many upgrades to the Fantasy ships. After Ecstasy completed its Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
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
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
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.