Carnival Ecstasy

History
Name	1991-2007: Ecstasy 2008 onwards: Carnival Ecstasy
Owner	Carnival Cruise Lines
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	10
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 itineries out of Galveston, Texas In late 2011 the Carnival Ecstasy will be homeport in New Orleans doing 4, 5, & 7 day Western Caribbean cruises.

History

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 refugees 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.

April 21, 2010 at approximately 12.55 pm U.S. central time, the cruise ship Ecstasy was forced to perform a maneuver to avoid an object in the water, near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, which resulted in the ship listing 12 degrees to the starboard side. The object was a large buoy which was adrift and mostly submerged thereby preventing it from being detected by the ship’s radar. Injuries included 60 guests and one crew member. The ship safely docked the following day, Thursday 22 April 2010, at its home port in Galveston, Texas.

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 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.

"Evolutions of Fun"

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, "Serenity" adult only decks, refurbishing of the ship's aft lounge, additional 98 balconies and other small improvements.

Gallery

• 
  The Ecstasy docked in Nassau, Bahamas in January 2001.
• 
  MS Ecstasy at anchor off Santa Catalina Island near Los Angeles, California, United States in April 2004.
• The Ecstasy docked in Galveston, Texas, United States, November, 2007.
  The Ecstasy docked in Galveston, Texas, United States, November, 2007.

External links

• Carnival Cruise Lines page