Jump to content

What happened to Carnival's Festivale?


ormsby
 Share

Recommended Posts

My first cruise was on Carnival cruise lines, the Festivale in 1993. My cruise director was a gentleman by the name of David Fee. Does anyone know what ever happend to the ship and / or David? I've now cruise over 25 times on numerous ships, but I always remember my very first time. I would love to hear from anyone that knows anything about the ship and it's cruise director.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first cruise was on Carnival cruise lines, the Festivale in 1993. My cruise director was a gentleman by the name of David Fee. Does anyone know what ever happend to the ship and / or David? I've now cruise over 25 times on numerous ships, but I always remember my very first time. I would love to hear from anyone that knows anything about the ship and it's cruise director.

 

:D I suggest you go 2 lines down and you should find all the info you want..good luck..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...
My first cruise was on Carnival cruise lines, the Festivale in 1993. My cruise director was a gentleman by the name of David Fee. Does anyone know what ever happend to the ship and / or David? I've now cruise over 25 times on numerous ships, but I always remember my very first time. I would love to hear from anyone that knows anything about the ship and it's cruise director.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I took my first cruise in 1992 on the Festivale and my second in 1993 on the Tropicale, on both cruises I had the same cruise director, David Fee. Isn't it amazing what you can find on the internet these days!

 

From FLOTSAM & JETSAM The Ship Society of South Africa newsletter I obtained this information regarding the Festivale:

With Carnival later creating substantially larger cruise liners, the Festivale eventually became redundant and was chartered in 1996 to Dolphin Cruise Line to become the SS Island Breeze. In 1998, when Dolphin, Seawind, and Premier Cruise Lines merged to form Premier Cruises, Inc., she was purchased outright from Carnival holdings. In 2000, she was painted red and given the name The Big Red Boat III for Texas-based cruising. The new Premier venture was a disaster and in September 2000 Premier Cruises ceased trading and the ship was seized by creditors for non payment of debts and laid up at Freeport.

There she sat until 2003 when scrap prices made it worth the effort to fire up her neglected boilers for the final voyage to the scrap yard at Alang in India. The ship became The Big Red Boat for her final voyage to the scrap yard. When she was beached that summer, she was the largest passenger ship to date to be scrapped in India. Ironically her record was not broken until 2005 when the still slightly larger Rita (ex Windsor Castle) arrived.

 

Regarding David Fee I found an article that indicated that he left Carnival after 12 years as a cruise director and returned to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, where he opened the Comedy Barn Theater. It apparently has prospered and his enterprises are many at this time:

 

Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group is an East Tennessee entertainment conglomerate dedicated to family, faith, and fun. For more than ten years, co-owners David Fee and Jim Hedrick have operated family friendly, funny, original, and inspiring theatrical shows. The Fee/Hedrick lineup includes:

 

Comedy Barn® Theater

Black Bear Jamboree Dinner & Show

Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show

Magic Beyond Belief

The Miracle Theater™

 

Hope this response finds you as I know it has been many years!

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
My first cruise was on Carnival cruise lines, the Festivale in 1993. My cruise director was a gentleman by the name of David Fee. Does anyone know what ever happend to the ship and / or David? I've now cruise over 25 times on numerous ships, but I always remember my very first time. I would love to hear from anyone that knows anything about the ship and it's cruise director.

 

Maybe it went to cruise ship heaven :).

 

Did my second cruise on the Festivale in 1987 round trip San Juan to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Barbados, and Martinique.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Aug 1986. First cruise and my DW had to talk me into it:p. Back then we could have visitors on board when embarking. Our son, my sister and my father came on board with us. We all ate and and walked around her decks until last call. I was hooked half way up the gang plank:D.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 7 months later...

Hi all

 

I registered on the forums today as stumbled across them and was impressed with the quality of posts + i love nostalgia!

 

The main reason i write is that I was lucky enough to work on the ship from Jan-July 1988 in the gift shops. I can honestly say that i had the time of my life! The crew , the passengers, the ship and especially the ports made for a great working life.

 

I was in my early 20s and joined the ship flying from Manchester England to San Juan via London and Miami. I did not realise that I had to go through Customs in Miami, so my luggage was impounded and I joined the ship for a 6 month contract with no change of clothes!!

 

We used to get most port time off (as shops were closed) and enjoyed many warm days in St Thomas, St Martin and one of my favourite places..Barbados. Hiring mopeds, jeeps, relaxing on beaches (Crane Beach was my fave), booze cruise on the Jolly Roger! Life was just idyllic. We worked hard on the 2 full sea days but we were like family and enjoyed most deck privileges, but were not allowed to dance in the disco! unlike the Italian officers!

 

I loved the ship, it was old fashioned but had loads of character, nooks and crannies form fwd to aft! The pizza in the midnight buffet tasted great with a can of ornajeboom or heineken!

 

The ship was a party ship but with a real mix of pax. Lots from the mid west, upsate New York, Philly etc. Most liked our English accents and many friendships were formed.

 

We used to work 6 month contracts , the only downside being away from home and loved ones for so long , especially in Pre Skype days! I also worked on MS Tropicale and did 2 stints on SS Canberra, including a 3 month world cruise, before workinn on ferries in Ireland and France as a way of me 'coming home' and settling down...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Aww... my first cruise was the last for the Festivale. We were on her final voyage as the Carnival Festivale. I remember all the crew were sad to see her go and it was a family atmosphere. I am so sad she was scrapped! The previous poster who wrote about the strips of plastic on the Lido brought back so many memories! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We sailed the Festivale in 1979 during her first year in service with Carnival Cruises. At the time, the ship was the 5th largest passenger ship in the world. Only the Norway (still under renovation), QE2, Canberra and Oceanic were larger. My, how times have changed! We had an inside, closet-sized room with bunk beds. The sink was in the room and the airplane-sized cubbyhole bathroom had the toilet and a micro-sized shower. My recollection is everyone called the ship "old top-heavy", because she had a continuous list the entire cruise, which was much more pronounced on the higher decks.

 

It was a 7-day Thanksgiving cruise r/t Miami and I recently found the special Thanksgiving day menu and the daily "Carnival Capers" activity program. On that cruise, one of the entertainers was a ventriloquist named Gary Hunter. Well, the same Gary Hunter is now one of Crystal Cruises' senior cruise directors on the Crystal Serenity, and he still takes out the puppets and performs ocassionally. Talk about a long sea-going career!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I first cruise was on the Festivale in Dec 1985. We have fond memories of this cruise. This was back when there were no production shows and the cruise director was part of the talent. There was a midnight buffet every night.

 

The ship seemed so huge back then but I recall docking in ports and seeing one of RCCL's ships (Song of America?) towering over her. She was about 33,000 gross tonage with almost 1/3 of Carnival's smaller ships today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
And I was on my honeymoon on her 21 years ago

....from 1980 to early 1982. She was a nurse and I was a 3rd purser. Our date nights for 18 months were on Tuesday nights in San Juan. We left CCL in June, 1982.

 

Fast forward to June 2012 ..some 30 years later -- we're taking our first CCL cruise on the Victory along with our two grown children. Can''t wait to re-live the good cruising life! Now some of 1,000 crusing stories we've been telling them may make sense!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I also took our Honeymoon on the Festivale in June of 1994. And I think every couple at our table of 8 were on their honeymoon too. We have, through the years, wondered what happened to them all. It was a Southern Caribbean cruise and we have taken many since but that one was still the best even though we have gone on better ships. In July we are taking our 11 year old daughter for a Southern Caribbean cruise very similar to our honeymoon cruise on the Victory. We can hardly wait! We have fond memories of the Festivale though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
My wife and I first cruise was on the Festivale in Dec 1985. We have fond memories of this cruise. This was back when there were no production shows and the cruise director was part of the talent. There was a midnight buffet every night.

 

The ship seemed so huge back then but I recall docking in ports and seeing one of RCCL's ships (Song of America?) towering over her. She was about 33,000 gross tonage with almost 1/3 of Carnival's smaller ships today.

 

The first cruise my Hubby and I went on was an RCCL ship and I about cried when we had to get off. We Loved it so much. This was back in the 80's. Next we went on the Festivale. A few crew members can make or brake a cruise. They had me in tears several times because of my mobility issues, because I couldn't stand in lines so I have to spend most of the cruise in my cubbyhole of a cabin. If it had been my first cruise I would never have cruised again. Well I have never been back on a Carnival cruise but I have been on 18 cruises mostly with RCCL and have never had another bad cruise. It is a shame because I know in my head that Carnival has been a very good experience for many but my heart wont let me try again. I'm glad you have those happy memories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

I was just wondering about this ship. Today would of been mine and my husbands 23rd anniversary. He just past away the 27th of February. Yes everyone we sat with was on their honeymoons too. I guess I was just curious since he pasted and was thinking about how our beds were attached to opposite walls and we slept on the floor the whole week cause we couldn't push our beds together. Since then we have been on three cruises. They were all on NCL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

So, today is our 33rd anniversary and my wife dug out a photo of us on our first cruise on the Festivale on our honeymoon. That prompted me to do a google search on the Fetivale to see what happened to her and I found this thread. Makes us feel old to see Festivale has been scrapped but we are not scrapped yet :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

My husband and I went on our first cruise on the Festivale in April, 1989 for our honeymoon. We too had twin beds, and thought the ship was HUGE. It's funny now looking back and comparing to the ships we go on now. I found the deck map, etc. - there were only about 3 1/2 passenger decks (total)? Crazy?! I also have our daily "Fun Times." Wow, 25 years ago but excited for our next cruise on Thursday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I and my wife cruised the Festivale during December 1978, on one of her first 6 shakedown cruises. During these 6 cruises she carried only 2/3 (I think 800) of the normal passengers. It was our first cruise, for our honeymoon, and we did not enjoy it. We were in our early 20's, but 90% of the guests were over 50, and very rude. We were seated at the meals with 2 younger couples, but they turned out to be snobs. The crew and the ship were fine, just seemed to be full of bad passengers. I do remember an X rated comedian, Paul Frankie at the evening shows. I renamed him Paul Horny. We did have an inside room with a queen bed, it was our honeymoon. I think the cost then for the 6 day cruise was about $1250 for the two of us. During the last 3 days, we started to figure things out and were enjoying ourselves. My personal reason for the cruise was to see all parts of a ship, only to learn that due to insurance reasons, passengers were not allowed in many spaces, such as the boiler room.

 

I have since taken 1 more cruise (10 day) and it was by far the best! I jokingly tell friends this was on the "Gray Line". It was a "tiger" cruise on the USS Acadia (The real Love Boat! Google it) This line uses an all American crew, and I was allowed access to most any space on the ship. I even was able to take the helm (drive the boat as they called it) for 1 1/2 hours. I was the official helmsman, not just holding on as a crewmember held my hand. And food was just as plentiful as on any other cruise ship, when I got to know the right people. And the price for this cruise was very reasonable, 50 bucks (10 dollars a night). I am sad that the Festivale is gone but more saddened that the Acadia is gone too, sank to make an artificial reef. If anyone gets the chance at a tiger cruise, don't pass it up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

That ship was a GREAT time. We had a New Year's Cruise in 1987/88. It was our first cruise and I remember simply being overwhelmed by everything on board. We left Puerto Rico and did the Southern Caribbean tour. I remember having to go up steps on the side of the ship about four decks to get on. I remember no stabilizers and my first experience with motion sickness during the talent show (maybe it was the talent). I also remember the band playing on New Years Eve and the CD counting down the time while he was in radio contact with the bridge -- who was in contact with Greenwich, England. No cell phones back then!!!! What a great time! So sad to hear the ship was scrapped, but that's the way of the world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I got thinking today about our first cruise in 1984 on Carnival's Festivale. I fell in love with cruising that week. We were on a total-charter of the ship with a group called Insight For Living with Chuck Swindoll, 1200 folks, and we had the whole ship. Four more cruises later I laugh at the ship. We were two adults and two boys, 7 and 10, and had twin beds, one drop-down, and a cot in between the twins. It was very tight!! But we had such a good time. That ship did roll and I got seasick one morning. When I got my sea legs I was okay. I cried when I had to leave at the end of the week and vowed I would cruise again (I had done a trans-Atlantic in the 60's on the Gripsholm and loved that too) and have been on four more since, all with IFL also. Even though the Festivale is only a memory, I have my great memories of her.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...