Do you remember the TROPICALE?

Well, she's still around! She was Carnival Cruise Lines very first new-build cruise ship.

Now sailing as the PEACEBOAT Ocean Dream she passed through the Panama Canal yesterday en route to her brand new home in Yokohama, Japan where she will conduct yearly World Cruises. She is formally:

1981-2000: Carnival Cruise Line 'Tropicale'

2000-2005: 'Costa Tropicale'

2005-2008: P&O Australia 'Pacific Star'

2008-2012: Pullmantur 'Ocean Dream'

2012- On a six-year lease as PEACEBOAT

More of her history can be found HERE

Yep, first Carnival ship I ever went on.

Wow, cool pictures! That was the first ship I sailed on! :)

My first cruise was on Tropicale, too. June of 1984. Great pics!!:)

My first Carnival cruise also . . . Have cruised her 3 times to the Mexican Riviera. Beautiful ship then and now. Good luck ole girl.:)

Please can someone post photos of the times on this ship from back in the day, thanks. Love seeing the old photos.

She was my first Carnival cruise in 1994 sailing from San Juan.

I hate to say this, but it was a terrible cruise. It almost made me never want to cruise on Carnival again! Thankfully, I DID cruise again! :D

I remember her well. I cruised on the Tropicale twice under Carnival and once under Costa.

But my first Carnival cruise was on the Mardi Gras.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. Sure did make me smile this morning.

I remember when it caught fire.

If you want to see it on The A-Team, watch this.......

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi555221785/

Pretty cool show.

Also, watch how easy it was to get on the ship.

Yes my wife and I sailed her twice back in the 80's

First cruise ever on her back in 1985...4th of July week to the Mexican Riviera. I was a single, sailed with "Singleworld" group. Awesome vacation....

If you want to see it on The A-Team, watch this.......http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi555221785/

THANKS for the link. Not bad at all once you get past the first six minutes of pyrotechnics and gun fire. Pretty cool seeing the how simple the cruise ships use to be back in the day. :D

For folks who cruised on her..

can anyone remember if their Sail & Sign cards looked like this??

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My first cruise was on the Tropicale in 1992 out of San Juan. That was a wonderful itinerary including Grenada, Aruba, Caracas and Guadeloupe.

I had a great time but didn't cruise again until 2010 on the Dream. What a difference.

If you want to see it on The A-Team, watch this.......

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi555221785/

 

Pretty cool show.

 

Also, watch how easy it was to get on the ship.

I met Dirk Benedict on the ship - here's a photo. I believe the year was 1979! Sorry for poor quality of photo - lifted it from old Super 8 home movie!

I met Dirk Benedict on the ship - here's a photo. I believe the year was 1979! Sorry for poor quality of photo - lifted it from old Super 8 home movie!

LOL thanks for posting the photo. It looks like 1979! How cool is that?

For folks who cruised on her..

can anyone remember if their Sail & Sign cards looked like this??

I don't have a picture, but it didn't look like that. The Sail & Sign card used to be a flimsy, very thin plastic card. It was basic white with the Carnival name & logo. Instead of swiping it, they would manually enter the folio number printed on the card in the computer. :)

If you want to see it on The A-Team, watch this.......

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi555221785/

 

Pretty cool show.

 

Also, watch how easy it was to get on the ship.

Interesting. This show reminded me of the Love Boat episodes. Hilarious, as I remember them. The cruise director had a clipboard and checked off your name as you arrived? Can you imagine? Everyone knew your name too, from the Captain to the bartender. Too funny.

Very cool! I sailed on the similar ship, the Carnivale!

I loved the Tropicale. We did the 10-day New Years Cruise departing the day after Christmas in 1996. Barely made it to San Juan in time for departure. Nine islands in ten days. Great way to sample the Caribbean. Even made it to Grenada. The food was fantastic.

I remember the old sail and sign cards. Hey I even remember when there wasn't a card - just a piece of paper (like from a receipt book) that barely made it through a 7 day cruise.

I don't even remember having any kind of card at all. Just gave my cabin number and signed a receipt. I was only 17 though, so maybe my parents had a card and I don't remember it.

Actually, the more that I think about it, the more I KNOW I didn't have to show a card or anything, because I clearly remember being served Pina Coladas - not virgin ones - and no one EVER asked me for ID or anything else. Yeah, I was 17. I had some fun on that cruise.;)

I don't remember any type of sail & sign card at all. Matter of fact, security was virtually non-existant as I remember when it came to leaving and re-boarding the ship in port.

We had buttons we were given to 'identify' us as passengers. We only had to show our button to get back on board. We wondered if we could just use the buttons anywhere to climb aboard after the cruise was done.

Well, she's still around! She was Carnival Cruise Lines very first new-build cruise ship.

 

Now sailing as the PEACEBOAT Ocean Dream she passed through the Panama Canal yesterday en route to her brand new home in Yokohama, Japan where she will conduct yearly World Cruises. She is formally:

 

1981-2000: Carnival Cruise Line 'Tropicale'

2000-2005: 'Costa Tropicale'

2005-2008: P&O Australia 'Pacific Star'

2008-2012: Pullmantur 'Ocean Dream'

2012- On a six-year lease as PEACEBOAT

 

More of her history can be found HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

remember first seeing that ship on an episode of the a-team.

amazing how small she looks now. i think she was in the 30,000 gwt range.