What happened to Carnival's Festivale?

[ormsby]

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.

[just having fun]

Originally Posted by ormsby

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

[cruzmaniac]

Originally Posted by ormsby

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.

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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!

[megs1954]

My husband and I were on the Festivale for our honeymoon. It will be 25 years ago this June. We enjoyed our cruise, our first with Carnival.

[BillB48]

After it's time with Carnival it became the Island Breeze, then the Big Red Boat III. She was scrapped in Alang in 2003.

[KirkNC]

Originally Posted by megs1954

My husband and I were on the Festivale for our honeymoon. It will be 25 years ago this June. We enjoyed our cruise, our first with Carnival.

As did me and my wife 24 years ago this May.

Kirk

[cruisin'tex]

Originally Posted by ormsby

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.

[loveandcruises]

I was on the Festivale in 1992. The strangest thing about it, I remember, was that when you exited the Lido deck, you had to walk through those plastic strips you see in the car wash.

[VonRyan]

Aug 1986. First cruise and my DW had to talk me into it. 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.

[TOlson70]

First cruise was on the Festivale in 1985. Good times!

[dramameanie]

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...

[Corntea]

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! :-)

[ryndam]

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!

[longwood]

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.

[realtorfromtexas]

Originally Posted by KirkNC

As did me and my wife 24 years ago this May.

Kirk

And I was on my honeymoon on her 21 years ago

[BeenThere03]

Originally Posted by realtorfromtexas

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!!

[rferr]

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.

[grandmamlw]

Originally Posted by longwood

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.