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Topic: Ship info

kbozman
First Class Passenger
Member # 642

posted 08-05-2000 05:08 PM

Hello everyone,

My wife picked up a ashtray the other day
at a yard sale and much to my surprise it
was in perfect condition ! There are three
ships on the ash tray, The Mardi Gras, the
Carnivale, and the Festivale. If anyone
can give me any info on these ships I would
appreciate it. I could research this trio
but I know I can find out more on this site.
They appear to be older ships (single stacks)
around 550 or so in length and date to
sometime in the 70's. Thanks for all info.

kbozman

Posts: 154 | From: Hanover Pa, USA | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

joy
Just Boarded
Member # 1496

posted 08-05-2000 06:00 PM

We cruised on the Mardi Gras Feb93 out of Port Canaveral She was with Carnival at that time about a year later she was sold & is now cruising in the MED. She was built in the 1950 and was a passenger/frieghter under the name Empress of Canada. Her STATS:
27,250 gross tons, length 650 ft,Beam 87ft,
Speed 21 Knots, Capacity in 93 1150 Crew 500.
She was a classy ship.
Stats for the Carnivale from my Carnival
welcome abroad brochure: 27,250 gross tons
length 640 ft,beam 87 ft,speed 21knots,capacity 1250 crew 550. The Festivale 38,175 gross tons,length 760 feet,beam90ft,Speed 22knots,capacity 1400,crew 580.

Hope this info helps you out.

Posts: 1 | From: high llevel AB Canada | Registered: Aug 2000 | IP: Logged

Aussie1
First Class Passenger
Member # 25

posted 08-07-2000 02:59 AM

These 3 ex British ships were the start of todays massive Carnival Cruises empire. Mardi Gras was their first ship, bought in 1971. (Ex Empress of Canada built in 1961.)After a really shakey start the comapany started to prosper and bought the Carnivale in 1975. In fact Carnivale was built as the Empress of Britain in 1956 and in her earlier life was a former fleetmate of Mardi Gras. Festivale was Carnival's third ship. Carnival had her rebuilt from the express passenger cargo liner SA Vaal into a cruise ship in Japan during 1977. Her passenger capacity doubled from 725 to over 1,400. The SA Vaal's original run was from England to South Africa, each round trip taking 4 weeks. As a small boy I sailed on the ship in 1968 from England to Cape Town, South Africa and I still have vivid memories of the journey.

These three ships allowed Carnival to become the company they are today. Mardi Gras is currently laid up in Greek waters and called Apollon. Carnivale runs cruises in the Med as the Topaz for British passengers and Festivale is now Premier Cruises Big Red Boat 3. I sailed on Mardi Gras in 1991 and was amazed that Carnival Cruises were running such a classy ship. The ship was great, much like a smaller less grand version of Rotterdam/Rembrant full of highly polished wood panelling.

Posts: 493 | From: Sydney,NSW, Australia | Registered: Sep 99 | IP: Logged

lambcom
First Class Passenger
Member # 656

posted 08-07-2000 08:39 AM

An intesting sidebar to this story. Canadians may notice that the Carnival logo looks a great deal like the Canadian Pacific ships and airlines logo of the 60s and 70s. The story has it that the first two Carnival Ships were bought from CP ships and Carnival didn,t have the bucks to repaint the ships or come up with a new logo, so they sort of rounded off the CP logo on the stack and voila!

CP dropped its logo a number of years ago, but the Carnival bastardized CP logo lives on!

George in Montreal

Posts: 179 | From: Montreal, canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Mauretania
First Class Passenger
Member # 1486

posted 08-07-2000 03:10 PM

My family and I sailed on the mardi Gras when she was the Empress of Canada from Liverpool to Montreal in September of 1970. I was less than two so my recollections of the trip are somewhat foggy and I don't know the precise dates - I do know the Captain's name on that voyage was Williams and she hit a humdinger of a storm, a Force 10. She had to go into drydock at the conclusion of the voyage to repair the damage.

She was a good looking ship - I had often hoped to sail on her again, but I don't know what happened to her. Where is she now - does anybody know?

Posts: 39 | From: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: Aug 2000 | IP: Logged

Mauretania
First Class Passenger
Member # 1486

posted 08-07-2000 03:11 PM

Whoops - I missed the earlier post that she is now Apollon! Sorry!

Posts: 39 | From: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: Aug 2000 | IP: Logged

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