Another Carnival cruise ship to get 'extreme makeover'

mercedes · March 31, 2009

It's upgrade time for the Carnival Ecstasy, one of the line's oldest ships.

Carnival says the popular vessel, which sails to Mexico out of Galveston, Texas, will go into dry dock in September for a multi-million dollar "extreme makeover" that includes a new deck top water park.

The face-lift for the 17-year-old ship also will bring an adults-only pool area, among other upgrades to the top decks.

The 2,052-passenger Ecstasy is a workhorse of the Carnival fleet that sails short four- and five-day voyages to Cozumel and Progreso. It's a favorite of Texans who can drive to Galveston to pick it up.

The ship will become the fifth of Carnival's eight Fantasy Class vessels to get such a makeover as the line spends $250 million to revamp its oldest ships. The Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination underwent a similar overhaul in 2007 and the Carnival Fantasy was revamped in late 2008. The Carnival Sensation emerged from a similar upgrade earlier this year.

As on the other ships getting makeovers, the Ecstasy's new water park area, to be dubbed WaterWorks, will feature a four-deck-high, 300-foot-long spiral water slide – the longest at sea. It'll also have an 82-foot-long, dual-lane racing slide, and water spraying devices are in the works, too.

Carnival says the 28-day dry dock planned for the ship also will bring extensive upgrades to the 1,026 cabins on the ship, including new plasma screen TVs. In addition, the line is adding balconies to 98 cabins, a change also made to the Sensation earlier this year.

GottaCruz · March 31, 2009

Sounds great. Never sailed this ship but, if I'm correct, it's a sister ship to the Sensation, which we sailed on our very first cruise. Is it also the same class as the Imagination and the Fascination???

Peddler · April 6, 2009

This is a good deal...I really like the Ecstasy, she's a neet old ship. I hope with the refurbs that Carnival will also address the propulsion problems as well as I'm sure they will.

cruiseoften · April 28, 2009

This is the ship that had a fire August 1998.

55ChevyLady · April 28, 2009

The Ecstasy is what we sailed on for both of our cruises and loved them both...

i have often read about the propulsion problems, but luckly we never experienced any.

geneactor · June 26, 2009

LOVE THE ECSTASY .....GOING ON AFTER THE REFURB WILL LET YOU KNOW...WILL BE THE FIRST ON BOARD 10/17

FOR A MUCH NEEDED VACATION.....

Peddler · July 2, 2009

Carnival Ecstasy in dock in Galveston 7/2/09

JoeyandDavid · July 2, 2009

the ecstasy was our very first cruise.. 4 nights Baja Mexico

Peddler · July 2, 2009

Also our first to Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen.

55ChevyLady · July 2, 2009

the Ecstasy has been our ONLY cruise ship so far...and it has been wonderful to us. The ship is small I am sure to some out there but just right to me and my family. The crew couldn't be nicer. It is an older ship, so the refit, refurb, or "extreme makeover" they are calling it will be a welcome. Expecially the waterworks part of it on the Lido deck.