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28-520: Carnival Ecstasy (formerly Ecstasy ) was a Fantasy -class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line . Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki , Finland, she was floated out on January 6, 1991, and christened by television hostess , entertainer and long time Carnival spokesperson Kathie Lee Gifford . Her inaugural voyage began on April 2, 1991. During 2007, in common with all of her Fantasy -class sisters, she had

56-570: A growing number of international companies use Freeport as a business site. Parks include the Rand Nature Centre, named after its founder James Rand; Petersons Cay, a small isle about 300 yards off the shore of Grand Bahama; and the Lucayan National Park founded by Peter Barratt, a former architect and town planner of Freeport. The Lucayan National Park is 16 hectares (40 acres) in extent and includes five ecological zones stretching from

84-480: A little throughout the year. Seldom do temperatures drop below 16 °C (60 °F). Average temperatures are around 27 °C (80 °F), with water temperature varying between 22 and 26 °C (72 and 78 °F). The winters are usually mild and dry (with the exception of some rainfall due to cold fronts ), while the summers are usually hot and wet. Although a freeze has never been reported in The Bahamas, snow

112-588: A resort-style appearance, a younger teens area Circle "C" was added, and various interior renovations and enhancements were made. In January, 2017, the ship underwent a two week dry docking, at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas . The ship underwent a further 14 day dry dock in October, 2019, adding more venues and providing maintenance. The work was done again at Freeport, Bahamas . In February 2022, it

140-628: Is often promoted as Freeport/Lucaya. Most hotels on the island are located in Lucaya along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel. The primary shopping venue for tourists is the Port Lucaya Marketplace in Lucaya. Recovery from the 2004 Hurricanes Jeanne and Frances took nearly a decade and led to closure of the older shopping venue International Bazaar and neighboring Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino . Freeport

168-671: The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean . In February 2022 Carnival announced that due to uncertain times in the Australian cruise industry, Spirit would re-home from Sydney to Jacksonville, Florida. Carnival Ecstasy would move from Jacksonville to Mobile, Alabama. Carnival Sensation, which was slated to head to Mobile has been delayed. On the afternoon of July 20, 1998, Ecstasy departed the Port of Miami, Florida, en route to Key West, Florida, with 2,565 passengers and 916 crew members aboard. A fire started in

196-658: The FNM opposition leader Michael Pintard have described the legal dispute between the Haywards and St. Georges as damaging to Freeport's economy, while in March 2024 Prime Minister Philip Davis asserted that according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit, the GBPA owes the Bahamian government $ 357 million USD. As of August 2024, GBPA has not paid what the government of The Bahamas says is due. The city

224-560: The Carnival Ecstasy. The ship had disabled an elevator safety mechanism whilst the elevator was in maintenance, when the elevator came down, killing the man. A couple, Matt Davis and his partner, witnessed the scene whilst on their way to dinner, filming the occurrence. They described it as "sounding like a rainstorm". As part of the Evolutions of Fun upgrade program, in mid-2007 the Ecstasy

252-559: The class, Carnival Fantasy , entered service in 1990. All eight vessels of the class were constructed by Kvaerner Masa-Yards , in Helsinki , Finland , at the Hietalahti shipyard . In late 2006, Carnival Cruise Lines refurbished the Fantasy -class fleet under the program name "Evolutions Of Fun". This was completed in 2010 and cost $ 250 million. This class utilizes a "modern ocean/cruise liner" design, with most of its cabins situated within

280-705: The free trade zone, under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement signed in August 1955 whereby the Bahamian government agreed that businesses located in the Freeport area would pay no taxes before 1980, later extended to 2054. The area of the land grants within which the Hawksbill Creek Agreement applies has been increased to 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres). Freeport is a 600 km (230 sq mi) free trade zone on Grand Bahama Island, established in 1955 by

308-403: The government of The Bahamas. The city of Freeport emerged from a land grant comprising 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of swamp and scrub to become a cosmopolitan centre. The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free-trade zone , under special powers conferred by the government under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which was extended until August 3, 2054. The agreement also increased

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336-479: The hull and only a handful of suites on the superstructure, similar to the Holiday -class cruise ships built in the late 1980s. The Fantasy class is the only class currently in service for Carnival initially built with only a few balcony cabins. Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise differ from the other ships of the class in that they are equipped with Azipod azimuth thrusters for propulsion. They were also

364-457: The island. In early September 2019, Hurricane Dorian moved over the area and stalled for over a day, causing extensive devastation. Several cruise ships stop weekly at the island. Much of the tourist industry is centered on the seaside suburb of Lucaya , owing its name to the pre-Columbian Lucayan inhabitants of the island evidence of whom has been found on the island. Freeport features at least two Junkanoo festivals near New Year's. The city

392-469: The kid's wading pool area on the lower aft area of the ship was removed and converted into an adults-only Serenity area with sun loungers and two hot tubs, the aft pool was removed and converted into the Carnival WaterWorks water park with waterslides and fountains which also replaced the original waterslide at the main pool and the original kids wading pool, the main pool area was refurbished and given

420-599: The land grants to 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres). The Hayward and St. George families own the GBPA, which they have used to fund estates in Great Britain such as Dunmglass , the purchase of the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. , and to pay the multi-million dollar legal fees incurred due to disputes between the two families. Meanwhile, inheritance and contract disputes within the Hayward family has likewise incurred multi-million dollar fees. Bahamian politicians such as

448-641: The last cruise ships built with the lifeboats only on the upper deck. Freeport, Bahamas The main airport serving the city is the Grand Bahama International Airport , which receives domestic flights from various islands of The Bahamas as well as several international flights from the United States, Italy, and Canada. Freeport is also served by domestic Bahamian ferry services to other islands, and an international ferry connection to Miami. The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates

476-475: The main laundry room and spread through the ventilation system to the aft mooring deck, where mooring lines ignited. As Ecstasy was attempting to reach an anchorage north of the Miami sea buoy, the vessel lost power and began to drift. The master then radioed the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance. Six tugboats responded to help fight the fire and tow Ecstasy . The fire was brought under control by onboard firefighters and

504-527: The prefix Carnival added to her name. With the departure of the Carnival Fantasy in 2020, the Carnival Ecstasy became the oldest ship in the fleet until her retirement in October 2022. She was replaced by Carnival Spirit out of Mobile, Alabama in October 2023. Unlike her recently retired sister ships, Carnival Ecstasy offered a farewell cruise itinerary prior to her own retirement. Subsequently,

532-677: The ship was beached for scrapping in Turkey on November 8, 2022. Throughout her service Carnival Ecstasy has cruised from ports in the United States to Baja Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. After Hurricane Katrina , the ship spent six months in New Orleans serving as quarters for evacuees and relief workers. Starting in May 2019, the ship cruised from Jacksonville, FL 's JAXPORT Cruise Terminal to visit

560-414: The south shore to the pineyard. There is an extensive underwater cave system beneath the park. One cave entrance is accessible by stairs at the national park, while other caves are accessible for certified scubas . Freeport features a tropical rainforest climate , similar to South Florida's . According to Köppen Climate Classification ( Af ) , more specifically with hot humid conditions that vary only

588-462: The spread of smoke and fire through the ventilation ducts. Passengers received a full refund and were offered a complimentary cruise for the inconvenience. On July 1, 2007, David Ritcheson , the victim of the April 22, 2006 Harris County, Texas assault incident , jumped off the deck of Carnival Ecstasy and died. During December of 2015, a crew-member of the ship was working on an elevator while on-board

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616-797: Was announced that Carnival would retire Carnival Ecstasy as well as Carnival Sensation from the fleet. Sensation did not return to service, whereas Ecstasy resumed regular service in Mobile, Alabama from March until October 2022 and then would be retired after that point. This made Carnival Ecstasy the only ship out of the six retired Fantasy -class ships to offer guests a farewell cruise season. During her first voyage since March 2020, she suffered lifeboat issues in March 2022. The final voyage took place October 10-15, 2022 from Mobile, with port calls in Cozumel and Progreso and ended in Mobile on 15 October. The iconic 1934 Rolls-Royce Saloon aboard Carnival Ecstasy

644-441: Was extinguished about 9:09 PM. Fourteen crew members and eight passengers suffered minor injuries. One passenger required medical treatment as a result of a pre-existing condition and was categorized as a serious injury victim because of the length of her hospital stay. Losses from the fire and associated damages exceeded $ 17 million. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of fire aboard Ecstasy

672-585: Was relocated to the Gateway aboard Carnival Celebration , which launched three weeks after Carnival Ecstasy's final voyage. In her 31 years of service, the ship carried nearly 5.5 million guests. In November 2022 the ship arrived at the Aliağa scrapyards in Turkey to be demolished. Fantasy-class cruise ship The Fantasy class is a cruise ship class operated by Carnival Cruise Lines . The first vessel of

700-531: Was renamed the Carnival Ecstasy to match with the rest of the Carnival branded ship names in the fleet. Continuing with the upgrade program, in the fall of 2009 the ship was given a 28 day dry dock and a major multi-million-dollar refit. During the refit, 98 ocean view cabins were converted into balcony cabins along the mid and aft sections of the ship, some of the suites located on the Upper deck received extended balconies,

728-557: Was reported to have mixed with rain in Freeport in January 1977, the same time that it snowed in the Miami area. The temperature was about 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) at the time. The temperature of 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) was tied, on 30 January 2022. Tourism draws more than 1 million visitors per year, but has diminished since 2004, when major hurricanes Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne made landfall; in 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit

756-504: Was severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian , which stalled above Grand Bahama for 12 hours, caused storm surges between 12-18 feet above normal, killed eight people in Grand Bahama, and destroyed up to thirteen thousand homes. Freeport is located just 108 kilometres (67 mi) off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida , and on the major EW–NS shipping routes . This has positioned it as an ideal centre for international business. Consequently,

784-419: Was the unauthorized welding by crew members in the main laundry that ignited a large accumulation of lint in the ventilation system and the failure of Carnival Cruise Lines to maintain the laundry exhaust ducts in a fire-safe condition. Contributing to the extensive fire damage on the ship was the lack of an automatic fire suppression system on the aft mooring deck and the lack of an automatic means of mitigating

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