Borrowing an old line popularised by Freddie Mercury, it was sad to see that the first brand new ship ordered by a fledgling Carnival Cruise lines 38 years ago, has sadly just been sent off to the breakers in India.
Launched in 1982 as the Tropicale, the 36,000-gross ton ship was particularly significant because it broke the long drought from the mid-1970s in passenger ship building. During that time, many had formed the view that passenger ships were a thing of the past.
During her long career she underwent a number of both line and name changes. From Carnival, she progressed to be Costa’s Tropicale, then to Australia as P&O’s Pacific Star, before going onto Pullmantur as the Ocean Dream. Finally, she was then and then leased onto Peace Boat for world cruising. Oh, what tales could be told of the sights she saw and the experiences she had, but alas, now just another victim of Covid-19.
Photo: Tropicale - a pioneer of modern cruising