In a great article at Travel Weekly, Tom Stieghorst ponders what lines will be doing with their older tonnage.
I’ve often wondered what carnival will be doing with the Fantasy class. The first ship, Carnival Fantasy, first started sailing in 1990 making her 24 years old. Historically, that’s near the end of their useful life. Useful life I define as modern and revenue generating. Carnival prolonged the Fantasy and her 8 sisters with the Funship 2.0 modernization, but that can only buy so much time.
Royal Caribbean will be in a similar position shortly when the decision of what to do with the 6 Vision class ships comes up. The oldest, Legend of the Seas, was launched in 1995 making her 19 years old. Royal Caribbean has also been investing in their older tonnage with drydock enhancements that add some extra features. However no number of drydockings will make them comparable to the Quantum, Oasis or arguably the Freedom class.
Anyways, head on over to Travel Weekly and check out the essay for yourself.