The first newbuild ship for CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines (launched in 1981) ended her 39-year career. Introduced in mid-January 1982 as Carnival Tropicale, on January 1, 2021, the industry's pioneering liner was beached at India's Alang Shipbreaking Yard.
Tropicale entered service sailing from Miami to the Caribbean, but also became a pioneer for the company sailing to Alaska and Mexico and later being homeported in New Orleans (Port NOLA, Louisiana) and Tampa Florida. As a modern cruise ship, she featured the latest amenities and used bright colors in her decor that echoed the fun ship marketing. Tropicale was also Carnival's first "Fun Ship" with a winged funnel shape (aka whale tail) that became one of CCL's signature vessel design elements.
The last decade of Tropicale's career saw the liner operating for the Japanese NGO Peace Boat under the name "Ocean Dream". Peace Boat operated world voyages and short cruises (all itineraries leaving roundtrip from Japan) until the pandemic hit in March 2020. Though Peace Boat had announced plans to expand the bareboat charter operations with a second ship in 2020 (Pullmantur Zenith), both contracts were terminated and the vessels were laid up.
In September 2020, the company announced it was retiring Ocean Dream and when her world voyages resumed they would be operated on a newer, bigger cruise ship. Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess was bought and renamed Pacific World to continue the world cruises of Peace Boat.
Ocean Dream (Carnival Tropicale) became a victim of the pandemic. Outdated by the industry's growth, the passenger liner was sold for scrap.