Inside the Carnival Cruise Line ships that made cruising history

Nostalgic for the early days of cruising? Our latest Cruise Ship Tour, in the carousel above, looks back at cruise giant Carnival's first three vessels — Mardi Gras, Carnivale and Festivale.

Originally built in Britain as ocean liners and converted by Carnival into floating fun zones, the now-legendary ships helped revolutionize the cruise industry in the 1970s and put Carnival on a path to global dominance.

Created by veteran cruise writer and ship photographer Peter Knego, the tour combines rare archival exterior and interior photographs of the vessels from the periods before, during and after their ownership by Carnival with Knego's own images from shipboard visits to tell their story from beginning to end. All three ships were scrapped in recent years.

The tour is part of our ongoing series of cruise ship galleries. For an inside look at dozens of other passenger vessels sailing the world's oceans and rivers, click on the links below:

Adventure Canada: Ocean Endeavour 
AmaWaterways: AmaViola; AmaCerto 
American Cruise Lines:American Constellation  
American Queen Steamboat Company: American Queen; American Empress
Azamara Club Cruises: Azamara Quest  
Avalon Waterways: Avalon Myanmar; Avalon Visionary; Avalon Passion 
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line:  Grand Classica 
Carnival Cruise Line:Carnival Imagination; Carnival Inspiration; Carnival Miracle; early icons of the Carnival fleet; Carnival Vista 
Celebrity Cruises: Celebrity Solstice 
Celestyal Cruises: Celestyal Olympia
Costa Cruises: Costa Diadema; Costa Atlantica; Costa Luminosa 
CroisiEurope: Elbe Princesse 
Cruise & Maritime Voyages: Discovery; Astoria 
Crystal Cruises: Crystal Symphony 
Cunard Line: Queen Mary 2 
Disney Cruise Line: Disney Wonder; Disney Fantasy; Disney Magic; Disney Dream, Fantasy compared 
Emerald Waterways: Emerald Sky; Emerald Radiance 
Hapag-Lloyd:  Europa 2 
Hebridean Island Cruises:  Hebridean Princess 
Holland America Line:  Amsterdam; Koningsdam; Westerdam; Rotterdam; Maasdam; Oosterdam  
Hurtigruten:  Midnatsol; Lofoten; Nordstjernen; Fram; Trollfjord 
MSC Cruises: MSC Meraviglia 
Norwegian Cruise Line:  Norwegian Getaway; Norwegian Escape; Norwegian Sky; Norwegian Joy; Norwegian Bliss 
Oceania Cruises:  Nautica; Sirena; Marina; Insignia 
Paul Gauguin Cruises:  Paul Gauguin
P&O Cruises:  Britannia
Ponant:  Le Soleal 
Princess Cruises:  Regal Princess; Diamond Princess; early icons of the Princess fleet; Star Princess; Golden Princess 
Regent Seven Seas Cruises:  Seven Seas Mariner; Seven Seas Explorer; Seven Seas Voyager; Seven Seas Navigator 
Royal Caribbean International:  Quantum of the Seas; Anthem of the Seas; Freedom of the Seas; Harmony of the Seas; Symphony of the Seas 
Scenic Cruises:  Scenic Gem; Scenic Sapphire 
Seabourn Cruise Line:  Seabourn Encore
Silversea: Silver Galapagos; Silver Cloud; Silver Cloud (before 2017 makeover); Silver Muse 
Star Clippers:  Royal Clipper 
Tauck: Inspire; Savor; Emerald 
UnCruise Adventures: Safari Endeavour; Safari Voyager 
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection: S.S. Maria Theresa; River Countess
Viking River Cruises: Viking Skirnir; Viking Herja; Viking Hild 
Viking Ocean Cruises: Viking Star; Viking Sea; Viking Sky; Viking Sun; Viking Orion 
Windstar Cruises:Star Pride; Star Breeze; Wind Spirit

Retired ocean liners, cruise ships and yachts:  SS Rotterdam; Royal Yacht Britannia 
Theme galleries: 10 cruise ship suites that will blow your mind; the last of the great ocean liners; ship christenings with Queen Elizabeth II; Royal ship christenings through the years; 9 most amazing megaships; 25 most beautiful cruise vessels 

USA TODAY Cruises:  The 25 most beautiful cruise vessels