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Tropicale was the Carnival Cruise Line's first new built cruise ship. This line began operating in1972 after they converted the ocean liner Empress of Canada into their first cruise ship named Mardi Grass.

Tropicale has 11 decks of which 7 are for the passengers, 3 pools, 6 bars, casino, fitness center, 600-seat showroom, 324 outside cabins with 12 having verandas, 187 inside cabins, can carry 1,022 passengers and a crew of 550.

Tropicale was operated on cruises between Miami and the Caribbean before being re-deployed on the Los Angeles and Vancouver - Alaska route. After the arrival of new larger Carnival cruise ships, Tropicale was used to try out new destinations. From 1990, Carnival operated her out of San Juan/Puerto Rico, New Orleans and Tampa/Florida.

Carnival transferred Tropicale to Costa after taking full control of the Genoa based cruise line in 2000. After the completion of an extensive refit and modernization at Genoa in July 2001, she was mainly operated out of Civitavecchia/Rome on 7 night cruises throughout the Mediterranean under the name Costa Tropicale.

Costa Tropicale joined the P&O Cruises Australia fleet in December 2005 to be operated under the name Pacific Star. She is now operated on cruises out of Brisbane/Australia, Auckland/New Zealand and Singapore.

Website: www.pocruises.com.au.