"S.A. Vaal" was sold to Carnival Cruise Line and renamed SS "Festivale". Carnival converted her into a cruise ship in Japan at a cost of $30 million, removing former cargo holds and doubling the vessel's passenger capacity, installing lounges, discothèques and casinos. The vessel became one of Carnival's "First Generation" fun ships. Although the former mail ship's superstructure was greatly enlarged, registration in Panama resulted in her tonnage dropping to 26,632 (by UK rules it would have been around 38,000). Soon after entering service in 1978, the "Festivale" was used as a floating location for the TV miniseries "The French Atlantic Affair", starring Telly Savalas, Chad Everett and Michelle Phillips.