æz ðə kˈʌmpəni ɛkspˈændᵻd ænd ɐkwˈaɪɚd lˈɑːɹdʒɚ ʃˈɪps, kˈɑːɹnɪvəl dᵻsˈaɪdᵻd ðæt tɹˈɑːpɪkˌeɪl wʊd biː ðɛɹ tˈɛst ʃˈɪp fɔːɹ nˈuː kɹˈuːz dˌɛstɪnˈeɪʃənz, ænd æz sˈʌtʃ wʌzðə fˈɜːst kˈɑːɹnɪvəl ʃˈɪp təbi bˈeɪst ɪn sˌæn hwˈɑːn, nˈuː ˈɔːɹliənz, ɐlˈæskə, ænd tˈæmpə.
As the company expanded and acquired larger ships, Carnival decided that Tropicale would be their 'test ship' for new cruise destinations, and as such was the first Carnival ship to be based in San Juan, New Orleans, Alaska, and Tampa.