Carnival Cruise Line’s New Mega Ship ‘Mardi Gras’ Won’t Arrive in Port Canaveral Until February 2021

much-anticipated vessel had been originally scheduled to begin voyages on August 31

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Carnival Cruise Line has announced that its Liquefied Natural Gas-powered mega-ship Mardi Gras won’t arrive in Port Canaveral until February 2021 and all scheduled cruises until then have been canceled.

The new Cruise Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral, dubbed the “Launch Pad,” will be home of the XL-class Mardi Gras, the cruise line’s newest and most innovative ship.

Port Canaveral announced last month that Cruise Terminal 3, the largest project in the Port’s history, is substantially complete.

Currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, the much-anticipated vessel had been originally scheduled to begin standard voyages on August 31. The date was then pushed back to debut out of Port Canaveral on November 14, 2020.

At 180,000 tons, Mardi Gras will be nearly 35 percent bigger than Carnival’s just-unveiled Carnival Panorama, and the biggest new ship to debut from any line in 2020. It will be the seventh biggest cruise ship in history.

Mardi Gras has a maximum passenger capacity of 6,500 passengers or 5,282 passengers at double occupancy, with approximately 2,000 crew members. The ship will be divided by six zones incorporating themed elements and spaces that can host activities and events and also include various dining and shopping outlets.

On her top decks, Mardi Gras hosts the “Ultimate Playground” zone, where the world’s first shipboard roller coaster will be located. Dubbed “Bolt” and designed by Maurer AG, the ride will consist of self-propelled cars that ride on an 800-foot track and can travel up to 40 mph. “Bolt” will also be joined by an extensive water park and sports center.

“While we had hoped to make up construction time on Mardi Gras over the summer, it’s clear we will need extra time to complete this magnificent ship,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“We share our guests’ disappointment and appreciate their patience as we work through this unprecedented time in our business and the lives of so many people.  We remain committed to working with government, public health and industry officials to support the response to the pandemic and to return to operations when the time is right.”

– Wikipedia contributed to this report

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