Carnival Mardi Gras Ready to Sail with First Cruise Guests

To celebrate Carnival Cruise Line’s maiden voyage of its newest ship, the Mardi Gras, Carnival President Christine Duffy and Mardi Gras Captain Giuseppe Giusa led a “Back to Fun” ribbon-cutting ceremony officially welcoming guests onboard today in Port Canaveral.

The Mardi Gras is the first cruise ship to set sail with guests from Port Canaveral since the industry-wide pause in operations 16 months ago.

"Mardi Gras has been five years in the making so to finally welcome guests on board to experience this one-of-a-kind ship is something that we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time,” Duffy said. “Not only is Mardi Gras providing a truly unique vacation experience to our guests, but it’s also so gratifying to be able to play a role helping the local community by providing much-needed jobs and a boost to the economy.”

Added Giusa, “Today was a truly emotional moment for our entire Mardi Gras team. Having the distinction as the flagship of Carnival Cruise Line is a great honour and our entire team is ready to provide our guests with the vacation they have been so patiently waiting for. We are ready to get back to the fun!”

Mardi Gras will set sail this afternoon at 6 p.m. from Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3 for a weeklong cruise with stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and Nassau, The Bahamas.

Mardi Gras is the fifth Carnival Cruise Line ship to resume service with additional vessels set to restart operations soon. By October, 15 Carnival ships will be sailing – more than half its fleet.