Carnival Cruise Line Delays Mardi Gras Debut to 2021

Carnival Cruise Line on Tuesday morning announced that Mardi Gras, one of the line’s most highly anticipated ships ever, will have its debut delayed into 2021 because of impact stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ship, which includes the first ever roller coaster at sea and Carnival’s first Family Feud Live, will now debut out of Port Canaveral, Fla. on Feb. 6, 2021 instead of the October debut that had been scheduled.  All sailings scheduled from Nov. 14 to Jan. 20, 2021 have been canceled.

Carnival also announced on Tuesday that Carnival Radiance, which had its $200 million dry dock delayed earlier this Spring because of the pandemic, is still in limbo as Carnival evaluates shipyard options to complete plans. Carnival is moving Breeze to Port Canaveral because of the delays with Radiance. Breeze will sail from Port Canaveral starting on Nov. 8, 2020 through Apr. 24, 2021.

Also on Tuesday, Carnival announced a couple more sets of cancellations, all due to the continuing impact of COVID-19. Carnival Magic will not sail its Mar. 13, 2021 to May 2, 2021 transatlantic and European itineraries and Breeze’s Fort Lauderdale Spring 2021 itineraries, not impacted because of its move to Port Canaveral, will move to Miami sailings on Carnival Magic, but with the same itinerary.

“We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health and our cruise operations.  In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement.

“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.”