Carnival’s Mardi Gras Gets Dates for Its Long-Awaited Debut

by Daniel McCarthy June 11, 2021

After a year-plus delay, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship Mardi Gras will finally make its debut next month.

Mardi Gras will officially welcome guests starting on July 31 when it kicks off a series of seven-day itineraries from Port Canaveral. The sailings, according to Carnival, will be “pre-inaugural sailings” to the eastern and western Caribbean. Carnival plans to fully welcome the ship with a christening ceremony sometime in the future.

“We are very excited to finally welcome guests on Mardi Gras,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “With our desire to preserve summer vacations for our Mardi Gras guests, we are going to find a later date to formally christen her so that we can operate these pre-inaugural sailings just as soon as we can.”

Carnival on Thursday also unveiled plans for the return of its other ships, including:

Carnival Magic, which will sail four- and five-day cruises to The Bahamas and the Caribbean out of Port Canaveral starting on Aug. 7.
Carnival Sunrise will sail four- and five-day Caribbean and Bahamas sailings from Miami starting on Aug. 14.
Carnival Panorama will return to sailing from Long Beach, kicking off a series of Mexican Riviera, seven-day sailings on Aug. 21.
Other ships, including Breeze, Vista, Horizon, and Miracle will continue sailing their cruises through August.

Carnival says that advisors should lookout for more details about its August plans within the next week, including information on vaccination and onboard protocols.

The plan, for now, is to operate all of these sailings with 95% vaccinated guests and a small number of unvaccinated children. More info on that was revealed on Wednesday.

“Our focus remains on the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we serve and visit,” said Duffy. “We are taking a deliberate approach so we can execute with excellence and deliver a fun experience to our guests, who have been tremendously patient and supportive throughout this pause.”