Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is making history as the first North American ship to use liquefied natural gas (LNG).
She was delivered from the Meyer Turku shipyard to Carnival Cruise Line in December 2020 after completing her sea trials in Finland.
Mardi Gras’ sister ship, the Carnival Celebration – which is under construction and expected to start sailing for Carnival in 2022 – will also be powered by LNG.
Ship: Mardi Gras
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line
Capacity: 5,200 passengers
Shipyard: Meyer Turku, Finland
Delivery Date: December 2020
Features and Design: The 337-meter long ship has more than 2,600 staterooms, including 180 suites across 11 different categories, and 21 decks.
The Mardi Gras features six distinct onboard zones: Grand Central for great ocean views from three-deck-high windows, dining, drinking, and live entertainment, French Quarter for food, jazz, and shopping, Summer Landing for BBQ, drinks, pool, and whirlpool, La Piazza for Italian cuisine, Lido for an outdoor relax area and poolside food and drinks, and finally the Ultimate Playground for fun attractions and sports amenities, including Bolt – the first-ever roller coaster at sea.
The Mardi Gras offers plenty of fine dining options with restaurants from Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, and Shaquille O’Neal. Among the new food places is also a seafood restaurant designed by chef Rudi Sodamin, which will offer dishes “as artistic as they are flavorful,” the company said. There will also be several dishes presented as playful “food faces” that double as Instagram-worthy pieces of art.
Debut Season: The Mardi Gras’ maiden voyage will be a Western Caribbean seven-day round sailing from Port Canaveral on May 29. She will be visiting Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Mahogany Bay. Following Itineraries: She is scheduled to sail back-to-back seven to eight-night voyages in the Eastern and Western Caribbean all the way until April 2023.
