Carnival Cruise Line has again pushed back the debut of the
Mardi Gras, the biggest ship in Carnival history.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mardi Gras’ maiden
cruise from Port Canaveral has been rescheduled for Feb. 6, 2021. The ship had
been scheduled to enter service on Nov. 14, 2020.
This is the Mardi Gras’ second delay. Last December,
Carnival postponed the ship’s debut from Aug. 31 to Nov. 14 because of a construction
delay at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
The Mardi Gras will accommodate 5,282 passengers at double
occupancy and be powered by liquefied natural gas. The ship will feature the
first roller coaster at sea.
Carnival also provided an update on the transformation of
the Carnival Victory into the Carnival Radiance, saying that the ship’s $200
million makeover won’t likely be completed until the spring.
The massive renovation was suspended in March, when a
nationwide Covid-19 lockdown in Spain affected operations at the shipyard in
Cadiz.
Carnival said it is “evaluating shipyard options to complete
the transformation.”
As a result of the delayed arrival of the Radiance,
the Carnival Breeze will be redeployed from Fort Lauderdale to Port Canaveral
and will sail the Radiance’s itineraries from Nov. 8 to April 24. Consequently,
18 Carnival Breeze sailings from Fort Lauderdale (Nov. 7 to March 7) have been
canceled.
Also, the Carnival Magic’s transatlantic and European
itineraries from Mar. 13 to May 3, 2021, have been canceled. Seven sailings
previously scheduled for the Carnival Breeze from Fort Lauderdale from Mar. 13
to Apr. 24, 2021, will move to Miami. Guests will sail on the same itinerary
but on the Carnival Magic.