Mardi Gras (2020 ship)
Mardi Gras in Rotterdam, 2020 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Bahamas | |
| Name | Mardi Gras |
| Namesake | TSS Mardi Gras |
| Owner | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Carnival Cruise Line |
| Port of registry | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Ordered | 6 September 2016 |
| Builder | Meyer Turku (Finland) |
| Cost | £1 billion (2020) (equivalent to £1.13 billion in 2023) |
| Yard number | NB 1396 |
| Laid down | 18 June 2019 |
| Launched | 24 January 2020 |
| Sponsored by | Kimberly Jiménez |
| Christened | 23 October 2021 |
| Acquired | 18 December 2020 |
| Maiden voyage | 31 July 2021 |
| In service | 2021–present |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Excellence-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 181,808 GT |
| Length | 1,130 ft (344.5m) |
| Beam | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Height | 69.3 m (227 ft 4 in) |
| Depth | 11.8 m (39 ft) |
| Decks | 19 |
| Propulsion | 2 × 18.5MW Azimuth Electric Propulsion Drive |
| Speed | 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) (projected) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 2,000 |
Mardi Gras is an Excellence-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is Carnival's lead vessel of the fleet's Excel-class, a subclass of the Excellence class, and was built by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland. She also has often been incorrectly referred to as Carnival Mardi Gras, though Carnival has specified that her name does not include the "Carnival" prefix, a first since the Fantasy-class vessels originally omitted "Carnival" in their names upon their debuts. Mardi Gras has been subject to numerous delays in her construction, delivery, and debut amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent impact on tourism. First scheduled for a summer 2020 delivery and debut, she was delivered to Carnival on 18 December 2020. After her debut was postponed on numerous occasions, Mardi Gras began operating weekly sailings on 31 July 2021.