In a nod to Carnival Cruise Line’s history serving in the U.S., the line announced the name of its new XL-class ship to be delivered in 2020: Mardi Gras, which pays homage to the name of the first Carnival cruise ship that entered service in 1972.
Mardi Gras will be the largest Carnival Cruise Line ship ever constructed and the first in North America to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), part of Carnival Corporation’s green cruising platform. At 180,000 tons, the new Mardi Gras will be more than six times the size of its namesake.
“Our first ship Mardi Gras was a historic vessel, introducing a brand new style of cruising to the vacationing public. What better way to pay tribute to our company’s nearly 50-year history of creating wonderful vacation memories than by naming this groundbreaking vessel after our original and beloved ‘Fun Ship,’” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, in press materials. “The new Mardi Gras will follow the trailblazing lead of her predecessor, introducing features and technological innovations that have never been seen before on a cruise ship while setting a new standard for seagoing vacations.”
Carnival also previously announced that the ship will be based in Port Canaveral, Florida, which will feature a new terminal. A second XL-class ship will start construction in 2020 and be delivered in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Carnival Cruise Line’s founding.
Itineraries for Mardi Gras will be announced in January 2019 and go on sale later that same month.
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