Carnival’s new cruise ship arrived Friday at Port Canaveral, Florida, and like its name, did so in style.
The new ship, Carnival Mardi Gras, was escorted into the port by two other Carnival ships.
Hundreds gathered to the area to welcome the massive cruise ship, which can hold 6,465 people and weighs a whopping 180,800 tons.
The Mardi Gras will feature the first roller coaster at sea named BOLT. It’s also the first cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas in North America.
According to Cruise Hive, “Mardi Gras was first conceptualized in 2016, and the building started in 2018. The vessel floated out of the yard at Meyer Turku in Finland more than a year ago, on January 24, 2020. It wasn’t until December 18, 2020, that she was finally handed over to Carnival Cruise Line.”
However, the ship’s arrival doesn’t mean back to sailing just yet. The CDC is mandating test cruises before revenue-generating cruises can resume.
The port’s chief executive officer, John Murray, hopes that will change in July.
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