Carnival Mardi Gras Pulls into its Home Port of Port Canaveral, June 4.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Mardi Gras, will be pulling into its homeport of Port Canaveral for the first time on Friday, June 4.

The brand-new ship, a homage to the cruise line's first ship introduced back in 1972, is meant to suggest innovation and the start of something big. The Mardi Gras is the first ship in the Excel Class and the first ship in North America to use Liquified Natural gas (LNG). Liquified Natural Gas is one of the cleanest fuels in the world that reduces emissions with greener exhaust.

Introducing six new themed zones to cruisers, the Mardi Gras boasts brand-new experiences for spectacularly getting down to food, drink, and fun, according to Carnival’s website.

While the return of the cruise industry is on the rise, there is still no word on when the Mardi Gras will get her inaugural sailing at this time.

According to a release from Carnival Cruise Lines, the CDC Approved the cruise line's plans for the restart on May 28, 2021. The restart plans focus on sailings out of Port Miami, Port of Galveston, and Port Canaveral – all key homeports for Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival has already announced that Carnival Horizon (sailing from Miami) and Carnival Vista and Breeze (sailing from Galveston) will be the first ships to carry guests as the cruise line plans its July return to service.

Port Canaveral is a restart priority, but it seems the Mardi Gras is not a part of those plans just yet.