Carnival Cruise Line’s LNG-powered Mardi Gras has finally left Port Canaveral with guests onboard following a long wait due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the extended pause in cruise operations from US ports.
Mardi Gras has set sail this Saturday from Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3 for a weeklong cruise with stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and Nassau, The Bahamas, according to Carnival Cruise Line, a unit of Carnival.
To remind, Carnival’s LNG-powered Mardi Gras docked at Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3, built specifically for this vessel, on June 4, following a trip from Barcelona.
Carnival took delivery of this 340 meters long newbuild at Finland’s Meyer Turku in December after the vessel bunkered LNG in Rotterdam and then sailed to Barcelona.
The cruise operator delayed the vessel’s debut several times due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Mardi Gras is the first cruise ship to set sail with guests from Port Canaveral since the industry-wide pause in operations 16 months ago, Carnival says.
In addition, it is also the first large LNG-powered cruise ship in the Americas.
“The 180,000-ton ship boasts six distinct themed zones with a variety of food, beverage and entertainment options, including dining venues from Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Rudi Sodamin and its Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal,” Carnival Cruise Line said.
In Port Canaveral, the vessel will get LNG fuel from the Shell-chartered Q-LNG bunkering barge. The two ships met for their first bunkering operation in June.