Carnival Pushes Back Mardi Gras Debut, Announces Other Itinerary Adjustments

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the delivery of their newest ship, Mardi Gras, has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The transformation of Carnival Victory into Carnival Radiance has also been significantly delayed. The cruise line has also announced new itineraries for Carnival Breeze and Magic from November 2020 to May 2021.

The first LNG-powered ship to operate in the Western Hemisphere, Mardi Gras, is now projected to enter service from Port Canaveral on February 6, 2021. Previously scheduled sailings out of Port Canaveral from November 14, 2020 to January 30, 2021 have been canceled. 

Carnival Radiance’s $200 million dry dock transformation in Cadiz, Spain was suspended this spring due to the pandemic lockdown. The cruise line is now evaluating shipyard options to complete the renovation, but the vessel isn’t likely going to be complete until spring 2021. As a result of Radiance’s delayed arrival, Carnival Breeze will be redeployed from Fort Lauderdale to Port Canaveral and will assume Carnival Radiance’s itineraries from November 8 to April 24. Consequently, passengers on 18 Carnival Breeze sailings from Fort Lauderdale scheduled to operate from November 7 to March 7 are being notified that their cruises have been canceled.

Carnival Magic’s transatlantic and European itineraries from March 13, 2021 to May 3, 2021 have been canceled. Seven sailings previously scheduled for Carnival Breeze from Fort Lauderdale from March 13 to April 23 will move to Miami, and those guests will sail on the same itinerary, but on Carnival Magic from PortMiami. 

READ MORE: Carnival Releases Details on New Groundbreaking Ship

"We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health and our cruise operations. In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  "While we had hoped to make up construction time on Mardi Gras over the summer, it's clear we will need extra time to complete this magnificent ship.  We share our guests' disappointment and appreciate their patience as we work through this unprecedented time in our business and the lives of so many people.  We remain committed to working with government, public health and industry officials to support the response to the pandemic and to return to operations when the time is right.”

Passengers and travel agents will be emailed with information about how their voyage will be affected.