Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the name of their 28th and largest cruise ship will be Mardi Gras. The announcement came during tonight’s Wheel of Fortune show.

Carnival Cruise Line is bringing back the name of their very first cruise ship, a 27,000 gross ton vessel that went into service with Carnival in 1972.

The new Carnival Mardi Gras will be a 180,000 gross ton cruise ship and the largest in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet. The ship will carry 5,200 passengers at double occupancy. The ship will be the cruise line’s first LNG powered vessel and go into service in 2020. The vessel will be 1,130 feet long and is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.

Sponsored Links



Cruise itineraries on this new Carnival ship won’t be released until January 2019. The ship will homeport in Port Canaveral and sail to the Caribbean. Details on the ship’s inaugural season are planned to be announced in January, with information on the vessel’s vast array of exciting culinary, beverage and entertainment options to be revealed later in the year.

Carnival Mardi Gras will be the first of two XL cruise ships ordered by Carnival Cruise Line. The largest cruise ships currently in Carnival’s fleet at the Vista class ships at 133,500 gross tons. At 180,000 gross tons, these two new ship will signal Carnival’s entrance into the mega cruise market.

View Best Prices on Carnival Cruises

Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, gave the following statement about bringing back the name of the cruise line’s first cruise ship: “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’.

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.”

Cruise Fever will have all information and details on Carnival Mardi Gras when they are announced by the cruise line.