Carnival Cruise Line announced that it will name its newest XL-class cruise ship to be delivered in 2020 Mardi Gras, bringing back to fleet the name of the first Carnival ship that entered service in 1972 and began the wave of cruise vacation popularity in the U.S.
In keeping with the tradition of fun, the cruise line revealed the name to a nationwide TV audience on the well known game show Wheel of Fortune on the signature Puzzleboard at the broadcast's conclusion.
Mardi Gras will be the biggest Carnival Cruise Line ship ever built and the first in North America powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), part of Carnival Corp.’s green cruising platform. At 180,000 GT, Mardi Gras will be more than 6 times the size of her namesake.
Currently under construction at Meyer Turku, Finland, the 5,200-plus lower berth vessel will offer various never-before-seen attractions and innovations.
Itineraries for the newbuild will be announced in January 2019 and go on sale later the same month.
Carnival previously announced that the cruise ship will be based in Port Canaveral FL, which will feature a brand new state-of-the-art cruise terminal. A second XL ship is due to start construction in 2020 and be delivered in 2022 to mark 50th anniversary of Carnival’s founding.