When CCL-Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship arrives at homeport Port Canaveral Florida USA (on June 4), she will be Bahamas-flagged (registered in Nassau) to designate the new cruise ship registry for the first LNG-powered passenger liner to sail in North America.
Carnival Mardi Gras has been highly anticipated for more than a year. Her arrival and inaugural voyage were impacted by the extended pause in cruise operations from ports in the U.S. but now the company is moving the boat to Florida to get her ready for cruising.
Mardi Gras (formerly Panama-flagged/MMSI 352049000) is scheduled to depart from Barcelona Spain on May 21 to start the Transatlantic crossing, without passengers.
CCL's President Christine Duffy thanked the Panama Maritime Authority for the support during the vessel’s construction and registration process. She said the move to the Bahamas Maritime Authority "made business sense for a number of reasons."
“The Bahamas will be a frequent destination for Mardi Gras, and we are pleased to bring this new level of environmental sustainability to the many ports in the Bahamas and the Caribbean that the ship and our guests and crew will be visiting.”
Upon her arrival to Port Canaveral, Mardi Gras is expected to continue to bring the joining crew onboard, train them on new technology, procedures, and equipment, and get ready to welcome tourists for her inaugural voyage. On Sunday evening during the broadcast of the Miss Universe competition, CCL named Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jimenez as the ship's godmother.
Amber Cove (Dominicana) will be among the ship's destinations regularly visited on 7-night roundtrip itineraries. Along with the LNG technology, the liner boasts other industry firsts, including the first roller coaster at sea.