Carnival Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship makes first-ever class in Nassau, Bahamas, during its maiden voyage. The Mardi Gras cruise ship arrived on Friday at its final port of call during the Eastern Caribbean sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Mardi Gras Visits Nassau for the First Time
It’s a maiden voyage full of first-ever visits, and the time has arrived for the popular cruise port in Nassau to welcome the most anticipated new cruise ship of 2021. The new vessel arrived in Nassau at 7:00 AM, and it also marks the first Carnival cruise ship to return to the port in 16 months.
“We are excited to make this inaugural call in Nassau and we are delighted to bring a new level of environmental sustainability to the many ports in The Bahamas and Caribbean,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “The restart of our cruising operations in The Bahamas calling on five different Bahamian ports has such wide-reaching economic impact and on behalf of Carnival, I would like to personally thank our partners in Nassau and The Bahamas for their hospitality in welcoming our guests.”
A ceremony was held on board the ship to mark the maiden call, attended by the President of the cruise line, Christine Duffy, the Mardi Gras captain, port, and local officials. Mardi Gras did not spend the entire day in Nassau as the ship departed at 3:00 PM and, according to our Cruise Ship Tracker, is now heading back to Port Canaveral.
During the construction of Mardi Gras, the ship was flagged and registered in Panama, but due to a business decision, Carnival decided to change the flag and registry to the Bahamas. One of the reasons was that the ship would be making many visits to the island nation and today’s visit is the beginning of that.
“We are proud of our close collaboration and relationship with Carnival Cruise Line, and we thank them for making the Bahamas its flag of choice for this innovative vessel,” said Captain Dwain Hutchinson, BMA managing director and CEO. “As the world’s largest flag for passenger ships, we have a deep understanding and extensive knowledge of this sector, and we continue to take a proactive stance and advocacy on passenger ship matters on the international regulatory stage.”
Through the week, the ship made a first-ever call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 3 and Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic on August 4. The seven-day maiden voyage will end on Saturday, and later in the day, Mardi Gras will depart on its first seven-day Western Caribbean cruise. The vessel’s second-ever voyage will include first calls at Cozumel, Costa May, both in Mexico, and a port of call at mahogany Bay in Isla Roatan, Honduras.
Also Read: What’s It Like to Ride the First Roller Coaster at Sea?
Mardi Gras features the first roller coaster at sea and is the first in the fleet powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). The ship is 180,800 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,282 at double occupancy.
