Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the shipyard has delayed the delivery of the new Mardi Gras cruise ship. Because of this delay, the ship will now depart on its first cruise in November 2020.
Carnival Mardi Gras Cruise Ship Delayed
Those guests who were looking forward to cruising on the largest and most advanced Carnival cruise ship ever will be disappointed today as the cruise line has been forced to cancel the first eight sailings.
Due to a delay at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship won’t be delivered to the cruise line until much later than anticipated, now scheduled for the end of October. The first revenue sailing will also now be departing Port Canaveral, Florida on November 14. This means the first eight sailings are being canceled including the first 9-day voyage out of Copenhagen and the transatlantic cruise from Southampton. The anticipated New York sailings are also impacted, along with four out of the ship’s new homeport of Port Canaveral.
Ben Clement, Carnival Cruise Line’s senior vice president of newbuild, said:
“We have been working closely with Meyer Turku executives to keep the Mardi Gras delivery on schedule, and while we deeply regret disappointing our guests, this change in the delivery date is required to make sure all of the ship’s systems, features and technology will be fully operational, so that we can give our guests the vacation they expect. Our commitment is to deliver a great and innovative ship, and Mardi Gras will definitely be that when it arrives in North America.”
Carnival Cruise Line has already started notifying all guests who booked on the sailings and is offering 25 percent future cruise credit, in addition to automatic full refunds for all guests on the canceled sailings. If guests manage to use the future cruise credit by February 18, 2020, they will also receive $100 of free onboard spending money. Carnival will also be helping with non-refundable travel arrangements.
Carnival Cruise Line Ambassador John Heald, who has been providing plenty of updates and excitement about the ship, posted the following:
I am so sorry I cannot be with you today but as you know I am giving the eulogy at my best mate’s funeral. So by now many of you have heard that today we announced we have had to cancel the first eight sailings of Mardi Gras.
The first sailing will now be Nov. 14. If you were booked on a sailing before that, regrettably it has been cancelled. If you were impacted you or your travel advisor have been notified directly by Carnival.
All of us are so, so sorry to disappoint those guests who have had their sailings cancelled. We know how much you were looking forward to it and we never, ever like to disappoint our guests.
I realize that many of you booked the ship based on what I have posted about her and to cruise with me on that first cruise and her trans-Atlantic. So I want to offer my personal apologies as well.
If this is the first news you’ve heard about it, please check your email or check with your travel advisor. We are issuing automatic refunds so there is no need to contact us about that. And we are also offering an FCC and an onboard credit for a future booking that are detailed in the communication to those affected guests.
Thanks for your understanding. I promise you we’ll have many more opportunities to sail together on this magnificent ship
It is a real shame to have this highly anticipated new ship delayed, but there had been a possibility of this ever since the previous ship which was under construction at the same yard, Costa Smeralda, was set back by months too. This may have had a knock-on effect impacting work on the Mardi Gras.
Also Read: New Carnival Mardi Gras Roller Coaster and Racing Slide Details Revealed
The megaship was originally scheduled to depart on her first voyage August 31, 2020, out of Copenhagen. When bookings first opened the voyage sold out fast and in fact, the ship has broken Carnival’s record with bookings.
Guests will no doubt be disappointed with the delay, especially those who are based in Europe, as it was the best chance for them to enjoy the new vessel. Mardi Gras is introducing the first rollercoaster at sea along with many more new fleet first features. She’s one of the most anticipated new cruise ships of 2020, and despite this unfortunate delay, is sure to quickly become one of Carnival’s most popular vessels.
