Key Aspects:
- Mardi Gras will be arriving in Port Canaveral on October 30 to disembark her current transatlantic sailing and embark on a new Caribbean voyage.
- The current cruise will take a bit longer to disembark than planned, so embarkation for the next cruise has been slightly delayed in a domino effect.
- Carnival instructed guests to arrive at the port one hour later than their original Terminal Arrival Appointments.
Future guests of Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras will need to wait just a little bit longer to get the party started.
The Excel-class cruise ship will conclude a 14-night transatlantic voyage that embarked in Barcelona, Spain, in Port Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
However, the cruise line will need some extra time to disembark the up to 5,270 guests currently onboard before welcoming a new wave of passengers.
The subsequent sailing is a 9-night voyage to the Eastern Caribbean.
“Thursday, October 30, the ship will be returning from a transatlantic voyage, and we will need some extra time to disembark guests before accommodating your arrival,” Carnival wrote to impacted guests.
This means that guests will need to delay their Terminal Arrival Appointments, which were selected during the online check-in process, by one hour.
“Consequently, embarkation for your cruise has been revised. Please delay your Terminal Arrival Appointment by one hour,” the update continued.
This means that those with a 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. appointment slot should now arrive at Port Canaveral at 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and so forth.
Guests who try to arrive during their former timeslot may be asked to leave and return later.
No Impact to the Itinerary
As of the time of publication, there are no other reported delays for this cruise.
Cruise tracking data shows that the 180,800-gross ton ship is still expected to set sail at 4:30 p.m. EST.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will then proceed to visit St. Thomas, Philipsburg, San Juan, Amber Cove, and Celebration Key (Carnival’s brand new private island) before returning to the Orlando-based port on November 8, 2025.
Port Canaveral will be her homeport through 2028. The 2021-launched vessel will continue operating Caribbean itineraries through mid-2027 before setting her sights on the Bahamas.
Carnival did not go into great detail about why disembarkation would take longer than planned, but this can happen from time to time.
Especially because Port Canaveral will be the first US port Mardi Gras visits after returning from Europe, it’s possible that the US customs and immigration clearance process may be more involved.
Embarkation can also be delayed due to things like technical repairs or because of increased sanitation needs following illness onboard – although no recent outbreaks have been reported for this ship.
Some cruise fans also theorized that parking could be a factor, but as the cruise embarked in another country, the majority of guests shouldn’t have cars waiting for them in Florida.
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Additionally, the Terminal 3 parking structure – which is where Mardi Gras docks – is quite large. It’s a six-level garage with 1,800 parking spaces.
But no matter what the ultimate reason may be, guests will just need to be patient for a little while before the fun can commence. An hour is nothing in the grand scheme of things!
