We’ve already announced that Mardi Gras won Best New Cruise Ship of 2021, and now the Carnival cruise ship has come out to receive the most votes in Best Cruise Ship Feature of 2021 with the BOLT roller coaster in the Annual Cruise Ship Awards.

First Roller Coaster at Sea Wins Best Cruise Ship Feature!

Carnival Cruise Line’s BOLT roller coaster that can be found aboard the Mardi Gras has been voted Best Cruise Ship Feature of 2021. Undoubtedly, the innovative new feature has been much talked about throughout the year, especially as BOLT is the first roller coaster at sea on Carnival’s new Excel-class cruise ship.

BOLT received more votes than any other cruise ship in the category since the Cruise Cruise Ship Awards opened in mid-September 2021. Cruise Hive readers have been allowed to vote once in each category, and any suspicious or repeat votes were not counted.

The roller coaster on Mardi Gras has been one of the most anticipated new cruise ship features in years and thanks to Maurer Rides in Germany, that concept became a reality. The 220-meter track is located towards the ship’s aft 150 meters above sea level. BOLT can reach speeds up to 60 KPH and offers thrilling twists and turns, including around the iconic Carnival funnel.

Also Read: What’s It Like to Ride the First Roller Coaster at Sea?

Since Mardi Gras debuted with guests from Port Canaveral on July 31, the first roller coaster at sea has been a popular feature onboard. The LNG-powered vessel is 180,800 gross tons, and a sister ship named Carnival Celebration will join the fleet in 2022, also featuring a roller coaster. A third ship in the same class named Carnival jubilee will arrive in 2023.

Which Feature Came Second and Third?

The BOLT roller coaster was up against dozens of other cruise ship features, with readers being allowed to add their favorite cruise ship feature as a vote.

In second place came the SkyRide feature found on the Vista-class cruise ships, also from Carnival Cruise Line. SkyRide is an elevated 800-foot-long track on the open deck that guests can pedal of speed up to 18 miles per hour at 150 feet above sea level. SkyRide has already won the Best Cruise Ship Feature four times, in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

In third place came Norwegian Cruise Line’s Go-Kart track found on all the Breakaway-Plus class cruise ships except for the Norwegian Escape. The first go-kart track at sea was introduced on the Norwegian Joy in 2017 and has since been featured on Norwegian Bliss and the largest in the fleet so far on Norwegian Encore. The new Norwegian Prima, which joins the fleet in 2022, will go a step further by introducing the first three-level racetrack.

In this year’s Cruise Ship Awards, there were a total of seven categories, and the results have already been announced for Best Cruise Homeport in the US and Best News Cruise Ship. More results will continue to be announced in the coming days.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras cruise ship has been voted as Best New Cruise Ship of 2021 in Cruise Hive’s annual Cruise Ship Awards. It’s the first category results to be announced, with more results coming before the end of 2021.

Mardi Gras is the Best New Cruise Ship

Carnival’s flagship has already been one of the hottest new topics since arriving in the US to begin service in the summer, and now, the vessel has come out on top for Best New Cruise Ship of 2021. Mardi Gras was up against 11 other new cruise ships that entered service this year, including Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Apex, and Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess.

The Mardi Gras is the newest ship in the fleet and was originally scheduled to debut at the end of August 2020. Due to the global pandemic and the industry-wide pause, the Carnival cruise ship was eventually delivered in December 2020. It then arrived in the US to begin guest operations in July 2021.

The ship is the first Excel-class for Carnival Cruise Line, and the largest ever ship in the fleet. She is fully powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and brings new features to the cruise line. Mardi Gras features the first roller coaster at sea named BOLT, also in the Best Cruise Ship Feature category in this year’s awards.

Also found on board is the first Big Chicken restaurant at sea brought by Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, Shaquille O’Neil. There are six different themed zones on Mardi Gras offering fun-filled vacations from Port Canaveral in Florida. The ship debuted on July 31, 2021, and is currently offering seven-day eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

Mardi Gras is 180,800 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,282 at double occupancy and 1,735 international crew members. The vessel was constructed at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, and the godmother is Kimberly Jimenes, Miss Dominican Republic.

Which New Ships Came Second and Third?

The Cruise Ship Awards have been open since mid-September 2021, and Cruise Hive readers have been able to cast a vote in seven different categories, including Best New Cruise Ship of 2021. Mardi Gras received more votes than any other cruise ship. Readers have only been allowed to vote once, and any repeat or suspicious votes were not counted.

Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, the second Quantum-Ultra class vessel by Royal Caribbean, came in second place. The ship is 167,704 gross tons with a guest capacity of 4,198 at double occupancy and departed on her maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 31, 2021. Like Mardi Gras, Odyssey of the Seas was also delayed due to the pandemic.

In third place came the new Celebrity Apex, the second Edge-class vessel from Celebrity Cruises. The ship is 129,500 gross tons and has a passenger capacity of 2,910 at double occupancy. Due to the industry suspension, the new ship was also delayed but finally departed on her maiden voyage from Athens, Greece, in June 2021.

Still to be announced in the 2021 Cruise Ship Awards are the results of six more categories, so do keep checking Cruise Hive for those.

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that its third Excel-class LNG-powered vessel will be named Carnival Jubilee, and the new ship will be based out of Galveston in Texas. The new mega-ship will debut in 2023 and is the sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.

Carnival Jubilee Will Homeport in Galveston

The Miami-based cruise line continues to rename its new Excel-class cruise ships after its former older vessels. The third ship in the new generation class will be named Carnival Jubilee, 37 years after the original Carnival Jubilee cruise ship, which first entered service in 1986 and was part of the Holiday-class.

“Carnival was the first cruise line to offer year-round cruising from Galveston in 2000, and we have continued to grow our presence and support of the Port of Galveston’s expansion, so we are thrilled to bring our brand-new Carnival Jubilee to Texas and the greater southwest region,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “This beautiful, innovative ship will bring an entirely new cruise experience to our guests, and we’ve got some great surprises to fun it up in ways we know they are going to love.”

The third Excel-class vessel will be identical to her sister ships and fully powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The ship will be 182,800 gross tons and have a guest capacity of more than 5,400 at double occupancy, along with 1,700 international crew members.

Carnival Jubilee will have the BOLT roller coaster, first introduced on sister ship Mardi Gras in 2020. There will also be expanded dining offerings, new cabin designs, and a main central three-deck atrium, just like her sister ships.

Carnival Jubilee Based in Texas

It’s also been revealed that Carnival Jubilee will be based out of the Port of Galveston in Texas when she debuts in 2023. It will be the largest ever Carnival cruise ship to ever sail from Galveston and follows the original vessel that also sailed from the port.

The news was teased and announced at the annual CruiseWorld travel advisor conference in Miami Beach, Florida. When Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy revealed the news, she was joined on stage by a seven-foot cowboy.

Duffy said, “We love Texas, and Texas loves Carnival. Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and we draw guests to Texas from across the Midwest, southwest and western U.S. Bringing a brand-new ship to a market is a big commitment, and it’s one we gladly make for the greater Galveston community and entire region.”

The original Celebration (also the name of the second Excel-class vessel Carnival Celebration) was the first year-round ship in Galveston in 2000, and the original Jubilee followed her in 2002. The new Excel class, at four times larger than the original ship, will bring new exciting cruise options for Texans and beyond.

Carnival Jubilee will be sailing on seven-day western Caribbean itineraries from the Port of Galveston. The bookings will open in early 2022, and the cruise line will release more specific itinerary details by that time.

Mardi Gras was the first in the new LNG-powered Excel class in 2020 and is based in Port Canaveral. Carnival Celebration will be the second ship in the class and will debut in 2022 from Miami for the cruise line’s 50th Birthday celebrations.

Carnival Paradise becomes the first Fantasy-class Carnival cruise ship to receive the new red, white and blue livery design during dry dock and the eighth in the fleet overall. The vessel is now all shiny and fresh ready to welcome back guests in Spring 2022.

Carnival Paradise Completes Dry Dock

Carnival Cruise Line is now well underway with its fleetwide rollout of the new red, white and blue livery. Carnival Paradise becomes the latest ship to receive the new hull design and the first in the Fantasy class. It’s the first time this type of ship has been seen with the new hull design and thanks to the perfect capture from Million Dreams to Follow.

The livery was painted onto the ship during a dry dock at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. The ship first entered the dock on October 10, 2021, and moved back to the wet dock on October 22.

In addition to the new livery, there was also routine hotel maintenance and cosmetic enhancements. This typically includes new tiling where needed, carpeting, and minor changes in different departments onboard.

The Carnival cruise ship, which first entered service in 1998, has now completed a total of nice dry docks over its lifetime, with 2018 being the biggest due to all the new FUN 2.0 enhancements that were added. With the vessel currently the fourth oldest in the fleet, there may not be many more dry docks to come.

Carnival Paradise remains in Cadiz, Spain and it’s not yet known when she will head back over to the U.S. The ship is not scheduled to restart until Spring 2022, one of the last few to do so. So far, 13 Carnival cruise ships have already resumed operations.

The new livery design on the Fantasy-class vessel is inspired by the navy blue officer uniforms and the Iconic Carnival colors on the funnel. Carnival Magic was the first ship to receive the new design during a dry dock that took place in Marseilles, France, in July and early June.

Since Carnival Magic’s dry dock, a further seven ships have received the new look, including the newly transformed Carnival Radiance, which just recently arrived back in the U.S.

The new Mardi Gras also features the hull artwork, which was added during construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Next up on the new livery front is the Carnival Sunshine. The vessel is currently receiving the latest look at the shipyard in Cadiz, Spain.

Carnival Paradise is 71,925 gross tone with a guest capacity of 2,124 at double occupancy. Currently, the ship is scheduled to begin cruises in early March out of Tampa, Florida. Carnival Cruise Line will no doubt confirm more details as part of a future restart update.