Carnival Cruise Line has been forced to cancel the first two months of sailings on their new and largest cruise ship Mardi Gras due to delays at the shipyard.
The 180,000 gross ton cruise ship was scheduled to begin service in late August 2020 but will now sail her first cruise revenue cruise on November 14, 2020.
With this new schedule, Carnival will now take delivery of the ship in late October and its first revenue sailing will depart from Port Canaveral on November 14, 2020. Consequently, the first eight sailings that were scheduled starting August 31 have been cancelled, including European, transatlantic and New York-based itineraries and four Port Canaveral itineraries.
Carnival said that the guest notification process began promptly after the notice by Meyer Turku so that impacted guests could begin to make alternative vacation plans. As a gesture of goodwill, Carnival is offering these guests a 25 percent future cruise credit (FCC), in addition to the full refund of their cruise fare (and applicable fees and taxes and other pre-purchased cruise components), as well as assistance with non-refundable airline and hotel reservations already booked.
In addition, if guests rebook their cruise vacation using their 25 percent FCC by Feb. 18, 2020, they will be credited with an additional $100 per person onboard credit for that cruise. Carnival Cruise Line has also communicated guidelines to travel advisors regarding commission protection.
View Cruise Itineraries on Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras will be the largest cruise ship in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet at 180,000 gross tons. The ship will be powered by LNG and have the world’s first roller coaster.
