PORT ST. MAARTEN – Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship made its inaugural visit on Thursday, July 13 bringing in 8100+ passengers and crew to the destination. The 1,130 feet vessel is on an eight-day itinerary, and included a passenger who was on their 100th cruise.
Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alexander Gumbs, members of management, supervisory board of directors, the ship’s agent, were all on hand to welcome Captain Giuseppe Giusa and his guests to the island.
Mardi Gras is the first cruise ship in the Americas to be powered by eco-friendly Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). Carnival Corp. introduced LNG fuel to the passenger cruise sector as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction.
Mardi Gras is the first of three Excel-class ships to join the Carnival fleet.
During the tour on Thursday of the ultra-modern vessel, the collaboration between Carnival Cruise Line with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was highly visible, where various forms of artwork was on display inspired by St. Jude patient Camila.
Mardi Gras first set sail in July of 2021. On June 4th, Mardi Gras arrived at her homeport Cape Canaveral where a brand-new cruise terminal was built specifically for the vessel. The cruise ship offers itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean.
This ship introduces Zones — six themed areas packed with brand-new experiences for eating, drinking and spectacularly getting down to fun. There’s BOLT®, the first-ever rollercoaster at sea, Emeril’s Bistro 1396™ from yes-that-Emeril, Family Feud™ Live for everybody… plus incredible new bars like The Brass Magnolia and Fortune Teller.
The Mardi Gras was built at the Meyer Turku Shipyard, Finland; has a gross tonnage of 180,000; a beam of 137 feet and requires a maximum draft of 28 feet. The ship is equipped with 17 decks and cruises at 17 knots.
Carnival Cruise Line is the largest cruise company in the world, based on passengers carried, and the flagship brand of Carnival Corporation & plc. known as “America’s Cruise Line” for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other.
Carnival was named the four-time winner of Best Ocean Cruise Line in USA Today’s 10Best Awards and Best Domestic Cruise Line by Travel Weekly readers for five consecutive years.
PHOTO CUTLINE: PSG representatives along with other stakeholders who welcomed Carnival’s Mardi Gras on Thursday to Port St. Maarten.
