Carnival’s Mardi Gras to Return to Her Birthplace

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is scheduled to return to Europe next year after spending five years cruising in the Caribbean. The LNG-powered vessel will revisit the continent where it was originally constructed for the first time since its departure, with plans to do so in late 2025.

A published deployment indicates that the Mardi Gras will undertake a 14-night trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-September. Departing from its homeport in Port Canaveral, the journey will conclude in Barcelona and will include stops at three additional Spanish destinations: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cádiz, and Málaga. The itinerary also includes nine days at sea and a visit to Carnival Cruise Line’s new private island in the Bahamas, Celebration Key.

In mid-October 2025, the Mardi Gras is set to embark on another 14-night trans-Atlantic voyage from Barcelona back to Port Canaveral, featuring a similar itinerary.

Between these sailings, the ship, built in 2020, is expected to visit a European shipyard for about a month. Although specific details are unconfirmed, the drydock period is expected to involve class inspections and routine maintenance.

Constructed by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the Mardi Gras was delivered to Carnival during a pause in operations due to the pandemic in December 2020. The vessel, which can accommodate 5,200 passengers, remained at various European ports before welcoming its first guests six months later.

Since beginning revenue service in June 2021, the Mardi Gras has been operating week-long cruises from Port Canaveral, exclusively sailing the Caribbean. After its brief visit to Europe, the ship is expected to continue its regular schedule out of Central Florida starting in late November 2025.

The Mardi Gras is set to continue offering week-long cruises to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean at least until May 2026. This ship is the first in Carnival’s Excel Class and was followed by the introduction of the Carnival Celebration in 2022 and the Carnival Jubilee in 2023. Two additional sister ships are planned to join the fleet by 2028.