Delivery of Mardi Gras delayed as Carnival's deployment plans updated

Carnival said it would be notifying guests and agents of revisions to the delivery of Mardi Gras, as well as the updated Carnival Radiance, today (Tuesday).

Carnival Breeze and Carnival Magic will receive new itineraries – all part of an updated deployment plan from November 2020 to May 2021.

Mardi Gras, “the first LNG-powered ship to operate in the Western Hemisphere and featuring the first roller coaster at sea”, will now enter into service from Port Canaveral on 6 February 2021. Itineraries out of Port Canaveral for departures from 14 November 2020 to 30 January 2021 have been cancelled.

Radiance’s $200 million dry dock at the Cadiz, Spain shipyard was suspended this spring when the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a nationwide lockdown. Carnival is now “evaluating shipyard options to complete the transformation”, but the ship is likely not going to be completed until the spring.

As a result of the delayed arrival of Radiance, Breeze will be redeployed from Fort Lauderdale to Port Canaveral and will assume the itineraries for Radiance from 8 November 2020 to 24 April 2021. Consequently, guests on 18 Breeze sailings from Fort Lauderdale scheduled to operate from 7 November 2020 to 7 March 2021 are being notified that their cruises have been cancelled.

Magic’s transatlantic and European itineraries from 13 March 2021 to 3 May 2021 have been cancelled. Seven sailings previously scheduled for Breeze from Fort Lauderdale from 13 March to 24 April 2021 will move to Miami and those guests will sail on the same itinerary, but on Carnival Magic operating from Port Miami.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line said: "We continue to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health and our cruise operations.

“In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet.

"While we had hoped to make up construction time on Mardi Gras over the summer, it’s clear we will need extra time to complete this magnificent ship.

“We share our guests’ disappointment and appreciate their patience as we work through this unprecedented time in our business and the lives of so many people.

“We remain committed to working with government, public health and industry officials to support the response to the pandemic and to return to operations when the time is right."

Guest and travel agent notifications will be emailed over the course of the day. Carnival expressed its appreciation for their guests’ and travel agent partners’ patience as it completes the notification process.