7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $113/n · Sep 26, 2026
From $792 inside · Balcony $1,022
Live · sailing at 15 kn · Nassau
Carnival Cruise Line · CCL EXCEL (XL)
Mardi Gras
Guests
5,282 – 6,338
Crew
1,745
Cabins
2,641
Length
344 m
Space ratio
29
Homeport pattern
Port Canaveral
Where she is right now
En route · Nassau· 9/16/2026, 4:55:29 AM· Course 312°
Position
21.13°N, 72.29°W
Heading
312° · COG 311°
Speed
15 kn
Destination
Nassau
Our take · opinion
XL Fun Ship, full volume
We experience Mardi Gras as Carnival's XL-class statement ship: zones, a roller coaster, and Florida warm-water weeks built for families and friend groups who want maximum Fun Ship energy per night.
Day to day, Mardi Gras feels like stacked neighborhoods rather than one endless corridor. Grand Central is the atrium-show heartbeat, while French Quarter and La Piazza carry the evening bar-and-bite circuit. Summer Landing, the Ultimate Playground, and BOLT own the outdoor thrill day, so plan the coaster early if that ride is part of your why for booking this XL hull.
Cabins follow the XL playbook with clear tradeoffs we walk before you pay. Standard balconies are the volume play; we steer multi-gen groups toward Family Harbor when the lounge near Camp Ocean matters, and toward Havana cabins when private patio-and-sundeck access is the point. Cloud 9 Spa rooms suit quiet-after-spa days, and Loft 19 Excel suites are the VIP sundeck splurge when you are buying priority boarding, space, and guaranteed specialty windows.
Evenings stay classic Carnival with comedy, piano bar, and specialty spots like Bonsai, and there are enough zones that you can avoid the loudest pockets if you plan ahead. Versus Vista-class sisters, we treat Mardi Gras as the bigger, newer chapter with more themed real estate and coaster wow on the same Fun Ship DNA. Confirm Port Canaveral sailings below and we will lock cabin bank before the popular Family Harbor and Havana categories go.
She's for
- Families and multi-gen groups who want zones and kids programming
- Friend groups chasing coaster thrills and lively evenings
- First-timers who like big-ship Carnival energy
- Shoppers comparing XL sisters Celebration and Jubilee
She's not for
- Travellers chasing hush and white-tablecloth calm
- Anyone stressed by peak pools, elevators, and ride lines
- Guests who want small-ship, port-intensive weeks over onboard spectacle
Honest caveat
At full load, BOLT, the main pools, and elevators need patience at peak hours. We will steer you toward quieter cabin banks and off-peak dining so you skip the worst bottlenecks.
The record · ship backgroundMardi Gras, on paper
Show ship backgroundHide ship background
The record · ship background
Mardi Gras, on paper
Show ship backgroundHide ship backgroundMardi Gras is Carnival's lead XL / Excellence-class ship from Meyer Turku (hull 1396). Steel was cut in November 2018, the keel laid in June 2019, and she floated in January 2020 before delivery on 18 December 2020 after pandemic delays. She is LNG-powered with cryogenic tanks sized for roughly two weeks of operations and ranks among the largest Fun Ships by length and lower berths.
The class shares Meyer Helios-family DNA with Costa and AIDA newbuilds, then layers Carnival branding across six themed zones. Headline hardware includes BOLT Ultimate Sea Coaster by Maurer, Havana and Family Harbor products, and Excel suite access to Loft 19. Sisters include Celebration (2022) and Jubilee (2023), with Festivale and Tropicale still to come.
After a Barcelona layover and a May to June 2021 repositioning, she entered US service from Port Canaveral with LNG bunkering support in Florida. Godmother Kimberly Jimenez named the ship for Carnival's original Fun Ship heritage. Confirm the current Florida itinerary on this page, where live sailings remain the source of truth if deployment shifts.
Build record
- Keel to delivery
- 2018 – 2020
- Inaugural
- 2021, Port Canaveral
- Fuel
- Dual-fuel LNG
- Sisters
- Carnival (Celebration, Jubilee, Festivale, Tropicale)
Commerce
Upcoming sailings
13 itineraries · 107 sail dates on Mardi Gras. Fares are live and change daily.
7-Day Western Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $122/n · Oct 17, 2026
From $852 inside · Balcony $1,102
7-Day Western Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $138/n · Dec 12, 2026
From $965 inside · Balcony $1,165
7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $200/n · Dec 19, 2026
From $1,397 inside · Balcony $1,677
7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $151/n · May 8, 2027
From $1,055 inside · Balcony $1,446
7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Orlando (Port Canaveral) · 7n · $143/n · May 15, 2027
From $1,002 inside · Balcony $1,292
| Sailing | Date | Depart | Nights | $/n | Inside | Balcony | Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Day Eastern CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Nassau, The Bahamas | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Amber Cove, Dominican Republic | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl · 22 dates | Sep 26, 2026 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $113 | $792 | $1,022 | $2,282 |
| 7-Day Western CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Isla Tropicale, Roatan | Cozumel, Mexico | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl · 6 dates | Oct 17, 2026 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $122 | $852 | $1,102 | $1,891 |
| 7-Day Western CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Cozumel, Mexico | Isla Tropicale, Roatan | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl · 2 dates | Dec 12, 2026 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $138 | $965 | $1,165 | $1,765 |
| 7-Day Eastern CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Nassau, The Bahamas | Amber Cove, Dominican Republic | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Dec 19, 2026 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $200 | $1,397 | $1,677 | $2,516 |
| 7-Day Eastern CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | San Juan, Puerto Rico | St Thomas, Usvi | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | May 8, 2027 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $151 | $1,055 | $1,446 | $2,526 |
| 7-Day Eastern CaribbeanPort Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | Nassau, The Bahamas | Amber Cove, Dominican Republic | Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay | Celebration Key, The Bahamas | Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl | May 15, 2027 | Orlando (Port Canaveral) | 7 | $143 | $1,002 | $1,292 | $1,932 |
Showing 6 of 13 sail dates
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