Carnival Cruise Line delays Mardi Gras debut
The launch of new ship Mardi Gras has been pushed back as Carnival Cruise Line cancelled all remaining open cruises until March 2021.
The inaugural sailing of Mardi Gras, which features a rollercoaster at sea, is delayed until 24 April 2021.
All other departures out of Port Canaveral, Miami and Galveston are cancelled through February.
Carnival is due to take delivery of the Mardi Gras in late December.
Carnival’s largest ship yet, it has capacity for more than 5,000 guests.
"As we implement our plans for the resumption of cruising in 2021, we have cancelled select itineraries for specific operations including cruises in February in Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston," the line said in a statement.
The CDC issued the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, which outlines a strict set of rules each cruise operator must follow before gaining approval to sail again.
It includes operating simulated cruises with volunteer guests.
"We apologize to our guests but we must continue to take a thoughtful, deliberate and measured approach as we map out our return to operations in 2021," said Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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