Carnival Cruise Line has filled two key posts for the Mardi Gras as Matt Mitcham (pictured above, left) was named as cruise director and Hugo Hidalgo (pictured above, right) as entertainment director, according to a statement.

The duo will lead a 125-member entertainment team when Mardi Gras sets sail in summer 2020. 

Among the entertainment highlights aboard will be Family Feud, new high-tech Playlist Productions shows, a dedicated Punchliner Comedy Club, and new live music and entertainment options to be announced shortly, providing guests with even more ways to Choose Fun, Carnival said, in a statement. 

“Mardi Gras will take our entertainment offerings to the next level and Matt and Hugo are the perfect team to lead this effort and help our guests create a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories,” said Chris Nelson, Carnival’s vice president of entertainment.

A native of Birmingham, England, and a 10-year Carnival veteran, Mitcham joined the company as an entertainment host and quickly moved through the ranks becoming a cruise director in 2012. 

After working at resorts in his native Mexico, Hidalgo joined Carnival in 2012 as a Fun Squad member and has since held many entertainment positions allowing him to gain a thorough understanding of what it takes to “wow” guests, Carnival said. Hidalgo has earned a number of accolades, including Entertainment Director Rookie of the Year and Team Leader of the Month, as well as recognition for his team’s efforts in raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, Mardi Gras is slated to enter service in Europe on Aug. 31, 2020, before repositioning to New York for a series of voyages then shift to Port Canaveral for year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning in October 2020.