Saturday July 30 saw three big megaships back in service with the Carnival Mardi Gras, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas and the Regal Princess relaunching revenue cruises.
The three ships combined add roughly 13,000 berths back into the cruise market over the course of a single day.
The Regal Princess relaunched service for Princess in the UK, sailing a short three-night coastal itinerary without ports.
The Carnival Mardi Gras hosted paying passengers for the first time since being delivered lasted last year, with guests embarking at Port Canaveral for the advanced ship’s first cruise, a week-long sailing to the Caribbean. The Mardi Gras left Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3 for a week-long cruise with stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and Nassau, The Bahamas.
Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas meanwhile debuted further south, sailing from Port Everglades at 6 p.m. local time on her first revenue cruise. The advanced Quantum Ultra Class ship will offer a mix of six- and eight-night Caribbean cruises for the summer.
