Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is set to make a return to Europe next year. After five years sailing in the Caribbean, the LNG-powered ship will go back to the continent where it was built for the first time in late 2025.
According to published deployment, the Mardi Gras is set to offer a 14-night trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-September.
Sailing from the vessel’s homeport in Port Canaveral, the one-way voyage ends in Barcelona and features visits to three additional destinations in Spain: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cádiz and Málaga.
In addition to nine days at sea, the itinerary also includes a stop at Carnival Cruise Line’s new private island in the Bahamas, Celebration Key.
The Mardi Gras then offers another trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-October 2025. Also sailing from Barcelona, the 14-night voyage features a similar itinerary and is set to end in Port Canaveral.
During the month-long gap between the sailings, the 2020-built vessel is projected to visit a European shipyard.
While specific details will be confirmed at a later date, the drydock is expected to include class inspections and routine maintenance.
Built by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the Mardi Gras was delivered to Carnival Cruise Line during the pandemic operational pause in December 2020.
Before welcoming its first guests six months later, the 5,200-passenger vessel remained laid-up at different European ports.
Offering week-long cruises departing from Port Canaveral, the Mardi Gras has been sailing exclusively in the Caribbean since entering revenue service in June 2021.
Following the short stint in Europe, the vessel is poised to resume its regular schedule out of Central Florida in late November 2025.
The Mardi Gras continues to operate week-long cruises to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean through at least May 2026.
The first ship in Carnival’s Excel Class, the vessel was later followed by the 2022-built Carnival Celebration and the 2023-built Carnival Jubilee. Two additional sister ships are scheduled to enter service through 2028.
