When Carnival Festivale is delivered in spring 2027 and begins sailing from Port Canaveral, Mardi Gras will move to offering short cruises from the same homeport, the company announced.

“As new ships are introduced, this will allow us to upgrade capacity and hardware in key markets, with a particular focus on short cruises,” explained Christine Duffy, president. “With short cruises on Mardi Gras, our guests who may not have the time to take a weeklong vacation can experience all the amazing features of our Excel class.”

The company offers short cruises from all of its homeports in the U.S. and Australia, with the exceptions of Baltimore and Seattle.

Duffy also reiterated Carnival’s commitment to serving the line’s secondary markets which are an important part of its portfolio as “America’s Cruise Line” by continuing to be an accessible vacation for 50 percent of the U.S. population that is within a five-hour drive of a Carnival cruise.

As part of this commitment, Carnival will return to year-round operations in Mobile, Alabama beginning in spring 2027. Carnival previously sailed year-round from Mobile and currently sails seasonally.

In addition, Carnival is exploring moving a larger Conquest class ship to Baltimore in 2027 that can accommodate about 1,000 more guests than Carnival Pride, the Spirit class ship currently deployed from Baltimore, according to a statement.