The biggest Carnival cruise ship ever built is starting sea trials
It's testing time for one of the biggest cruise ships ever built.
Carnival Cruise Line's soon-to-debut Mardi Gras, which will hold up to 6,630 passengers with every berth filed, began 10 days of sea trials Monday in the Baltic Sea.
The 15-deck-high 1,130-foot-long ship has been under construction at a shipyard in Turku, Finland, for more than a year, and the start of its sea trials is a sign it's nearing completion.
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At 180,000 tons, Mardi Gras will be, by far, the biggest ship ever built for Carnival and the seventh-largest cruise ship ever built for any line.
Scheduled to debut on Feb. 6, 2021, in Port Canaveral, Florida, Mardi Gras will be nearly 35% bigger than the biggest Carnival ship currently afloat, the just-unveiled Carnival Panorama.
Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles
Undertaken in the final months of a cruise ship's construction, sea trials are designed to test a ship's navigation systems, engines, maneuverability, steering, speed and safety systems. Tests during sea trials also measure cabin acoustics.
Cruise ships can't go into service until they pass sea trials.
Mardi Gras has been under construction since 2019 at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. It's one of the few shipyards in the world capable of building a cruise vessel as big as Mardi Gras.
The Meyer Turku shipyard also is known for building the first two ships in Royal Caribbean's groundbreaking Oasis Class series: Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
Related: The four new giants of the cruise world
Upon completion of the sea trials, Mardi Gras will return to the shipyard for final finishing work.
The development of Mardi Gras is a big deal for Carnival. The line until now has resisted the trend among major brands to build ever-bigger vessels. Carnival's new Carnival Panorama doesn’t even crack the top 40 list of biggest ships.
But Carnival is entering the Big Ship Wars with a splash, adorning Mardi Gras with the first roller coaster at sea (no, this is not a joke). The ship also will have Carnival’s largest waterpark ever, a far broader array of suites than earlier Carnival ships and new dining venues such as the first Emeril Lagasse restaurant at sea.
Mardi Gras also will be notable as the first ship from a North America-based cruise line designed to operate on liquid natural gas. The fuel is touted as being cleaner than traditional ship fuel.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Mardi Gras is named after Carnival’s first ship, which sailed for the line from 1972 to 1993. It originally was scheduled to debut in August of this year, but its unveiling date has been pushed back twice.
The vessel is scheduled to sail six- to eight-day voyages to the Bahamas and Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Fares start at $539 per person, not including taxes and fees.
Like many cruise lines, Carnival currently is not operating any cruises due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has canceled all sailings in North America through the end of September.
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees