The float out of the coming flag ship of Carnival Cruise Line, Mardi Gras, was celebrated today at Meyer Turku shipyard.

At some 180,000 gross tons, it will be the largest vessel in the fleet of the company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc and the fourth unit in a class of LNG powered vessels but at Meyer Turku and Meyer Werft for four brands of the Carnival group.

“We can’t wait for our guests to experience Mardi Gras, a one-of-a-kind ship that is true game changer and continues the evolution of the Carnival vacation experience,” said Ben Clement, Carnival’s senior vice president of newbuilds, in a statement.

“I believe Mardi Gras will be a truly special ship. She will be the first to use our now proven LNG cruise ship propulsion system in North American markets and feature many other sophisticated technologies – including BOLT, the first roller coaster onboard a ship," CEO of Meyer Turku Jan Meyer stated.

With the float-out Mardi Gras' six themed zones are also beginning to take shape with the interior build out of spaces like Emeril’s Bistro 1396 created by famed chef Emeril Lagasse and a groundbreaking new atrium concept with spectacular three-deck-high floor-to-ceiling windows and moveable LED screens.

A cruise ship is always a result of cooperation by many parties. The shipyard’s own design office works with the ship owner architects to create a custom designed ship for the signature style of the Carnival brand – a totally new architectural design. Next almost 1000 specialized companies are engaged in providing materials and complex services to create the cruise ship at Turku Shipyard.

CEO Jan Meyer reminds that the ships are truly smart floating cities:“We are building all the facilities a smart modern city would have: hospitals, IT-networks, restaurants and sophisticated environmental technologies, on a ship sailing the seas. It is a very difficult undertaking but also the end result is really spectacular.”

Mardi Gras will be delivered in late October and Carnival has announced she will enter revenue service on 14 November from Port Canaveral, Florida.

In the spring, Meyer Werft is due to deliver Iona, the first of two ships of the class, to P&O Cruises in the UK, while Meyer Turku delivered Costa Smeralda, to Costa Crociere in December. AIDAnova, the first unit of the class, was handed over by Meyer Werft to AIDA Cruises in late 2018.