Carnival Cruise Line releases update on construction of first roller coaster at sea

Carnival Cruise Line has released photos of the construction of their newest ship and the first roller coaster at sea progressing in Finland.

By Niamh Larkin

The new ship, ‘Mardi Gras’, is the 28th ship in Carnival’s cruise fleet and is being built in Turku, Finland at the Meyer Turku shipyard in preparation for its February 2021 debut.

Carnival Cruise Line launched its first ship, ‘TSS Mardi Gras,’ in 1972. The new ‘Mardi Gras’ ship pays homage to the original Carnival Cruise and also signals the new elements that will be found onboard.

The Mardi Gras ship will have 21 decks encompassing over 2,600 staterooms, which include 180 suites from 11 categories.

The ship will have six distinct themed zones; Grand Central, French Quarter, Summer Landing, La Piazza, Lido and the Ultimate Playground at Sea. Restaurants from Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri and Shaquille O’Neal will also be featured onboard.

In the Ultimate Playground, you will find BOLT, the fastest and first roller coaster at sea. The all-electric open-air coaster’s speed is controlled by the riders as they circle the upper decks 187 feet above the water line. Workers have installed 800 feet of suspended track for the motorcycle-style coaster so far.

Mardi Gras is scheduled to enter service on Feb. 6, 2021 and will sail out of the new Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral to the Caribbean. Itineraries can be booked through April 2023 on Carnival.com.