Carnival Mardi Gras Is Back in Action, With 100 Connecting Rooms, a Bigger Casino, and New-Look Shops 

Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel-class flagship — is back in service today after an extensive dry dock in Marseilles, France, unveiling a slate of new enhancements designed to elevate the onboard experience for families and groups.

The ship departs Barcelona on a 15-day transatlantic voyage, charting a course to its year-round homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida.

From there, Mardi Gras will resume its schedule of Caribbean sailings, with itineraries ranging from seven to nine days.

A key focus of the upgrade was improving flexibility for families and larger travel parties. One hundred staterooms now feature connecting doors, making it easier for multi-generational groups to travel together. Carnival Adventures has been redesigned with a new layout to make excursion planning more seamless, while the onboard casino has been expanded with new slot machines.

Several retail venues, including Tag Heuer, Breitling, Pandora and Swarovski, have been refreshed, and accessibility enhancements have been introduced throughout the ship — including redesigned walkways and upgraded features in public areas and cabins.

“Mardi Gras was a game-changer when she debuted as our first Excel-class ship, and now she’s setting the pace again as the first in her class to complete a dry dock,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “These updates not only enhance the onboard experience for families and groups but also signal the exciting direction we’re heading in with future fleet enhancements.”

Guests sailing on this transatlantic crossing will visit Málaga and Cádiz (Seville), Spain; Tenerife in the Canary Islands; and Celebration Key, Carnival’s private destination in the Bahamas. Once back in Florida, Mardi Gras will continue to offer Caribbean itineraries year-round. In 2027, she’s set to make history again as the first Excel-class ship to offer shorter four- and five-day Caribbean cruises.