Where's Mardi Gras?

[jimbo5544]

32 minutes ago, DubNHub said:

Italy, Spain, and I’m afraid Finland... doesn’t matter where, I think it’s all going to be affected. Just waiting on word from Carnival while I research other cruises. We booked a Jan 2021 Mardi Gras cruise because our April 2020 cruise on the Breeze was a no-go. Wouldn’t be surprised if we had to re-reschedule this one. 

We are in the same boat (pun intended) and already hav already lost our 8/31 initial sailing, and booked a room 1/23/20 (Excel Aft wrap which is booked out months ahead). So feel your pain.  We just have to wait, they are in free fall and will cancel when and if they cannot make the date.

[Elbozi]

I'm supposed to be on Thanksgiving Cruise.  I hope to go but have my doubts, even if Meyer Turku remains open.   The Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany stopped work yesterday; they were working on another Carnival Owned ship for P&O; it was supposed to launch in June.  It was down to just cabin finishings.   Meyer Turku still has workers working on the Mardi Gras as of yesterday. Finland hasn't been too bad thus far with Covid19.   I assume the most significant issue at the moment is going to be supply chain delays.  

 

[Elbozi]

While it may not hold, the Meyer Turku shipyard still had workers in action as of yesterday.   Hopefully, things move smoothly, but it's a battle between Covid19 lockdowns and supply chain problems.

[crewsweeper]

11 minutes ago, Elbozi said:

While it may not hold, the Meyer Turku shipyard still had workers in action as of yesterday.   Hopefully, things move smoothly, but it's a battle between Covid19 lockdowns and supply chain problems.

Several Scandinavian countries have NOT locked down.  Not experiencing any contagion.

[crewsweeper]

We're still hoping the 1-30-21 cruise sails. But we've booked RCCL's new Odyssey of the Seas in mid March as a backup.  2 cruises in 2 months on the 2 newest and largest cruise ships would be awesome though.

[DubNHub]

Oh that’s good news.... we’ll see what happens!

[crewsweeper]

6 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Several Scandinavian countries have NOT locked down.  Not experiencing any contagion.

Let me clarify,  all have travel restrictions and many have limited hours or places open. To the extent foreign workers are quarantined or sent home, this can have an impact on the shipyard.

[Lee Cruiser]

On 3/25/2020 at 11:35 AM, elphin said:

It is entirely possible there is a plausible reason for not allowing bookings before March next year perhaps all sailings are sold out?  Therefore treat this post as mere speculation.

 

It's possible, but I don't see it as likely.  The first cruise showing up on March 27 and the weeks following have plenty of available rooms.

[Lee Cruiser]

On 3/20/2020 at 2:15 PM, cksv said:

Even considering the fact that people are rescheduling their cruises due to COVID-19, I find it hard to believe that the Mardi Gras suddenly sold out overnight for 4 consecutive months, especially on Carnival's largest ship ever built.

I agree.  Another thing that makes me believe this is looking at the first several cruises that are showing up.  These cruises have plenty of rooms available.  It may just be Carnival taking precautions in case there are further delays in the build, but it certainly does appear that they have removed these cruises from the system.

[Joebucks]

12 hours ago, Lee Cruiser said:

I agree.  Another thing that makes me believe this is looking at the first several cruises that are showing up.  These cruises have plenty of rooms available.  It may just be Carnival taking precautions in case there are further delays in the build, but it certainly does appear that they have removed these cruises from the system.

 

Yup, I could be wrong, but I agree with you guys. I was literally watching winter Mardi Gras cruises for months. There were plenty of options, then suddenly, there were none. I'm quite sure the front line people would say it's sold out if they can't access it. They wouldn't be given confidential company info on that. It just seems so unlikely.

[jimbo5544]

53 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

Yup, I could be wrong, but I agree with you guys. I was literally watching winter Mardi Gras cruises for months. There were plenty of options, then suddenly, there were none. I'm quite sure the front line people would say it's sold out if they can't access it. They wouldn't be given confidential company info on that. It just seems so unlikely.

If it is as you say, the front line is in the dark like us.  Loose lips sink ships...waxing poetic here, but appropriate.  

[Fivehole]

Earliest sailing I can find is 3/27/2021 - am I missing something?

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, Fivehole said:

Earliest sailing I can find is 3/27/2021 - am I missing something?

Yup, the facts to support the claim.  

[crewsweeper]

1 hour ago, Fivehole said:

Earliest sailing I can find is 3/27/2021 - am I missing something?

There's a whole thread on this.  scroll down a page or so.  You'll see the latest.

[Jamman54]

Can you book a cruise on the Mardi Gras before 3/27/21? No. Are the Mardi Gras cruises before 3/27/21 cancelled? No. Not yet. All will depend on how soon they can start working on her again. Stay tuned. 

[Elbozi]

I posted a thread about the Fire on Mardi Gras from Finnish News.  Appears to be confined to one cabin, but not sure of extent of Smoke Damage,  this was on one of the upper decks.    Also from Finnish News,  Meyer Turku is under financial stress from the Corona-virus.   Not sure but they may be looking at delayed payments.     Meyer Turku, has contacted the workers unions to negotiate layoffs.     I would imagine they would keep building the Mardi Gras,  but future keels may be delayed.

 

https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2020/03/17/abovarvet-samarbetsforhandlar

[PFV]

I have been emailing back and forth today with our PCP regarding our April18th Breeze cruise being cancelled.  I told him I'm getting mixed messages about our Mardi Gras cruise for 12-5-2020.  I said the first available cruise is March 2021 I see from Carnival's website!  For what its worth he told me the 12-5-2020 cruise is still "active"...….  Now what does that mean in real life?????

[dtoulmin]

News report from April 2020

Other major new ships due in 2020 that could be affected by coronavirus-related work slowdowns include Carnival Cruise Line’s much-awaited, 180,000-ton Mardi Gras. This is the vessel that famously will have a roller coaster on its top deck — a cruise industry first.

Mardi Gras has been under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, since late 2018. Its maiden voyage currently is scheduled Nov. 14.

In recent weeks, the first 19 departures of Mardi Gras scheduled through March 20, 2021 have disappeared from Carnival’s website. But the sailings still are on, according to a spokesperson for Carnival. The spokesperson told TPG the sailings have disappeared from Carnival’s booking engine because the line is capping capacity on them, resulting in them showing as “sold out.”

The first Mardi Gras sailing still available to book on Carnival’s website is on March 27, 2021.

The arrival of Mardi Gras already has been pushed back once. The ship originally was scheduled to debut in August of this year, but late last year it’s arrival was delayed to November.

A spokesperson for the Meyer Turku shipyard told The Points Guy the coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on the facility but work continues.

[NightOne]

26 minutes ago, dtoulmin said:

News report from April 2020

Other major new ships due in 2020 that could be affected by coronavirus-related work slowdowns include Carnival Cruise Line’s much-awaited, 180,000-ton Mardi Gras. This is the vessel that famously will have a roller coaster on its top deck — a cruise industry first.

Mardi Gras has been under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, since late 2018. Its maiden voyage currently is scheduled Nov. 14.

In recent weeks, the first 19 departures of Mardi Gras scheduled through March 20, 2021 have disappeared from Carnival’s website. But the sailings still are on, according to a spokesperson for Carnival. The spokesperson told TPG the sailings have disappeared from Carnival’s booking engine because the line is capping capacity on them, resulting in them showing as “sold out.”

The first Mardi Gras sailing still available to book on Carnival’s website is on March 27, 2021.

The arrival of Mardi Gras already has been pushed back once. The ship originally was scheduled to debut in August of this year, but late last year it’s arrival was delayed to November.

A spokesperson for the Meyer Turku shipyard told The Points Guy the coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on the facility but work continues.

 

Link to article this is from:

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/coronavirus-causes-new-ship-delays/

 

Also, I will note that this is speculation and not fact on the part of the article

[dtoulmin]

9 minutes ago, NightOne said:

 

Link to article this is from:

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/coronavirus-causes-new-ship-delays/

 

Also, I will note that this is speculation and not fact on the part of the article

 

[dtoulmin]

44 minutes ago, dtoulmin said:

 

I respectfully disagree that this is speculation.

1. The Mardi Gras was delayed and my sailing from Southampton to Ny was cancelled Sept 2020.

2 Carnival removed sailing Nov 2020 to March 2021 from their Website.

3 A spokesperson for the Meyer Turku shipyard told The Points Guy the coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on the facility but work continues. (Meyer Turku spokesperson Tapani Mylly )
  We have a sailing booked Feb 2021. When we booked  many rooms were available now they are not not. This is the facts.

The same pattern happen when they cancelled our first booking. Sailings disappeared from the website site, I called Carnival and was told it is now sold out.     A few weeks later the sailing disappeared from my trip details on the Carnival website. A few days I got a cancellation email from Carnival.            We are hoping that the sailing will go in Feb 2021 we have a Aft suite and we looking forward to the sailing. 
The following is speculation it may be delayed due the the pandemic. Carnival is protecting themselves from costs associated with possible more cancellations. 

Edited April 22, 2020 by dtoulmin

[MCC retired]

The spokesperson told TPG the sailings have disappeared from Carnival’s booking engine because the line is capping capacity on them, resulting in them showing as “sold out.”

 

That sounds to me to be a good reason that so many sailings went to Sold Out overnight .

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, dtoulmin said:

I respectfully disagree that this is speculation.

1. The Mardi Gras was delayed and my sailing from Southampton to Ny was cancelled Sept 2020.

2 Carnival removed sailing Nov 2020 to March 2021 from their Website.

3 A spokesperson for the Meyer Turku shipyard told The Points Guy the coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on the facility but work continues. (Meyer Turku spokesperson Tapani Mylly )
  We have a sailing booked Feb 2021. When we booked  many rooms were available now they are not not. This is the facts.

The same pattern happen when they cancelled our first booking. Sailings disappeared from the website site, I called Carnival and was told it is now sold out.     A few weeks later the sailing disappeared from my trip details on the Carnival website. A few days I got a cancellation email from Carnival.            We are hoping that the sailing will go in Feb 2021 we have a Aft suite and we looking forward to the sailing. 
The following is speculation it may be delayed due the the pandemic. Carnival is protecting themselves from costs associated with possible more cancellations. 

 

Literally the definition of speculation 🙂

 

As of this moment there has been no announcement of any kind from any one stating that Mardis Gras is going to be delayed again. (Not from Carnival, not from the ship yard, and not from TPG)

 

This could change in the future but as of now it is speculation 🙂

[dtoulmin]

Past Carnival actions and the world issues certainly do not look good for all all some of the sailing to be cancelled again Feb 2020 - March 2021. I hope I am wrong. We love the look of the New Aft suites and we are looking forward to the cruise.

I like to call it an educated observation  based on facts and past actions. You can call it speculation.  
Happy Sailing 

Edited April 22, 2020 by dtoulmin

[MrsKC08]

On 3/19/2020 at 12:17 AM, cksv said:

I ran a search on the website and November, December, January, February sailings are all missing. The first sailing that appears is in March. Looks like the ship may be further delayed.

So far there is not true report that the ship will be delayed further, just speculation due to the current crisis and the fact that bookings aren't showing up anywhere prior to late March. 

 

On 3/19/2020 at 4:50 PM, cksv said:

Carnival just posted this 8K and one interesting bit:

"The Corporation also believes the effects of COVID-19 on the shipyards where its ships are under construction, will result in a delay in ship deliveries."

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/node/60916/html

 

I'd bet that the delivery date has been pushed out and will be communicated to those that have bookings prior to March 2021 shortly.

Again, speculation. Not that it isn't warranted, but it isn't confirmed either.

 

On 3/25/2020 at 11:35 AM, elphin said:

According to the Carnival website the ship cannot be booked before March 2021.  I am wondering if its delivery is being delayed again?  Work in Finland has ground to a halt as a result of the virus so this seems very possible.  If delivery is being delayed why doesn't Carnival tell us straight rather than leaving cruisers to find out by deduction?

 

It is entirely possible there is a plausible reason for not allowing bookings before March next year perhaps all sailings are sold out?  Therefore treat this post as mere speculation.

 

On 3/26/2020 at 12:03 PM, Elbozi said:

While it may not hold, the Meyer Turku shipyard still had workers in action as of yesterday.   Hopefully, things move smoothly, but it's a battle between Covid19 lockdowns and supply chain problems.

Yes, shipyard workers are STILL working and there is still progress happening on Mardi Gras. They are, however at lower employee count according to reports I've seen.

 

3 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

Link to article this is from:

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/coronavirus-causes-new-ship-delays/

 

Also, I will note that this is speculation and not fact on the part of the article

 

1 hour ago, MCC retired said:

The spokesperson told TPG the sailings have disappeared from Carnival’s booking engine because the line is capping capacity on them, resulting in them showing as “sold out.”

 

That sounds to me to be a good reason that so many sailings went to Sold Out overnight .

THIS is the key right here.

 

Like most of you, I too have a booking on Mardi Gras for late February 2021. I often time check rates and noticed a few weeks ago that I couldn't do a mock booking for my dates, not only on Carnival but on several other 3rd party sites and with our TA's. I actually had my TA that we have our booking with reach out to Carnival, because my booking was still showing in the cruise planner and I was able to add things like excursions, drink package, dining, etc. Carnival confirmed that the sailing was at their sailing limit and the category that we are booked in was actualy truly sold out. 

I then reached out to Matt Mitcham, who is going to be the Cruise Director for Mardi Gras, and he mentioned the same...that the cruises have not been canceled.

 

So that that as you will. But as mentioned, with all of the initial cruisers that needed to reschedule because deployment was pushed back, along with thousands of others that had their other cruises canceled because of Covid, and the fact that they will most likely not be sailing at capacity for a while because of Covid, or at least until they know the best/sweet spot for passengers...so far the cruises are still a go.