'Mardi Gras' cruise ship sets sail from Port Canaveral

Carnival cruise line's newest ship, the highly-anticipated Mardi Gras, made history at Port Canaveral as cruise lovers and passengers set sail on Saturday.

Saying they were thrilled to be back cruising was an understatement.

"We are so excited. We have been waiting for 16 months for this day and it has already arrived. Yay Carnival!" said one passenger.

This trip marked Port Canaveral’s very first paid passenger cruise since COVID first started, with all passengers vaccinated.

Carnival’s largest "fun ship" is large enough for about 6,000 passengers at full capacity. It was about 70% full for this trip, sailing out of the port's brand new multi-million-dollar Cruise Terminal 3.