On the morning of Saturday, April 16, it was reported that a man jumped from Mardi Gras, part of the Carnival line. According to a Coast Guard spokesman, the ship was en route to Port Canaveral near Orlando when the terrifying incident occurred.
By the early evening, the man still wasn’t found.
Several vessels aided Mardi Gras in the search efforts, including Elation, another of the Carnival ships. According to USA Today, “the Coast Guard brought in two cutters, the Heron and Ibis, as well as fixed-wing aircraft to continue the search.”
Carnival confirmed that it was offering support to the man’s family.
This is not the only instance of a passenger throwing themselves from a Carnival ship this year. In February, a woman jumped from the balcony while onboard the Carnival Valor. That ship had left Mexico the day before and was less than 200 miles from Southwest Pass, Louisiana. In March, a man jumped from Carnival Horizon, which had departed from Turks and Caicos. In that instance, a body was recovered.
Though not very common, incidents such as these raise questions about cruise safety.
Mardi Gras shares a name with Carnival’s first ship, the TSS Mardi Gras, which launched in 1972. At that time, it revolutionized the cruise experience, and this latest version ups the ante. According to the website, there are “six themed areas packed with brand new experiences for eating, drinking and spectacularly getting down to fun.” There’s also BOLT, the first sea roller coaster, water slides, bars and more.
More details are expected to be released in the coming days.