Mardi Gras seen in Fort Lauderdale, circa 1987. Carnival was an upstart Miami cruise line in 1972 when the TSS (Turbine Steamship) Mardi Gras, their first vessel, ran aground on her maiden cruise from Miami. Carnival's luck has changed since then.

Mardi Gras was originally the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Canada, completed in 1962 by Vickers-Armstrong, Newcastle. She sailed for Carnival from 1972-1993, and later sold to Epirotiki who renamed her Olympic. She bounced around within the Epirotiki family until 2003 when, as Royal Olympic's Appollon, she was sold for scrap.