PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s a long awaited homecoming: Carnival’s newest ship, Mardi Gras, pulled into Port Canaveral to an excited crowd.      

Hundreds showed up during the early morning hours on Friday to see the spectacle.  

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But it’s not just about a new state-of-the-art boat, it was also a new beginning. 

Lisa Harmon, from Largo, was on land cheering on the Mardi Gras as it docked. 

“It was just so refreshing,” said Harmon.   

With vaccinations numbers going up and coronavirus cases going down, Harmon saw the Mardi Gras cruises by as a return to life before the pandemic.   

“It made you feel like life would be back to normal,” said Harmon. 

Cruise ships have been docked since last March.  

For Mary Lou Zurawski and Rich Bornhorst, no cruises for more than a year has been unbearable. 

“Kind of depressing. You know, but what can you do?” said Rich Bornhorst. 

The couple has been on 39 cruises. They love it so much, they retired two years ago and moved from Chicago to Florida, specifically to go on more cruises. 

“We got in two cruises, on Carnival, and then they canceled everything,” said Mary Lou Zurawski.  

After more than a year of not cruising, seeing the Mardi Gras pull in, “I did get teary eyed because it’s returning to cruising is what we want to do,” said Zurawski. 

With eco-friendly power and topped with a rollercoaster, Carnival calls the Mardi Gras its most “innovative” ship.   

After the CDC approved its port agreement late last week, Carnival said it’s focused on returned to Port Canaveral soon. 

“Here we go. We’re finally getting to do something again,” said Harmon. 

Mary Lou and Rich are planning to make up for lost time by already booking several cruises on Mardi Gras. 

Carnival said it expects to be back in service next month.