In keeping with maritime tradition, a keel-laying ceremony was held today (June 18) at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, for Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, which is scheduled to enter service in August 2020. The ceremony, which dates back hundreds of years, was highlighted by the placement of coins on top of a 750-ton keel block called 3C signifying good luck for the ship and the official start of construction.

Mardi Gras is set to debut in Europe Aug. 31, 2020, then reposition to New York for a series of voyages before shifting to Port Canaveral, Fla., for year-round Caribbean departures.