Great vacation with some disappointments returning to Carnival

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 3.7
Author: hbmom68166318

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

hbmom68166318

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

Sail date: September 07, 2021

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 10210

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 3 years ago

Review summary

Really enjoyed our cruise, but disappointed in the entertainment and perks for suite passengers compared to your experience for the past 25 cruises with Royal Caribbean. The casino on this ship is fabulous and huge. Great dining choices as well as casual lunches and breakfast. Buffet at the Marketplace was very so so with limited choices. They did a great job accommodating smoking on the 8th floor outdoor bar. We met lovely people that made the week very joyful!

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Terrible. We were booked in an upper class suite and all communications indicated we would have a speedy escorted embarkation. We continued to ask staff as we were shuffled into the general lines with hordes of people. There was no signage. At the very end of the process before stepping on to the ship we see a lovely glassed in lounge. An employee told us thats where the “upper suite” guests go through embarkation! And that began the other disappointments Carnival imposed on us with high expectations on the perks of the booking the Excel Corner suite.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Very disappointing after returning to Carnival from a long stint with Royal. Our suite was adequate size and furnishings. Closet space and drawers were plentiful. But again, after booking with Royal Caribbean for years now, the bathroom was ultra disappointing. So small and only one sink. Also, our very large wrap around balcony was obstructed with 4’ high solid metal. If you are sitting, you can not see the sea. As well it was about 3’ wide, super narrow. Hardly ever used it. Bed is very hard. We heard many passengers saying the same thing. Very nice that each room(bath, living, bedroom) had it’s own thermostat controls.

Ship tip

Get to the pool early….it was packed and we were sailing at only 70% capacity due to Covid

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

8 Comments

hollysmomtravel 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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CruiseladyGail 3 years ago

We agree the beds were like sleeping on concrete we got a Mattress topper made a world of difference the ship was huge but cabins are slot narrow than their other ships bathrooms are small

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izrgreen 3 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to write a review

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AuntPinkie 3 years ago

Appreciate your review. Surprised that the Mardi Gras has only one sink for the suite as all other Carnival ships have 2 sinks and a bathtub. Not surprised you didn’t get priority boarding as they have discontinued that for now for everyone. Looks like Carnival is not for you. Glad you were able to sail on the new ship.

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Curt34 3 years ago

Thanks for reviewing your experience.

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javawoody 3 years ago

Thanks for the review

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cruising2004 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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nclcruzr 3 years ago

Why did you go to Carnival after sailing with RC for so long?

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