Beautiful new ship....but low staffing numbers made for a stressful week.

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 3.8
Author: Mattinwisconsin

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Mattinwisconsin

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 12, 2022

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11231

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

My wife and I talked in detail about whether or not this Cruise was as good as past cruises. The Mardi Gras is a beautiful ship and it is huge so that is something you have to be aware of and be ready for. However there were some parts of the layout that just turned me off to cruising on that ship again. The venue is all being made so small just doesn't make sense to me. Also having the singing and dancing numbers performed on a stage in the middle of the busiest part of the ship seems almost disrespectful to the performers. They're trying to do their job while I'm interested guests are just walking through decks 6 7 and 8 and being loud and drunk and just not that theater feel that you're used to.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Lido and main dining room was poorly staffed and the food was mediocre at best.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Lots of fun things

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Singers were a mix of really good and Terrible

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

This new ship is beautiful. However once they sale at maximum capacity, I just can't imagine having a good time on that ship. Elevators were always congested for our cruise. Also the main theater is much smaller and doesn't have a bar service. They have an entertainment venue right in the middle of what used to be the Promenade area. All of the musical and dance shows happened there and the seating is terrible.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Great room, shower has a glass door. Bed was nice.

Ship tip

Based on how small the venues are, it's nearly impossible to see all of the comedy shows or other dance and singing shows that you would like. On our cruise people were waiting up to an hour in line to get a seat for comedy shows and we weren't even at full capacity.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

4 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Puerto Rico was beautiful. It was our first time there and we didn't find any excursions that we liked so we simply got off the ship and did some shopping. Please be aware that it's up and down very hilly, and a lot of cobblestone streets. It was also pretty warm and humid that day so we just took our time but again it was beautiful.

Thumbs Up 0

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

2 out of 5

It was our first time in Amber Cove and it was a beautiful place. The weather wasn't ideal as we would have sudden downpours and then the sun would come out but that's just part of that region. We did the monkey land Excursion and it was so much fun. My wife was dreading that day but once she got in there she really enjoyed herself.

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island

2 out of 5

It was our first time in Grand Turk and we were absolutely Blown Away. Yes it has the duty-free shop with colognes and liquor but the beautiful beach right there at the pier that is free was just unbelievable. the water was deep blue and again just a breathtaking day and not having to worry about paying for a beach as part of an Excursion.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

13 Comments

byhisgrace 2 years ago

Thanks for your review

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creekguy 2 years ago

Thanks for the review. We will be on it the end of July.

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

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CurlyCruiserYAY 2 years ago

Good info

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jmutt24 2 years ago

I sailed when capacity was 60% and some areas were already super crowded. Once they start sailing at 100% that is not going to be a nice ship. Seems like lots of food areas so that part should be good. But the pools, casino, comedy clubs to name a few are not going to be good as they were packed on my 60% capacity cruise.

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Leonardw2021 2 years ago

Thank you for your review. I am going on this ship soon you you made me a little nervous

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valrie205 2 years ago

I appreciate your review!

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Thanks for the review. People either seem to love or hate the design of Mardi Gras. Luckily there are plenty of other Carnival ships to choose from for future cruises.

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations and thanks for your reasonings. Glad you enjoyed your cruise anyway.

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izrgreen 2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

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dkantouth 2 years ago

Thanks for your review. I have many of your same concerns even on smaller ships at full capacity. Substitute the Casino stage and could have been almost any ship.

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cruising2004 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience.

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Sorry the cruise did not meet your expectations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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