Fun ship, has its pluses and minuses

Mardi Gras Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 28

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5
Mardi Gras

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 28, 2022

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12219

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

The cruise overall was great. Can’t blame anyone for bad weather, but we had it and Carnival took care to make sure everyone had something to do. The ship is nice but Venus are too small for the amount of people carnival plans to have on them. The extra dining options are fantastic and love that most are no charge.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation was quick and painless. The only complaint that I have is they need to add some sound deadening tiles to the ceiling and/or get more speakers. We could barely hear the group numbers being called to board the ship. That is my only complaint that I have with embarkation.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The food and drink on the ship was great. There were very few times we didn’t enjoy at least something during meal time. The only complaint I have is that some of the bars were so busy at times it was hard to get a drink. This might have to do with current staffing issues or just the size of the ship to bar ratio.

Big Chicken by Shaq

5 out of 5

Great chicken and fries. I loved the honey syrup breakfast chicken biscuit. This was great from the normal eggs and pancakes on the buffet. The chicken is a bit more peppery then a lot of places but very good.

Piazza Piani

4 out of 5

Pizza was very good, but seemed understaffed as was the entire ship. The two guys there though were pumping out the pizzas as quickly as they could.

Flamingo Restaurant

3 out of 5

We started on week with late dining and we’re out into the flamingo restaurant. Not a fan of this dining room. It is dark and on the side of the ship and you can’t see outside sites very well. The service was not very good in here either, though I am guessing they were particularly understaffed here. Food was good, but the dining area left more to be desired.

Palm Restaurant

4 out of 5

Food and service was much better here than the flamingo dining room. Servers seemed happier and food came out quicker.

The Watering Hole

5 out of 5

A nice hidden bar that was never busy but made good quality drinks.

Street Eats

5 out of 5

Very neat and fun food option. Loved how it rotated everyday and was just as small quick bite.

Havana Bar

5 out of 5

This bar was nice, not too busy so quickly served and drinks were made nicely.

Cucina del Capitano

4 out of 5

Decent Italian food, nothing terrible nothing super amazing.

Chibang!

5 out of 5

Loved ChiBang, the food options are fantastic. If you like spicy get the kung pow chicken, so spicy. Everything we had here was great.

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

Burritos and tacos are always delicious for lunch. Service is great and fresh.

Bar della Rosa

5 out of 5

I recommend heading here in the morning for coffee instead of Java Blue if there is a long line a Java Blur. They can make all the same items and is usually less busy.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Cherry on Top

4 out of 5

Kids enjoyed the weigh and eat candy, a little pricey but they had fun picking out a few items.

Waterworks Aqua Park

5 out of 5

Kids enjoyed the slides and was nice to have seating for adults around the area.

Patio Pool & Whirlpool

5 out of 5

A very nice pool, out of the way and not too busy.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Mardi Gras Theater

4 out of 5

Was a nice theater when you could find a seat. People would often save seats long before any show started so you had to get there early to find a seat. The only time on our cruise the screens were down to see out then was embarkation day and debarkation day.

BOLT Ultimate Sea Coaster

4 out of 5

Was fun, but a quick ride, 2 laps in under a minute. Price is a little high at $15 per person.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
The design of the ship is beating in having different zones to attract people. There was food at different areas which was nice but also not great. The pizza place was very busy and down on 8, so if you have people who wanted pizza but others wanted the lido buffet you had to have 1 person go down to 8 and then by the time they got through the pizza line the people up on lido were probably done eating. The ship was always clean everywhere we went. Staff were always cleaning and making sure everything looked good.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Our cabin was very nice. We had no issues with the size at all. The bathroom shower was very nice with the glass doors. I had heard of people complaining about the size but didn’t think it was bad or small at all.

Ship tip

Book specialty restaurants way in advance if you want a chance to attend. If you want to get on Bolt, book early as it will probably be canceled and you’ll need to rebook. Get to shows early as the fill fast and there might not be another show.

Ports of call

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5
Beautiful stop and loved having the beach within walking distance from the ship. Spent all of our time there and had great views of the ship.

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
Was very easy to get to the ship and drop off our luggage as well as leave when the cruise was over.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
No issues here at all. Off the ship quickly, through facial recognition of customs and then out. No hassle, no issues.
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8 Comments

Pheznt55    2 years ago

I’m sensing a constant with all the reviews , the venues are way too small.

GabeNSteph    2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback

javawoody    2 years ago

Appreciate the review

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

donald1lane    2 years ago

Thanks for your review. Will be on board Thanksgiving week.

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

apurpleness528    2 years ago

I'll be on MARDI GRAS in October, I really enjoyed your review

wooti05    2 years ago

Thanks for your thorough review, going on her in Dec 2022 and can't wait. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

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