Basic cruise, not what I was expecting for the money

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 4.2
Author: AshleyD403

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

AshleyD403

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 26

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 18, 2022

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 4376

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Probably will not be sailing carnival again. Service has gone downhill and cleanliness is out the window. I am switching to MSC. Their service and ships are way beyond par

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Easy. We used VeriFLY and check in was really fast!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

MDR was much better once we were seated in a different area. The first 2 nights the wait staff were rude and seemed inconvenienced when we asked for something. they did not even ask if I wanted a drink! The buffet was ok, nothing spectacular.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Pools were ok but lots of crowding, not big enough for the amount of people on board. Not a lot of entertainment honestly for being such a large ship. We did watch Family Feud, but the theatre was disgustingly dirty. Chairs were sticky from spilled drinks, carpet was dirty and stained.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

DJ Cue was great

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

My daughter said the kids club was ok. Nothing special and I do know a lot of children did not want to return once they went.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Once we got a better table in the MDR our servers were great. Christopher and Christopher were AMAZING and honestly they are the only reason why we went back. Our room steward was also amazing. We were in 4376. Otherwise, the staff was honestly rude and negligent. We had to hunt servers down for drinks. If customers are paying for the cheers package, it would be helpful to serve them drinks that are already paid for! The bar staff was slow and not very welcoming. Much different than other cruises I have taken. The overall atmosphere was "weird." Weird vibe and did not feel very homey and welcoming.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Honestly, I was expecting more from such a newer and larger ship. The layout was fine, but the carpets were stained, and the elevators are HORRIBLE. There are a lot of positive covid cases, probably due to such high volumes of people and a lack of sanitizing and cleaning. The cleaning standards have dropped dramatically and you can tell. I am one of the positive cases returning.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The room was nice. Our steward was great and always available and plenty of room and very clean.