Very Disappointing

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 3.3
Author: mmearon

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

mmearon

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 24, 2022

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9236

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

I will never cruise the big ships again. It was like bumper to bumper people at all times. We had to wait to eat at any place. For my timing we had up to 80 minutes to wait. The lines at most restaurants were extremely long that we didn't get to try some of them for that reason. The lines to get back on the ship from excursions were long. The elevators were the worst the entire the cruise had to wait for an elevator all the time. We will continue to cruise but on smaller ships for less waiting.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ran smoothly

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The wait time for all restaurants was unacceptable. The lines for buffets and restaurants was awful and it was every day.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

No too crowded

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Same shows several nights in a row or repeated. Comedians were not that great very disappointed with entertainment.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Room steward was good and very helpful and went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed. Waiters were so busy and no personal attention like in past cruising

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Yes, the ship cleanliness was good.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Size and comfort were great utilized the balcony the majority time of the cruise.

Ship tip

Don't go the ship is enormous, way too many people. You have to wait for everything.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5

We did not take an excursion. Just shopped around.

Thumbs Up 0

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

4 out of 5

Very informative excursion city sights and beach getaway.

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island

4 out of 5

Did an excursion City vibes and beach getaway. Too much of city and not enough time at the beach.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Took way too long. Waited in line forever with only one person checking each person out. Needed more crew to checkout each passenger.

11 Comments

gumby03 1 year ago

We went in may leave again on Saturday. We used the app to make reservations and they let us know when tables were ready. Great experience. Never a line at buffets. Pizza was probably the longest wait at night, and shaqs chicken was second longest at lunch. Wish there were more late night options but that would be fleet wide, other than pizza.

Thumbs Up 0

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HarrFam120 1 year ago

Onboard in amber cove I have to say this ship is at 6300 passengers and not once has it felt cramped or bumper to bumper Not once have I not been able to find seating or tables for dining Seems to be eateries and bars all over the ship Sea days have been busy by main pool but that’s standard around cruising Everywhere else has been fine Lido Buffet has been laid out really well Great ship I will be back

Thumbs Up 2

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Cruisersnoozer 1 year ago

Thanks for the review!

Thumbs Up 0

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donald1lane 1 year ago

Sailed Thanksgiving week and was full to capacity and never felt crowded.

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 0

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badlcho 1 year ago

My husband and I were on the Mardi Gras early December. The ship was near capacity and it never felt crowded. We used the Hub app to check in for main dining room and didn’t have to wait in any long lines or even that long for our table to be ready. We made reservations for Chibang, Cucina Capitano through the app as well so no waiting. We made a reservation for Bonsai Teppanyaki when we booked the cruise but reservations can be made through the app as well. If you used the app I am not sure why you had to wait in long lines. Even the at the lido no long lines.

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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kelskazoo22 1 year ago

Thank you for the review.

Thumbs Up 0

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cortneyb 1 year ago

of course it was busy with long lines. you sailed over Christmas. what did you expect? I sailed on mardi gras in August (mid August) so was full, never had to wait long for food

Thumbs Up 0

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yk07us 1 year ago

You've cruised on three RC megaships, how Mardi Gras is so different? Even if you don't like this ship why tell others not to go? A lot of people like large ships that offer more

Thumbs Up 0

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cruisegirl16 1 year ago

I loved the Mardi Gras, went during Halloween. You have to go early to beat the crowds.

Thumbs Up 0

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