Mardi Gras take 2

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 3.5
Author: k9nurse011

Mardi Gras Cruise Review

k9nurse011

Contributor Level: Second Mate

74 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 10

Helpful Votes: 171

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 28, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11432

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall the cruise was excellent as always. I wish I would have payed for the upgrade to be on the 15th floor as my neighbors were terrible. But that’s something you can’t control. I will definitely be on this ship and probably Celebration in the future.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Very quick and efficient. Check in time was 1030-1100 was on board by 1130.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Big Chicken by Shaq

5 out of 5

Having chicken tenders on a cruise is always a win for me!

Brass Magnolia Bar

5 out of 5

Great entertainment and drinks. Depending on the entertainment can get very busy! It was standing room only for the electric violins.

Palm Restaurant

3 out of 5

There were some hits and some misses. The first night my husband’s appetizer was inedible. The last night the menu had a lot of repeats, but I always go for baked Alaska. Erdie from our service team was wonderful and attentive. I hope he gets promoted to a lead waiter he deserves it.

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

Finally got a drink here. They were very good. Surprisingly not as crowded as the last time even though the last time was at 50% capacity.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Mardi Gras Casino

4 out of 5

We lost again. This was the most crowded I have ever seen a casino! There were people waiting for machines. I had booked this cruise on a previous casino deal however, I did not realize that this was an elite cruise! Made sense as to the crowds once we realized that. If you went during non popular hours there were no issues getting a machine or table. But we still donated more than we made haha

Sportsquare

5 out of 5

Walked the track everyday. Also played the mini golf everyday (I am still the champion!). They also have basketball, volleyball, billiards, cornhole, and Fooseball tables.

Summer Landing

5 out of 5

This is the most relaxing spot on the ship with everything you need at your disposal. Pool, hot tubs, bar, food, ice cream. But get their early! People take chairs and don’t appear for hours (as with any cruise).

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Electric violins were excellent and played really cool tunes. We didn’t see any comedy or stage shows. I want to see Celestial strings but my husband did not. It wasn’t worth the fight.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

We never saw or room steward Endi but the room was always clean. They are still only offering once a day room cleaning we chose evening as we normally nap during the day. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I will again give credit to Erdie the assistant waiter. He was so attentive and funny.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

She is only 2 years old and doesn’t show a day of her age. Everything is still clean, maintained, and in great condition! The best thing Carnival ever did was get rid of the old balcony doors that can slam shut and put in the sliding doors!

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

This cabin seemed smaller than the last one and they were both balcony. You couldn’t get in the closet if someone was opening the bathroom door and their was not enough room to walk past each other past the closets. To no fault of the ship: but somehow we got booked right in the middle of a family on ALL SIDES of us. So they were constantly talking to each other over us if we were sitting on the balcony. The kids would then run up and down the hall all day and night and SLAM the doors! On our last day I thought the TV was going to fall off the wall they were slamming the doors so hard! It was very awkward in the hallways.

Ship tip

Get to shows early if you want to get a seat (at least 30 min). I have spent a total of 14 days on this ship and she is still my favorite. You can be as active or as secluded as you would like. Everyone remember this is not your home and screaming, jumping off the beds, slamming doors effects your neighbors as well.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

2 out of 5

If I come back I will buy a beach excursion or stay on the ship. Although it’s a carnival destination your drink package and WiFi do not work in port. So if you want something you need to pay for it. There is no beach at the port, just a pool.

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 out of 5

We got off and explored on our own. Hiked a total of 6.4 miles. Walked all along the sea wall, saw El Morrow, and got an original pina coloda at the birthplace!

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island

4 out of 5

Got off and used the free beach chairs at Margaritaville. We heard someone say that they were renting clamshells for 35$. Take water shoes there are rocks the whole way along the swimming area. But the water is well worth it.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

This time was “every man for himself”. Unfortunately we had to dock an hour late due to a medical emergency. Let’s just say people were frothing at the mouth to get off! The cruise director had to make multiple announcements starting at 6am to not line up on the 6th floor. We were still at sea! Once the lines got moving things went relatively quickly but everyone was in a mad rush to make their flights. (That is why you don’t book a flight before noon).