This was our second cruise on the Mardi Gras. It was fully booked, so a little crowded at times and in certain areas. It's our favorite ship, with lots of choices for food.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was very smooth. We arrived at the terminal much later than our 10am boarding time due to a sproblem at the offsite parking lot, so we were able to get through priority check-in quickly and board the ship immediately.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We ate dinner in the MDR only 3 times. In some cases we were too full from lunch, and in others the menu didn't appeal to us. We ate in Cucina 1 night, with good food and service but as I noted the last time we were on this ship, I don't think this restaurant provides an exceptional level of food and service that would warrant an extra fee should Carnival decide in the future to charge extra for dinner in Cucina, Chibang and Guy's BBQ/Smokehouse. The buffet was good - especially the carving stations. They now have a shawarma station at the buffet that was good, but that along with the Seadogs station, had very low traffic and I wouldn't be surprised to see both of these eliminated in CCL's continued efforts to reduce food waste. Also, on this cruise, there was a crew member going around the buffet seating area during breakfast hours trying to drum up business for Chibang, asking people to make a reservation. We didn't eat at Chibang this time, but I assume that this no-fee specialty restaurant isn't getting the number of diners they expect. We would have liked to have tried the Bonzai Teppanyaki restaurant for either lunch (seadays only) or dinner, but it was completely booked. Due to people crowding around the entrance to the Palm MDR, those who had received notification that their table was ready had to fight through the crowd to get into the restaurant entrance. Most of the people blocking the entrance were either just making a booking, or awaiting notification for their table. The restaurant staff needs to control this a little better.
The Brass Magnolia
4 out of 5
A great venue for listening to live music, with plenty of seating. Bar service was quite slow.
Street Eats
5 out of 5
Always some interesting food here - usually Asian-focused, which is just what we like. The opening hours (always in the afternoon) seemed to vary, and they're not easily found on the Hub app (scroll all the way down to the end of the food& drinks section - past dinner and late night).
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We spent most of our time in the Serenity area, which is large but fills up rather quickly later in the morning.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Giving 5 stars for both the violin trio and the "backyard band". I think most of the Carnival ships now have a violin trio, but this group of three women, "Sunny Girls String Trio" was truly exceptional, playing everything from the Classics to Pop to Rock. They're also a focal point in one of the center stage productions . The "Backyard Band" was also impressive, playing Rock, Pop and Country - mostly in the Summer Landing area. The bass player is the lead singer, which is very unusual. There was also a very good keyboard and vocal duo "Rick and Ruby" in the Fortuneteller bar, but unfortunately there was a group of guests sitting there having a very loud conversation. Why do people go to a music venue and do that? Very rude.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As on every CCL cruise we've taken, the staff is always smiling and gives 100%. In the MDR (breakfast, brunch and dinner) we noticed that the waitstaff team leaders seemed to be doing most of the work taking orders, delivering food and clearing tables, whereas in the past, the assistants were more customer-facing. Our room steward did a great job taking care of our room, always while we were at breakfast (perfect!).
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I really like the design of this ship. In my opinion, the public areas are actually easier to navigate than some of the smaller ships. The ship is fairly new, so its in good condition and very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I like the fact that the balcony door on the Excel class ships is a full-with sliding glass door. The cabin itself is very comfortable, with a much-needed modern, updated look compared to the older ships. There's also an abundance of USB ports for phone charging. The bathroom is smaller, but the shower with a pivoting glass door is much better than the shower with curtain on older ships. With balcony cabins, there are two major layouts: one with the bed closest to the balcony, and one with the sofa closest to the balcony. It's not possible to know which layout a cabin has from the deck plans. This cabin had the bed near the balcony door, but I prefer the other layout.
Ship tip
The center stage shows are very popular, with limited seating on deck 6 and 7. You'll need to grab a seat at least 30 minutes before showtime, otherwise you'll be standing.
Aside from Half Moon Cay, this is our favorite port in the Caribbean. Love to walk around Old San Juan looking at the architecture. The landmark fort (Castillo San Filipe del Morro) is within a 20 minute walk from the port, and if you have a US National Parks Senior Card, admission is free - otherwise it's $10.
Not a port we enjoy much, as its mostly a for-fee restaurant, pool and small zip line. No beach near the port. Has the usual souvenir and jewelry shops.
Again, the usual souvenir, jewelry and t-shirt shops are at the port, along with a Margaritaville and adjacent free pool. There's also a nice beach with free loungers. This time we opted to walk up the beach to Jack's Shack, which turned out to be a disappointment due to a high rental fee for loungers and high food/beverage costs.
The ship was about 30-40 minutes late returning to Port Canaveral due to a medical emergency and unplanned stop at Princess Cays. Not a problem at all. The debarkation was a bit disorganized, however. Normally passengers cayying their own luggage are called by muster station to alleviate congestion, but this time - all "express" debarkation passengers were permitted to exit the ship at the same time. The priority debarkation for platinum/diamond guests didn't happen as far as I can tell.
Great review. I am looking forward to seeing Old San Juan and your review of Amber Cove and Grand Turk is what I’ve seen at both ports of call. I appreciate your notes of Jack’s Shack as we were planning to go there as we missed it last time in Nov. Thanks for the heads up.
Appreciate your detailed review. The Sunny Girls Trio & Rick and Ruby are two of our favorites as well. What a treat to get them on the same sailing. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and have found your favorite ship.
We did a B2B on the Mardi Gras in 2022, as much as we LOVED IT, we still like the size of the Valor better. Getting older and there is a little less walking to get to the FUN!
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