Carnival Western Caribbean

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 4.6
Author: wfoley

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

wfoley

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 8

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 11, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 15491

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall, this was a good experience. I think I prefer the smaller ships, so I'm not sure if I would choose to go on another one like this. It's more for families and the younger crowd, but it definitely was enjoyable.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

The embarkation process was very well-organized and it didn't take long at all to get on the ship. No hassle, easy stuff!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

I had signed up for anytime dining, but they assigned a time anyhow and it was too late for my taste, so we never ended up eating dinner in the main dining room. Some of the specialty dining was great. There was a lot to choose from. I was disappointed in the Lido Marketplace buffet dining. There was not much to choose from here at all! We've cruised with another cruiseline and their buffet option was so much better than Carnival's.

Palm Restaurant

4 out of 5

Got assigned a very late dining time, when I actually chose anytime dining.

Redfrog Tiki Bar

5 out of 5

Hopping with activity, very fun yet relaxing

Pizzeria del Capitano

5 out of 5

Awesome pizza

Lido Marketplace

1 out of 5

Not many food choices for a buffet. They could use some improvement here.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que

5 out of 5

Really good food

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

Really great flavor

Cucina del Capitano

5 out of 5

Food and service here were great!

Chibang!

3 out of 5

Food was good. We went in late at night. The restaurant was super loud and noisy

Bonsai Teppanyaki

4 out of 5

This was fun. It might be better if the chefs were not acting like they were in a competition to see which one could be the loudest.

Big Chicken by Shaq

1 out of 5

Mediocre, was not impressed

Bar della Rosa

5 out of 5

Staff here were upbeat and friendly

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Pools were nice, but over-crowded. The water park was fun. Mini-golf was fun. Our room was aft [back of the ship] so the noise from the roller coaster was very loud and it vibrated in the room.

Waterworks Aqua Park

5 out of 5

Great addition to a cruise ship

The Fun Shops

3 out of 5

Not much to choose from in the general shopping stores

Serenity Adult-Only area

5 out of 5

Nice and quiet

Atrium

5 out of 5

Beautiful venue

Entertainment

5 out of 5

There were a lot of shows to choose from, with a lot of variety.

Mardi Gras Theater

5 out of 5

Nice, big theater. Enjoyable.

Punchliner Comedy Club

5 out of 5

Pretty cool venue

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our steward, Three, was awesome. It seemed like there was not enough service staff on the ship, however. IE - there really weren't too many wait staff taking orders for drinks around the pool areas like other ships I've cruised on.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Mardi Gras is a fairly new ship so everything is clean and in order. Beautiful design and easy layout.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Overall, the cabin was great. It seemed bigger than other cruise cabins I've been in. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the bathroom and shower. Again, we were in an aft cabin and the roller coaster noise was an issue, but that is a lesson learned.

Ship tip

Just get out there and explore the ship, walk from one end to the other on all of the decks that are common areas.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We carried our luggage off, so this process was pretty smooth. I liked that they offered breakfast in the morning, so that you don't have to walk off the ship hungry.

6 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing

Great vacation

Excellent experience

The very best Carnival ship.