My wife and I have taken over 30 cruises - mostly Celebrity and Royal Caribbean with a few Norwegian and Disney in the mix. We have always been hesitant to try Carnival because many of their ships don't like that nice in port, and we were afraid of an over the top, hard drinking frat party type experience. Maybe unfair, but our impressions kept us off Carnival. When Mardi Gras came out, we did the research and felt it was a different type of Carnival ship that might work for us. We were still unsure if the experience was going to work for us as we boarded but we were ready to try something new. Are we ever glad we did! We had such a good time! We're in our later 50s and felt there was plenty about the experience that was a great match for us, with a lot of energy and fun. Many of the ships we've been taking seemed a little too sleepy, and this experience was just what we were looking for. We'll be booking the Carnival Celebration next.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy to get on the ship, once they call your muster station number. If you have a low muster station number like we did starting with a 'D', you're among the last to board so you're kept waiting in the terminal lounge for a bit. The time of arrival didn't seem to have any impact on when your boarded.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food was the only negative on this ship, but honestly it got pretty bad at times. The buffet was very limited and basic, and generally you could find something acceptable but nothing great. Our main dining experiences - we only went twice during the week - we're the worst, up to and including not being able to eat what was served. Guy's BBQ and Guy's Burgers were among the better options and great that they were included. The free pizza was actually very good. The specialty restaurants did not approach our specialty experiences on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, and I didn't think were worth the money. Rudy's Seagrill was the best specialty, the steakhouse was OK but disappointing for the money. Chibang and the Hibachi place we thought were both awful. Don't go on this cruise if the food is the main reason you like cruises.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There are an amazing number of deck and pool spaces on this ship, but somehow they each seem somewhat unique, spacious enough to find seating, and somehow they flow together nicely. Each space has it's own personality - Serenity is quiet, main pool is lively, deck 8 pool is a little more intimate. We were able to choose a pool area based on what kind of experience we were looking for, and sometimes chose one experience in the morning and a different pool in the afternoon. It was all extremely well designed and executed - this multi-pool experience is another feature on this ship I have never seen done as well on any other cruise ship.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
This was the best entertainment line-up I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. We've been on more than 30 cruises and nothing has ever come close. Not only is there a huge variety, and a huge number of choice running simultaneously, the quality of the shows, the music, the performers, etc is very, very good. I can't say enough positive things about the entertainment experience. Entertainment is a primary reason to choose this ship.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff is excellent, friendly, and well trained. Everyone is hard working and ready to interact with guests. Perhaps most importantly, the ship has adequate staff in each location! Bars are well staffed and drink orders are filled quickly. There are enough roaming bar servers taking orders and removing empty glasses and plates. I have been on ships that will say they have 15 bars or something, but only 4 or 5 are open at a time because they don't have enough people. On Mardi Gras, almost all bars and restaurants were open at the same time, so you really did have a lot of choices. Cabin service like many ships has been reduced to once per day, it was a nice treat when there used to be multiple services per day. However, our cabin steward was fantastic!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The design of this ship is absolutely amazing. So creative and innovative. So many areas to discover and explore, and each so well done. The ship has so much energy and they are justified in calling it a 'fun' ship. There is a lot of fun to be had, and there is something for almost any type of person.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Could have been a little bigger, but condition and cleanliness was excellent
Ship tip
Take advantage of the huge variety of excellent entertainment. If you enjoy drinking, there are many fun bars and the bar tenders and servers are great! Sorry, but you will be disappointed by the food, and spending extra for the specialty restaurants won't help very much, certainly not enough to justify the upcharge. In spite of food, this will likely be one of your favorite ships.
Thanks for your post. I loved every thing you stated. Now I'm so ready to board her for our annual family cruise. June 10th I have been on 25 Carnival cruises. Working on Diamond. Have 2 booked for 24 Jubilee June 1st out of Galveston and Miracle out of San Francisco in September of 24 for 16 days. Please come back to Carnival again
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