Mardi Gras was the 5th Carnival ship we’ve been on

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 4.8
Author: LovesPrimes

Mardi Gras Cruise Review

LovesPrimes

Contributor Level: Purser

20 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 19, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11343

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

It’s a great ship, bright and clean and bursting with life. I’m glad we got to go on it but, surprisingly, it’s not our favorite ship. As others have commented, it was just too big. We think the Vista was our favorite and our next cruise next year will be on the Vista so we can confirm that.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

I marvel at how expeditiously they get so many people moved through and onto the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We didn’t get to try everything we wanted to but what we had was excellent. Pretty much never went to the buffet. We ate in the MDR, Emeril’s, Chibang, Capitano, and Teppanyaki. For casual meals, we tried the Street Eats, Shaq’s, and Guys. Also went to tea time in the last sea day. One small complaint there: I think it’s tacky to charge for a tea bag at an event/venue called tea time.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Others have posted about this so I won’t say a lot. There’s a LOT to do on the ship but many venues are small given the guest population on the ship. More than once we couldn’t get seats at something unless we were there an hour before.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I think the cabins alternate. Ours had bed next to balcony. I would have preferred seating area and bed area swapped because of the narrowness getting around far side of bed. I LOVED this balcony! It’s hard to explain but it’s on the side of the ship that is just starting to extend wider and so is trapezoidal instead of rectangular. Not a huge difference but has the effect of feeling so much roomier. And our steward was able to get us a third chair to put out there.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Not about the ship but a comment in case it helps someone else. We live about 45 minutes from the port but don’t have a vehicle for 4 people with luggage for a week. We got an UberXL both ways. Going was absolutely perfect. We arrived early in our appointment window and got right on the ship. I had heard that going back could be ridiculously expensive so I reserved ahead for 10:30 wanting to be cautious about making sure we’d be off the boat and have our luggage. The rate I was given was $30 more than to port but much better than $300 like I heard some people pay hiring right there. Our driver never showed up for us but I’m convinced he was there and opted to pick up someone paying those higher not-reserved rates and we had to wait until 10:35 passed before UberXL was able to get assign a new driver and then it too k her 45 minimnutes to get to us (not her fault). Just a bummer to end our cruise experience that way.

6 Comments

helene109 1 year ago

We have been on the Vista and it doesn’t have as many restaurants and pools. Each ship has its pros and cons!

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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jallaway 1 year ago

Let's hope they get those Vista motors fixed when in drydocks next year

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lsbs 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Agree, Mardi Gras is huge! Thank you for the detailed review and sharing your experience.

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Incredible First Cruise Experience

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