Great Cruise

Mardi Gras Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Mardi Gras

6 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 10, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10463

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

We had a great time and look forward to sailing Mardi Gras again!

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation was running a little later than usual, but it was fine. I do wish they had more speakers throughout the terminal though because it was hard to hear when they called for boarding. They did hold up signs to show who they were boarding as they called and that was really helpful since I couldn’t hear well.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
There was always something I liked available somewhere on the ship!

Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse / Brewhouse

5 out of 5

This bar has a really great laid back atmosphere with lots of options to try a variety of whiskey and beer. They have a little game area with shuffleboard and table hockey. They often have trivia in here. Beware it does get loud but it’s a lot of fun. We were a bit disappointed that the smoked drinks were not available throughout our cruising but we still really enjoyed this bar.

Palm Restaurant

3 out of 5

We ate at palm for breakfast every day. The staff was friendly and the food decent. The atmosphere is really beautiful and bright. However, breakfast was very slow every single day. I’m sure it’s not the server’s fault. They are just waiting for the orders to be delivered. Just be sure if you eat breakfast at palm to give yourself at minimum 45 minutes to 1 an hour.

Brass Magnolia Bar

5 out of 5

I only went to Brass Magnolia twice because it stayed very busy. I can see why, the musicians were very talented, especially the trio. The drinks were really good. Pimm’s cup was refreshing and smooth. I wish I knew how to make it at home. 😋

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

This is one of our favorites on all Carnival ships and of course was great on Mardi Gras too. The bartenders were friendly and skilled. They made suggestions for us to try new drinks and even made us some of their own creations which we really enjoyed! Thanks Carolina, Santiago, Angel, Drazen, and Sam! 🍸🍹A special shout-out to Santiago who was working by himself one afternoon with a large crowd and he kept up and still made killer drinks!!

Pizzeria del Capitano

4 out of 5

We love late night pizza and frequented this place. The lines are long but the staff is quick to crank out pizza and even hand it out t ok move the lines more quickly. I only wish they baked it a minute or two longer so the crust was a bit more crisp.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que

3 out of 5

I want so badly to love this barbecue and we did try it for dinner. The pulled pork was tender and tasty, most of the other meats were a little bit dry. The macaroni was great on top but as soon as the cheesy crust is removed the noodles underneath seem to be in a watered down cheese sauce. The servers were friendly though and the atmosphere was really nice.

Chibang!

3 out of 5

We only tried this for lunch and did not try the dinner option. The server’s were friendly and attentive. We were able to request table’s and be seated in under 10 minutes both times. The food was just so so. We really liked the flan and returned a second time to eat the flan again! 🍮

Flamingo Restaurant

5 out of 5

We had such a nice group of servers, Suhairi, Christian, and Vida were quick to fill our every need and gave us 5 star quality service! The food came out quickly and they were so quick to clear dirty plates and bring the next course. If we didn’t like something they always offered something different in it’s place. However most of the food was really good. They always had smiles and were very welcoming and made our cruise enjoyable!

JavaBlue Cafe

5 out of 5

I love the expanded Java Blue. It was so nice to get a salad throughout the day. I loved the coffee here but my favorite drink here is the spirit of Kentucky milkshake. Bourbon and vanilla ice cream is a delightful mix! 😋

Big Chicken by Shaq

4 out of 5

The French fries were really great here. The chicken was just ok in my opinion.

Havana Bar

4 out of 5

What a cool bar! The comfy seating was so nice and cozy and they not only have a nice mojito but also serve excellent espressos. It is also a nice quiet place during the day when no events are taking place. We also went here for Karoake. It was packed for that though and hard to find seating so arrive early if you want a seat!

Redfrog Tiki Bar

2 out of 5

This bar stays busy and the drinks are weak.

Bonsai Sushi

5 out of 5

I can’t give this place enough stars. We absolutely love Bonsai sushi. Everything is so yummy each and every time and the ala carte pricing is reasonable.

Emeril’s Bistro 1396

5 out of 5

We only tried the beignets and cappuccino’s but we really liked them. The food was reasonably priced and came out quickly. The atmosphere was beautiful, and the server’s attentive. We wanted to go back to try the shrimp po boy but never made it. Next time!

Tides Pool Bar

3 out of 5

The location is great but the drinks are weak and just not very tasty.

Heroes Tribute Lounge

5 out of 5

Seating was comfortable and the swirls station was an added bonus!

Swirls

5 out of 5

My boys and husband frequent ice cream. They liked the swirls station in the heroes lounge with comfy seating.

Street Eats

5 out of 5

What a cute and unique idea. I only got to try this one day but I did try the food at all 3 and really liked it!

Lido Marketplace

5 out of 5

We didn’t really eat from the buffet but my boys frequented the Schwarma station in the Lido area. I Wayan began to remember them and how they wanted their schwarma prepared. I liked the gelato station and salad bar in the same area.

Guy's Burger Joint

4 out of 5

I love the size of this guy’s burger. The fries were the best as always. The burgers didn’t seem the same as the last few times we cruised, but maybe it was just our taste buds have changed. We only visited here once.

Cucina del Capitano

3 out of 5

We were pretty excited to try Cucina’s dinner option but all of us were underwhelmed with our food. The bread was hard, and the food was just not good. The servers were friendly though.

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

We love tacos in our family so of course this venue makes us happy. The lines did get really long a few times on the cruise though. So we didn’t eat here as much as we would have liked. I guess that is to be expected on such a large ship.

Bar della Rosa

5 out of 5

This was a great place to grab a morning coffee or late night drink since it’s right across from late night pizza and Paninis. The Bellini was refreshing! 🥂

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
We loved the ropes course. It was super fun and it was cool to be able to step out and see the water! Great addition Carnival! We were excited to try bolt. We booked bolt for an early afternoon ride and stood in line for nearly an hour before being told by staff bolt was not open until an hour after our booking and they accidentally booked earlier bookings. The ride opened at 2 but they had some booked from 1-1:30 and others from 1:30-2. It’s no problem, we all make mistakes. The issue was they admitted they figured out what they did but waited nearly 40 minutes to address the crowd who was standing in the hot sun and just asked us to stay in line until the ride opened at 2 if we still wanted to ride or get a refund. It would have been nice if they opened the ride earlier, or told us early in just to come back at 2.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
There was always something to do and keep us busy. I did miss a few shows since I wanted to do more than one thing that was happening at the same time so I do wish they would show Family Feud and some theatre shows on more than one night. But I guess having too much to choose from is not an issue. We were disappointed that they played Fast X on deck and turned off the movie at midnight 20 minutes before the movie was over, so we missed the end. In the words of my son, “That’s messed up!” 😆

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Carnival just has great staff! We really appreciate them!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Surprisingly it never felt more crowded than a smaller ship. The layout keeps people in different areas. The ship remained clean and is beautiful!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Great size balcony! We also had 10461 for our kids so our balconies opened into each other and our rooms connected. It was perfect for us.

Ship tip

Get to know the layout of the ship before you board if possible, and use the stairs, elevators are hard to get.

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5
We love Amber Cove, it’s beautiful and there is so much to do. This time we did the Zip and Dip. A hike through the mountains, to 5 zip lines, 2 bridges, and 7 waterfalls. The water is cold when you jump in but it was so hot in September that it was refreshing. Make sure to bring good water shoes. There’s a lot of hiking and once you arrive at the falls it’s hard to see through the water and the rocks underneath are uneven so you need decent footwear.

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5
Nassau is ok, but we’ve been here so many times so we spent very little time on the island this time and used our time to do stuff onboard. If it’s your first time in Nassau Blue Lagoon is great. We swam with dolphins in the past and they gave us a lot of time to dance with, feed, and swim with them. Nassau also has a lot within walking distance. The pirate museum is fun with a reasonable fee, the rum distillery is nice and free to tour, the queens staircase is informative and a bit of shade on a hot day.

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5
We walked to the end of the beach away from the crowds and rented two chairs and an umbrella for $20. They tried to charge $40 but agreed to accept $20. It was nice to have a bit of shade out of the sand. The water was absolutely perfect and crystal clear! We spent a lot of time swimming!

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Super quick with a passport. Just walked off the ship!
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4 Comments

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

lsbs    1 year ago

Thanks for the review.

cruising2004    1 year ago

Great detailed review! Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

javawoody    1 year ago

Appreciate the feedback

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