Great Cruise
Mardi Gras Cruise Review
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
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse / Brewhouse
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
The French fries were really great here. The chicken was just ok in my opinion.
Havana Bar
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
This bar stays busy and the drinks are weak.
Bonsai Sushi
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
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
The location is great but the drinks are weak and just not very tasty.
Heroes Tribute Lounge
Seating was comfortable and the swirls station was an added bonus!
Swirls
My boys and husband frequent ice cream. They liked the swirls station in the heroes lounge with comfy seating.
Street Eats
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
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
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
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
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
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
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
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