Too many people with too much alcohol and poor ports. If I had it to do over again, I'd choose a cruise with different ports. I can only blame myself for choosing this particular cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We had a 10-10:30 am check in time and we were checked in around 9:45.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food was awesome. I've never had a bad meal on Carnival.
ChiBang was incredible as was Cucino Del Capitano. The Singapore Chili Shrimp at ChiBang is incredible as is the Farfalle Al Pistachio.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Yeah, you've got the "rollercoaster" which really isn't. The rope course and mini golf as well. Outside of that there's nothing that we found especially interesting.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The entertainment was great. The shows were very well performed by talented professionals.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff is always working hard and they are always appreciated.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
While the Mardi Gras is visually stunning, the layout can be confusing. The staff was constantly cleaning and did a wonderful job.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was very comfortable. Plenty of room for storage and the bed was great. However, the bathroom is quite small. The sink is tiny and impossible to shave over without making a mess on the floor. There's also a strong sewage smell in the bathroom. It doesn't permeate the room, so that's a plus.
Ship tip
Be prepared for the number of people in scooters. The elevators are so small that one scooter will severely limit the number of people who can also use the elevator. We saw several people in scooters when boarding and saw them later walking easily without the scooters. But come time to disembark, there they were, "helpless" in their scooter again.
I won't sail on the Mardi Gras again or on any of the XL class ships. Too many people for our taste.
Not much to do at Amber Cove. Between the pool with the loud music and the constant announcements for drink "sales," staying on the ship is a good idea.
We made it to the Punchliner comedy club with our bags at 7:10 and we were waiting outside for my daughter at 7:22. I don't know how it could get more efficient than that.
We were on the week before you. I did see a lot of scooters but it didn’t seem overwhelming. It didn’t feel too crowded but we also didn’t go on Lido. We had the Havana room so I think that helped. Elevators were a pain at times but we found the fwd and aft to be much easier than mid. But we usually just took stairs to get to casino or dining. Thanks for your review!
We were on the Ship with You. Lots of scooters. Way too many. Met some nice people. I have to agree with you on ports. The Ship was beautiful, but yes, too big, although, Celebration did not seems as bad, perhaps it was because we had better ports, because of sailing from Miami. We did have Sam, the best Steward of all our 22 cruises. Felt like we left a member of our family.
I understand the scooters can be frustrating. My mom can walk, but can't hold up to walk far. She would probably need a scooter or wheelchair to embark and disembark.
Thanks for your review.
I meant to add that the casino was very disappointing. They've raised the minimum bet on the table games to $15 and there are no straight up 25 cent slot machines. Even the 2 cent machines have a minimum bet of 200 credits or $2.
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