Great trip! Disappointing ship:(

Item: Mardi Gras
Rating: 3.7
Author: GTMills

Mardi Gras Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

GTMills

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 16, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 15458

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Despite the disappointment with the ship itself, we had a great time visiting with friends from a previous cruise. We had meals and Tea Time together and found things to do on sea days if we did not see a scheduled activity that appealed to us. The excursion "Discovering Roatan; Monkeys, Sloths, and Macaws" was tremendous fun. The sloths were cute and gentle while the monkeys were wild and unpredictable. The macaws were heavier than I expected. The colors of their feathers were vibrant, making the birds striking to see. It was a great day interacting with the animals.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was quick and efficient. My husband needed assistance and his wheelchair assistant was awesome.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The meals were hit or miss. The Italian specialty restaurant was excellent both times we went. The main dining room had some good entrees and some substandard options. I ordered a filet from the steakhouse one evening. It was perfection. It was well-cooked to a beautiful medium-rare and was more than I could eat by myself. The prime rib in the main dining room was quite good. The fried chicken, however, was too dry to eat.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

If you like pub crawls, this is the ship for you. The only free activity I enjoyed was Trivia. I expected such a large ship to have many options throughout the day. Instead, the offerings were very similar every day.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The stage shows were very disappointing. The vocalists had some nice tonal qualities, but they were being asked to do too much outside of their wheelhouses. Consequently, the singing had many pitch issues. The song arrangements were unusual. an iconic song from "Grease" was turned into a slow ballad. The show was billed as Broadway Beats, so why would you change the style, tempo, and presentation of these Broadway hits??? One bright spot in the entertainment was a solo act named Travis, affectionately called Phyllis at times (there's a story behind that). He did a tribute to Johnny Cash one afternoon and an all-request evening another day. His guitar skills and knowledge of many generations of music were impressive! A couple of the comedians were also good at their craft.

Children's Programs

No children.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Most of the staff did an awesome job. Jericho, our waiter in the Italian restaurant, was top-notch. He had personality and a love for his job. I would sit in his section anytime. Our room steward, Dewi, was also excellent. She left a sweet birthday message for my husband on our mirror with a group of towel animals for party guests. She knew us by name and took great care of our cabin. The main dining room was the only reason this section got a 4 instead of a 5. Service was inconsistent. My husband got hit in the back of the head with a stack of glass racks. Brunch took almost 2 hours for everyone at our table to be served. We only had 8 people and all but one ordered breakfast items. One person had multiple bones in his food and the waiter simply said that happens sometimes. We did not try to go to brunch a second time.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cleanliness would rate a 5. Staff were constantly cleaning the surface areas and restrooms. Design is a 1. The mainstage placement in the center of the ship is not practical. BINGO was spread out on 3 decks, making it difficult for everyone to remain engaged. One deck only had single stalls outside the main dining room. There is no library, game room, or business center. When our group of 6 wanted to play cards, we had to use one of the tables in a pub. The entertainment made it difficult to hear each other. The restroom technology is a bit scary when using single stalls. The touch-free sensors can cause doors to open on people unintentionally and expose them to the public.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was a good size and layout for the cost.