First cruise with our young kids

Mardi Gras Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5
Mardi Gras

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 26, 2023

Ship: Mardi Gras

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 4376

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Wonderful memory with our kids. Great ship for a family of different ages and interests!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Couldn’t have been smoother!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
We were among the first cruises with the new dining room menu and we loved the new options! That is where we are dinner almost every night. We only ate at the lido buffet one time because it’s difficult to juggle so many plates with 3 kids under 5. The family harbor area was a life saver for breakfast so we ate there every morning! No lines and kids can sit within eyeshot at the table while we make their plates. We enjoyed the chefs table as well because it was a cruise for our 10 year anniversary. I appreciated that the kids could eat meals at the kids camp sometimes.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
We spent a lot of time on the small slides with our kids on sea day mornings. We did the dr Suess activities as well and then in the afternoon while the kids were at camp we would explore other activities better suited for adults.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
It was usually pretty busy in the center stage and hard for us to get there in time for a good seat because of our dinner time and getting the kids to camp but we did see some shows or part of ones. If we prioritized it I’m sure we could have gotten a better seat. We always enjoy the comedy club and did this time as well. We did wait in line for that too.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
Being our first time bringing our kids (ages 5, 5, and 4) we were so happy and impressed with camp ocean! It was very close to our family harbor room, so very convenient, and the staff was absolutely amazing. Our kids didn’t want to leave and would beg us to go there in the afternoon and after dinner.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Room steward could have been slightly better but it wasn’t bad or anything.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The nicest ship I’ve been on!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
Really hot day but it was wonderful to walk at! We walked to the left and took the path by the water then did some shopping. You can comfortably walk anywhere, but the guy who tries to get money from you with the fake story about his dad did approach us. We just told him no and he left but I can’t believe it actually happened to us haha

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

4 out of 5
Seemed like more things cost money compared to last time we were here but it is still a nice port for a pool day. Not eager to go back but nice if you want the option to have an easy day without an excursion. Also enjoy the souvenir shopping here.

Grand Turk Island

4 out of 5
First time here as an adult and we didn’t plan an excursion. I should have just planned better on what to do. Was very hot and didn’t have the stamina to walk around a lot.

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
First time here and we loved it!

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
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