I was honestly astounded by how incredible the customer service was that we received from ALL the crew members we encountered. Carnival has a negative reputation and is looked down on both by many people in the cruising world and by many people who have never taken a cruise. I hear all the time that people like my husband and I, who are upper middle class and live a pretty tame and boring life, should avoid Carnival at all costs. Based on our experience on Mardi Gras, people who think this are grossly mistaken. I have never been on a cruise with a luxury cruise line like Viking, nor could I afford it, but there is simply no way that the level of service we received could be any higher. I was acknowledged and greeted warmly by crew members everywhere I went, such as just walking down the hallway, even if they had never seen me before. The service we received in the Main Dining Room, where we ate for dinner for most of the cruise, was better than five-star restaurants we've treated ourselves to here at home. We couldn't believe how attentive and friendly each of our three servers were, and it's something I wish people could see for themselves before they criticize Carnival as being the "Walmart of cruise lines." I have the unfortunate experience of having to go to Walmart sometimes, and the last time I was there, Walmart did NOT provide a level of customer service that is better than a five-star restaurant. It is so clear that all the crew have a clear passion for providing a wonderful vacation experience to the guests, even though we are just regular people who didn't pay an arm and a leg for the cruise fare.
Another highlight of this cruise was the ship itself; it is only about a year old, and all the public areas are beautiful and very modern. And our stateroom had MANY nice touches that made it clear that whoever designed it has a lot of experience with cruising and what guests are looking for. My husband and I have been on six cruises, and our balcony stateroom was by far the most functional we have ever encountered. There is ample storage space for two people for a seven-night cruise, including plenty of room under the bed to slide my massive suitcase. The balcony door slides back and forth rather than opening and closing in or out like a more traditional door; this meant that not once did we ever hear a slamming balcony door from our neighbors like we have on other cruises. The shower has a door and not a curtain, and the door has this ingenious sliding design where it folds inward (it's hard to explain in writing) and doesn't get in the way of anything. The decor in the room was very understated and tasteful, with blue and beige colors, which, well, is a welcome change from other Carnival ships we have sailed on that look like someone took an orange can of spray paint and got a little too excited about using it. The large TV was directly in front of the bed instead of in an awkward position somewhere else in the room. It had a neat Map Channel where you could track the speed of the ship and progress of the cruise, and it also had my two favorite cable channels, Food Network and HGTV.
Something that really made our cruise spectacular was our cruise director, Chris "The Flying Scotsman" Williams. If you have never cruised on Carnival before, they are different from other cruise lines because the cruise director plays such a large role in the overall cruise experience. He or she is everywhere, and their cruise directors are known for being incredibly energetic, friendly, and funny. Chris was no exception and is possibly the best cruise director we've ever had.
I have to offer a caveat and say that Carnival is not for everyone. Mardi Gras is crowded, I will admit. It's really a matter of being smart about your choices onboard so you can ensure that the crowds don't bother you. We did have a balcony room that we were upgraded to at the last minute for a great deal, and I am very thankful we had this private outdoor space. Any of the outdoor spaces, especially during a Sea Day when you are not in a port, fill up quickly, and it's hard to find a chair or even space in one of the four pools, all located in different areas of the ship. And during the evening, the main theater can be pretty full, along with the Punchliner Comedy Club. However, one thing my husband and I actually really like about the evening entertainment, compared to the huge Royal ships, which are roughly the same size as Mardi Gras, is that Mardi Gras has no reservation system. Yes, that might sound weird and like it's not a good thing, but we don't like stressing about reserving a show. So instead, we would just show up to all the shows only five minutes ahead of time. The venues were pretty full by that point, but we could always find seating somewhere, even if it meant walking past a few people and sitting next to strangers. We don't mind this at all, and in fact, I made some friends by sitting next to strangers and chatting before and after a show. That's just the culture of the ship; crowds are present everywhere. After all, it holds over 5,000 guests. This could be a problem for some people, but we were personally okay with it.
Also, going along with this, I would highly recommend, as we did, booking either an early or late set dining time. Yes, you might think that 5:30 for early dining or 7:45 for late dining is too early or too late, and yes, you'd be right. At home, we usually eat somewhere around 6:45. Well, so does the rest of the United States, which means the rest of your fellow passengers on Mardi Gras will also want to eat dinner around then. Please, though, if you don't want to be stressed, do NOT book My Time dining. Instead, book the set early or late dining. This means that you don't have to "check in" every evening and wait who knows how long for a table at even the main dining room. Again, it's a crowded ship; it's just a matter of navigating the crowds in a smart manner. We had late dining with the same servers in the same dining room every night, as we knew from previous cruising experience that we did not want to "check in" or wait in a long line to enter the dining room. Each night, at 7:45, we just walked right into our dining room, got to chatting with our servers, who knew all of our preferences, and were immediately served, rather than having to wait around either in a virtual line or an actual line to eat.
Something we value a lot when cruising is evening entertainment, and Carnival's evening shows are the BEST in the entire cruise industry. We would know, as we have sailed on multiple mainstream cruise lines and been bored many times during the evening. Carnival, though, for example, had no fewer than five different comedians on this sailing, with three to four stand-up comedy shows per night to choose from. No other cruise line focuses so much on comedy, and all five comedians were wonderful. We also got to see Family Feud Live, hosted by our cruise director, Chris Williams, and The Love and Marriage Game, also hosted by our cruise director. As I mentioned before, a good cruise director is the difference between great evening entertainment and just okay entertainment. Chris is enormously talented and funny, and we had an absolute blast at any evening show he hosted.
Another highlight of the cruise is the food. Oh my goodness, it is just incredible. It offered the most free food options we have ever encountered on a cruise. We were there for seven days and nights, and we still didn't get to try all the free options, to say nothing about the paid ones. Carnival seems to get that people want good free food options during the day for lunch, so they have Guy's Burger Joint (some of the best burgers you will ever try), Shaq's Big Chicken (their chicken sandwiches are so good that they rival Chick-fil-A, which is saying A LOT), and Blue Iguana Cantina, which has tacos with TONS of flavor and many, many toppings to choose from. Oh, and I almost forgot about Guy's Pig and Anchor Barbecue, also free. It has probably the best pulled pork and brisket I've ever tasted. The Pig and Anchor even had collard greens that somehow tasted amazing, and it's pretty hard for collard greens to taste that good. I know it all sounds gimmicky with all the branding with Guy Fieri and Shaq, but these casual lunch restaurants were legitimately delicious.
The Main Dining Room food, where we ate almost every night, was also incredible. I'm kind of a food snob, and everything they served was like something I'd get at a very nice restaurant back home. For example, my husband treated me to a birthday dinner a few weeks ago at a local five-star restaurant, where I ordered the short ribs, which were $30. Well, on Mardi Gras, they served short ribs one evening in the main dining room, and it wasn't even on a formal night! The short ribs tasted better than the ones I got at the five-star restaurant. And on the first formal night, you could get as much lobster tail as you wanted for free (I was happily served with two when requested), and on the second formal night, you could order as much filet mignon as you wanted for no extra charge. Remember, this is all on a Carnival ship! These meals would cost A LOT on land, and Carnival was rolling them out, as much as I wanted to eat, for no extra charge at all.
I'm sorry if this sounds like some kind of ad for Carnival, but it's not. My husband and I usually cruise on Royal Caribbean, but we were just so impressed that we will now cruise on Carnival much more in the future. The level of service and the quality of the food were both incredible. And the crowds were manageable - for us. Carnival is a certain kind of vibe that is hard to explain unless you have been on a cruise with them. You have to be open to just going with the flow and having a good time. I am not by any means a party person, and I'm pretty shy, actually, but I loved talking to different people and watching all the dance parties and fun shows. Another huge thing that I think people should know about Carnival is that it attracts a diverse array of people compared to what most cruise ships attract; I like to call Carnival cruisers "regular" people who represent all different parts of America. You will see many different races, many different ages, and and many different people from all walks of life. The really inspiring thing is that everyone on our cruise got along so well and attended all the same activities together. You don't see that too often in real life; people tend to be scared to be around those are aren't just like them. But on Mardi Gras, we were all one human family just trying to have a good time for a week.
