sunkey1

Have to say the decor is one of my favorite things about the new Carnival ships. FINALLY getting away from the gaudy style and getting a little more theme oriented and classy.

I think it depends on the steward. Both times we sailed on the Mardi Gras our stewards searched us out to find out our service preferences and any requests we had were fulfilled almost immediately.

Not sure if NCL has stopped using straws or not but would add silicone or metal straws to the list if it was me. We have those on our packing list now. You can also get collapsible metal ones with cases that are really nice as you can keep them in the case after they've been used until you have a chance to rinse them out.

You just have to make sure that you book the club balcony suites WITH LARGER BALCONY, otherwise you will have a standard size balcony. The ones on deck 9 are very large, the ones on deck 8 even larger (deeper), enough room for two loungers, plus table and two chairs.

Worked on the ships as staff and have cruised for 40+ years as a passenger. Does anyone seriously think that in the event of an emergency people are going to proceed in an orderly fashion to their designated stations? I couldn't even get people to proceed in an orderly fashion onto tenders half the time...

Another thing to keep in mind is whether you want to get to a port with 4000 passengers (Bliss) or 2000 passengers (Sun). The majority of the ports are pretty small and you really notice those extra couple of thousand people.

Totally depends on if you have kids with you or not, in my opinion. With kids absolutely Paradise Beach. For a relaxed, less crowded and less hectic atmosphere, absolutely Nachi.

Who's stereotyping now? Why are folks like you always thinking that someone expressing an opinion is "obsessing"? AND oh, by the way, I do go to shows (at night) AND observe the scenery, AND participate in activities - I just don't feel the need to share it with the entire world while I'm doing it. Snarky much?

You got that right!! We LIVED life instead of worrying about sharing every waking moment with every one of our 2000+ "friends".

RD4, agree with you again! For years we would take one cruise a year with our young kids and then take one for just the two of us and would leave the kids with the grandparents - good for them, good for us. They had an emergency number to reach us and if we hit a US port we would check in. SOMEHOW WE MANAGED. 😉 I can't get over going on cruises now and seeing people with their heads buried in their phones while the most magnificent scenery or even just a beautiful ocean is sitting right there. So many people are so obsessed with recording every moment of their lives that they aren't really experiencing them anymore.

100% agree! I still remember seeing Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady and Sea Legs on the Norway. Those productions rivaled anything I've seen in Vegas or on Broadway. Guest artists were also of Vegas level. Shows now are definitely NOT of the same caliber. We have an upcoming cruise on the Getaway and it may well be our last with NCL. Carnival was slacking for so many years but with their new ships (Mardi Gras, others), they have stepped up their game with tons of shows, entertainment and music and may well take priority over NCL for us. Even RCCL and Princess are still managing to have shows and music and they went through COVID as well.

We have a MS/Club Balcony booked for upcoming Getaway cruise. What was disappointing about the cabin?

Have been on her twice and she was rock solid in the water both times.

To be honest, I never knew that I could order an app PLUS a soup or salad, so this is actually MORE food than I was used to ordering. Totally fine with it as it's always too much food for us anyway.

Yep, post covid we cruised in October of 2021 and April, June and October of 2022. Felt as safe on any of those from getting sick as I did going to the mall or a local restaurant. No issues at all.

That is the case on many of Carnival's older ships. While the cabins on the Mardi Gras were beautifully decorated we did find them rather tight in some areas. They seemed narrower than many balconies that we've stayed in previously.

Recently went on the Carnival Mardi Gras twice, we liked it that much. The shows are absolutely the difference for me. While the Mardi Gras had the best entertainment that I've seen on that line I still think NCL has the edge on the production shows and the guest acts. Carnival relies too much on comedy shows and game shows for MY taste. Otherwise the lines really are more alike than different. We book NCL under the promotion that gets us free drinks and two meals at specialty restaurants plus we get two more meals for being platinum. Having dinner outside, at sea, on the "Waterfront" beats just about any dining experience I've had in over 30 years of cruising.

It also depends on the size of the people - we were typically in with a total of about 9 and while snug it was certainly not unbearable for a short trip.

Have been on both and without any hesitation I would choose Mardi Gras. Just took our two (adult - 20's) kids on and they had a blast.

Dang, am ready to book and don't see the offer either.

I go waaay back like some others: Sunward Norway (11x) Southward Seaward Wind Sun Dawn Epic Escape Jewel Sure wish I could have gotten credit for some of those early cruises, would be way higher in status.

I love that they still use tablecloths. Carnival has pretty much done away with them and it really does make a difference visually.

I think he may have read that you were trying to get $200 since you have 200 shares. Yes, you should be able to get your $100 OBC for stock ownership in addition to the OBC you have from the cancellation.

Yup, was looking at the Prima but really wanted to get some input from people who have sailed on her, so thank you!!!!

Just back from our 2nd cruise on the Mardi Gras and still love the ship. It is large but we figure we're working off some of the food that we are taking in so not a big deal for us. Crew was all so friendly, dining room food was delicious, as it was at all of the venues we tried. Different strokes for different folks, that's the beauty of cruising.