Mardi Gras: 04-11 Dec

[Computer Nerd]

This was our first time on the Mardi Gras since our Feb cruise on board was canceled due to Covid. After decades of knowing my way around Conquest/Dream/Vista class ships, it took about 3 days for me to get comfortable with the new layout of the Mardi Gras. Once you get used to the layout it's not bad. This was also the first time having MyTime dining, which was great with reservations being app based now and having multiple restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately, the Mardi Gras, like the Freedom and all other Carnival ships I suppose, is only doing morning or night service for the cabin and I again, and will continue to do so if needed, adjusted my tips specifically for the cabin steward to meet the level of service received (if you disagree, don't go there, it will just get you reported and ignored). All other service received was up to par if not above par. Smoking is on deck 17, Starboard Aft, and deck 8, Mid, behind the Bella Rosa Bar.

 

Food:

 

As mentioned in several other threads, Big Chicken was fantastic and was the big hit for our cruise. The single best item I had there was the chicken biscuit with the chili honey glaze on it but we loved every single thing they had. Guy's was also very good, as was the pizza and the revamped deli. JavaBlue Cafe also has sandwiches which were very good. With MyTime dining, you can use your app to request dinner at the MDR, Capitano, or ChiBang for free. You request a table for whatever size party you have and it lets you know how long you have to wait for a table. Every time it always said under a 10 minute wait which was accurate except for our first night at Chibang which ended up being 25 minutes. Once your table it ready it pops up with a banner telling you the table number and you click On My Way. When you get to the restaurant you show them the table number and they take you in. Works very well IMO as you can make a request while still in your cabin and then once you walk to the restaurant the table is usually ready. They also have a roulette type option where you choose First Available and the app chooses your restaurant for you. For lobster night, lobster (but none of the other MDR options) is available in all 3 restaurants (we had our Lobster in Chibang's). 2 disappointing things with the food. I really enjoy taco salads from Blue Iguana and had several on the Freedom 6 weeks ago. On the Mardi Gras, they no longer have the taco salad shell but you can get the rest of it in a bowl which just isn't the same to me. I don't know if other ships have gotten rid of the taco salad shells as well or if this is just on the Mardi Gras. Also, the food taste and quality at Street Eats was disappointing and it was only open on Sea Days (so why have 7 different menus for a 7 day cruise?).

 

Entertainment:

 

Entertainment was well above average. We hit several shows at the Central Stage which stretches from deck 6 to deck 8. They have a lot more comedy on board as they have comedy in both the Limelight Lounge on deck 7 and the Punchliner Comedy Club on deck 6. Also new (to me at least) is a third level of comedy. In the past, they have always had the PG and the R-18+ shows. On the Mardi Gras, they now have a higher(?) level called Explicit-18+ which is more "explicit" than the R-18+ shows. It was funny as hell to me, others may cover their mouth in horror at what is said. Movies on board were good for the most part though I prefer the setup that the Dream and Vista class have. While we had great weather, if it was raining more it would be hard to catch a movie since about 90% of the seating is not covered. There was lots of Trivia on board and the ladies did a great job or running it. 

Cabin:

 

Cabin seemed maybe a little narrower but not enough to matter.....to me. We had cabin 12462, mid ship balcony next to the aft elevator. In the future I will try and get a cabin near the mid ship elevator as the aft elevator only runs from deck 5 to deck 16 (you have to go to deck 3 to get off ship at ports and deck 17 for smoking). Absolutely loved the new shower as you have a glass door and more square footage. The total bathroom area is a little smaller but it works fine for us. We had the layout where the bed was by the balcony door and I prefer this layout as compared to our friends having the bed near the bathroom. Cabin just seemed a little more spacious with the bed by the balcony.

 

According to Guest Services, we were sailing at 97% capacity. Other than being in line for the comedy club, I did not feel that it was crowded at all.

 

If anyone has any questions, please ask and I'll answer if I can. Oh, and even though we got a cheap ($126) upgrade from our deck 4 inside to our deck 12 balcony, we still got our stockholder OBC.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Computer Nerd

[Jamman54]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Mardi Gras. Just a friendly suggestion, you should probably keep your tipping preferences to yourself. It seems like you are trying to provoke responses. Again, thanks for sharing with us. 😎

[Computer Nerd]

3 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Mardi Gras. Just a friendly suggestion, you should probably keep your tipping preferences to yourself. It seems like you are trying to provoke responses. Again, thanks for sharing with us. 😎

Thanks for your input but I am merely sharing my full experience and let some who may not know what to expect when it comes to cabin cleanings. Also to let them know they can adjust their gratuities to match the level of service received. There are a lot of folks who don't seem to know this. Not trying to provoke a response, just providing a warning after I posted about my Freedom cruise back in October and don't want the same thing happening on this thread.

[Jamman54]

3 minutes ago, Computer Nerd said:

Thanks for your input but I am merely sharing my full experience and let some who may not know what to expect when it comes to cabin cleanings. Also to let them know they can adjust their gratuities to match the level of service received. There are a lot of folks who don't seem to know this. Not trying to provoke a response, just providing a warning after I posted about my Freedom cruise back in October and don't want the same thing happening on this thread.

Fair enough. 😎

[2Shoes2Go]

On the Dec 11 cruise now. GSM shared we’re at 5,074 guests. Highest percentage of any Carnival cruise since restart. It does feel different from our July 31, first sailing, at 60% or less. Next cruise, even more! But, still having a great cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[brilliantseas]

3 hours ago, Computer Nerd said:

2 disappointing things with the food. I really enjoy taco salads from Blue Iguana and had several on the Freedom 6 weeks ago. On the Mardi Gras, they no longer have the taco salad shell but you can get the rest of it in a bowl which just isn't the same to me. I don't know if other ships have gotten rid of the taco salad shells as well or if this is just on the Mardi Gras. Also, the food taste and quality at Street Eats was disappointing and it was only open on Sea Days (so why have 7 different menus for a 7 day cruise?).

 

 

 

Carnival Legend still has taco salad shells as of this week. 

[2Shoes2Go]

Just off Pride. Have taco salad bowls still.

[taylorSC]

 Cloud 9 Spa. I depart 12/26/2021. It would be awesome if you could find out the status of the thermal suite. I’m unable to purchase a 7 day pass . I wonder if it is closed..? There are plenty of YouTube post this fall showing it up and running ! Thanks

[stellarose]

passes could be sold out.  spa rooms get to use it. 

[Computer Nerd]

4 hours ago, 2Shoes2Go said:

On the Dec 11 cruise now. GSM shared we’re at 5,074 guests. Highest percentage of any Carnival cruise since restart. It does feel different from our July 31, first sailing, at 60% or less. Next cruise, even more! But, still having a great cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience.

I have a friend on board your cruise. Hope y'alls weather is as good this week as it was for us last week.

[MCC retired]

Our Dec 04 cruise was @ 4800 guests ( per cruise director ).

Full 6000 is going to be a challenge at times , especially shows , and debarkation 🤔

Beautiful ship , lots of dining choices daily . 👍
Multiple comedians with at least 4 comedy shows nightly .👍

Super friendly crew 👍

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by MCC retired

[Roscoe13]

7 hours ago, Computer Nerd said:

This was our first time on the Mardi Gras since our Feb cruise on board was canceled due to Covid. After decades of knowing my way around Conquest/Dream/Vista class ships, it took about 3 days for me to get comfortable with the new layout of the Mardi Gras. Once you get used to the layout it's not bad. This was also the first time having MyTime dining, which was great with reservations being app based now and having multiple restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately, the Mardi Gras, like the Freedom and all other Carnival ships I suppose, is only doing morning or night service for the cabin and I again, and will continue to do so if needed, adjusted my tips specifically for the cabin steward to meet the level of service received (if you disagree, don't go there, it will just get you reported and ignored). All other service received was up to par if not above par. Smoking is on deck 17, Starboard Aft, and deck 8, Mid, behind the Bella Rosa Bar.

 

Food:

 

As mentioned in several other threads, Big Chicken was fantastic and was the big hit for our cruise. The single best item I had there was the chicken biscuit with the chili honey glaze on it but we loved every single thing they had. Guy's was also very good, as was the pizza and the revamped deli. JavaBlue Cafe also has sandwiches which were very good. With MyTime dining, you can use your app to request dinner at the MDR, Capitano, or ChiBang for free. You request a table for whatever size party you have and it lets you know how long you have to wait for a table. Every time it always said under a 10 minute wait which was accurate except for our first night at Chibang which ended up being 25 minutes. Once your table it ready it pops up with a banner telling you the table number and you click On My Way. When you get to the restaurant you show them the table number and they take you in. Works very well IMO as you can make a request while still in your cabin and then once you walk to the restaurant the table is usually ready. They also have a roulette type option where you choose First Available and the app chooses your restaurant for you. For lobster night, lobster (but none of the other MDR options) is available in all 3 restaurants (we had our Lobster in Chibang's). 2 disappointing things with the food. I really enjoy taco salads from Blue Iguana and had several on the Freedom 6 weeks ago. On the Mardi Gras, they no longer have the taco salad shell but you can get the rest of it in a bowl which just isn't the same to me. I don't know if other ships have gotten rid of the taco salad shells as well or if this is just on the Mardi Gras. Also, the food taste and quality at Street Eats was disappointing and it was only open on Sea Days (so why have 7 different menus for a 7 day cruise?).

 

Entertainment:

 

Entertainment was well above average. We hit several shows at the Central Stage which stretches from deck 6 to deck 8. They have a lot more comedy on board as they have comedy in both the Limelight Lounge on deck 7 and the Punchliner Comedy Club on deck 6. Also new (to me at least) is a third level of comedy. In the past, they have always had the PG and the R-18+ shows. On the Mardi Gras, they now have a higher(?) level called Explicit-18+ which is more "explicit" than the R-18+ shows. It was funny as hell to me, others may cover their mouth in horror at what is said. Movies on board were good for the most part though I prefer the setup that the Dream and Vista class have. While we had great weather, if it was raining more it would be hard to catch a movie since about 90% of the seating is not covered. There was lots of Trivia on board and the ladies did a great job or running it. 

Cabin:

 

Cabin seemed maybe a little narrower but not enough to matter.....to me. We had cabin 12462, mid ship balcony next to the aft elevator. In the future I will try and get a cabin near the mid ship elevator as the aft elevator only runs from deck 5 to deck 16 (you have to go to deck 3 to get off ship at ports and deck 17 for smoking). Absolutely loved the new shower as you have a glass door and more square footage. The total bathroom area is a little smaller but it works fine for us. We had the layout where the bed was by the balcony door and I prefer this layout as compared to our friends having the bed near the bathroom. Cabin just seemed a little more spacious with the bed by the balcony.

 

According to Guest Services, we were sailing at 97% capacity. Other than being in line for the comedy club, I did not feel that it was crowded at all.

 

If anyone has any questions, please ask and I'll answer if I can. Oh, and even though we got a cheap ($126) upgrade from our deck 4 inside to our deck 12 balcony, we still got our stockholder OBC.

Thanks for the review.

I like your pictures.  Where you using a Nokia 0.1 or a Motorolla 0.2?  🤪

[thatoneguyyouknow]

Was on the same sailing my thoughts:

 

-fortune teller / Brass magnolia are great additions (Dont sleep on brass it seemed to take a few days for people to realize it was real good too)

 

- emrils seems to be a miss... Very underutilized. People want included or the full speciality dining experience if they are going to put food in that area it probably needs to be included. 

 

- really liked the Chinese side of the chibang menu didn't have Mexican

 

- Italian was also pretty good 

 

- don't see chibang and Italian going away from being included. The main dining room is to small 

 

- main dining room was disappointing 

 

- liked the layout of the ship a lot, central shows were cool. 

 

- panini place is excellent for lunch. Carpase was my favorite

 

- big chicken is a good addition, the grilled chicken and eggs sandwiches are good. 

 

 

 

 

[Computer Nerd]

51 minutes ago, Roscoe13 said:

Thanks for the review.

I like your pictures.  Where you using a Nokia 0.1 or a Motorolla 0.2?  🤪

While I have tons of pics, I don't feel like spending the next day uploading them. Most were taken with a Polaroid. 😉

[Computer Nerd]

43 minutes ago, thatoneguyyouknow said:

Was on the same sailing my thoughts:

 

- main dining room was disappointing 

 

What was disappointing to you? We only went once and it was one of the best MDR visits I've had in quite a while.

[Roscoe13]

13 minutes ago, Computer Nerd said:

While I have tons of pics, I don't feel like spending the next day uploading them. Most were taken with a Polaroid. 😉

Polaroid you say. I am going to tell my portfolio manager to look into investing in that. 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

17 minutes ago, Computer Nerd said:

What was disappointing to you? We only went once and it was one of the best MDR visits I've had in quite a while.

 

We are dinner people, so we went to seated dinner every night.  Chibang twice, Italian twice and MDR 3 times. Service in the MDR on the first formal night by was by far the worse service of the trip.  Other nights were fine but not was good a chibang and our first Italian night. 

 

We also just enjoyed the food less in the MDR than the other two free dinner venues (and lunch honestly).  Food is obviously subjective but just our opinion. 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by thatoneguyyouknow

[Computer Nerd]

2 hours ago, thatoneguyyouknow said:

 

We are dinner people, so we went to seated dinner every night.  Chibang twice, Italian twice and MDR 3 times. Service in the MDR on the first formal night by was by far the worse service of the trip.  Other nights were fine but not was good a chibang and our first Italian night. 

 

We also just enjoyed the food less in the MDR than the other two free dinner venues (and lunch honestly).  Food is obviously subjective but just our opinion. 

 

 

We like seated dinners as well. We too did Italian and Chibang twice, Hibatchi once, Rudi's once, and the MDR once. Our one time in the MDR was surprisingly good compared to the Freedom back in Oct but what really surprised me was how poor we thought Rudi's was. One place we definitely won't return to. Hopefully the MDR will be better on your next cruise.

[stellarose]

so early seating is now 530 not 6?

 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

Would highly recommend your time dining on Mardi gras if for no other reason than chibang and Italian even if you eat at the same time every day you'll want those options

Edited December 13, 2021 by thatoneguyyouknow

[SNJCruisers]

10 hours ago, Roscoe13 said:

Thanks for the review.

I like your pictures.  Where you using a Nokia 0.1 or a Motorolla 0.2?  🤪

I thought it was a Cutthegratsin 1/2.  Or maybe a Cheattheroomsteward 1.0.

[Pellaz]

6 hours ago, thatoneguyyouknow said:

Would highly recommend your time dining on Mardi gras if for no other reason than chibang and Italian even if you eat at the same time every day you'll want those options

Yep, it's almost a no-brainer.  

 

We normally choose YTD anyway, but on the Mardi Gras it's pretty crucial.  In fact, our sign-and-sail cards explicitly stated "Palm Dining Room, Chibang!, Cucina del Capitano" so there's a tacit acknowledgement that YTD on Mardi Gras includes all three, and of course the Carnival app takes that into account when making reservations.   

Set-time dining folks aren't out of luck, but they have to wait until 7:30 (I think) to reserve Chibang! or the Cucina.  

[Computer Nerd]

8 hours ago, stellarose said:

so early seating is now 530 not 6?

 

On the Mardi Gras, yes.

[stellarose]

odd my travel documents still says early seating 6.  hmmmm

[crewsweeper]

19 hours ago, taylorSC said:

 Cloud 9 Spa. I depart 12/26/2021. It would be awesome if you could find out the status of the thermal suite. I’m unable to purchase a 7 day pass . I wonder if it is closed..? There are plenty of YouTube post this fall showing it up and running ! Thanks

On the cruise before Computer Nerd, the thermal suites were open.  On port days, the heaed loungers weren't hot and the salt steam and aroma steam weren't working.  Sauna worked though.  Co-ed out of locker rooms and doesn't need a card to open the door. Someone said that they can't operate effectively when docked.   But at sea they were fully up.  Thalassophy pool is tiny ,IMO and crowded with 4-5 people.  Nice open shower for rinsing off but floods the area.