A quick review of the Mardi Gras

[cruisinqt]

Just got off the Mardi Gras Saturday and I love all the changes carnival made. I’ve been waiting for changes like this for over 20 years. From the self serve soda fountains to the touch less door openers on the bathrooms, the changes they’ve made were very well thought out. They even brought back the magic shows and did 6 or more comedy shows every night so there weren’t massive punchliner comedy show lines. And the main theater Playlist shows were some of the best I’ve seen. The lido had tons of mini stations all over making the lines non existent. I also loved the addition of the hot dog stand and gelato place in the lido too. The Street Eats area was awesome with the Time Fries creation of the day being one of my favorites. And the fact that you can now go to a specialty restaurant and order from the MDR menu was pure genius. Our family always argues over where to eat dinner- MDR or a specialty restaurant. I also love that the showers have real doors, there are charging ports, shelves, and nightlights next to the beds. I was also a big fan of the new sliding glass balcony doors. The main theater had no poles in the way with stadium style seating which made every seat have a great view. And with 16 specialty restaurants to choose from the dinner and lunch lines weren’t bad at all (except for the pizza place late at night.) And for the first time ever on a cruise I never saw long lines at guest services. I don’t know if it was because their service was top notch and no one had complaints or because it was so organized with lots of employees on hand. But it was a first for me. There’s always long lines at guest services so the lack of lines stood out to me. 

 

There were a few glitches though. Like the soda fountains being timed for those with the bottomless bubbles program. By the time you grab your glass, fill it with ice and get it in place the timer is almost finished. You’ve gotta be fast and prepared in advance to get a decent amount of soda. We figured it out but it was a pain in the butt sometimes. They need to fix this. It’s just not enough time. Plus once you swipe your card and get some soda it won’t let you get more right away. You have to wait ten minutes which is irritating if you screwed up and didn’t get any soda in your glass.  

Also, the automatic doors leading in and out of the lido don’t always open when guests stand in front of them. You have to hold down the button on the door which confuses most people who just lightly tap it leaving an irritated crowd behind them. 

The bingo crowds were the worst I’ve ever seen. One time the line went from in front of Cherries On Top all the way down to Emeril’s Bistro which had to be at least a 45 minute wait. And of course every night after 8:00 pm the pizza crowd was super long. At least 30 or more people in line every time I went by. But this was only in the evenings. 

 

But overall it was one of the best ships I’ve been on. There’s just way more to do and eat at on this ship. I’ll throw in a few tips that might help future cruisers. 

 

1.Java Blue Cafe has free hot breakfast sandwiches & pastries every morning and there are no lines. 

 

2.Guys Pig & Anchor has a free breakfast buffet every morning with no crowds.  

 

3.Big Chick has fresh omelets for those of you wanting to skip the long omelet lines 

 

4. If you want to try out different restaurants for dinner, don’t do assigned dining. Assigned dining guests can’t make reservations at them until after 7:45.

 

5. Guys Pig & Anchor has soda fountains and swirls ice cream machines for those of you wanting to avoid the lido crowds for these things. 
 

I hope this helps you future Mardi Gras cruisers out there. Happy sailing. 
 

 

[SDPadreFan]

Thanks for all the great info.

[matymil]

1 hour ago, cruisinqt said:

Just got off the Mardi Gras Saturday and I love all the changes carnival made. I’ve been waiting for changes like this for over 20 years. From the self serve soda fountains to the touch less door openers on the bathrooms, the changes they’ve made were very well thought out. They even brought back the magic shows and did 6 or more comedy shows every night so there weren’t massive punchliner comedy show lines. And the main theater Playlist shows were some of the best I’ve seen. The lido had tons of mini stations all over making the lines non existent. I also loved the addition of the hot dog stand and gelato place in the lido too. The Street Eats area was awesome with the Time Fries creation of the day being one of my favorites. And the fact that you can now go to a specialty restaurant and order from the MDR menu was pure genius. Our family always argues over where to eat dinner- MDR or a specialty restaurant. I also love that the showers have real doors, there are charging ports, shelves, and nightlights next to the beds. I was also a big fan of the new sliding glass balcony doors. The main theater had no poles in the way with stadium style seating which made every seat have a great view. And with 16 specialty restaurants to choose from the dinner and lunch lines weren’t bad at all (except for the pizza place late at night.) And for the first time ever on a cruise I never saw long lines at guest services. I don’t know if it was because their service was top notch and no one had complaints or because it was so organized with lots of employees on hand. But it was a first for me. There’s always long lines at guest services so the lack of lines stood out to me. 

 

There were a few glitches though. Like the soda fountains being timed for those with the bottomless bubbles program. By the time you grab your glass, fill it with ice and get it in place the timer is almost finished. You’ve gotta be fast and prepared in advance to get a decent amount of soda. We figured it out but it was a pain in the butt sometimes. They need to fix this. It’s just not enough time. Plus once you swipe your card and get some soda it won’t let you get more right away. You have to wait ten minutes which is irritating if you screwed up and didn’t get any soda in your glass.  

Also, the automatic doors leading in and out of the lido don’t always open when guests stand in front of them. You have to hold down the button on the door which confuses most people who just lightly tap it leaving an irritated crowd behind them. 

The bingo crowds were the worst I’ve ever seen. One time the line went from in front of Cherries On Top all the way down to Emeril’s Bistro which had to be at least a 45 minute wait. And of course every night after 8:00 pm the pizza crowd was super long. At least 30 or more people in line every time I went by. But this was only in the evenings. 

 

But overall it was one of the best ships I’ve been on. There’s just way more to do and eat at on this ship. I’ll throw in a few tips that might help future cruisers. 

 

1.Java Blue Cafe has free hot breakfast sandwiches & pastries every morning and there are no lines. 

 

2.Guys Pig & Anchor has a free breakfast buffet every morning with no crowds.  

 

3.Big Chick has fresh omelets for those of you wanting to skip the long omelet lines 

 

4. If you want to try out different restaurants for dinner, don’t do assigned dining. Assigned dining guests can’t make reservations at them until after 7:45.

 

5. Guys Pig & Anchor has soda fountains and swirls ice cream machines for those of you wanting to avoid the lido crowds for these things. 
 

I hope this helps you future Mardi Gras cruisers out there. Happy sailing. 
 

 

Getting me pumped for our sailing next month. We were supposed to be on her maiden US voyage that got canceled afew years ago.

[cruisinqt]

5 hours ago, matymil said:

Getting me pumped for our sailing next month. We were supposed to be on her maiden US voyage that got canceled afew years ago.

You’ll love this ship. We liked it so much we booked her sister ship the Celebration while we were still on our cruise. We’ve never done that before but we are retired now and have more time to cruise. And this new class of ship has so much to offer that we couldn’t resist the great deals we were being offered. 

[we b cruzin]

Thank you for the review and insights.

[sunkey1]

Loved her so much last October that booked her again and are taking our (adult) kids this time.

[IntrepidFromDC]

You mentioned the hot dog stand but not shawarma right next door, which was my biggest freebie food surprise on the ship.  Hope you didn't miss it!

 

Thanks for the brief yet fairly comprehensive review!

Edited August 4, 2022 by IntrepidFromDC

[mouche]

Thanks for the review, can't wait to sail her in 72 days

[csm5986142]

14 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

2.Guys Pig & Anchor has a free breakfast buffet every morning with no crowds.  

 

We have been on Mardi Gras twice (once at 50% capacity and once at 100%) and loved it so much that we have already booked Celebration and Jubilee.  I think this is the best advice - (Pig & Anchor breakfast) - when the lido would be chaos, there would be 5 to 10 people max in Pig & Anchor.  Much more calm and quiet.  

[cruisegirl1976]

Thank you for the review.

[karmamule]

We'll be going on our first Carnival cruise on the Mardi Gras this October. Thanks so much for the review and tips, they'll be very helpful!

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for your review. Was on it last November and have three more booked .Good job Carnival.

[Rollin Tide]

18 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

You mentioned the hot dog stand but not shawarma right next door, which was my biggest freebie food surprise on the ship.  Hope you didn't miss it!

 

I was on the Mardi Gras this past Thanksgiving, and JUST NOW remembered I forgot to stop by the Shawarma place 😞

[cruisinqt]

1 hour ago, csm5986142 said:

 

We have been on Mardi Gras twice (once at 50% capacity and once at 100%) and loved it so much that we have already booked Celebration and Jubilee.  I think this is the best advice - (Pig & Anchor breakfast) - when the lido would be chaos, there would be 5 to 10 people max in Pig & Anchor.  Much more calm and quiet.  

I just loved the Pig & Anchor area. With swirls ice cream available 24/7, a free buffet, a nice bar, and all of that seating it was our favorite hangout on the ship. My husband loved to sit in one of the big overstuffed sofas or arm chairs and watch sports on the big screen. I liked playing foosball or shuffleboard. And it was never overcrowded because there just so much dang seating. 

[cruisinqt]

3 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

You mentioned the hot dog stand but not shawarma right next door, which was my biggest freebie food surprise on the ship.  Hope you didn't miss it!

 

Thanks for the brief yet fairly comprehensive review!

I did miss shawarma. I meant to try it out but never got back around to it. When we do the Celebration in February I’ll check it out. 

[csm5986142]

6 minutes ago, cruisinqt said:

I just loved the Pig & Anchor area. With swirls ice cream available 24/7, a free buffet, a nice bar, and all of that seating it was our favorite hangout on the ship.

 

Totally agree - when I booked our cabins on Celebration and Jubilee I tried to get in close proximity to Pig & Anchor (I also love to get my coffee there in the morning).  I hate crowds and it was one place I could go first thing in the morning and hardly see anybody else.

[Florings]

Lots of great information, thank you!

[markkw07]

11 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

You’ll love this ship. We liked it so much we booked her sister ship the Celebration while we were still on our cruise. We’ve never done that before but we are retired now and have more time to cruise. And this new class of ship has so much to offer that we couldn’t resist the great deals we were being offered. 

Hi cruisinqt..

 

QQ, was there any advantage to booking your Celebration cruise onboard? Carnival use to give"perks" if you booked a cruise onboard a cruise..just curious if that is still something that is being done. 

 

We are on Mardi Gras at the end of this month!...LOOKING foward to it!

[WAHMto5]

Thank you for the review & tips!  Heading out on the Mardi Gras next month after not being on Carnival for over 5 years!

[Pellaz]

On 8/4/2022 at 8:41 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

You mentioned the hot dog stand but not shawarma right next door, which was my biggest freebie food surprise on the ship.  Hope you didn't miss it!

 

My fingers were tingling in anticipation of posting something like this and you beat me to it.  Gee, thanks a lot!  🙂  

 

Before my MG cruise last October I wasn't really sure what this "shawarma" stuff was.*   

After my MG cruise, I now know what I was missing.  Really loved it.    

I also discovered what "bulgogi beef" is, thanks to the Street Eats kiosk.  Yum!  

 

Mardi Gras is a diners' delight.  So many included/"free" places to eat.  

 

--

* although it rhymed with Buck Dharma, from the band Blue Oyster Cult, so I figure it had to be good....  

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Pellaz

[z_cruisers]

On 8/4/2022 at 2:03 PM, markkw07 said:

Hi cruisinqt..

 

QQ, was there any advantage to booking your Celebration cruise onboard? Carnival use to give"perks" if you booked a cruise onboard a cruise..just curious if that is still something that is being done. 

 

We are on Mardi Gras at the end of this month!...LOOKING foward to it!

Good question!

[cruisinqt]

On 8/4/2022 at 1:03 PM, markkw07 said:

Hi cruisinqt..

 

QQ, was there any advantage to booking your Celebration cruise onboard? Carnival use to give"perks" if you booked a cruise onboard a cruise..just curious if that is still something that is being done. 

 

We are on Mardi Gras at the end of this month!...LOOKING foward to it!

They left a card in our mail slot next to the door with a pretty good offer. It was $100 per person for a balcony cabin. We just couldn’t pass it up, especially on such a fantastic ship like this one. 

[Djford75]

Another great tip is the Bar on deck 8, I think it's Dela Rosa.  Servers the same coffees that Java Blue serves with no lines!!

[blueskadoo]

Just curious how full the ship felt during your cruise? Did you feel like there was space to spread out? Any concerns about crowding and covid during your cruise? Thanks

[Bahbert]

On 8/3/2022 at 6:59 PM, cruisinqt said:

4. If you want to try out different restaurants for dinner, don’t do assigned dining. Assigned dining guests can’t make reservations at them until after 7:45.

 

Great review, thanks! One question about the above: Does this apply to all assigned dining, regardless of time? We usually get late dining but one of the reasons I might want to make reservations for a specialty restaurant is to eat earlier in order to catch a show we might otherwise miss due to our dining time.