Mardi Gras, One and done for us.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 10/17/2022 at 4:05 PM, LoungingMcCoy said:

 

We were booked on the Mardi Gras this year, but Carnival gave us the option to cancel with a full refund and my wife decided it was best for us to cancel.  The cruise we booked for next year is on the Celebration. 

Why cancel your Mardi Gras cruise for a cruise on it's sister ship, the Celebration?   If there was something that you read about the Mardi Gras that turned the two of you off, isn't there a good chance that you won't like the Celebration for the same reason?

[mz-s]

4 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Ever hear of the casino?

yes and I get casino offers but those cruises are simply prepaid, not free.

[ray98]

14 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

I didn't think mojitos were made with simple syrup either.  A Google search turned up the original mojitos, from Cuba, were made with five ingredients and simple syrup is not among them.

 

The Real Mojito Recipe (with Video) (allrecipes.com)

 

I think the point is no sugar was added at all and they claimed it wasn't in the recipe.  If that sweetness comes in the form of simple syrup or granulated sugar that is dissolved is semantics, it just needs to be there to offset the tartness.

[cruisegirl1976]

I reading all these experiences and it's making me nervous, I am taking my 1st Carnival Cruise on the Mardi Gras next year, usually sail with Royal,, and now I am wondering if I am going to like it. I am sailing for the ship, not the ports.

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

yes and I get casino offers but those cruises are simply prepaid, not free.

That's not how accounting works.

[Drazil65]

now I am wondering if I am going to like it. I am sailing for the ship, not the ports.

 

Obviously you wont know until you YOU try it...take note of the reviews and take them with a grain of salt...make your opinion...

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1976 said:

I reading all these experiences and it's making me nervous, I am taking my 1st Carnival Cruise on the Mardi Gras next year, usually sail with Royal,, and now I am wondering if I am going to like it. I am sailing for the ship, not the ports.

What are you nervous about? It's a beautiful ship with tons of food choices and lots of activities. Stop letting people put preconceived notions in your head.

[nhilding10]

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1976 said:

I reading all these experiences and it's making me nervous, I am taking my 1st Carnival Cruise on the Mardi Gras next year, usually sail with Royal,, and now I am wondering if I am going to like it. I am sailing for the ship, not the ports.

What ships on Royal? We too were that way and took a chance on the Mardi Gras. We had sailed Anthem, Harmony, and Freedom, so we felt like we had a pretty good mix of experience on Royal when coming into Mardi Gras. I will say this, if you love the theater, shows, etc. on Royal then you'll absolutely love the Mardi Gras. For us, the Grand Central area was very cool. It was a good play on the 270 from Anthem, and they use it for the shows fantastically. They can do so much more in there than they can the Main Theater, so it's really cool to see. However, that said, get there early. The "good" seats up front and on the lower level do fill up fast, and they are mostly necessary to see everything in a given show that goes on in Grand Central. We tried seats in the upper levels, different areas, and you just can't quite see everything. Still entertaining, and worth it, but just "not as good". Hopefully that will make sense. The one big drawback we found from Royal vs Mardi Gras, was that Mardi Gras never seems to have that big open, promenade section like Royal ships are known for. The Mardi Gras really chokes that off on Decks 6, 7, 8 because of Grand Central, but the areas around it can get pretty congested at night with shows, photos, dinners, etc going on. Just be prepared for things to be a little more busy and leave yourself the time, and it won't be that big of a deal in the end. We let it bother us more than we should originally, constantly trying to play the Royal vs Mardi Gras game. Once we got over that and enjoyed Mardi Gras simply for what it was, we actually did enjoy the ship quite well! The upper Lido areas are a lot of fun (they need a second bar on the main Lido deck, I'll stand on that hill all day every day!) and the entertainment up there blows Royal away; I wouldn't worry about it. Note what you like and don't, but don't let it get you down like we did. The Mardi Gras has its pros and cons, but I think you'll find it enjoyable and your cruise won't suffer one bit for it!

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

yes and I get casino offers but those cruises are simply prepaid, not free.

Many of them are free, you only have to pay port charges, just like everyone else.

[cruisingguy007]

8 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

How about the first of six ships with the introduction of the Prima from the Prima Class on NCL.   Smaller than their Breakaway and Breakaway Plus Class ships (142.5 K tons) with only 3100 passengers.  No floating mall like RCI or MSC. 

Carnival is trying to play catch up to their competition and they are finally coming out with mega ships with the 3 in the Excel Class, while NCL is going the opposite way and so is RCI with the Icon Class.

 

I sincerely hope the industry moves away from the floating mall concept. Or at minimum, keeps bringing open design options online (more sea, sky, sunshine views and fresh air). The Prima class has some interesting features but I think the speedway is a waste of space and a low capacity entertainment option (much like wave rider/rock wall on RCI). I also dislike the ship-within-a-ship concept all together, if it's so awesome then make it ship wide so everyone can have a better experience and more space. I'd rather they charge a bit more to aggregate the cost and improve space ratios and experience on board for everyone; the ship-within-a-ship is a race-to-the-bottom trick that makes everyone end up with less space in the end. It's designed to make you think that without coach there would be no first class, but the reality is that without first class there would be no coach. 

Edited October 19, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, cruisegirl1976 said:

I reading all these experiences and it's making me nervous, I am taking my 1st Carnival Cruise on the Mardi Gras next year, usually sail with Royal,, and now I am wondering if I am going to like it. I am sailing for the ship, not the ports.

You will be fine.  The problem is that some people that have only sailed on Carnival are having trouble adjusting to the size of the ship and the number of people on the ship.  The MG at 180 K tons is 35% larger than the Vista Class ships.  If you've sailed on the larger ships in the RCI fleet, then you'll have no problem with the Mardi Gras.  There is a YouTube video from Danny at Harr Travel that is a good comprehensive review of the ship.  After seeing that video your apprehension should be eliminated.

[cruisegirl1976]

2 hours ago, nhilding10 said:

What ships on Royal? We too were that way and took a chance on the Mardi Gras. We had sailed Anthem, Harmony, and Freedom, so we felt like we had a pretty good mix of experience on Royal when coming into Mardi Gras. I will say this, if you love the theater, shows, etc. on Royal then you'll absolutely love the Mardi Gras. For us, the Grand Central area was very cool. It was a good play on the 270 from Anthem, and they use it for the shows fantastically. They can do so much more in there than they can the Main Theater, so it's really cool to see. However, that said, get there early. The "good" seats up front and on the lower level do fill up fast, and they are mostly necessary to see everything in a given show that goes on in Grand Central. We tried seats in the upper levels, different areas, and you just can't quite see everything. Still entertaining, and worth it, but just "not as good". Hopefully that will make sense. The one big drawback we found from Royal vs Mardi Gras, was that Mardi Gras never seems to have that big open, promenade section like Royal ships are known for. The Mardi Gras really chokes that off on Decks 6, 7, 8 because of Grand Central, but the areas around it can get pretty congested at night with shows, photos, dinners, etc going on. Just be prepared for things to be a little more busy and leave yourself the time, and it won't be that big of a deal in the end. We let it bother us more than we should originally, constantly trying to play the Royal vs Mardi Gras game. Once we got over that and enjoyed Mardi Gras simply for what it was, we actually did enjoy the ship quite well! The upper Lido areas are a lot of fun (they need a second bar on the main Lido deck, I'll stand on that hill all day every day!) and the entertainment up there blows Royal away; I wouldn't worry about it. Note what you like and don't, but don't let it get you down like we did. The Mardi Gras has its pros and cons, but I think you'll find it enjoyable and your cruise won't suffer one bit for it!

Thanks for your detailed review of the pros and cons.. we actually never see any of the shows.. we are more of a get up late, hang by the pool drink kind of people and see a comedy show at night (maybe) and chills at the bars.. we don't like to plan anything on the cruise.. just go with the flow..

[cruisegirl1976]

58 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

You will be fine.  The problem is that some people that have only sailed on Carnival are having trouble adjusting to the size of the ship and the number of people on the ship.  The MG at 180 K tons is 35% larger than the Vista Class ships.  If you've sailed on the larger ships in the RCI fleet, then you'll have no problem with the Mardi Gras.  There is a YouTube video from Danny at Harr Travel that is a good comprehensive review of the ship.  After seeing that video your apprehension should be eliminated.

Thank you 🙂

[IntrepidFromDC]

4 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

I think the point is no sugar was added at all and they claimed it wasn't in the recipe.  If that sweetness comes in the form of simple syrup or granulated sugar that is dissolved is semantics, it just needs to be there to offset the tartness.

I didn't see anything in the post about sugar, and it seems very unlikely a Carnival bartender (and especially a supervisor) would make a mojito without simple syrup, don't you think?  I think it's more likely the poster mistakenly thought simple syrup went in mojitos, or maybe they make them that way where he frequents.

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Many of them are free, you only have to pay port charges, just like everyone else.

 

Only free if you have never lost money in the casino. 

[BlerkOne]

55 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Only free if you have never lost money in the casino. 

and never won, in which case, how foolish is that?

[pc_load_letter]

On 10/18/2022 at 11:54 AM, iria64 said:

My take on the ship is that there was nothing on the ship that made me go wow.  Granted I have only been on two other cruises but on both of those ship when you boarded you immediately were hit with an open space that was two or 3 decks high.  Walking on the the MG I just felt closed in.   Where you get on the ship may have been 3 decks high but you really could not tell.

 

Edited to add: While walking around the ship there was really nothing that jumped out at me saying "that would make a nice picture."

 

I feel this way about the Panorama as well. I love me a big atrium and while I know that atrium size does not equal a great or fun cruise, I felt that ship was very tight and cramped from my very first steps on board. Pool areas felt the same as well.

 

In contrast we love the refurb'd Radiance.

Edited October 19, 2022 by pc_load_letter

[MrMarc]

8 hours ago, kwokpot said:

What are you nervous about? It's a beautiful ship with tons of food choices and lots of activities. Stop letting people put preconceived notions in your head.

I sailed on Mardi Gras and had a great time!  Drinks, food and crew were all great!  There are so many venues that if you do not like one, try another.  Don't like the way they mix a drink, ask them to change it.  Unless you just do not like large cruise ships, I think you would have to work at having a bad time on Mardi Gras.  Instead of making fewer huge venues, they have made a lot of smaller venues, so there are always alternate choices.

[MrMarc]

I know I quoted the wrong person, but you know what I mean.

[ray98]

18 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

I didn't see anything in the post about sugar, and it seems very unlikely a Carnival bartender (and especially a supervisor) would make a mojito without simple syrup, don't you think?  I think it's more likely the poster mistakenly thought simple syrup went in mojitos, or maybe they make them that way where he frequents.

 

The original post stated he was told the Mojito is just rum and lime juice which is not correct.  A Mojito has a sweetner in it, not sure really what we are arguing because it is certainly not just rum and lime juice.

 

"They just put rum and lime juice in a glass, shook it for a second and handed it to you. I asked why they were not putting a simple syrup in it, they told me the drink does not have simple syrup in it just rum and lime juice."

[Retiredmedic]

13 hours ago, MrMarc said:

I sailed on Mardi Gras and had a great time!  Drinks, food and crew were all great!  There are so many venues that if you do not like one, try another.  Don't like the way they mix a drink, ask them to change it.  Unless you just do not like large cruise ships, I think you would have to work at having a bad time on Mardi Gras.  Instead of making fewer huge venues, they have made a lot of smaller venues, so there are always alternate choices.

3 bars, each could not make a simple Daiquiri, hard to make a Daiquiri when the bars do not have simple syrup to put in the drink. Straight up and and straight up lime juice does not make for a tasty Daiquiri. That is a Carnival training issue. Cut of meat that are mostly fat is a Carnival issue, not simply liking the meal.

[LoungingMcCoy]

On 10/19/2022 at 2:30 AM, CruizinSusan70 said:

Why cancel your Mardi Gras cruise for a cruise on it's sister ship, the Celebration?   If there was something that you read about the Mardi Gras that turned the two of you off, isn't there a good chance that you won't like the Celebration for the same reason?

It wasn't because of the Mardi Gras.  Carnival sent an e-mail last year saying we could cancel our January 2022 cruise for a full refund.  I didn't even consider it, but I told my wife about it and she wanted to cancel because of COVID protocols.  I guess I should have kept my mouth shut.  (Please don't tell her I said that. hehe)

 

We book based on itinerary and vacation dates.  We don't even take the ship into consideration.  It just happened to work out that this year was supposed to be Mardi Gras and next year is Celebration.      

[BlerkOne]

"Simple daiquiris do not contain simple syrup"

Don Facundo Bacardí Masso

[ManyMore]

I'm not a fan as the ship is way too big! If you forgot something in your cabin it would take you 40 minutes to get back lol. Non of the beef I has was good, even in the specialty dining room. Meat is a crap shoot anywhere I suppose. The Red Frog pub it FILLED with BEE's!! Anytime the ship was in port we couldn't bee outside (see what I did there lol) They kept saying if you don't bother them. Ummmmmmmm ok I'm allergic. They said it happens on every ship. Ummmmmm no 26 cruises that was the only one.

[CruizinSusan70]

9 hours ago, LoungingMcCoy said:

We book based on itinerary and vacation dates.  We don't even take the ship into consideration.       

We are just the opposite.  We only book because of the ship.  After sailing the Caribbean over 35 times, we've seen most of the ports, so the newest state of the art ships by various lines are our chosen destination.