Carnival Mardi Gras (October 2021)

 Carnival Mardi Gras

7-Night Eastern Caribbean

10/09/2021: Port Canaveral

10/10/2021: Sea Day

10/11/2021: Sea Day

10/12/2021: San Juan, Puerto Rico

10/13/2021: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

10/14/2021: Sea Day

10/15/2021: Nassau, Bahamas

10/16/2021: Port Canaveral

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YOUTUBE: Carnival Mardi Gras - Complete Ship Tour

YOUTUBE: Carnival Mardi Gras - Ports of Call

YOUTUBE: Carnival Mardi Gras - Fun Ship Video

"We're finally back on a cruise! It's only been 656 days, but who's counting?"

FINALLY we're getting on a damn cruise ship! After being canceled two days before we were about to sail on Celebrity Edge in March of 2020 we are finally getting back out to sea. It was seriously a long time coming. Last cruise being Dec 2019, is our longest drought, and hoping that NEVER happens again.

So we're booked, getting everything together for this sailing, one covid procedure change, after another, and another. To the point we called Carnival about a month before to see what our options were if we canceled. We had a backup ready to go, but since the penalty wasn't worth it, we were heading full steam ahead on this. Only thing turning us back would be another cancellation, which after last time we were not ruling out. Honestly we couldn't get comfortable enough to enjoy because of this, also having to now take a covid test two days prior. As far as I was concerned this cruise for me wouldn't feel real until I was on the ship, OMG what a stressful time. That Thursday everyone we knew sailing with us (Facebook group) was living with so much anxiety, longest 15 minutes of our lives. So we're good, we're sailing, we're heading to Mardi Gras! Everything at the terminal was easy breezy.

Let's start this off with entertainment. Overall a wide variety of options here, starting from shows in the Mardi Gras Theater and Center Stage, to deck parties, comedy and music all around the ship. Just be mindful when trying to plan all this out, it is a lot, so make sure to know if there is a certain show you want to see, make sure you know when and where it will be.

Food. Mardi Gras has more dining options than any other Carnival ship. Overall, we don't recall having anything that we felt was horrible and won't ever want again, besides that Chocolate Melting Cake, yes it's crap now. But the food overall was really good, also consistent. I can't tell you the last time, if at all it was that solid across the entire sailing. Also the crew, can't say anything more but they were incredible the entire week. Everyone we came across was so happy and proud to be on the flagship for Carnival and overall just grateful to be back to work.

Overall the Mardi Gras is a beautiful ship, with so much going on and so much to offer. However with that said, we think that they tried too hard with putting so much into the ship. Looks amazing from the outside looking in, but once you're on you get a real feel for the ship. For us, it wasn't a full win. There was a lot of time that we felt venues were too small and too crammed into spots. Too much going on. I remember sitting at Brass Magnolia and between songs hearing the music blasting from the Fortune Teller bar. Also the Teppanyaki, what was Carnival thinking there? Super small, but next door Sushi, much larger. Then the massive casino smacked in the middle of the walking track from forward to aft, kids can't enter the casino and for those who don't want to keep going into the smoke-filled area, would have to go up or down to another level just to get across. Overall the ships flow wasn't the greatest. Again just us personally. We're fine with size, but make it work. Think of Tetris, main point is you have all these different pieces (venues on the ship) and you have to make them all fit together and work (spaces on the ship), well they did that, just for us didn't work well.

So putting all that together, we felt we had a great time on Mardi Gras, nice ship, great entertainment and dining. Would we rush to go back? No. The ship isn't like any other Carnival ship, let's get that straight. It has a lot of Royal, MSC and Norwegian mixed in. Felt at times like a floating mall, sound familiar? Maybe that was it, the shops were scattered all over decks 6, 7 & 8 and a bar and restaurant mixed in. Just a lot of the same all over, if that makes sense. If that's your thing, than great. For us it wouldn't be a ship we ran back to. 

Alchemy Bar

We start our tour at the place we have our first drink. We've been wanting to try out the Alchemy Bar for several years, but never made it to one. We had gotten onto the ship and dropped our luggage off and grabbed some lunch, then we wanted to celebrate being back on a cruise with a drink, or in our case, the daily special, a martini flight. What a way to start the cruise, it was perfect. Staff was really great here, along with everywhere else. Highly recommend stopping by for a drink, plenty of seating at the bar and around the area looking down towards the French Quarter section of the ship.

We went with the Martini Flight, it was $1 off on embarkation day. Good way to try multiple martinis to see which you like best.

Camp Ocean

Camp Ocean is the kids camp for children from the ages of 2 to 11 years old.

Carnival Adventures

Looking for info on purchasing a shore excursion? Well you can either use your phone, or come down to the desk here and talk to a excursion professional.

Carnival Kitchen (Additional Charge)

I wanted to really take a class here, however my wife on the other hand didn't really want to. So after some talk, we decided to skip it on this cruise. Well here, you can take a number of cooking classes (extra charge) while cooking alongside a live chef, then sitting down and eating the meal afterwards. A really fun concept.

Cherry on Top (Additional Charge)

Before the cruise, I said to my wife, "Why is a candy shop named after a fruit?" It's not like they serve anything with actual cherries. Well either way, you have a sweet tooth? Come down and get some candy, they have so many options available. Perfect spot to come, right before one of the many shows on Center Stage.

Chibang! (Free for Inaugural Season)

We heard SO MUCH NEGATIVE comments on Chibang!, so we had to try it out for ourselves and see if it was really that bad. I'm VERY happy to announce that it was probably one of our favorite dining venues on board the Mardi Gras. You can choose from both the Mexican and Chinese side of the menu for lunch and dinner. Lunch was open on sea days and they mainly served burrito and noodle bowls, while at dinner the menu is expanded quite a bit. We ordered a lot of options on the menu, the two nights we dined here. Overall we thought everything was really, really good and service was amazing. At the time of this sailing, food here is free, however sometime next year they plan on charging. Even with a fee, we'd gladly pay to dine here, we felt dinner and service was that good. Portions were great, flavors were great, service was great. A solid 9 out of 10 honestly. Highly recommend it here. They also did an amazing show at the end of the cruise with a dragon, really fun. Also ambiance was nice. If we had to say something negative, it would be the noise levels, it can get pretty loud in here, but we found that to be the case at most dining venues on the ship.

So much seating.

We start on the Mexican side for the below. These were the Super Loaded Nachos. Very flavorful.

This was the Queso Fundido, this was probably my least favorite dish. Felt it was very cheesy, but in a very liquid way. Wouldn't recommend this dish.

This is the Carne Tacos. All tacos come with shells, carne was my second favorite of the three options. 

This is the Carnitas Taco. Wasn't a love of this one. Felt it was a bit bland, meat was a funky flavor.

These were my favorite of the taco dishes, the Camarones, which was the flash fried shrimp. Really good. Still no clue what the big black roll things are.

My wife thought it was a good idea to try the Quesadilla. I can still smell the cheese in here, so damn good! She said it was like an arepa, yes it was!

This is a side of Yucca in a poblano queso and lime creama sauce. Not a bad side to get.

This is the Pollo En Mole, roasted chicken in a 36-ingredient mole. My wife really enjoyed this. Me, I felt it was good.

Side of Frijoles, which we accidently got with the above mole dish. Same type of beans.

For one of my mains, I went with the Steak Rancheros, not bad at all. Tender steak and great flavors.

For our desserts on the Mexican side we start with the Creme Catalana. Let's say all the desserts we had on the ship were lack luster. So not much to talk bout with any of these options.

Next we have the Coconut Tea Tres Leches.

Then finally for the Mexican dessert options we have the Chocolate "C-Bang", pretty much a more cooked Chocolate Melting Cake with chocolate dusting on top.

Onto the Chinese side. Here we have some of the most flavorful Pot Stickers we've ever had. Really upset I didn't get them on our first visit. Was not expecting the flavor that I got with these. Highly recommend.

Next we have the Chicken Spring Rolls. Another W.O.W. moment! Comment below if you know the YouTuber with that saying. These were another great hit!

Here we have the Slow-braised Pork Belly. Yummy! That's all I got.

You ever have a dish so hot, that you just kept eating because it was so f-ing good? Well this is the Kung Pao Chicken. I got it both times and I loved it. So spicy and so damn good! By far my favorite entree.

Here is the Beef & Broccoli, another really good dish.

These were the Hakka Noodles, or Lo Mein to you regular Chinese food people. I enjoyed them very much, had that umami flavor that you couldn't say no to.

A Caesar salad, wait what? So at all the alternate dining venues, you have a selection of main dining room menus you can choose from. Keep in mind it is not every item. So if you want particular items, make sure to check that dining room out.

Then we get this. Yeah, you know what it is, the infamous Chocolate Melting Cake. This cake hasn't melted in 5 years. I have no clue why I even get this anymore. If I had one word to describe this dessert....OVERRATED!!!!

Menu for lunch and dinner.

Circle C

Circle C is the area for kids 12 to 14 years of age.

Cloud 9 Spa & Fitness Center

Deck 6 forward you will find the spa and fitness center. Port side is the large, spacious gym with the Starboard side will be the entrance to the Cloud 9 Spa. Spa tours are available on embarkation day, as well as a couple times throughout the sailing, in case you're interested in touring the spa.

Club O2

For teens 15 to 17, Club O2 is their dedicated part of the ship.

I can't tell you how many times my wife and I wanted to break in and chill here. Seriously these kids don't know how good they have it.

Dreams Studio

Looking to get some professional shots done? Head here and talk to the team.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse ($38 per adult, $12 per child)

I really wanted the steakhouse for this cruise, I just wasn't letting it go. My wife knew I really wanted to get in. We ALMOST won a free dinner at the Fun Aboard Show, I was off ONE NUMBER on our ticket. So after that we looked, but no luck on a reservation. Then we headed to lunch that day and we were talking to maitre d in the Palm Dining Room about seeing if he was able to do anything, he said give him a moment and he called them up and got it for us. Wow! We always love the staff on Carnival, some of the best at sea. So dinner comes later that night, we tried out some new options, trying to mix it up a bit, along with some classic options. Overall the food was pretty good, service as always great. Only real complaint was the closeness of the tables, and the loudness of the restaurant. Again not much we can do here, but just be aware of that if that will be an issue for you. Overall great time, glad we went. Also art at the table was great, especially since they put Happy Birthday on there for me, AMAZING!

The salt box. Yeah, just throw some salt on it, I really don't care or won't know the difference.

Totally worthless. They used to have this round soft bun thing years ago, so much better than that crispy burnt end, round saucer, the pretzel, well that wasn't half bad.

Complements from the chef. Finally the mushroom cappuccino that I've been waiting for, it's only been 10 years!

I went with the Tuna Tartare, not bad. Wouldn't go out of my way for it, but not bad.

My wife went with the Risotto, very, very, very cheesy. A little too much to be honest. Lost it's texture and flavor a bit.

Lobster Bisque, I said I wasn't going to get it, but here we all. Damn happy I got this. So good!

I went with the Australian Wagyu, that was so good. I personally wish it would get cooked with a bit more flavor on the outside, but super tender and still a good dish.

My wife went with the surf and turf. I wasn't much of a fan of this, but to be fair I've been kinda over filets for a little while now and the lobster too. She enjoyed it though, so that's what matters.

Side of mushrooms and onion rings. Both were fine, nothing crazy.

Art at the Table. Just do it for the show.

I loved that they put Happy Birthday at the bottom, such a great surprise. We've gotten this before, still just as fun to watch. Oh the flavor, um the ice cream is nice.

Family Harbor Lounge

Located on Deck 4 is the Family Harbor section of the ship, within that area you come across amazing photos of lighthouses and spot on nautical hallways. Really awesome! The lounge is dedicated to anyone booked in the Family Harbor rooms on board, they offer an area for their guests to come and relax, as well as a small selection of food offerings.

Flamingo Restaurant (Free)

Early and late dining have a selection of Chibang!, Cucina and Flamingo to dine at everynight. You start by checking in on the app and then wait for your table. We never once had a chance to eat dinner in the actual main dining room. So we really cannot comment on service here.

FRENCH QUARTER (ZONE)

Emeril's Bistro 1396 (Additional Charge)

We loved a lot of areas on the ship, when it came to the various dining venues, however Emeril's was one of our tops. Going in I had some high hopes for this little spot, and it not only met them, it truly exceeded those high expectations. Food was so tasty and the staff was made up of some of the nicest people we came across on the ship. Every time we walked by they would smile and wave to us. Often times we'd stop and talk and see how their days were going. One standout food option here hands down was the Lemon Ice Box Pie, it is basically a frozen cheesecake with a light lemon flavor, but OMG this was so good. Surprised we only had one, but if you come it is a MUST GET!

Started with the Roasted Duck & Andouille Sausage Gumbo. Really well balanced dish.

Potato salad. I don't think anyone got excited here.

Went with the kids Fried Shrimp Po-Boy. We really like it.

The Crispy Boudin Sausage Balls. IF they were a little bit smaller, they'd be perfect. Don't get me wrong, they were really good, but the meat was too much in those large balls. Okay that didn't come out right. But seriously, if they made them about 25% smaller, you'd get such better ratio and flavor. Overall still really good.

These were the Natchitohes Meat Pies, pretty much a very tasty empanada. Would get them again.

Best dessert on the ship, I don't care what anyone else says! This is the Lemon Ice Box Pie, it's basically a frozen cheesecake with a hint of lemon. So damn good!

Fortune Teller Bar

This was on my list, yes we actually made a list of food and drink options on the ship, felt like we were planning a Disney World trip. We made it here a couple of times, drinks are the main attraction here and they were also very flavorful, to match their insane uniqueness. Worth checking out at least once, but we have a feeling you will be here more than once! In addition to the cocktails, nightly will offer live music. Our favorite was the New Age Trio, they were amazing.

Nightly musicians will preform here. This was the New Age Trio, AMAZING!

The is the Bayou Smoke, it was super smoky in flavor, but still a pretty good cocktail. Let's face it I went for presentation, the whole process was worth it.

My wife went with the Air of Mystery. Another good drink.

On our second visit I went with the New Moon. Didn't really look much like the picture, flavor was decent, another deep flavored drink. I'd get it again.

Our favorite and the most gorgeous drink was the Golden Galaxy, amazing presentation and flavor. Highly recommend.

The Brass Magnolia

Across from the Fortune Teller Bar is the Brass Magnolia. Here is another section for amazing live music. We followed the New Age Trio over on their nights here, we sat back and relaxed in the lounge area. Although we did not get a chance to grab a drink from their list of cocktails, we did often find ourselves here. Very relaxing vibes.

Here was the New Age Trio again, we loved watching them throughout the cruise. Make sure to check them out on Facebook as well.

Fun Shops

Several decks include the Fun Shops, a little bit of something of each level. This is where the "mall-feel" came into play.

GRAND CENTRAL (ZONE)

Bonsai Sushi & Bonsai Teppanyaki (Sushi - Additional Charge) (Teppanyaki - $32 per person)

In the mood for sushi or teppanyaki? Well why not both? We decided to go with sushi this trip, mainly for the sushi boat, which was really good. Service here, also great. Restaurant was also very spacious, however the spacious size cannot be said about teppanyaki right next door, it is the smallest we've seen on any ship with just only three stations. They are open for lunch (sea days) as well as dinner, so space is very limited. So book as far ahead of time as possible if you're looking to dine here. Sushi, you can walk in anytime that they are open.

Plenty of seating.

This was the Miso Soup that came with the below boat.

This was the Sushi Boat for 2. A lot of food on here, well worth it. Probably one of the best California Rolls I've ever had, everything else was really good as well.

This was next door at the Teppanyaki side.

Center Stage & Center Stage Bar

Like I mentioned above, this is a multi-purpose venue with something always going on, no matter if its 5am of 5pm, always something going on. Just keep that in mind when looking to book a room, you may want to avoid areas around that section. Seating here I'd like to point out seating isn't too plentiful at times, also fills up very quickly for a lot of shows and events. So if you're wanting a good seat get here at least an hour prior to the event. Sound we felt was not good at all on deck 8 almost impossible to hear. Views generally are all good, but just sound can get spotty.

Grand View Bar

Deck 7 you will find this bar, deck 6 will be the Center Stage Bar. So no matter the deck, you will find a drink, but drinks here will have a grand view, get it?!?

Java Blue Cafe

Who want's cawfee?!? Well they have you covered. Deck 6 is the spot for the hot beverage, or cold. In addition to the drinks and shakes, you have a very limited grab and go section, which isn't impressive at all. However the showcase was usually filled during the morning and afternoon hours with tons of food options. Cupcakes were great, other foods looked awesome! We tried to get you a look at everything we saw that was offered, you won't see many blogs at all with it, so we wanted to showcase those options for you. Also in the showcase, some of those options are only available certain times of day and some items change here and there, so keep that in mind.

This was the grab and go item, along with the below. That was it. They made it sound so appealing, it's not.

Guana Cream Cheese Donut - $3

Dark Chocolate Donut - $3

Bacon Caramel Donut - $3

Torched Meringue Donut - $3

Strawberry Donut - $3

Vanilla Donut - $3

Double Chocolate Donut - $3

Lemon Meringue Donut - $3

Bitter Coffee Bundt Cake - $3

Pecan & Praline Bundt Cake - $3

 

Dulche de Leche Donut - $3

S'mores Honey Graham Donut - $3

Turkey, Bacon & Swiss Sandwich - FREE

Steak & Provolone Sandwich - FREE

Pesto Vegetable Sandwich - FREE

Chicken & Mushroom Alfredo Sandwich - FREE

Grilled Chicken & Cheddar Sandwich - FREE

Buffalo Cauliflower Wrap - FREE

Chipotle Pork Wrap - FREE

Beef Empanada - FREE

Cheese Empanada - FREE

Chicken Pie - FREE

Calzone - FREE

White Chocolate & Macadamia & Chocolate Chip Cookies - $1.25

Cinnamon Swirl Danish - FREE

Apple Danish - FREE

Raspberry Danish - FREE

Chocolate Chip Muffin - FREE

Vanilla Danish - FREE

Granola Banana Muffin & Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin - FREE

Croissant - FREE

Turkey, Avocado, Egg & Gouda Sandwich - FREE

Capicola, Provolone & Egg Sandwich - FREE

Ham, Swiss & Egg Sandwich - FREE

Tofu Ranchero English Muffin - FREE

Egg, Ham & Spinach English Muffin - FREE

Egg, Sausage & Provolone English Muffin - FREE

Omelet, Bacon & Cheddar English Muffin - FREE

We got the Bacon Caramel Donut, better than expected. Also had a tasty filling.

Vanilla cupcake, it has more to it for flavor, but couldn't remember the name.

Omelet, Bacon & Cheddar English Muffin on the left was incredible. Loved it so much! Regret not getting another. On the right was the meat, cheese and tomato sandwich. Pretty good, another one we forgot the name on. 

Piano Bar 88

We made it a mission to try as much new things on this cruise, well one of those things was at the Piano Bar, we usually stop in for a song or two and head out. We actually spent an hour or so here, listening to the host, nice and relaxing environment. When we went, we didn't find it too crowded and drinks were easy to get.

The Punchliner Comedy Club

We spent several nights here watching different comedy shows. Mardi Gras has the most comedians of the fleet, even more than most other lines per sailing. Comedian's were all great, shows filled up, especially during the earlier part of the cruise, towards the last couple days, levels were down a bit. They also held a few shows in the Mardi Gras Theater.

The Punchliner Comedy Club does not offer a bar, however I wanted to add what they normally do, you can always ask at any bar to see if they can make any of these options.

Guest Services

Located on deck 8, in between La Piazza and Summer Landing you will find Guest Services. A bit of an odd area, they really should invest more of an idea on this area, seems its usually an afterthought and always in the way of a walkthrough.

Havana Bar & Outside Deck

We did not spend much time here at all throughout the cruise. We did see that it was mainly used for Karaoke and nightly music. We happened to sneak outside and check out the outside deck area, have to say it was really nice out there. The rooms are known for their unique "balcony" rooms, where they have a walkout to the deck area, which really isn't the best if you leave your door open, people can just walk right into the wrong room by accident. Overall a really nice area of the ship.

Outside areas you need a special wristband for.

Their pool area, nothing large, but never a busy area from what we saw.

Outside section of the Havana Bar.

View of the outside of one of the staterooms.

LA PIAZZA (ZONE)

Bar Della Rosa

One bar we did not get a chance to try out was here, I really wanted to, but time got the best of us here. Next time we will surely check them out. They also have an outside area as well.

Cucina del Capitano (Free for Inaugural Season)

It's a debate on which restaurant was the best, here or Chibang! Got to say it was a tie at this point, both were great options. Gladly would pay for both. We actually had our first dinner of the cruise here. To be perfectly honest, out of all of our 30+ cruises, this was the absolute, hands down, best experience we've had in any dining room on the first night of any cruise. Food was amazing, service was amazing, ambiance was great. You couldn't have gotten a better experience anywhere else. This, along with Chibang! were part of our main dining room selections, along with the Flamingo and Guy's Pig and Anchor. Again, we'd gladly pay to eat here, once they add a charge. Cucina del Capitano is opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also eat outside on the deck next to the water, and even outside the restaurant in the front section, really nice. Highly recommend going multiple times. Big stars here are the staff, absolutely amazing. Another note I want to add, we went to our favorite Italian restaurant locally after the cruise and had the veal marsala, it was really good, but not as good as the version here. Just saying, stop by!

Outside seating. Not outdoors, this is on the promenade walkway. Nice area.

Inside seating.

Beautiful outside dining available as well.

This was a clam and mussel stew, really good flavors.

Here is the Capitano's Signature Arancini, the sauce is on the spicy side, but very good.

This is Nonna's Meatball, ehh.

Side portion of Spaghetti Carbonara, everything you'd expect in this classic dish.

Il Capitano's Signature Dish, really good and highly recommend trying.

This was the Veal Marsala, delicious. That's all I need to describe that dish. We got home afterwards and went to our favorite Italian restaurant and ordered the Veal Marsala there, it was good, but this one was a lot better with flavor. That just shows the quality is there and its not just cruise food.

I went with the Pollo Parmigiana Della Cucina. I enjoyed this dish very much, HUGE portion.

Here I went with Penne alla Vodka, it was about 45 seconds under cooked, but still a decent entrée.

My wife went with the Tomahawk Pork Chop, great, great flavor.

Side of Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower, good.

This is the Crostata di Mele Coppetta, which is an apple tart. Desserts were decent, nothing crazy.

This is the Sicilian Cannoli, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be this. Had a flavor of a zeppole, just without the pound of oil and powdered sugar and brown paper bag, so this was a clean, unhappy version.

Tiramisu, not bad.

Chocolate Melting Cake with Peanut Butter, which makes it taste like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, if they could only cook the cake correctly it would have worked so much better.

We move to our breakfast options. This was just a bagel and lox. Actually really good, what made it even better, add bacon to this, get rid of the capers. You're welcome!

This is a stack of pancakes, it was fine, nothing crazy.

Sides of hash brown potatoes, ham and bacon.

Egg sandwich, pretty good.

Omelet and avocado toast with egg. Pretty good.

I got eggs benedict one morning, really good.

Piazza Panini (Free)

Piazza Panini is their deli on board. A good selection of sandwiches to choose from, also they will customize them if you'd like. We stopped here one day for lunch, very enjoyable.

Quick service option, which is free.

Grilled Ham & Cheese Panini - FREE

Turkey Sandwich - FREE

Reuben Sandwich - FREE

Meatball Sandwich - FREE

Caprese Focaccia - FREE

Sicila Sandwich - FREE

Salumeria Sandwich - FREE

Americano Sandwich - FREE

Peppe Sandwich - FREE

Carne Sandwich - FREE

Pizzeria del Capitano (Free)

Right next door to Piazza Panini is the Pizzeria. Ugh.....I really had hopes here. If you've been following us for a while you know our past issues with the pizzerias on board Carnival ships. How we do appreciate the hand tossed pizzas, there really isn't any difference than just putting into a pizza press. No one is going to care if the pizza is hand tossed, they are just hungry. Now we could have gone on an off time, but when we did, it took the pizza maker about 20 minutes to make about 5 pies and cook them, which really wasn't terrible, it was more of the point of it's a timely process, and people are not going to want to wait for pizza. This was also during a port day, there were a good amount of people on the ship and at this area as well, so again might have been an off moment. For the actual pizza, ugh, not the best, not the worst but could have been given more love with flavor. Felt the options we ordered were both on the bland side, nothing we'd go out of our way for. This was a pass for us, but with all of the other options on the ship, that's totally fine.

Quattro Formaggi

Margherita

LIDO (ZONE)

The Lido deck was a bit different on Mardi Gras, compared to many other Carnival ships. One thing I really missed, was the view of my funnel and you didn't even see that fat boy! Another noticeable difference was that HUGE RedFrog pub, 2 decks high. Overall we felt the area was nice, but a bit on the smaller side, hard for parties. Chair hogs weren't really too bad at all, which was kind of odd. However our sailing at only 3800 passengers of 5300, so a big difference there.

Big Chicken (Free)

So from the moment that this ship started sailing, we've heard so much about Big Chicken and how good it was. Well I'm a chicken sandwich guy so I'll give you my two cents here, my wife will also agree to this. Overall its decent, okay, nothing to write home about. We understand everyone is different, but we're just telling you about us. We tried it on two separate days, figured maybe it was just an off day. First day we went with two favorites, not much flavor at all, especially with everything on them, we expected so much more. The actual chicken was decent, mainly dry and the breading wasn't crispy at all, mainly because it sits for long periods of time. The second time I made my own fusion of two sandwiches, still not much going on there. Again just our personal opinion, we marking this has a miss for us.

My own creation, it's Nashville Hot Chicken with cheese, bacon and onion straws. Still not much flavor at all.

The Shaq Daddy is no longer on the menu, it's been replaced with the Nashville Hot Sandwich.

BlueIguana Cantina (Free)

Tucked away on Lido is the BlueIguana Cantina. I only came here one morning because I wanted some areapas. Now I've had these before, then I've had real ones, these suck. All the basics are there, but the texture is like a rubber pad, come on guys, give them some love. Didn't get to try any of the burritos or anything else. This is a free quick-service option on board.

Guy's Burger Joint (Free)

We really didn't want to eat here to be honest. We were never really big fans of burgers in general and not big fans of Guy's Burger Joint in general. However one day, we just weren't finding anything we really wanted for lunch, so my wife said let's head up to Guy's and get some burgers. So I said okay and we did. Overall we enjoyed them, not saying they are the best burgers out there, we've had better, but for it's purpose it works. She isn't one for burgers at all, and she's a tough critic, she enjoyed them more than me. I thought it was decent. Also I thought they were opened for breakfast, didn't come across it at all, so not too sure about that. This is also the largest Guy's Burger at sea, so much more room to spread out.

I went with the Chili Maximus, it was good, nothing crazy.

My wife went with the Straight Up, she liked it. I still was not a love here.

Lido Marketplace (Free)

Lido we tried to avoid for the most part, but it was a bit hard at times. So when we did eat here, food was fine, nothing crazy. Several stations setup all around with different options. Felt it was on the small side for variety overall. I did love the look of the area, especially the carpet which resembled a boardwalk.

Never had issues getting a table.

Lido Pool Deck

Like I mentioned above, the pool deck area was good. Not the biggest deck, but with the amount of pools we understand why.

Towels are provided, you just need your room key. You also have to return them back to here, not the most convenient way of doing this.

Up on deck 18 was this nook overlooking Lido.

RedFrog Tiki Bar

One of a kind (at the moment) is the two deck RedFrog Tiki Bar. We didn't get a chance to grab a drink here, but it was always a busy part of the ship. Loved how themed it was, the attention to detail was spot on. Loved it. One part of the concept art to reality that they did great with.

Seafood Shack (Additional Charge)

Next to the Lido Pool and at the end of Street Eats is the Seafood Shack, which I would like to see be more of a restaurant one day with some more options. That I think would work great, kind like a Bonasi Sushi style option, that kind of style. Overall it's a cool little spot for the seafood lovers. The bread bowls looked amazing, if we were to get anything, it would have been that.

Street Eats (Free)

Right next to the Seafood Shack is Street Eats, which is a food-truck inspired option. Works great when you just want a few bites of something. Downfall was the times, it was open only a few hours in the middle of the day, closer to the evening hours. I did want to get images all of the menu's since they change on a daily basis. Have not been able to locate them anywhere else, so enjoy them below. For what we had we felt they were great portions with great flavor.

Pork Dumplings, really good. (Day 1)

Chili Cheese Dog Fries, these were fire! (Day 1)

Beef Kabab, wife said it was decent. (Day 1)

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Limelight Lounge

Limelight Lounge was host to several events, everything from comedy shows, since the Punchliner and Mardi Gras theater wasn't enough. Also held a lot of the trivia and special events. We made our way here several times throughout the cruise. We felt it was on the small side and Carnival should reconsider to make an area dedicated to their Fun Squad and the games they offer. I think it would be a big hit, looks like they are heading that route, but an area would work great and I'm sure the team would love to have everything there for them.

Loft 19 Cabanas & Pool

A BIG shoutout to Carnival for hooking us up for some passes for the week. We did enjoy the pool, that overlooked Serenity. Overall this area is an upcharge area if you're looking to gain access to it. It does offer a lot of area to relax and soak in the sun, also offers cabanas for an additional charge. However to be perfectly honest, you can get quiet spots all around the ship, and the cabanas really weren't worth the upcharge in our opinion, we never saw anyone in any of them at all during the week. The area just didn't offer much more than an additional, higher deck with some chairs, a pool and cabanas that you had to pay even more for. Unless you're really looking to get away from everyone else then don't waste the money here. It's basically Norwegian's equivalent to the Haven area, without the rooms. If Carnival wants to go that route, then go that route, you can really make it work we think, you're in another league with the ship already.

These are the cabanas that are available to rent.

Inside the cabana.

The pool area that overlooks Serenity. Yes that's me in there, I wasn't moving.

Mardi Gras Art

Around the Mardi Gras you will find a lot of art and murals, here are some we enjoyed.

The original Carnival Mardi Gras.

How it started and how it's going.

Mardi Gras Casino

Mardi Gras is equipped with a very large casino. The problem here is the location, it cuts from one side of the ship to the other, without any way to pass through the theater to Center Stage without having to go through it, on that deck. They have a lot of tables and slots all crammed into there. Also it is blocked by doors, luckily because as soon as you open those doors all you smell is smoke. One side is non-smoking, but you won't even notice that.

Mardi Gras Theater

Welcome to the Mardi Gras Theater. Well we just weren't big fans of the smaller venue. One thing we loved about Carnival from other lines was the theaters they offered on the ships. The Conquest class offered some of the best at sea, we realize it was a thing of the time, but they were HUGE and spacious. Now they go the route of everyone else, but seemed much smaller than the rest. Not a fan of it, but we get it, makes it a bit more intimate. However with that said, you know you're going to need to get here early for good seats. We suggest the middle of the theater all the way back, on deck 7, a row in front of the single seat. Don't worry, you'll see those single seats on each side. We felt that was a great spot, with no one behind you, but really not a terrible seat in the theater. When it came to shows, we noticed you need to make sure to check the daily guides, because with the addition of Center Stage, nightly shows were happening in both spots. Sometimes repetitive. Overall it worked for what it was for. Here you also had Family Feud and comedy on select nights. 

Family Feud! To audition make sure to check the daily guide/app. Also if you don't have a full team, ask some strangers.

Late-night comedy was also held here a couple different nights.

Other Deck Areas

Here are some of the other sections of the Mardi Gras that didn't have much room in the other sections of this blog.

Plenty of seating areas.

Palm Restaurant (Free)

This was our dining room for breakfast/brunch. Overall food was good and service was pretty good, compared to most other ships/lines. One thing we missed was the larger feel of the actual venue. Felt Carnival went on the smaller side here from their traditional main dining venues.

I went with the Aft Deck Burger, wasn't really a burger, more like a complete mess to eat. Wouldn't recommend it at all.

This was the Skillet-cake, and here is the thing here, we had it twice. First time it was amazing, best thing, kept recommending it. Second time, it lost all its flavor.

Banana Cream Pie, ehh.

Assorted cookies.

My sides. All good.

Nothing to write home about with these waffles.

My wife seriously only got this because it said Breakfast Board, but overall it was good.

Tonga Toast? Nope it's the French Toast, not bad.

This was the Frittata, my wife enjoyed this.

A couple of the upcharge juices. Both were great!

This was a parfait, really good.

Pixels Photo Gallery

Make sure to take photos throughout the cruise, they are available on the app, the in room TV and here at Pixels. You can also purchase cameras here, as well as Go Pro's and other items.

Port Canaveral (HOMEPORT)

We head out of Port Canaveral, drove over early just to get there. Plus we had the first general boarding zone. Check-in was very quick and easy. We waited in the terminal until we were ready to board. Very easy process. Coming back we got off the ship and headed into the terminal to a LONG LINE so we can wait and go through customs. Reason was their facial scanners were down, however despite the very long line and only a couple agents, it moved very quick. The terminal is brand new and dedicated for Carnival. Felt it got cramped really quick and then close to once boarding starts, it becomes a cluster mess.

I would so buy this.

PORTS OF CALL

Not the best of ports for us personally. Honestly took the cruise before it was over my birthday and it was a ship I really wanted. But we made the best of the trip, overall it wasn't bad, but it made us understand what we really want when it comes to these ports.

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Amber Cove was our second stop. It is Carnival's private section. It does offer a bunch of shops, large pool, restaurant, bar and a lot of things. Only thing we didn't find was a beach in the immediate area. We stuck to the pool, it started off fairly quiet, but quickly changed. We were the only ship, and at the capacity we were at we couldn't image full capacity and two ships. Pool was large, but not that big. The bar was fine, just be careful when paying, the add tips onto the drinks bill, so keep that in mind. We had 2 drinks that came out to $16, with tip. We gave them a $20. After about 5 minutes the server came back with the change, seemed he was under the assumption that he was going to keep it. Granted we were going to tip them, but don't just assume, that's a call the customer will make. So after the pool got too busy, we took a walk around and came across some awesome hammocks, overlooking the ship, OMG! Overall we had a good time here at Amber Cove and wouldn't mind coming back another time. Also make sure to bring your own towels. We did not. Live and learn.

Free to ride, just give them a tip for each way. The pier wasn't that long, everyone complains about how long it was. We're just lazy and it was my birthday.

Free pool area.

With a swim up bar.

Also water slides.

Restrooms

Nathan's Stand

Kid's Splash Pad

Basketball Court

Tons of seating.

Volleyball Court

Also zip line is available.

You can also rent a over the water bungalow, for an upcharge.

Is this not the best view!

Nassau, Bahamas

WASTE!!!! Now we've been here so many times, so getting off the ship was of no interest for us (besides for a few pictures). Put it to you this way, we headed up to Lido in the afternoon and were blown away with the amount of people there, felt like a sea day. It's just a waste at this point. They are doing a lot of construction, so we shall see what happens in the future. Hoping it brings positive changes to the area.

A lot of construction is happening right now.

A look of what's going to be happening here in the future.

Allure of the Seas. Make sure to check out our blog from that ship.

MSC Divina, my birthday cruise from a few years ago. Make sure to check out our TWO blogs from that ship.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan was our first port of call. We decided to head up to the fort (about a 10 minute walk from the port). We got there a little early and then headed in. It was really cool to finally get over there and check it out. We didn't do much else besides the fort.

Rudi's Seagrill ($38 per adult, $12 per child)

Rudi's much like Big Chicken was a very hyped up dining venue on the Mardi Gras. It was more promising than Big Chicken obviously, but overall we were not a love of this spot. For starters and a heads up, especially during Covid times, the seating is VERY, VERY CLOSE together. Not even a foot separates some of these tables. We were seated next to two people and they were constantly coughing right next to us, I asked to be moved and they accommodated us. That wasn't even a Covid thing, it was more of I don't want to be sitting there, enjoying dinner and have someone hacking up a lung a foot next to me. They do also offer outside seating, from what we're told, that was mainly for people who wanted to eat here that weren't dressy enough. Onto the food, it was good, beautiful presentation, but that was it. The restaurant itself could have used more love on the walls and theming, felt it fell flat. Overall we tried it once, got what we planned, mainly for the visual of it, wouldn't waste the time going again. If you're big into seafood its a good option. We usually are, but it just didn't hit home for us overall.

Not much space at all.

Beautiful presentation.

Compliments from the chef.

Bread, it was one of the highlights.

This is the Wild Caught Tuna, nice and refreshing flavors.

This was the dish that made me want to book, the Lobster Mac n Cheese. Overall it had a couple nice chunks of meat and a cheesy, sauce dish. Not the best I've had.

This is the Seafood Bisque, nice flavors, beautiful presentation.

Seafood Bisque

Cioppino, which is the Fisherman's Stew. I wasn't a love of this dish, very, very oily.

My wife went with the surf and turf. Not bad, nothing to go out of your way for.

This was a side of crab risotto, decent option.

I went with the Crab Stuffed Lobster tails, not bad. Wasn't a huge fan of the crabmeat, but the lobster was nice.

A birthday fruit plate, nice touch.

This was the Chocolate Truffle Cake, it was decent, don't even think we finished it.

The famous Key Lime Pie with Rudi's face on it. Cute, pie was alright, not much key lime flavor.

Serenity Adult-Only Retreat

Below Loft 19 is Serenity, which is an adult-only area to sit back, grab a drink and relax. The area is a bit difference than most Serenity areas, setup very nice, pretty spacious, but the one lacking feature we think was the pool area. They have this really fun looking seating area in the middle, but from recent videos we've watched and after being up here numerous times throughout the cruise, we've barely seen anyone using that area. Chairs around the pool were usually full, but this area for some reason was not. Maybe a larger pool would have been a better idea. Overall nice area, plenty of seating, also a couple of large hot tubs on both sides.

Pool got really crowded during sea days.

Never had people in it. Not sure why, seemed like a fun area.

Serenity Bar

Fresh Creations

The have a large whirlpool on each side.

Ton's of chairs and beds.

Smoking Deck Space

The area has a few smoking areas, one of them being on deck 17.

Stateroom 9246 (Balcony)

Welcome to our balcony stateroom. It was overall on the smaller side, compared to a lot of other balcony rooms on other ships/lines. Bathroom was everyone's complaint. It was on the smaller side personally, so have to agree with others there. Not unbearable though. The room itself had enough space for us for the week. Plenty of hangers, thinking we got really lucky there, had about 30 of them. Balcony itself was spacious, we looked right down on the Havana rooms directly below on deck 8, so we couldn't see straight down to the water directly, but not a terrible view. Just if someone was walking on the walkway of Havana, someone could look in if they tried hard enough. Noise level was great, I don't even remember hearing anyone or anything at all, so that was a plus. The negative was the air, its on some sort of sensor, so I kept having to hit it for it to keep running with cold air.

Not too spacious. Not terrible, but space could have been a little better.

SUMMER LANDING (ZONE)

Deck 8 aft is Summer Landing. Here you will find more dining, more bars, more pools and more lounges. Really active and great place to be anytime of day and/or night.

Outside deck area.

One of the many pools on board.

Side hot tubs.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse (Lunch Free) (Free for Inaugural Season)

So we tried Guy's for lunch on our embarkation day, it was fine, nothing crazy here. Dinner was a bit of a cluster. We ended up waiting up front for someone to seat us, however us and about 8 other people waited a few minutes, until my wife went to go find someone. Apparently you need to seat yourself, okay, put a sign there. Whatever, we sat down, they were super quick to get our order and bring out food. Now on the options you are to pick one of two options, I didn't see that, and just ordered a bunch of different things. Well the waitress just assumed I wanted one part and only brought half the food. I told her and she explained it was one or the other, but she'd gladly get the rest. Okay no problem. Overall the food was fine, nothing to go out of your way for. Service was quick. Wouldn't come back again, maybe lunch. Drinks are really good and CHEAP!

Beer Flight

Choice of sauces

Fries, beans, crispy onions and the Pig & Anchor Melt, thought it was nasty honestly. Wouldn't recommend it, much like the burger at brunch, it was just a nasty mess of flavors.

My wife went with brisket, it was good, not crazy good, but good.

Here we have pulled pork, sausage and chicken. All tasted as expected.

This was the Mississippi Mud Pie, not bad.

Apple Cobbler and Banana Cream Pie, probably the better of the entire meal.

Heroes Tribute Lounge

Dedicated to our veterans, this was one of the most thoughtful places Carnival has put on their ships. It had a feeling on a living room, which was great. This was also a place to watch the big games.

The Watering Hole Bar

Outside on the deck you have the Watering Hole Bar, usually always filled with people.

THE ULTIMATE PLAYGROUND (ZONE)

We come to our last ZONE, and the one high up. Here you will find so much to do. Ride a coaster, zip line, play basketball or even mini golf. Something for everyone.

Mini golf is free to play.

Basketball is free to play.

Ropes course is open limited hours and is free.

BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster ($15 for Two Loops)

AI bet you heard about this ship having a roller coaster, right? Well it does, first and only of it's kind at the moment. So I just had to get on there and try it out for myself. Don't worry, there is no flips or anything like that. It does go about 40mph, which it does have a booster, but it barely did anything. You get two loops for $15 and I feel it was well worth it, so book as soon as you board, because spots will fill out very quick. I got on, and sat there, thought to myself, what the hell did I get myself into? Then ZOOM!!! It was intense, but in the most fun possible way. Highly recommend! Carnival did great here!

There I am!

Carnival Waterworks

Towards the back you will find several water slides and some smaller ones for kids.

The Warehouse Arcade

Inside there is a decent size arcade.

Tides Pool & Bar

At the back is the Tides Pool, this pool was nice on a hot Nassau day. Never too packed, also amazing views!

Thank you for checking out our review of Carnival Mardi Gras. Stay tuned for our next cruise!

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