TNcruising02

I have been on many different Carnival ships and I would recommend the Mardi Gras.  While I prefer the theater on the Dream class ships and think some of the venues were small for the number of passengers, the ship makes up for it in other areas.  It's really an amazing ship and everything is still so nice and new.  The decor is tasteful and they are able to have some very nice shows in the mid ship area with a huge screen. The food options seem endless.  The entertainment throughout the ship is constant, so there's something for everyone.

I never had a problem with crowds because we are used to showing up early for shows to get good seats.  We were also always able to get some nice padded seats on the decks in the shade.

8 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said:

Just starting to look into this app, as we sail next month. But man, the reviews for it are mostly awful! Lot's of problems, extra fees (no idea why, haven't actually looked at the app yet), but almost every review on the Google store says it's awful, didn't work, etc... And I'm the only one with a phone that can really handle another app,  the rest have older phones. So we'll have to see...

To me, the App was extremely easy to use.  Once the cruise was close, I was able to add the trip to the App.  I was also able to add my husband to it.  For my vaccination information, I took a picture of my covid card.  I was also able to upload my negative covid test.  Even though I did the health assessment on my Carnival account online, it showed up as completed on the App.  So, that App worked great for me.  It was the cruise line that wouldn't accept it when I was checking in that was the issue.

Sadly, I don't think the vaccination requirement will go away this year.  I have relatives with unvaccinated kids and they know that cruising just isn't an option for them at this time.  Their kids have had covid and they aren't planning on vaccinating them.

The testing makes the most sense for keeping covid off of the ships since vaccinated people can get covid and spread it.  It would make much more sense for vaccination requirements to go away before testing.  Just  test everyone before boarding.  

The segregation of vaccinated and unvaccinated doesn't stop the spread.  Testing stops the spread. 

I uploaded all of my information and documents on Verifly for my cruise on the Mardi Gras on March 26th.  When I was checking in, the lady told me that she would still need to see all of my paperwork.  She said that there were issues with Verifly accepting information that wasn't accurate and that it was still in the testing stages for the cruise.

Hopefully, it won't be a waste of time for future cruisers.  I liked the App and had no issues putting my information on it. 

6 hours ago, FruitStandaficionado said:

There is lots of information on the first time cruiser board. The main tip I can give is to be flexible and enjoy your vacation.

The OP said that they have cruised before, just not on Carnival.

You should be able to check in 14 days before the cruise.  The check-in date will be on your cruise manager.  You can check in just after midnight eastern time if you want to stay up the night before check-in and would like to get an early appointment time and boarding zone.

The appointment time is the time you should show up at the terminal to get checked in.  Then once the previous passengers have gotten off of the ship and the boarding time starts, they will start with suites and I think wedding parties.  Then they will call zone A01, A02, etc.

There used to be an option to purchase Faster to the Fun, which had benefits including a priority line for boarding, guest services, and other things.  However,  I don't think they have offered it lately.

We always purchase Carnival's 12 bottle water package before the cruise and it is always delivered the first day.  It's only about $5.  You can purchase other things before your cruise too.

When I cruised out of NO several years ago, the parking garage filled up quickly.  Since we didn't know how long it would take, we arrived early and went to the early/late line and it took a long time to check in.  So if you can arrive within your appointment time, that will be quicker.

3 hours ago, cruzinkids said:

where do I find offers? is it the daily deals tab on my home page?

While logged into my account, I click on the "plan" tab on Carnival.com, then click on "Cruise deals" and then under "Unlock Big Savings" there is my VIFP # and I click on "Show My Deals"

The bottled water that Carnival sells is only a total of $5.85 for 12 bottles.  I buy them every cruise and store them in the refrigerator.  I use them when I am lounging on the decks or going on an excursion.  

6 hours ago, mz-s said:

And now we are getting tipping threads again. It's good to see that Cruise Critic is getting back to normal. Hopefully soon we'll get another "shorts in MDR" thread.

We will know pandemic fears are actually over when we start debating butter crocks again.  Those were the days!

When I booked my free cabin on the Mardi Gras, they did automatically add gratuities, port fees and taxes.  I actually paid $38 for the cabin since I preferred one on the Lido deck.  We never remove gratuities.  The crew members were all working so hard on the cruise I went on last week.  I feel very fortunate to even be able to go on cruises right now.  I think it's a great idea for Carnival to include gratuities in their promo rates.

2 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

They resent me a offer but still get "oh snap" when I tried to book something right now for the Mrs. and my daughters birthday. Very strange.  

I had a hard time looking up my free cabin specials for awhile.  It kept taking me to a page that did not show the cruises.  I waited a few days and now I can see everything.

1 hour ago, TravelBluebird said:

Just wanted to report that I have heard reports of 2 people testing positive for COVID this week who were on this cruise (since in my last report I said I hadn’t heard of any cases after the cruise). Both minor symptoms.

 

My hubby woke up this morning with muscle aches, fever and chills. Tested negative. He worked at our church a ton last week so may have caught something there. I am still feeling fine since my return (no symptoms of any sort).

 

 

I am sorry to hear about your husband and hope he feels better soon.  I took a home covid test this morning just as a precaution before seeing relatives and it was negative.  We attended all of the comedy shows and also had to take a flight home after our cruise, so we were around a lot of people.  But all is fine with us.

Congratulations on getting a great offer!  That's nice that you have a flexible schedule.  We do too, but don't live in Florida, so it's not as easy for us to jump on last minute deals.  We did have a great deal on our Mardi Gras cruise last week.  The cabin was only $38, plus port fees, gratuities, and taxes.  One heck of a deal and an awesome cruise.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

1 hour ago, bar1068 said:

Oh yea....seen that numerous times as well....totally annoying like you said. I've almost "challenged" a few people and went to sit down, figuring you make a fuss, and we get staff involved, you lose, but then recall, I am on vacation, and you're not worth the hassle and move in on find somewhere else. Like I mentioned, people will be people!!

Exactly!  My husband said that someone should just sit down in those seats.  I suggested (jokingly) that he do it.  LOL.  But yeah, it's our vacation and we keep to ourselves.  Rude people don't care that their actions are rude.

12 hours ago, clginal said:

yes, that was it.  but, since we were in front of them, we didn't see it all but, I do remember they did finally show up to no seats left on that row.  

I can't remember what show it was..we went to so many.  Was it Love & Marriage???  

Yes, it was the Love & Marriage show.

7 hours ago, edgeman61 said:

This is where it really gets choice.

 

When I rebooked the cruise that was cancelled in 2020 they made me pay an additional $100 deposit even though the monies that they were holding would have covered the deposit.

 

When I cancelled in February they asked if I wanted just the $100 back and that they would keep the $500+ from the original cruise as a FCC.

 

I told them that I wanted the entire amount.

 

So far... they have refunded only the $100.  Could they possibly refund the balance in another transaction????

 

Very frustrating.

When I cancelled a cruise, part of it was refunded to my credit card.  The rest was refunded to my debit card.  They should refund everything to whatever card you used.  If you used two different cards, they will refund whatever part you originally charged to each card.  If they don't, you might need to call again.

42 minutes ago, clginal said:

Was this last week?  if so, you must have been at the show we were at.  We were sitting on the 2nd row & kept hearing them stop people from sitting there.........and then we heard, "oh well, guess they aren't coming"....ugh.  So annoying.  My DH was biting his tongue not to say something.  

Yes, it was!  First two people tried to save the seats, one sitting at the end of the row and the other person at the other end of the row next to two people.  Then I guess one of the people went to find their group. As the theater was filling up, people kept going to that row thinking there were available seats.  I thought it was hilarious at the end, after she let other people sit in the saved seats, when her group arrived and seemed annoyed that the seats were occupied.  Then the lady sat all by herself while her group found seats elsewhere.  Karma.

Very cool!

It sure does look like things will get worse before they get better, for entirely different reasons now.  I think the cruise ships are beginning to sail at near capacity.  They will probably be forced to increase prices now.  Maybe some of the mandates will go away so that cruising will be a good option for more people.

I had a hard time finding it for my last cruise.  I thought it would be under gifts and then beverage gift packages or drink and decor, but it wasn't there.  Then I went back and clicked on drink packages, scrolled to the bottom, and saw the water package.  I could have sworn that it used to come up with all of the other items you could buy for the room.

5 hours ago, bar1068 said:

Lol!! I should have been more specific....joining their pals as place holders nearer the front of the line or at least in front of us!!! All good....we pretty much always get in to the shows. 

Oh yes, I have seen that happen.  Another annoying thing is when someone tries to save multiple seats.  On other Carnival cruises, they make announcements at the shows that there is no seat saving.  I can see saving one seat, but some people try to save a bunch.  Two people tried to save nearly the entire 3rd row center seats for one show.  Finally, when their friends didn't arrive, they "let" other people take the seats.  That's ridiculous and unfair to the people who arrive early.

8 minutes ago, bar1068 said:

Platinum makes no difference as far as lines to get into the comedy shows goes. They "empty the club" after each show, and folks start lining up before the next shows start time. What usually works for my wife and I is we head to the club/line 15/20 minutes before the next shows start time. If it's a more popular show/comedian, we'll go sooner. We've been able to get in and get seats doing that...most times. Something annoying we see fairly regularly is folks coming out of the just ended show joining people in line, not a huge deal..cause...people will be people!

Hey, we join the line.  LOL.  If it's a new show, we like to see it.  We always join the end of the line.  

47 minutes ago, katiel53 said:

We haven't sailed on Carnival in many years and I have a question regarding the Comedy shows.  Do we have to make any kind of reservations?  Do we just walk up and get in line?  Does being Platinum make any difference where/when we get in line?

 

Thanks.

The great thing about Carnival is that they don't require reservations for shows.  Being platinum makes no difference.  We simply got to the shows about 35 minutes early.  For the first show of the night, they let people inside the room about 30 minutes before showtime.  

For later shows, we would just get in line after we got out of the previous show and were always able to get a decent seat, even if the line was long.  Once they cleared out the room, which took approx. ten minutes, they would let the new line in approx. 20 minutes before showtime.

People who arrived 15 minutes or less before the shows didn't have a lot of choices for seats unless it was the first show of the night.

5 minutes ago, Retiredmedic said:

Who ever thought it would be good for business to charge Uber and Lyft fees to drop off passengers at terminal, Charging shuttles money to drop off passengers is also just local government being greedy. 

We cruised out of Port Canaveral and when I mentioned that we were going to use Uber to take us to the terminal, the lady at the front desk of our hotel said to make sure they had a port pass because some drivers drop off outside of the port.  She said that drivers have to pay extra for a pass and that not all of them do.  I don't know if this is true, but that's what she told me.  This is in Florida, so it must be something that drivers or Uber/Lyft choose to get or not.  Businesses aren't greedy because they want to make a profit.  That's how they stay in business and are able to employ people or how people who work for themselves make money.

13 hours ago, txcruiser1234 said:

Great news - thanks for that info firefly333 and TNcruising02. I'll check for the notation on the boarding pass. We can pack a little lighter if we know the wash & fold perk will be available!

 

Thanks again!

When I took my luggage to my cabin, I let the steward know that I will be sending out several bags of the free platinum laundry during our cruise.  Although I am sure it was not necessary at all, I did give him a cash tip when I told him.  He told me that he would make sure I had plenty of laundry bags in my cabin, which he did.  We sent out three bags during our cruise.  We cruise with carry on bags only, so it was great to pack light and get our clothes washed for free.  We only sent out casual clothes.

I am following along.  My week on the Mardi Gras was wonderful.  I hope you have a great time.  Even though they have the lights on the steps, I have seen people trip over them in the Limelight Lounge and the mid show area.  

Thanks for posting all of those pictures and virtually taking us on your cruise.  Have a blast!