Mardi Gras Review

[Terre]

12 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Terre.   Thanks for the review.  This is our itinerary after Thanksgiving.  We're with you on the ports, except for Costa Maya we always visit my old friend Jaime at Jaime's Blue Reef. We've know him since his pre-CM days.  

Appreciate the cabin review.  We've got a balcony as well.   Sounds like I need to bring a small folding table/tray for my CPAP.  Did you go into the spa/gym?  Have always used those showers but Vista and Horizon locker rooms were worse than the cabin shower.  

Did you hang out at all on the aft by the Pig & Anchor-Watering Hole?  Was it as crowded as the Serenity?   Glad to here the kudos for the Hero's area.  Might be my hangout spot. 

 

 And sounds like the barkeep at the P&A could have been the same one we had on the Horizon.   Couldn't do a proper pour, mix a drink correctly, and paid more attention to the CHEERS people than the one drink folks.  I told the Alchemy mixologists they should give her lesson.  LOL.  

 

As far as décor, pictures I've seen of Emeril's and the  Fortune Teller do seem to have NOLA flavor, but agree there should be more around the ship.

 

Thanks for the entertainment reviews.  That's been hit or miss on recent pre-COVID cruises.

 

Here is a pic of the shelving by the bed.  You may need to request an extension cord as well or bring an approved one.

 

[GTO-Girl]

15 hours ago, Terre said:

Here is a pic of the shelving by the bed.  You may need to request an extension cord as well or bring an approved one.

 

Is there one of these on either side of the bed?  We have two c-paps we need to connect.

 

 

[19cruiser59]

Can you tell me what time self-debark started or finished?  I want to book a 12:30 flight from MCO and want to make sure i can get there in plenty of time.

Thanks !

[Terre]

24 minutes ago, 19cruiser59 said:

Can you tell me what time self-debark started or finished?  I want to book a 12:30 flight from MCO and want to make sure i can get there in plenty of time.

Thanks !

We did self debark and got off around 8:00.  It didn't  take too long getting through Customs since we didn't  have anything to declare, we just walked right through and our shuttle was waiting. I wouldn't book anything earlier. 

[Terre]

22 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Is there one of these on either side of the bed?  We have two c-paps we need to connect.

 

 

I believe so, but they are very small.  I'm not sure a cpap will fit on one.

[19cruiser59]

33 minutes ago, Terre said:

We did self debark and got off around 8:00.  It didn't  take too long getting through Customs since we didn't  have anything to declare, we just walked right through and our shuttle was waiting. I wouldn't book anything earlier. 

 

Thanks for the info !

[bettyboop16]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:42 AM, crewsweeper said:

Terre.   Thanks for the review.  This is our itinerary after Thanksgiving.  We're with you on the ports, except for Costa Maya we always visit my old friend Jaime at Jaime's Blue Reef. We've know him since his pre-CM days.  

Appreciate the cabin review.  We've got a balcony as well.   Sounds like I need to bring a small folding table/tray for my CPAP.  Did you go into the spa/gym?  Have always used those showers but Vista and Horizon locker rooms were worse than the cabin shower.  

Did you hang out at all on the aft by the Pig & Anchor-Watering Hole?  Was it as crowded as the Serenity?   Glad to here the kudos for the Hero's area.  Might be my hangout spot. 

 

 And sounds like the barkeep at the P&A could have been the same one we had on the Horizon.   Couldn't do a proper pour, mix a drink correctly, and paid more attention to the CHEERS people than the one drink folks.  I told the Alchemy mixologists they should give her lesson.  LOL.  

 

As far as décor, pictures I've seen of Emeril's and the  Fortune Teller do seem to have NOLA flavor, but agree there should be more around the ship.

 

Thanks for the entertainment reviews.  That's been hit or miss on recent pre-COVID cruises.

 

My c-pap fit very well on the shelf by the bed. It's about 4 years old & not really

big.

[GTO-Girl]

2 hours ago, bettyboop16 said:

My c-pap fit very well on the shelf by the bed. It's about 4 years old & not really

big.

Our c-paps are really small too so hopefully they will fit…

[crewsweeper]

19 hours ago, bettyboop16 said:

My c-pap fit very well on the shelf by the bed. It's about 4 years old & not really

big.

That's good to know.  I have a RES-Air about 2 years old now.  Never considered it large.  But Amazon has some small folding trays that I might pick up just in case.

[dbrucern]

22 hours ago, Terre said:

I believe so, but they are very small.  I'm not sure a cpap will fit on one.

I had no problem with placing the CPAP on the lower shelf but my husband had the side of the bed by the couch and had to place his on the floor

 

[Terre]

Hope it works out for those cpaps...my husband's was medium size and wouldn't have fit.  I don't think there are outlets by the bed or those shelves.

[bettyboop16]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:31 PM, Terre said:

Hope it works out for those cpaps...my husband's was medium size and wouldn't have fit.  I don't think there are outlets by the bed or those shelves.

I had to get an extension cord from the cabin steward

[crewsweeper]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:31 PM, Terre said:

Hope it works out for those cpaps...my husband's was medium size and wouldn't have fit.  I don't think there are outlets by the bed or those shelves.

Ordered a small collapsible table that folds flat and do have an extension cord I will bring.

[Terre]

2 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Ordered a small collapsible table that folds flat and do have an extension cord I will bring.

Very good. I hope that works out.  There's not a lot of space between the bed and the wall.  They didn't design well for things like that.

[dietermn]

On 10/26/2021 at 3:51 PM, Terre said:

Where’s the Mardi Gras?:  The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

 

Ship:  Carnival Mardi Gras

Sail Dates:  October 2 through October 9

Our Cruising Experience:  45 total; 16 with Carnival

Our Cabin:  12276, Category 8D

Ports of Call:  Port Canaveral, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay (Rotaton)

Captain:  Giuseppe Giusa

Gross Tonnage:  180,000

Length:  1,130

Total Crew & Officers:  1,745

Holds:  6,465 Passengers

More Facts:  https://carnival-news.com/ship/carnival-mardis-gras/

 

The Old and the New

 

 

Disclaimer:  I apologize for the long review, but I like to be thorough, and it is my opinion and written to be helpful and informative.  I put things in sections so you can read what you want and skip over what you don’t want to read.  It has been several years since we’ve sailed on Carnival, so some of the things that were new to us, may not be new to loyal Carnival cruisers.  Here goes…

 

Precruise:  We decided to drive to Port Canaveral and stay at the Radisson at the Port.  We’ve done this many times and love Port Canaveral.  We got there the afternoon before the cruise and got checked in and went to Papa Vito’s for dinner.  We’ve been there before and really like the food.  After dinner we went to Manatee Sanctuary Park to walk around and enjoy the evening.  We discovered this park a few years ago while driving around and loved it.  It’s very peaceful with beautiful wildlife and wonderful sunsets.  After spending close to an hour there, we headed back to the Radisson.

   

 

 Embarkation:  We had booked the first shuttle from the Radisson to the cruise terminal, which left at 10:30.  We grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then checked out and waited for the shuttle.  With the shuttle on time and on our way…excitement was building as well as some anxiety since this was our first cruise since COVID.

 

Embarkation was actually very organized and smooth.  I’d read reviews where it was chaotic, but it really wasn’t.  We had everything ready for them and had done all the pre-check in stuff before we left home, so that made it easier.  They use your passport photo so you don’t have to get your picture taken. 

Two women checked us in.  One checked our COVID results very carefully against our passports and vaccination cards making sure all names, birthdates, etc. matched.  With this part completed, we are on our way! we went to the waiting area to be called by loyalty groups.  We are Platinum so once they began calling groups, we didn’t have to wait very long.  Of course people tried to sneak in, but they were checking your boarding passes to make sure you belonged in that particular group.  And our vacation begins as soon as we stepped onto the ship!

 

The Ship:  It was so good to be on a ship again and I didn’t care where it was going as long as I was on it!  I was disappointed at the lack of décor and anything Mardi Gras related.  No pictures on the walls, no colorful lighting, nothing in the theater that suggested you were on the “Mardi Gras”.  I missed those features from other ships and in particular a Carnival ship.  It didn’t feel like a Carnival ship to me…thus, my title, “Where’s the Mardi Gras?”  Other Carnival ships we’ve sailed on had décor around the ships that correlated with the name of the ship, but not this one.  It was actually kind of dull and boring in my opinion.

 

The ship is large and even at 70% capacity, felt full.  The Serenity pool was always packed and you couldn’t even sit on the edge around it, much less get in it.  The pool was full, and people were sitting at the ladders where you go in.  There was a “life guard”, but no one would listen to him.  The deck and seating around the pool are some sort of laminate, not teak, and extremely hot.  You can blister your legs and feet very quickly on this product.  Be sure you wear your shoes and if you want to sit around the edge, put down a towel to sit on.  I’m assuming this was a cost saving feature, but it’s not practical and could be harmful.

Main Pool:

 

Serenity Pool:

There are so many restaurants and eating venues on this ship that we just couldn’t get to them all in seven days, but just to name a few that we ate at are:  Guy’s Burger Joint, Pig & Anchor, ChiBang Chinese Mexican Restaurant, Cucina del Capitano, Pizzeria and Panini, buffet of course, and main dining room.  You just couldn’t get to all of them and I don’t even know where they are all located.  You need to book a b2b, maybe even a b2b2b, to learn this ship.  I’ll talk more about the food in another section.

 

The Ultimate Playground is located on top of course, and includes the roller coaster, a water park, basketball, putt putt, and some other things.  One of the things I loved was a lounge called “Heroes”.  It was in honor of American service men and women.  It is beside Pig & Anchor and has very comfortable seating, two very large screen TVs and photos of service men and women.  It was a very nice tribute to the men and women who served our country so gallantly.  Thank you to those who served.

 

 

 

Our Cabin:  Once on board, around 11:30ish, we found our cabin and was able to leave our luggage and head to the buffet.  Our Cabin Steward was Wayan, and his Assistant was Joey.  Both were very good and our cabin was always cleaned very well, and once I told Wayan what I needed, I had it every day.  They are only cleaning cabins once a day now because they are short on cabin stewards, so they ask if you want morning or evening service.  We chose evening because we like to nap during the day sometimes.  I try to keep our cabin as neat as possible because I know they have a lot of cabins to clean, and even though I would put our used towels and face cloths back on the rack to reuse, they would always get the face cloths at some point during the day and leave plenty of clean ones.  I asked for two wine glasses every day and always had them.  These guys did a great job for us.

 

The cabin is smaller than the previous cabins we’ve had on Carnival ships.  There are no bedside tables, but there are very small “shelves” attached to the wall by the bed.  Not even enough room to hold an alarm clock.  Mine is not very big, but was a little big for this tray.  There are plenty of USB ports and regular outlets for charging and plugging things into so no need to worry about that.  The closets were small, but there were plenty of hangers and some baskets that you can use for drawers.  I still missed the amount of drawers we always had at the desk.

 

The bathroom was exceptionally smaller than what we are used to with Carnival.  The shower now had doors which is okay, but they open out into the bathroom and drying off in there is impossible.  The toilet is right up against the sink and you have to be a contortionist to even reach the toilet paper…it’s behind you.  I don’t know how a large person would even get into the bathroom, much less sit on that toilet!  There is hardly any shelving or places to put your toiletries.  There is a pull out mirror that has a magnification mirror on one side.  It could be used to put on your make-up, except you have to straddle the toilet to use the mirror.  Not very well thought out design-wise.

   

 

Food:  The food was good, but there were a couple of nights the main dining room didn’t have anything I wanted for an entrée, so I ordered three appetizers and dessert.  Here are some of the food we had in the main dining room. 

Appetizers:  shrimp cocktail, spring rolls, crab cake, fried shrimp

Soups:  roasted tomato, wild mushroom, onion soup, New England clam chowder, steak ale and cheddar

Entrees:  Mahi Mahi, brisket, prime rib, lobster (barely), flat iron steak, shrimp Creole, filet mignon

Desserts:  chocolate melting cake, butter pecan ice cream, apple pie, praline cake, Grand Marnier soufflé, cheese plate

Guy’s Burger Joint:  burgers, of course!

Cucina del Capitano:   We ate here for a sea day brunch and loved the atmosphere and the food.  We got our Sea Day Brunch drinks – Margaritas, and for our lunch I ordered penne with pomodoro, while my husband had the linguini with bolganese sauce.  For apps we had fried mozzarella and roasted tomato soup.  Dessert was blood orange gelato.  It was a very filling lunch and very tasty as well! 

Pig & Anchor:  We ate dinner here one night when we didn’t see anything on the menu in the MDR that we wanted.  The food here is excellent and if you love BBQ, this is the place for you! I ordered ribs and my husband had the combo of ribs, brisket, and chicken.  I tasted some of the brisket and it was wonderful!  You had your choices of sauces.  For dessert I had bourbon banana pie and my husband had Mississippi mud pie.  All the food here was excellent and really worked on your taste buds making them jump with joy at the flavors and textures!

ChiBang Chinese Mexican:  We came here for a late night snack one night when we didn’t want pizza.  We both had two chili shrimp rolls and Singapore Chili Shrimp (we chose two chili peppers…the number of chili peppers determines how hot it is).  Well, friends, it was hot, I mean hot!  Like in the song, Hot, Hot, Hot!  Ohmigosh, I couldn’t drink enough water.  My nose was running, my forehead was sweating, my eyes were watering!  If there is a next time, I will order it with one chili hot.  My side was Hakka noodles which helped take a little of the spiciness away, but not much.  As someone said in another review, don’t get the Chinese and the Mexican together…I’m glad I trusted that comment!

Pizza and Panini:  We got pizza a few times in the evening, and from the looks of it, most people did the same.  The pepperoni pizza was good, and I got a turkey Panini one night and my husband got a ham and cheese Panini. Both were good.

 

Guy's Burger Joint

Pizza:

Prime Rib:

 

Pig & Anchor:

Entertainment:  The Carnival Singers and Dancers did a great job with the two production shows.  The backdrops and props were very good, but these guys and girls were excellent and very professional.  I noticed that one of the main characters in one show accidentally caught a button from her jacket on her stockings, making a big hole.  At some point, and I don’t know when…she changed her stocking so the hole was gone.  The costumes were all very beautiful and very well made and fit the dancers well. 

 

Their first show was “Rock Revolution, Summer of ’69”  It was well performed and included music and songs from the psychedelic era of 1969.  The main singers were actually singing the songs and not lip synching.  We sat very close to the stage and you could tell even the ones who sounded just like the original songs, that they were singing.

 

The second show was “Broadway Beats” and very good as well.  Again, costumes excellent, well fitting, and the singers and dancers did a great, professional job.  One evening they performed in Center Stage “Evening of Enchantment”.  It was beautifully done, but get there early for a seat, we had a hard time finding anywhere to sit.  We came by during the second showing and I was able to get shots from above.  The costumes were amazing!  Just beautiful and again, a very professional performance.  Everything from backdrop to props to costumes was white.

 

All three shows were not your typical Carnival shows and much more professionally done from choreography to costumes, to singing and dancing.  Don’t miss these shows.

 

 Punchliner’s Comedy Club:  We saw several comedians on this cruise and most were very funny.  It took a while with one for us to warm up to, but when we did he was funny as well.  My favorite was Spike Davis.  Ohmigosh!  He had me rolling with laughter and snorting because I couldn’t catch my breath.  We saw his PG and adult shows and his adult show was not terribly nasty, but extremely funny.  Spike had good interactions with the audience and got them involved as well.  He and I had some good interactions…

 

Others we saw were Tommy Drake, Sean Kent Blanchard, Kim Harrison, and Billy D. Washington.  They had two Punchliner’s, one for PG shows and one for adult shows.  They were on different decks and at different times so you could catch both shows if you wanted to.

 

Miscellaneous:  We watched Family Feud, a couple of the bands -- Center Stage Band was my favorite, and karaoke. We also watched a ventriloquist for a few minutes one evening.

 

Ports of Call:  Our ports of call were Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay in Roatan.  We didn’t book any excursions at any of the ports because we’ve been to all of them so many times.  We got off the ship in Cozumel to get photos of the ship, but it started to rain so we went back to the ship.  We also got off in Roatan just to walk down to Mahogany Bay to see if it was the same as the last time we were there.  We didn’t see the dolphin swim, but the beach area is the same.  It was so stinkin hot there that we were drenched by the time we just walked down to the beach and back to the ship, so we were glad we hadn’t booked a tour.

 

The Carnival HUB App:  We had to download this app prior to boarding the ship.  I didn’t like it at first because I don’t like always having to carry my cell phone with me on a cruise, but once I figured it out and learned to use it, I liked it.  For those of you who like us have not used it before, you can access dinner menus, let them know you’re on the way and your table is waiting on you; you can access all entertainment, see where it is and how to get there; see your account spending and balance; all food venues and their menus, there is so much you can do with the app, I didn’t think I could get along without it by the end of the cruise.  You can also see all of the same things on your cabin TV.  This app cuts out the paper menus and the daily paper with all this information.  Cost saving? Sure, but more like the 21^st century “with it” thing…

 

Now for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…

 

The Good: 

Embarkation was very smooth and well done. 

Entertainment by the Carnival Singers and Dancers was exceptional and some of the best we’ve seen. 

A PG dedicated Punchliner’s Comedy Club. Food Venues and restaurants.

Debarkation was very smooth as well.

The handrails in the main theater are high enough at the end of the rows that you don’t have to bend over to hold onto them.

 

The Bad:

Lack of cabin space, shelving, and size of bathroom.

Lack of any Mardi Gras décor, or any décor for that matter.

Our balcony was quite small.

The Loyalty Gift has been downsized quite a bit, but it has been a few years since we sailed on Carnival.  Previous gifts have been ceramic coffee mugs, silver picture frame, tumblers, etc. Our last gift was a nifty beach bag with a zippered part on the bottom for any extras, like cans of drinks…this time we got a rubbery luggage tag.  

The ship pin didn’t even have Mardi Gras on it…it just said something like Fun Ship in 2021 or something.  I really wanted to add a Mardi Gras pin to my collection.

 

The Ugly:

We had drinks one night at the Pig & Anchor Bar.  I was debating whether or not to drink my drink after watching the bartender.  She started making our drink, was interrupted by a customer at the bar who wanted the channel changed on the TV, so she picked up the remote (she’s not wearing gloves), changed it to several channels until he was satisfied, went back to making our drink, was interrupted again by a staff member who needed to get into the locked door.  She used the keys that I’m sure everyone had access to, opened the door, touching the knob that I’m sure everyone else had touched, pushed open the door with the same hands…went back to making our drinks without washing her hands.  Picked up and squeezed the limes with her hands into our drinks.  Ug-ly!

The cabin bathroom for reasons I’ve already stated under the Our Cabin section.

The Serenity pool and deck.  Too small for the number of people who wanted to use it.

The material around the deck floor and seating area around the pool extremely hot and can blister your skin and feet easily.

 

Terre’s Final Thoughts:

Would I go on this ship again?  Maybe, but only if it stays under full capacity.  In my opinion the venues are too small for a ship that size and holds as many people as it will when it’s up to full capacity.  But that’s my opinion, yours may be entirely different and you may love it. Even though the majority of passengers on this sailing were more in our age group--the Boomers--I do think this ship was designed with the Millennial generation in mind.

 

More Pictures

Thanks for the detailed review!  I'm departing on Mardi Gras 12/11 - QQ for you or anyone that has traveled, are the stated cruise port times ship time (assuming so)?  Cozumel is listed as 10am-7pm, which would mean time in Cozumel is really 9am-6pm, is that correct?  Looking to book a private trip outside of ship and want to ensure I leave adequate pick-up/drop-off time.  Thanks!

[Terre]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:46 PM, dietermn said:

Thanks for the detailed review!  I'm departing on Mardi Gras 12/11 - QQ for you or anyone that has traveled, are the stated cruise port times ship time (assuming so)?  Cozumel is listed as 10am-7pm, which would mean time in Cozumel is really 9am-6pm, is that correct?  Looking to book a private trip outside of ship and want to ensure I leave adequate pick-up/drop-off time.  Thanks!

I believe we stayed on ship's time.  The tour company you are booking with should know what time the ship is arriving; they usually keep up with that.  I would ask them when you book to confirm the arrival time for Mardi Gras.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Terre

[RoperDK]

Thank you for taking the time to do a review.  We just left the Mardi Gras Halloween cruise. While we had a good time, we had some disappointments.  Not sure if it was the first covid cruise changes or lack of staffing or something else.  Love Carnival, but I can't quite put my finger on it.  Hoping my attitude improves.  We will try Mardi Gras again, but have some reservations.

[Terre]

On 11/9/2021 at 7:04 PM, RoperDK said:

Thank you for taking the time to do a review.  We just left the Mardi Gras Halloween cruise. While we had a good time, we had some disappointments.  Not sure if it was the first covid cruise changes or lack of staffing or something else.  Love Carnival, but I can't quite put my finger on it.  Hoping my attitude improves.  We will try Mardi Gras again, but have some reservations.

I know what you mean.  It just wasn't Carnival to me.  I guess we've outgrown Carnival, I'm like you, I was disappointed, but glad to be cruising at the same time.  I just expected more carnival-like decor and definitely some Mardi Gras decor and Carnival attitude, you know?  The whole make-up of the passengers wasn't the same.  It has been a while since we've sailed with Carnival so it may have changed a few years ago, but I can't figure it out either.

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, Terre said:

 I just expected more carnival-like decor and definitely some Mardi Gras decor and Carnival attitude, you know? 

Obviously you have never sailed on any of the 3 Vista Class ships or the 3 Dream Class ships.  All of the previous ships in the fleet have what you consider "Carnival-like" decor since they were all designed by Joe Farcus, with his in your face neon, pepto bismol color scheme and over the top design.

 The second ship in the Dream Class, the Breeze was the first to introduce the Caribbean hues and a more modern, sleek look.  

Also, the square footage of your balcony cabin on the Mardi Gras  was 205, instead of the normal 185 and the basic balcony is 45 on MG vs 35.  So, even though the cabin was in fact narrower, the square footage was more.

[RoperDK]

18 hours ago, Terre said:

I know what you mean.  It just wasn't Carnival to me.  I guess we've outgrown Carnival, I'm like you, I was disappointed, but glad to be cruising at the same time.  I just expected more carnival-like decor and definitely some Mardi Gras decor and Carnival attitude, you know?  The whole make-up of the passengers wasn't the same.  It has been a while since we've sailed with Carnival so it may have changed a few years ago, but I can't figure it out either.

I totally agree. This was our 25th Carnival cruise, so we aren't newbies. I love the fun ship atmosphere, which is why we keep coming back.  We have been "cheating" with more upscale lines, mainly in suites.  I enjoy the better food and amenities of those lines, but have missed the "Margaritaville"  fun feel of Carnival which is perfect for plain vanilla Caribbean itineraries.  The ship is beautiful, but the cabins feel tight.  There is good storage, though.  Here comes the mixed feelings again.  I had some good interactions with passengers, but we still stayed removed and with masks, it did change the feel.  I think my biggest problem was with the crew.  They did their job, but didn't shine.  Masks have to affect them.  They seemed tired and uninspired.  Our best interaction was with a worker that was wiping down surfaces next to where we were sitting and started a conversation with us and tried to practice his English skills.  He was a joy.  He will go far.  I only wish I had gotten his name to tell Carnival about his friendliness.  He was a bright spot on a rather dull week.     

[RoperDK]

14 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Obviously you have never sailed on any of the 3 Vista Class ships or the 3 Dream Class ships.  All of the previous ships in the fleet have what you consider "Carnival-like" decor since they were all designed by Joe Farcus, with his in your face neon, pepto bismol color scheme and over the top design.

 The second ship in the Dream Class, the Breeze was the first to introduce the Caribbean hues and a more modern, sleek look.  

Also, the square footage of your balcony cabin on the Mardi Gras  was 205, instead of the normal 185 and the basic balcony is 45 on MG vs 35.  So, even though the cabin was in fact narrower, the square footage was more.

Well, I enjoy the calmer color schemes of the newer ships.  Have to admit that the crazy Farcus designs were over the top, but somehow very Carnival like.  I don't know if you've been on the Mardi Gras, but the cabins are definitely compressed.  It is an adjustment.  We were in an ocean suite.  Loved the cabin, but you still have to walk sideways to walk by the bed.  Those bedside shelves are small and don't hold much and it also takes away the bedside storage cabinet.  The ocean suites baths went from double sinks and 2 sided storage with a jacuzzi tub to basically the size of a bath in a balcony cabin.  The shower was great, however.  The closet storage was improved, but cabin drawers were not deep.  maybe 8 inches at best.  We still had plenty of room, but had to change up how we did it.  I think this is the reason for the complaints that I have heard.  Many people in the elevators would talk about the cramped cabins.  BTW...LOVED the new mini fridges that actually stayed cold and were deeper and held more than the older ones. 

[SNJCruisers]

34 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Well, I enjoy the calmer color schemes of the newer ships.  Have to admit that the crazy Farcus designs were over the top, but somehow very Carnival like.  I don't know if you've been on the Mardi Gras, but the cabins are definitely compressed.  It is an adjustment.  We were in an ocean suite.  Loved the cabin, but you still have to walk sideways to walk by the bed.  Those bedside shelves are small and don't hold much and it also takes away the bedside storage cabinet.  The ocean suites baths went from double sinks and 2 sided storage with a jacuzzi tub to basically the size of a bath in a balcony cabin.  The shower was great, however.  The closet storage was improved, but cabin drawers were not deep.  maybe 8 inches at best.  We still had plenty of room, but had to change up how we did it.  I think this is the reason for the complaints that I have heard.  Many people in the elevators would talk about the cramped cabins.  BTW...LOVED the new mini fridges that actually stayed cold and were deeper and held more than the older ones. 

Don't know about the suites, but the Oceanview and Balcony cabins are bigger on the MG @ 215 sq ft versus 185 in the rest of the fleet.  The balconies are 45 vs 35.  The insides though are smaller @ 156 versus 185.  The cabins are narrower, but the extra sq footage is thus in the length of the cabin and I assume a smidge in the shower.

Will be on the MG on a B2B in February.

[RoperDK]

4 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Don't know about the suites, but the Oceanview and Balcony cabins are bigger on the MG @ 215 sq ft versus 185 in the rest of the fleet.  The balconies are 45 vs 35.  The insides though are smaller @ 156 versus 185.  The cabins are narrower, but the extra sq footage is thus in the length of the cabin and I assume a smidge in the shower.

Will be on the MG on a B2B in February.

 Hope you enjoy your B2B.  It really does take more than one week to adapt and experience the layout and amenities of the Mardi Gras.  Come back afterwards and offer your thoughts on the cabin and ship. I look forward to hearing about it. 

[Terre]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

Well, I enjoy the calmer color schemes of the newer ships.  Have to admit that the crazy Farcus designs were over the top, but somehow very Carnival like.  I don't know if you've been on the Mardi Gras, but the cabins are definitely compressed.  It is an adjustment.  We were in an ocean suite.  Loved the cabin, but you still have to walk sideways to walk by the bed.  Those bedside shelves are small and don't hold much and it also takes away the bedside storage cabinet.  The ocean suites baths went from double sinks and 2 sided storage with a jacuzzi tub to basically the size of a bath in a balcony cabin.  The shower was great, however.  The closet storage was improved, but cabin drawers were not deep.  maybe 8 inches at best.  We still had plenty of room, but had to change up how we did it.  I think this is the reason for the complaints that I have heard.  Many people in the elevators would talk about the cramped cabins.  BTW...LOVED the new mini fridges that actually stayed cold and were deeper and held more than the older ones. 

I agree about the cabin sizes, very small compared to our other cabins on Carnival, even the inside cabins.  The bathroom is very tiny, and like I said, you have to be contortionist to get to the toilet paper because it's behind you.  Those bedside shelves, if that's what they're even called, are idiotic and yes, I, too, missed the storage from those tables.  And NO outlets of any kind with those "shelves" to charge anything.  Our balcony was definitely the smallest we've had on a Carnival ship.  We've sailed Carnival more than any other line, but this one is one of those "been there, done that" ship.

[RoperDK]

26 minutes ago, Terre said:

I agree about the cabin sizes, very small compared to our other cabins on Carnival, even the inside cabins.  The bathroom is very tiny, and like I said, you have to be contortionist to get to the toilet paper because it's behind you.  Those bedside shelves, if that's what they're even called, are idiotic and yes, I, too, missed the storage from those tables.  And NO outlets of any kind with those "shelves" to charge anything.  Our balcony was definitely the smallest we've had on a Carnival ship.  We've sailed Carnival more than any other line, but this one is one of those "been there, done that" ship.

We have another Mardi Gras cruise scheduled in January.  We will decide after that one if we will return.  I can't imagine the storage and bathroom issues that balcony cruisers have experienced.  I know old timers are having a hard time adapting.  Our ocean suite turned out to be just fine, just different than other ships.  While we kept our January cruise, we are canceling our April cruise and looking for another option.