Live (Wi-Fi willing) Christmas Mardi Gras Review 12/18- 12/26 Blue Card Perspective

[Knights on the Beach]

16 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Thank you so much!  It is a beautiful ship and as time goes on I am sure there will be improvements and changes for the better and for you to enjoy.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I very much enjoyed your review - can't wait to go back on Mardi Gras!  

[BennyBrun]

37 minutes ago, cruisemom2 said:

I very much enjoyed your review - can't wait to go back on Mardi Gras!  

Please keep us posted on if you noticed any improvements or changes.  I know that most of the crew that opened Mardi Gras will be leaving soon and some have already signed up for Celebration so we will see a lot of the same faces on Celebration.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Wow!  That’s a coincidence.  It’s going to be a low key cruise for us.  We have been to all the ports they substituted out.  Look for a guy taking pictures of everything… that would be me.  👋 

We will be staying on board for all 12 days.  Was going to go see the sting rays in Grand Cayman, but they are not opening up till the end of January.

[BennyBrun]

19 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

We will be staying on board for all 12 days.  Was going to go see the sting rays in Grand Cayman, but they are not opening up till the end of January.

Yeah that was rough.  I really really really enjoyed that experience.  They pretty much swapped out most of the ports but the ports they swapped out to are pretty dependable so we will still tour on our own and do our own thing.

[Knights on the Beach]

39 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Please keep us posted on if you noticed any improvements or changes.  I know that most of the crew that opened Mardi Gras will be leaving soon and some have already signed up for Celebration so we will see a lot of the same faces on Celebration.

I hope by March, they get the issues figured out in the MDR.  That was really my only complaint the entire week - and we only had dinner there twice.  We really enjoyed our dinners at Cucina and Pig & Anchor and will definitely go to both again but we also have reservations at the steakhouse and Bonsai.

 

All my favorite people will be gone by the time we board.  I'm sure there will be some great crew members on to replace them, but we really got attached to a few of them.  

[BennyBrun]

45 minutes ago, cruisemom2 said:

I hope by March, they get the issues figured out in the MDR.  That was really my only complaint the entire week - and we only had dinner there twice.  We really enjoyed our dinners at Cucina and Pig & Anchor and will definitely go to both again but we also have reservations at the steakhouse and Bonsai.

 

All my favorite people will be gone by the time we board.  I'm sure there will be some great crew members on to replace them, but we really got attached to a few of them.  

The experience at the steak house was not great.  The service at Applebees was better than the steakhouse.  I think it went down hill during the salt presentation, where I couldn’t understand what the server was saying and she was doing the presentation to two tables at the same time.  So she said to us take out our phone and take a picture so you can read about it and decide.  So I am hoping the hospitality part of the steakhouse improves.  Plus they were sending in complimentary tables from the casino left and right so the pressure was definitely on the staff.  I hope you have a fabulous cruise and can’t wait to hear all about it!!!

[BennyBrun]

Day 10

 

After 2.5 hours delay finally got on the plane to head back to reality.  It has been a blast and more posts will be added and a recap will follow.  Thank you for coming along!

[AKR2011]

Thanks for all of yours posts and safe travels home!

[BennyBrun]

Back At Home 

 

Made it back last night around midnight.  Christmas time really is not the best time to fly.  Glad to be back in NJ even if it’s cold and rainy… it’s home.  It’s after sleeping on a mattress on a cruise ship that makes you appreciate your own mattress at home.

[BennyBrun]

Back at home

 

We experienced a service issue onboard at the steakhouse and spoke with the manager afterwards.  She was polite and very accommodating.  She said she would refund one cover charge for the inconvenience and that was on 12/24 and today the refund showed up.  We were very impressed with the speed of the refund especially she had to send an email to get that done(it was a prepaid reservation).

[Knights on the Beach]

16 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

The experience at the steak house was not great.  The service at Applebees was better than the steakhouse.  I think it went down hill during the salt presentation, where I couldn’t understand what the server was saying and she was doing the presentation to two tables at the same time.  So she said to us take out our phone and take a picture so you can read about it and decide.  So I am hoping the hospitality part of the steakhouse improves.  Plus they were sending in complimentary tables from the casino left and right so the pressure was definitely on the staff.  I hope you have a fabulous cruise and can’t wait to hear all about it!!!

That's disappointing, I hope things improve there as well!  

[BennyBrun]

After catching up on the posts on the various boards we are thanking our lucky stars that the our holiday cruise went on as planned with no missed ports and great entertainment.  It was mentioned that on the last night of Broadway Hits they did not do a full stage show, the performers sat on the chair and sang and one performers was missing.  I am not sure if that’s usual for the third performance of the show.  It would be great to see someone else reporting back the current Mardi Gras trip but perhaps I missed it on the board.

[cltcruisers123]

Tremendous job on this thread! We have NCL Joy in a couple weeks and did NCL Jade a few years ago. Never on Carnival. I did book Mardi Gras for April (Cloud 9 with extended balcony), but after all pictures of lines I’m having second thoughts as that doesn’t sound enjoyable.  
 

From your previous cruise experiences, how did the overall vibe compare to NCL? We want to relax and not wait long for food and drinks. The Celebrity Apex may be what I change Mardi Gras to, so can’t wait to see your thread for that!

[SNJCruisers]

4 hours ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Tremendous job on this thread! We have NCL Joy in a couple weeks and did NCL Jade a few years ago. Never on Carnival. I did book Mardi Gras for April (Cloud 9 with extended balcony), but after all pictures of lines I’m having second thoughts as that doesn’t sound enjoyable.  
 

From your previous cruise experiences, how did the overall vibe compare to NCL? We want to relax and not wait long for food and drinks. The Celebrity Apex may be what I change Mardi Gras to, so can’t wait to see your thread for that!

Have been on both Carnival and NCL.  Our NCL cruises were four in total on the Escape and Bliss and have 4 more currently reserved on the Prima and Encore.  Future Carnival bookings are five on the Mardi Gras and Celebration.   The overall vibe is very similar on NCL as well as Carnival.  The Breakaway and Breakaway Plus Class ships on NCL are very nice and we did love the Local, the 24 hr pub where sit down food could be obtained at 100 am.  On the other hand, the non buffet lunch choices on Carnival blow away any line I have been on (7).

From what you have read and seen on line, what about your current MG booking doesn't sound enjoyable to you?

[cltcruisers123]

36 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Have been on both Carnival and NCL.  Our NCL cruises were four in total on the Escape and Bliss and have 4 more currently reserved on the Prima and Encore.  Future Carnival bookings are five on the Mardi Gras and Celebration.   The overall vibe is very similar on NCL as well as Carnival.  The Breakaway and Breakaway Plus Class ships on NCL are very nice and we did love the Local, the 24 hr pub where sit down food could be obtained at 100 am.  On the other hand, the non buffet lunch choices on Carnival blow away any line I have been on (7).

From what you have read and seen on line, what about your current MG booking doesn't sound enjoyable to you?

Oh, guess biggest concern would just be overcrowding (or the perception) with it not being fully staffed. Outside of that, the food choices do look pretty amazing! The drink package/selection seems a little less of wow factor than NCL though too. Thats just going off the price $700 for 2 people and selection I’ve been seeing posted for premium variety. I could be way off on that. Appreciate the insight! Booking Bliss for Sept.

[BennyBrun]

So it’s been about a week after we go off the Mardi Gras and I am going to put my thoughts on it and do a comparison to the other cruise line that’s similar to Carnival that I have been on (NCL / Royal) the same type/ size.  I am going to leave Celebrity out of it because I don’t think they offer similar products.  This is just what I think.  I am not loyal to one cruise line just for the loyalty perks, I am there for the experience and I like to enjoy different experiences. 

 

Service 

Ranked from the best to good.

Royal —> NCL —> Mardi Gras

The crew on Mardi Gras are very hard working and tries to do the best that they can.  They are not as courteous as Royal or NCL.  They don’t actively greet you when you are roaming around the ship and they do what they have to but they don’t go above and beyond.  This is most likely because they are stretched thinner than NCL / Royal.  The crew member have different roles at different times on the Mardi Gras.  The room steward cleans room in the morning and then is assigned to the Casino to wipe down machines at night.  The server at Cucina works at Cucina at night but serves drinks during lunch time.  It just seems their job is harder and tougher on the Mardi Gras and that reflects on the guest interactions.

 

Food (quality/selection)

Ranked from best to good.

Mardi Gras —> Royal —> NCL

Without a doubt Mardi Gras got the most interesting food choices onboard.  From quick eats to sit down restaurants they got it all.  The quality of food on Mardi Gras is also impressive.  You can get a decent size shrimp at MDR that is about the same size shrimp they serve on NCLs specialty dinning.  You can also have salmon every night at MDR if you want where you won’t find that on NCL MDR.

 

Onboard Entertainment

Ranked from best to good

Mardi Gras —> Royal —-> NCL

The only problem on the Mardi Gras when it comes to entertainment is that you don’t have enough time to do and see it all.  Center Stage is amazing and the show starts around 7PM and ends around 11PM.  Plus the theater productions, plus the comedians (that I never got to see), the piano bar, the list just goes on and on.  The entertainment staff works longer hours than Royal and NCL on stage.  You can watch a show, have dinner and then go back to see another show on the Mardi Gras and be entertained by stage/theater productions all night long that you can’t do on Royal or NCL.

 

Ship Layout Set Up

Ranked from best to good

Royal —-> Mardi Gras —-> NCL

This is a tough one because between Royal and Mardi Gras it is really about the same except on Royal’s Oasis class there is Central Park which is my favorite place to be.  I loved the different neighborhoods on Mardi Gras and it was beautifully themed and extremely entertaining.

 

Cruise Director

Ranked from best to good.

Mardi Gras —-> Royal —-> NCL

Mike was everywhere on the ship.  If you said you didn’t see Mike on Mardi Gras then you probably stayed in your cabin all day / night and never went to a show or up in the lido deck.  Royal’s CD is also active but not as active as Mike.

 

I would absolutely go back to the Mardi Gras again.  It is a different experience.  Is it a luxury vacation, no.  It is like going to a floating theme park where you enjoy the self service food options during the day and have a sit down dinner at night.  It’s exciting, energetic with the basics that you need.  If you are looking for personalized service and a little pampering with lots to do then Royal’s Oasis Class might suit you better.  For me, after experiencing Mardi Gras, NCL will be my last choice for cruising.  I have been on the Bliss, the Joy, Escape, Epic, and the Getaway and for the money (even with all the free offers they throw at you) Mardi Gras still provides better value for your vacation dollar.

 

I am looking forward to the 2022 Celebration Holiday cruise that I booked.

 

Have a happy New Year.  Happy Cruising and remember it’s your cruise vacation, it’s your opinion and your experience that matters.  Don’t just go by someone saying I will never cruise with …. find out the reason why and judge for yourself.

[BennyBrun]

43 minutes ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Oh, guess biggest concern would just be overcrowding (or the perception) with it not being fully staffed. Outside of that, the food choices do look pretty amazing! The drink package/selection seems a little less of wow factor than NCL though too. Thats just going off the price $700 for 2 people and selection I’ve been seeing posted for premium variety. I could be way off on that. Appreciate the insight! Booking Bliss for Sept.

I have to tell you that I would gladly pay for the Cheers package on Mardi Gras than take NCLs drink package.  The different themed bars on the Mardi Gras is an amazing experience and the cheers package will cover almost all the crazy fun wild concoctions they whip up plus you get bottle waters and specialty coffee.  The wine list is better than NCLs wine list.  Alchemy bar is a show on its own.  Yes, MDR service is problematic but I would recommend you do set time dinning at 7:45  PM.  If you don’t like the menu you can still check in online for the other two restaurants at 7:45 PM to dine.  Utilizing that option made a huge difference for us.

[BennyBrun]

6 hours ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Tremendous job on this thread! We have NCL Joy in a couple weeks and did NCL Jade a few years ago. Never on Carnival. I did book Mardi Gras for April (Cloud 9 with extended balcony), but after all pictures of lines I’m having second thoughts as that doesn’t sound enjoyable.  
 

From your previous cruise experiences, how did the overall vibe compare to NCL? We want to relax and not wait long for food and drinks. The Celebrity Apex may be what I change Mardi Gras to, so can’t wait to see your thread for that!

If you are looking for a relax and calm cruise with fewer entertainment options and low key music vibes then Celebrity is the way to go.  We have been on Celebrity 5 times the service is unbelievable without going to the next level of luxury cruising.  That being said if you have a cloud 9 room 17215?  17212?  and you utilize the thermal suite and the private elevator a lot during your cruise then it’s a different experience all together.  We did the thermal suite everyday and never made it out to the pool deck and it felt so good.  It could be noisy at times because other cruisers are friendly and say hello and next thing you know you are in a group conversation talking about Family Feud or the Marriage Game which was a great conversation but loud.

[BennyBrun]

54 minutes ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Oh, guess biggest concern would just be overcrowding (or the perception) with it not being fully staffed. Outside of that, the food choices do look pretty amazing! The drink package/selection seems a little less of wow factor than NCL though too. Thats just going off the price $700 for 2 people and selection I’ve been seeing posted for premium variety. I could be way off on that. Appreciate the insight! Booking Bliss for Sept.

I have been on the Bliss and Joy and depending on where you are staying it can be a fun but energetic experience.  The race cars on the Joy was a fun!

[kwokpot]

6 hours ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Tremendous job on this thread! We have NCL Joy in a couple weeks and did NCL Jade a few years ago. Never on Carnival. I did book Mardi Gras for April (Cloud 9 with extended balcony), but after all pictures of lines I’m having second thoughts as that doesn’t sound enjoyable.  
 

From your previous cruise experiences, how did the overall vibe compare to NCL? We want to relax and not wait long for food and drinks. The Celebrity Apex may be what I change Mardi Gras to, so can’t wait to see your thread for that!

I've done both the Apex and Mardi Gras and I can safely say that there really isn't comparison, they are NOTHING alike. Having said that it all depends on what's important to you.

 

If you're looking for a relaxed, upscale Miami Beach high end resort atmosphere, then Apex. The ship is amazingly beautiful and rivals any 5* land-based resort hotel. The overall food quality on the Apex exceeds Royal, Carnival, NCL Princess. Compared to the Mardi Gras the Apex has way fewer places to have drinks, if that's important to you. There's also fewer complementary food choices(Although the buffet has a wide variety of food stations and types of cuisine).

 

The Thermal suite is beautiful on the Apex and also larger than the Mardi Gras but lacks a water feature; no whirlpool or hot tub (Although the one on the Mardi Gras is small). Neither ship's Thermal suite facilities can compete with NCL's Thermal Suite offerings, hands down they have the best mainstream cruiseline Thermal suites! The pricing for the Apex's Thermal suite is ridiculously expensive.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. As an aside, I have sailed numerous times on the three lines you're familiar with so I can give first hand advice to you. 

 

Lastly here's a photo of the Mardi Gras as it pulls into Nassau on 12/19/21 taken from my balcony on the Apex!

 

 

[BennyBrun]

9 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I've done both the Apex and Mardi Gras and I can safely say that there really isn't comparison, they are NOTHING alike. Having said that it all depends on what's important to you.

 

If you're looking for a relaxed, upscale Miami Beach high end resort atmosphere, then Apex. The ship is amazingly beautiful and rivals any 5* land-based resort hotel. The overall food quality on the Apex exceeds Royal, Carnival, NCL Princess. Compared to the Mardi Gras the Apex has way fewer places to have drinks, if that's important to you. There's also fewer complementary food choices(Although the buffet has a wide variety of food stations and types of cuisine).

 

The Thermal suite is beautiful on the Apex and also larger than the Mardi Gras but lacks a water feature; no whirlpool or hot tub (Although the one on the Mardi Gras is small). Neither ship's Thermal suite facilities can compete with NCL's Thermal Suite offerings, hands down they have the best mainstream cruiseline Thermal suites! The pricing for the Apex's Thermal suite is ridiculously expensive.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. As an aside, I have sailed numerous times on the three lines you're familiar with so I can give first hand advice to you. 

 

Lastly here's a photo of the Mardi Gras as it pulls into Nassau on 12/19/21 taken from my balcony on the Apex!

 

 

We are looking forward to our upcoming Apex trip to relax and do nothing but eat and drink.  We are going to ports that most likely will let us in, Cozumel and Costa Maya.  Nassau and Belize is a little on the fence but we have nothing booked so not too worry about it!  We will only worry if they run out of escargot!

[cltcruisers123]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I've done both the Apex and Mardi Gras and I can safely say that there really isn't comparison, they are NOTHING alike. Having said that it all depends on what's important to you.

 

If you're looking for a relaxed, upscale Miami Beach high end resort atmosphere, then Apex. The ship is amazingly beautiful and rivals any 5* land-based resort hotel. The overall food quality on the Apex exceeds Royal, Carnival, NCL Princess. Compared to the Mardi Gras the Apex has way fewer places to have drinks, if that's important to you. There's also fewer complementary food choices(Although the buffet has a wide variety of food stations and types of cuisine).

 

The Thermal suite is beautiful on the Apex and also larger than the Mardi Gras but lacks a water feature; no whirlpool or hot tub (Although the one on the Mardi Gras is small). Neither ship's Thermal suite facilities can compete with NCL's Thermal Suite offerings, hands down they have the best mainstream cruiseline Thermal suites! The pricing for the Apex's Thermal suite is ridiculously expensive.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. As an aside, I have sailed numerous times on the three lines you're familiar with so I can give first hand advice to you. 

 

Lastly here's a photo of the Mardi Gras as it pulls into Nassau on 12/19/21 taken from my balcony on the Apex!

 

 

Appreciate it! Sounds like it’s hard to go wrong with either. 

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, cltcruisers123 said:

Oh, guess biggest concern would just be overcrowding (or the perception) with it not being fully staffed. Outside of that, the food choices do look pretty amazing! The drink package/selection seems a little less of wow factor than NCL though too. Thats just going off the price $700 for 2 people and selection I’ve been seeing posted for premium variety. I could be way off on that. Appreciate the insight! Booking Bliss for Sept.

No matter who you choose to cruise with in April should not matter since the main stream lines (Carnival, NCL, RCI) should all be similar in their occupancy percentages during that time.  When it comes to comparing drink packages on the MG versus the NCL fleet, NCL does not include water, espresso based coffee drinks or milkshakes, canned sodas and other peripheral items that Cheers contains such as Starbucks bottled coffees and Pure Leaf bottled teas.

If you decide to splurge on the Apex, like Quokpot said, it's a totally different experience and one that BennyBrun can compare for you the week after next and I as well, but my Apex sailings are 1/3 & 1/8 while my MG sailings are next month.

[cltcruisers123]

7 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

No matter who you choose to cruise with in April should not matter since the main stream lines (Carnival, NCL, RCI) should all be similar in their occupancy percentages during that time.  When it comes to comparing drink packages on the MG versus the NCL fleet, NCL does not include water, espresso based coffee drinks or milkshakes, canned sodas and other peripheral items that Cheers contains such as Starbucks bottled coffees and Pure Leaf bottled teas.

If you decide to splurge on the Apex, like Quokpot said, it's a totally different experience and one that BennyBrun can compare for you the week after next and I as well, but my Apex sailings are 1/3 & 1/8 while my MG sailings are next month.

Yeah can’t wait to hear your guys take on Apex. We upgraded to the ultra premium package on NCL that should include all the extra stuff. Wasn’t cheap either now that I look at. Around $500 extra (for 2) I think on top of the one they include. 

[RoperDK]

28 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

If you decide to splurge on the Apex, like Quokpot said, it's a totally different experience and one that BennyBrun can compare for you the week after next and I as well, but my Apex sailings are 1/3 & 1/8 while my MG sailings are next month.

I am looking forward to hearing more about Celebrity from a Carnival cruiser's perspective.  We've enjoyed our Carnival cruises, but are looking for a bit more at this point.  We enjoyed our Mardi Gras cruise, but service and food on Carnival are really a problem for us.  We were feeling the same way before covid.  I understand that the pandemic and cruise start up has been a tremendous undertaking and I didn't fault any short comings on Mardi Gras.  I feel we are ready to move up another level.  We've enjoyed our Oasis class cruises very much.  My big concern is lack of fun things to do/see.  We are older, but enjoy watching all of the action and energy.  On Oasis class and Carnival we play ping pong, putt putt, cornhole, and such.  We are too old for ropes courses or flowriders.  What is available on Celebrity for us? Hoping your review will shed light on that for us.