My review: Watch out RCL and NCL, Carnival is coming after your loyal guests!

[Guest BasicSailor]

 Watch out RCL and NCL, Carnival is coming after your loyal guests. Pretty sure that's the intention 👍.

[HxFx]

8 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

One day the breakfast line was enormous so we tried the Blue Iguana Cantina’s breakfast burritos and were very impressed.

That was my favorite go to breakfast on MG, even better than sea day lunch. I couldn't believe it was never crowded!

[PortSideCruzan]

On 1/28/2022 at 7:27 AM, tx121 said:

 

 

The production shows in the main theater are just ok but the shows at Center Stage are amazing! I thoroughly enjoy the different shows that are showcased here. 

 

 

Hi @tx121🙂

 

I'm always thrilled when I see (Center Stage) Grand Central Atrium, onboard Mardi Gras discussed. I don't know why, but its rarely talked about in reviews.

 

Center Stage/Grand Central Atrium is an AMAZING 3-deck high space that literally cost MILLIONS to construct, and has SO MUCH to offer.

 

Even the Center Stage Bar has speciality cocktails inspired by the theme of that evening's entertainment🍹

 

Thank you for your review!

Happy sailing!

 

 

 

🌴

Edited January 30, 2022 by PortSideCruzan

[ninjacat123]

36 minutes ago, PortSideCruzan said:

 

Hi @tx121🙂

 

I'm always thrilled when I see (Center Stage) Grand Central Atrium, onboard Mardi Gras discussed. I don't know why, but its rarely talked about in reviews.

 

Center Stage/Grand Central Atrium is an AMAZING 3-deck high space that literally cost MILLIONS to construct, and has SO MUCH to offer.

 

Even the Center Stage Bar has speciality cocktails inspired by the theme of that evening's entertainment🍹

 

Thank you for your review!

Happy sailing!

 

 

 

🌴

I agree!  The shows we saw there were great and I loved the way the background could change with a flip of a switch.  Impressive👍

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Great space/concept - as long as you grab a good seat.

 

Tom

[ninjacat123]

3 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Great space/concept - as long as you grab a good seat.

 

Tom

I found at a few productions that there were very noisy groups at the back.  My mom and I would try to move to a more quiet spot and a noisy group would settle in near us.  I think that would be my only issue with that venue.  The audience doesn't feel like they are in a theatre so they talk like a show isn't going on.

[DallasGuy75219]

As I recall when RCL announced the Oasis class, Carnival said they weren't going to try to compete with the size and all the bells and whistles of the next generation of ships RCL (and maybe NCL at the time) had on the drawing board.  Carnival thought their folksy brand of "fun" was sufficient for their only moderately innovative new builds and lots of old tonnage to be competitive. 

 

After a while Carnival realized they were getting their clock cleaned by the revenue premium RCL was getting for their newest ships and how customers were flocking to them, and they finally came up with the Excel class.  But they were way too late to the game.

 

Right now Carnival has only Mardi Gras in service, with Celebration and Jubilee on order.  RCL has 10 Oasis and Quantum class in service and one Oasis and three Icon class on order.  Carnival is way behind the competition, and with the fallout from COVID epidemic it will be years (if not almost a decade) before they can meaningfully compete with RCL on anything except price.

[tx121]

7 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

We also debarked yesterday and I wish I had seen your thread beforehand - I would have recommended the lamb chops medium-rare (see pic in my review).  But I also loved Teppanyaki, got Filet Mignon medium-rare and it was a TOUCHDOWN for flavor, juiciness, tenderness.  Just avoid the mayonnaisy sauce.  We also got a great deal on our Mardi Gras cruise and I can't wait to get back on board that ship!

I was thinking about the lamb chops but decided on the Cowboy Steak which was delicious! I saw your thread and jealous you got to try Rudis! Next time for me..lol

[cruisinqt]

17 hours ago, ilovesparky13 said:

This is not true. On ships that have it, Guy’s BBQ is only free for lunch, and then extra fee for dinner. 

Actually my statement is correct. Up until recently Guys BBQ has always been free, there’s never been a charge on any of the ships. It’s usually a small grill area setup on an outside deck for lunch with limited seating. But the Horizon and Panorama have an upgraded Guys BBQ that’s an inside restaurant with a brewery, a bar, live music, and an expanded menu. On these two ships lunch is free but after 5 pm it turns into a specialty restaurant with menu items priced a la carte. So maybe that confused you and made you think that since the Mardi Gras is a newer ship it would charge a fee too, but they don’t. Everything at Guys BBQ on the Mardi Gras is complimentary. If you do some research on both Carnival and here on Cruisecritic there are numerous articles that say Mardi Gras Guys BBQ is free. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by cruisinqt

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

13 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

Actually my statement is correct. ... Everything at Guys BBQ on the Mardi Gras is complimentary. If you do some research on both Carnival and here on Cruisecritic there are numerous articles that say Mardi Gras Guys BBQ is free. 

 

I'm not 100% sure that everything is free there. It's been nearly 6 months since I ate there, but I seem to recall a charge for the Prime Rib.

 

Tom

[cruisinqt]

13 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I'm not 100% sure that everything is free there. It's been nearly 6 months since I ate there, but I seem to recall a charge for the Prime Rib.

 

Tom

You’re correct. I forgot to mention that everything is free except there is an up charge for the broiled lobster and the prime rib. The person I was replying to was saying that on the Mardi Gras Guys BBQ is only free at lunch but you have to pay for your dinner which is incorrect. That’s only happening on the Horizon and Panorama. On the Mardi Gras dinner is free at Guys BBQ but you can pay extra for a couple of items just like in the main dining room. I think it’s a great idea. We sail the Horizon in a couple weeks and I will definitely try the prime rib at Guys BBQ. 

[bmc alabama]

On 1/30/2022 at 3:17 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

As I recall when RCL announced the Oasis class, Carnival said they weren't going to try to compete with the size and all the bells and whistles of the next generation of ships RCL (and maybe NCL at the time) had on the drawing board.  Carnival thought their folksy brand of "fun" was sufficient for their only moderately innovative new builds and lots of old tonnage to be competitive. 

 

After a while Carnival realized they were getting their clock cleaned by the revenue premium RCL was getting for their newest ships and how customers were flocking to them, and they finally came up with the Excel class.  But they were way too late to the game.

 

Right now Carnival has only Mardi Gras in service, with Celebration and Jubilee on order.  RCL has 10 Oasis and Quantum class in service and one Oasis and three Icon class on order.  Carnival is way behind the competition, and with the fallout from COVID epidemic it will be years (if not almost a decade) before they can meaningfully compete with RCL on anything except price.

And Virgin is changing the game again…. Did Scarlet Lady in November and Oasis in January.  No comparison.  Virgin was infinitely better…. But we are 40s/50s with no need for rock walls, etc.  I could live in that hammock on the balcony all day.  Also, all food is included, and no MDR.  And included gelato and gummy bears!  Seriously, if you get a chance, try it.

 

Otherwise, we actually prefer Princess.  Trying MG in a couple months and am excited to see how it goes…

[EZ1]

On 1/30/2022 at 8:02 AM, firefly333 said:

I'm with you. I thought a cruise is a cruise is a cruise and did 3 on carnival and said I'm done. Wine. I asked for something like a resiling or german wine and twice got this awful italian. Either they dont have wine I like or dont have any idea what they are doing. I had cheers twice and it was wasted. 

 

Didnt like the dinner entrees except lobster and ribs. I like the cold soups but every time they were overly runny and watered down those cruises. Just the food wasnt for me. I tried bacon lettuce and tomato and the bread was like a brick. Both times. Who eats toast that hard? No one thing, but it's not enough for me to pay the same for a inside on jubilee as I can book a inside balcony on allure. I'll keep watching but wait and see if prices come down. 

 

Shows better on allure, the dive show and the ice show especially. The zip line and surf zone and climbing wall. I love the cafe. I get 5 free drinks a day on rcl, none on carnival. Overall carnival isnt a good value for me right now. If I got casino offers i might feel it's a better value but not for me.

We do all 3 also, but Royal has the best ships, shows & the free days of internet. Princess has the best pizza, great dinners & dinner buffets, & is very relaxing. Carnival has the best lunch buffet options, but the worst coffee. And no computers or printers for guests on Mardi Gras.

[EZ1]

On 1/30/2022 at 8:04 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

The crème de la crème on the Oasis class (and "included") has to be the roast beef sandwich at the Park Cafe. I probably had 6 the last time we sailed. That, oddly, is one of the driving factors that will get me back onboard one!!

 

... it's the little things... 🙂

 

Tom

And the free coffee is so good. Also they have bags of chips. & the best choc chip cokies, also the lemon. more little things.

[kicia]

4 hours ago, EZ1 said:

We do all 3 also, but Royal has the best ships, shows & the free days of internet. Princess has the best pizza, great dinners & dinner buffets, & is very relaxing. Carnival has the best lunch buffet options, but the worst coffee. And no computers or printers for guests on Mardi Gras.

There are computers and printers on Mardi Gras.  I've used them. 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

15 hours ago, EZ1 said:

And the free coffee is so good. Also they have bags of chips. & the best choc chip cokies, also the lemon. more little things.

 

Did you say COOKIES? !!  Darn it, now I'll have to go back  🙂

 

Tom

[DrSea]

On 2/1/2022 at 2:33 AM, bmc alabama said:

And Virgin is changing the game again…. Did Scarlet Lady in November and Oasis in January.  No comparison.  Virgin was infinitely better…. But we are 40s/50s with no need for rock walls, etc.  I could live in that hammock on the balcony all day.  Also, all food is included, and no MDR.  And included gelato and gummy bears!  Seriously, if you get a chance, try it.

 

Otherwise, we actually prefer Princess.  Trying MG in a couple months and am excited to see how it goes…

Not to highjack the thread, but I respectfully have a very differing opinion than yours.

 

I haven't done VV. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. But imo CCL and VV are not direct competitors. Not even close. VV is very much up market of CCL. It's hard to justify ~200/day for an inside cabin on VV. This price includes port taxes and fees and is the cheapest I see.

 

I am doing a Carnival cruises were it will be 200 for the entire 3 day cruise, which included taxes port fees and tips for a balcony. Blew my mind. Never have I ever booked such a cheap cruise. 

 

Me personally, I would do viking ocean for 250/day for a balcony. The VV product doesn't make financial sense to me yet. I will admit that it's not an apples to apples comparison with Viking and VV other than their price. But I'd rather do Viking at those prices where I will get a balcony, free thermal spa, and free alcohol during meals. Viking is stuffy and I don't like the pretentiousness of it all. I think I would like the VV vibe better as I am in my early 30s. But I cannot bring myself to pay 200/day for an inside room on VV when an extra $50-60 per day will buy me so much more that matters to me on other cruise lines. 

[DallasGuy75219]

38 minutes ago, DrSea said:

Not to highjack the thread, but I respectfully have a very differing opinion than yours.

 

I haven't done VV. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. But imo CCL and VV are not direct competitors. Not even close. VV is very much up market of CCL. It's hard to justify ~200/day for an inside cabin on VV. This price includes port taxes and fees and is the cheapest I see.

 

I am doing a Carnival cruises were it will be 200 for the entire 3 day cruise, which included taxes port fees and tips for a balcony. Blew my mind. Never have I ever booked such a cheap cruise. 

 

Me personally, I would do viking ocean for 250/day for a balcony. The VV product doesn't make financial sense to me yet. I will admit that it's not an apples to apples comparison with Viking and VV other than their price. But I'd rather do Viking at those prices where I will get a balcony, free thermal spa, and free alcohol during meals. Viking is stuffy and I don't like the pretentiousness of it all. I think I would like the VV vibe better as I am in my early 30s. But I cannot bring myself to pay 200/day for an inside room on VV when an extra $50-60 per day will buy me so much more that matters to me on other cruise lines. 

Agree on Carnival and Virgin not being competitors, but on several levels besides just price.  Virgin generally caters to a more sophisticated traveler and is adults only, in direct contrast to Carnival which actively markets to families with children.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Regarding Virgin - I guess I'll need to keep an eye on them, and look up some reviews. Initially, with what I saw prior to their first sailings, it didn't look like something of great interest to me. Time will tell though.

 

Tom

[JMKreno]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:05 PM, Pellaz said:

OP, comparing the Oasis class to the Mardi Gras, I'm curious if the Oasis ships have as wide a variety of "free" (i.e., included) eats as the Mardi Gras?  

I've been on RCCL's Freedom class and was surprised at the lack of included dining options on a relatively big ship, but Oasis and her sisters ARE much bigger than those, so.....

 

 

To be honest, we believe Carnival has a SUBSTANTIAL leg up on Royal when it comes to "included" options on their ships. I think we have a good comparison as we JUST got off the Carnival Miracle over NYE and sailed the Oasis of the Seas in October, so we can do a pretty good comparison.

 

IMHO, the Carnival Miracle had better options for "included" food compared to the Oasis.

 

The Oasis had a few pros and cons:

 

PRO: The sheer amount of locations was a win. Between Central Park Cafe, the Boardwalk (dog house), Cafe Promenade, Sorrento's,  El Loco Fresh, the Vitality spa small setup, the Solarium, the Buffet, Dining Room. Nice varied locations. Central Park was my ABSOLUTE go-to spot and probably my favorite location on ANY ship ANYWHERE. If they could somehow get OCEAN views out into Central Park I'd never leave the area. 

PRO: Loved the fruit cups every morning. Super convenient for snacking on the go available at many locations including the buffet, cafe promenade/central park, vitality.

PRO: Sorrento's was much more CONVENIENT to grab a slice and go compared to Carnival

PRO: Sorrento's offered a veggie all-you-can eat section

PRO: Dining rooms were great. Better than Carnival overall. Liked the table cloths and do miss from Carnival. Food was on par with our Carnival cruises if not better/worse on some dishes.

PRO: Overall QUALITY of ingredients, flavor, and temperature of food was top-notch.  

-----------------------------------------------

CON: Sorrento's pizza slices were pretty small and usually only 1-2 options at a time, maybe 3 during lunch. 

CON: Veggies/sides usually weren't very good (mushy/cold) at Sorrento's. No build to order option either (at least they never let us get a veggie only pizza if they were making a combo option on the line, they told us just to remove the pepperoni - wife is vegetarian and there were times she couldn't even get pizza as they didn't always have a non-meat option)

CON: The selections were VERY limited at each location throughout the day which was a major negative and something we didn't expect on the Oasis of the Seas. Cafe Promenade had a decent selection of items, but not a ton (maybe 2-3 PRE-MADE sandwiches, a salad bar, some pastries, random bagged chips). Cafe Promenade had even less, again a few sandwiches (and usually with WAY too much bread, odd combos, or not enough filling and usually the same as the ones in the Park Cafe so if you didn'tn like what was in either one you didn't have much choice), and a few pastries/desserts. El Loco was limited to 1-2 burritos pre-made, and some sides. My wife, again being vegetarian, often had difficulty up here as they said they couldn't make a burrito different than what was on the line already so my wife often just had some rice/veggies, kinda disappointing. 

CON: The HOURS were very limited and I think this was the BIGGEST issue we had. Park Cafe closed late morning, was then open for a few hours at lunch and then that was it. Cafe Promenade was 24 hours, but again the selection was more the issue here. El Loco Fresh was only open a few hours at lunch/late morning breakfast. Dog house was only open a few hours around lunch until early evening just before dinner. Sorrento's was never much of an issue with hours, so that's a positive. The buffet had very limited hours, too. This was quite surprising. No late night "bistro" option (and don't think this is an option in normal days, no "late riser" breakfast, no late lunch buffet as they transition to dinner). They pretty much shut the buffet down at 11-1130, then re-opened at 12-330 and then was closed (we did not have the buffet open yet on our sailing for dinner). There were times we literally could find almost no "included" quick-bite/grab-and-go food options outside of a few slices of pizza or some pre-made sandwiches at Promenade Cafe, and I am not talking about late in the evening, I am taking about late afternooon,  between breakfast and lunch, and after about 6pm. 

 

That being said, the quality was NEVER an issue and we never went hungry as we managed to find SOMETHING. Don't misread what I am posting about above for the Oasis, we'd book another RCCL cruise in a heartbeat as other areas blew us away compared to Carnival (entertainment, general "ship" cleanliness and upkeep, etc) just giving an honest assessment and hope that maybe the issues we encountered was limited to the "Covid times" and not indicative of "normalcy". 

 

Now, some comparison to the Carnival Miracle (mind you this is a 20 year old ship 1/3 the size of the Oasis):

 

PRO: HOURS of quick-bite food available. TREMENDOUS. You basically had numerous options 24 hours a day and at no-time was there "just a few small selections" available. There was ALWAYS "made-to-order" options. The buffet was basically open from 6am to 930pm. Continental from 6-8am, then full breakfast from 8-11, then a limited small buffet from 11-12, which then transitioned to full lunch buffet from 12-3:30 and then closed down for about 1.5 hours (but the DELI remained open within the buffet and the pizza pirate). Deli was open from about 10am to 11pm. Guys was open 1145 to 6pm, Blue Iguana open for breakfast from 8am to 1130, then opened again from 12-3 (I wish this was open longer). Pizza Pirate open 24-hours. Dining rooms were open for brunch on sea days from I think it was 9-10 to about 2-3 every day. 

PRO: Choices of food/customizations. The DELI is Carnival's secret weapon IMHO. Here you could get made to order hot and cold sandwiches (with LOTS of toppings, or as little as you want), hot dogs and fresh cookies. There were lots of vegetarian options (anything basically could be made veggie if you wanted - sans meat). You wanted the meatball sandwich with HAM? Sure! You want double Turkey on the turkey wrap? OK! You want a hot dog with chili and a hot dog ON your meatball sandwich? OK! The options were endless and quite delicious. They even had a veggie burger that we had a REALY hard time finding on Oasis. Hot and fresh paninis as well! The Pizza Pirate has the same pizzas on tap every-day but there are 4-5 to choose from, they also have made to order and quite delicious Caesar salads. But, like the Deli, you could customize what you wanted. You wanted the QUATTRO FORMAGGIO with PEPPERONI? Sure! You want half-cheese, half-pepp? You got it! Always options available. The buffet was fine, nothing exciting but again often available. Guys? Well, we were VERY hard pressed to find a burger/french fries anywhere on the Oasis outside of a few hours at lunch and even then not terribly good. Whether you "like" or "dislike" Guy's Burgers, they are a GREAT option. Again, you can make them how you want if you ask! Blue Iguana, also a winner in my book. Nothing pre-made and exactly how you want. They also have tacos, taco salads (a winner), and burritos and a delicious breakfast menu to boot. You want double chicken, beef, shrimp? OK! You want extra rice, no meat? SURE! Carnival just had SO MANY more "made to order" stations that made us enjoy the food that much more. Oasis needs more of this but also, see the con to this below. 

 

CONS: The customization options ADD more time to get your food, but we did not feel this was much worse than on the Oasis. The Oasis negated this problem because people WANTED to customize and spent time discussing with the host/servers that they wanted "the sandwich" but take off "xyz" or the same at Sorrento's. The only place we could really customize was the hot dog stand on the Boardwalk. But, Carnival usually had multiple access points to get food at the grab-and-go and a lot was "pre-made" so you COULD get something quick if wanted. 

CONS: Quality was lacking in some dishes, mostly on the buffet. 

CONS: Lack of healthier options outside of lunch buffet hours. The Oasis did pretty good on this with the Solarium and the vitality, but again hours were still a bit of a problem overall on this. 

CONS: All the food is pretty much located mid-lido and back on the Miracle. I know this is SPECIFIC to that class of ship but is pretty common with Carnival. I know the EXCEL class (Mardi Gras) spreads their food out much more, as I know the Dream/Vista class do as well (Vista had even more options). 

 

Honestly, the food on the Miracle REALLY surprised us. We had little expectations of the Miracle doing BETTER than the Oasis, but it handily defeated it on the casual options.

 

Even the paid options on the Miracle were not bad with the Seafood shack at night and Bonsai sushi express on the buffet, but that was about it. Playmaker's was GREAT on the Oasis and Johnny Rocket's was good, but I felt Guy's was better. 

 

As for sit-down dining/paid-for dining, the Oasis winds handily over the Miracle as to be expected. The Miracle only has 1 paid dining option, the Steakhouse. Oasis has so many more, but that is not our cup of tea (we did do Giovanni's Kitchen and it was good, but not something I need to have again). Now, I would need to compare it to the Excel Class on Carnival to really do a true comparison.

 

TLDR: Carnival quick-bites/made-to-order options far exceed ROYAL (IMHO) but Royal is still a great choice and paid dining is BETTER on Royal compared to Carnival. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by JMKreno

[Oceansaway17]

On 1/30/2022 at 4:18 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

Any Carnival ship has more free food options than any pretty much any Royal ship smaller than Oasis class. However free food options are not my only basis for cruise line preference, and overall Carnival's cuts in service and quality have driven me to Royal and to a lesser extent Princess.

 

 

aw the voice of reason.  I agree with you

 

but look out of MSC too as they are in competition and their ships are beautiful.

Now if Americans can just learn to like Opera, MSC would rule the ocean.

 

Ya know though, all cruise lines are trying to outdo each other and every year a different cruise line can emerge as the best.,

[EZ1]

17 hours ago, kicia said:

There are computers and printers on Mardi Gras.  I've used them. 

 

Hi, going back on Mardi Gras this weekend. Where are they on the ship? When we were on it July31 & Aug 7, guest services told me there were no desktop computers  or printers for public use. Maybe they added them since then, or they were closed at the 1st sailings.

Thanks for letting me know! 

[emm126]

On 1/30/2022 at 10:55 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

We also debarked yesterday and I wish I had seen your thread beforehand - I would have recommended the lamb chops medium-rare (see pic in my review).  

I had the lamb chops for the 1st time in December on the Freedom and they were so good! I usually order the ribeye (and eat only 1/4 of it) but will get the lamb chops from now on. Actually my meal on the Freedom was probably my favorite of all time (15-20 times) food and especially the service was excellent! Best waiter I have ever had, any line/any ship. 

[kicia]

4 hours ago, EZ1 said:

Hi, going back on Mardi Gras this weekend. Where are they on the ship? When we were on it July31 & Aug 7, guest services told me there were no desktop computers  or printers for public use. Maybe they added them since then, or they were closed at the 1st sailings.

Thanks for letting me know! 

Hi!  We were on Mardi Gras in October and November.   There were at least 2 computers and 1 printer on deck 6 by Brass Magnolia heading to Center Stage. This is what I used.  I don't know if there were others.  Good luck.

[Pellaz]

16 hours ago, JMKreno said:

Honestly, the food on the Miracle REALLY surprised us. We had little expectations of the Miracle doing BETTER than the Oasis, but it handily defeated it on the casual options.

 

Even the paid options on the Miracle were not bad with the Seafood shack at night and Bonsai sushi express on the buffet, but that was about it. Playmaker's was GREAT on the Oasis and Johnny Rocket's was good, but I felt Guy's was better. 

 

As for sit-down dining/paid-for dining, the Oasis winds handily over the Miracle as to be expected. The Miracle only has 1 paid dining option, the Steakhouse. Oasis has so many more, but that is not our cup of tea (we did do Giovanni's Kitchen and it was good, but not something I need to have again). Now, I would need to compare it to the Excel Class on Carnival to really do a true comparison.

 

TLDR: Carnival quick-bites/made-to-order options far exceed ROYAL (IMHO) but Royal is still a great choice and paid dining is BETTER on Royal compared to Carnival. 

 

Wow, thanks for that in-depth comparison!   And it aligns pretty well with my experiences and expectations.  I don't expect to be sailing on an Oasis class anytime soon UNLESS my music charter next year moves to one from a Freedom-class, but now I know what to expect.  The number of choices on RCL's Freedom class is substantially smaller than on Oasis, too.  

 

DO try to get on a Vista- or Excel-class ship at some point.  If nothing else. the Fresh Creations salad bar near Serenity will please you both for variety and, of course, vegetarian/vegan options.