Mardi Gras 4/20 to 4/27

[sparks1093]

Just got back from Mardi Gras and since our flight home has been delayed I figured I'd get a head start on my review and share my overall thoughts, impressions and observations. First, we loved the ship and cruise! Just WOW overall. Doesn't mean we didn't see flaws but Mardi Gras leaped into favorite cruise ship status. So, in no particular order and as they come to my tired brain, here we go:

 

1. Decor was nicely done, no shades of Farcus. Our balcony cabin (10436 midship) was nicely laid out and the balcony was double sized. Due to the terraced balconies we couldn't see right down to the water. Shower had a glass door and could hold two people, but the bathroom overall was tiny. 3 regular outlets and 6 USB ports (2 by the bed, 4 by the vanity).

 

2. The small shelves by the side of the bed are cute but not as functional as a night stand. Doable for week though.

 

3. Yep, there were issues getting elevators that was annoying when it was busy (and one elevator was out of service for most of the week).

 

4. There's no drink service in the main theater, you need to bring it with you.

 

5. Bolt was also out of service a lot so we didn't get to ride it. Some of our companions got to ride and loved it.

 

6. Loved the action stations on lido.

 

7. No more choices of bread at dinner. Each night there was only one choice, but you could have extra if you asked.

 

8. Bacon was on the buffet every other day but it was cooked to my liking and worth the wait. Yes, someone served it but they would give you all you wanted.

 

9. Shows could be crowded but with planning (and sometimes some line standing) you could get a seat.

 

10. Loved the neighborhood concept! We didn't do any paid dining but did Cucina del Capitano for lunch one day.

 

11. Food was tasty at every meal and loved Emerils touches. Our wait service was a little spotty, nothing too major but mixing up orders.

 

12. Loved Serenity and the salad bar up there.

 

13. Bar service was wonderful both at the bar and through the servers. Easily got our money's worth from Cheers.

 

14. Passengers and crew were friendly.

 

15. TJ was the CD and was on his A game all week. Chatted with him several times and asked him if he'd cloned himself.

 

16. Embarkation was fast. We were onboard well before our appointed time. Same with disembarkation (but we had an excursion so not sure how much influence that had).

 

17. Ports were San Juan (walked around a little), Amber Cove (Monkeyland excursion) and Grand Turk (beach with open bar excursion). Did a pontoon boat tour with airport transfer in PC and saw manatees, dolphins and a lot of bird species.

 

18. Ship was laid out well and once one got the hang of it easy to get around. Had the goal of getting at least one drink from each bar but failed.

 

19. Pixels is digital! Loved this. You could use the tablets at pixels to view and order your photos. Could also do this on the Hub App.

 

20. Hub app is very useful but the chat feature ($5 for the week) was spotty. 

 

That's all for now, will post a full review here in a day or so. 

[mz-s]

I like TJ as well, he's a great CD.

 

I need to get on an Excel class ship it sounds like.

 

Thanks for the thoughts!

[mrpayroll]

Sounds like you had a very good time. 

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the quick review.  Hope the travel worked out.  We love the MG and Excel class.

[sparks1093]

43 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Thanks for the quick review.  Hope the travel worked out.  We love the MG and Excel class.

There will be more coming, this was only random thoughts to pass the time. Oh, another change that I saw- no more Cheers stickers on Sail and Sign cards.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

There will be more coming, this was only random thoughts to pass the time. Oh, another change that I saw- no more Cheers stickers on Sail and Sign cards.

Always thought it was more for the guests than processing on the card.

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

There will be more coming, this was only random thoughts to pass the time. Oh, another change that I saw- no more Cheers stickers on Sail and Sign cards.

 

On our last several cruises, it was random. In December, they put a sticker on my card but not my husband's. Last week, I heard a bartender tell someone they were out of the stickers.

[sparks1093]

40 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Always thought it was more for the guests than processing on the card.

That's what I've always thought, but the important thing is do the bartenders know?

26 minutes ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

On our last several cruises, it was random. In December, they put a sticker on my card but not my husband's. Last week, I heard a bartender tell someone they were out of the stickers.

I think this is an expense Carnival could eliminate. I'm sure there would be some that would decry another cutback, but I see little value in it myself.

[jimbo5544]

12 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

That's what I've always thought, but the important thing is do the bartenders know?

I think this is an expense Carnival could eliminate. I'm sure there would be some that would decry another cutback, but I see little value in it myself.

I have seen the screen when they do the card.  It clearly says cheers

[sparks1093]

Ok, this review will be posted in stages, almost like a live review with one or two days in each post. Not sure when I will be able to finish typing it all up so if I post it as I go it will be a good incentive to finish. 

 

This was DW’s daycare cruise and there were 13 of us cruising together- me and DW, our youngest DS and his girlfriend, Family 1 DH, DW, DD1 DD2, and Family 2 DH, DW, Adult Sister, DD and DS. 9 of us flew from Montreal and Family 1 flew out of Hartford, CT. We had 3 adults along on their first cruise and some of the younger kids had cruised before. DW and I were in a mid-ship cabin on Deck 10, with Family 2 in the next cabin. We flew to Florida the day before and we all stayed at the Day’s Inn, Cocoa Beach near I-95. Pretty typical Days Inn but they had a restaurant attached, C’s Waffles. We had dinner there and breakfast the following day. We used Coco Beach Shuttle to get from the airport and for 9 of us it was $214. The hotel uses Coco Beach Shuttle to get folks to the port and it is $15 per person for a one-way shuttle or $25 for a roundtrip. They only have two times available- 9am and 1230pm. We signed up for the 9am shuttle (which I initially regretted signing up for, but it worked out).

 

4/20 Depart Port Canaveral         

We left the hotel on the shuttle at 8:45am and there were passengers for two other cruise ships along. We got dropped off last and were expecting to be waiting a while to check in since we had a 12 to 12:30pm check in time. We gave the bags to the porter and headed over to get in line and of course got into the “early/late” line. I didn’t note what time we got to the port but we were all checked in and waiting to board by 10:45am. There is a soda machine and a snack machine in the terminal. We were onboard with first drink in hand at 11:30am. Our first drink was at Brass Magnolia and it was a Praline Truffle, which was quite tasty. We then went up muster, which took hardly any time at all and then to Lido and got in line for Guy’s, which seemed to me to be quite long. But as with all of the lines for the week (foreshadowing a little here) everything moved quickly and a burger was soon in hand (and not long after that, in the belly). Had a few more drinks and then headed to the cabin at 1:30pm. Very nice cabin with a subdued décor. The balcony is square and appears to be a double balcony, although it wasn’t sold as extended. Could have easily put two loungers on it. We couldn’t see straight down to the water because of the balcony below us and the deck below that. There are three regular plugs by the vanity with 4 USB ports and there is a USB port on each side of the bed. There are two small shelves by each side of the bed with a folding reading light that can be positioned. The shelves are cute, but not as functional as a nightstand. The closets had lots of hangers and ample shelf space and most of the shelves could be folded up for more hanging storage. The bathroom is on the small size (no surprise) but had many shelves and a cabinet under the sink for storage. The shower is big enough for two people (surprise) and has a glass door. Our steward for the week is Oliver. All of our luggage was delivered by 2:30pm and we quickly unpacked.

 

Headed out and grabbed a couple more drinks and watched the sail away party. TJ is our cruise director this trip and is very personable. We had early dining so we headed to the Flamingo Restaurant at 5:30pm. All 13 of us are at the same table. Our waitstaff was headed by Christopher with Arnel and Budiari assisting him. I ordered the crawfish strudel, the BBQ salmon (both Emeril selections) and cheesecake. DW ordered the tomato soup, chicken breast and WCMC. The crawfish strudel had a bit of a zing and was shaped like an egg roll and was very good. The salmon was a very generous portion and it was tasty as well. Went to guest services to request the partition between our balcony opened and it didn’t take long to reach the head of the line. As we walked past Pixels I noticed that they use digital ordering on tablets, so no shuffling through a bunch of pictures to make your choice. Went to Pig and Anchor and I ordered a Blanton’s Old Fashioned. They brew some of their own beer onboard and one of the brews is a German lager so DW had to give it a try (since she is from Germany) and said it was very good (which I confirmed by having my own later in the cruise). Went to Punch Liner for Manny Oliverri’s show. Watched his second show with one of our companions who had come in late to the first show, then went back and ordered room service through the Hub App, which was delivered in under 15 minutes. Called it a night. Cheers count- 23.

 

[sparks1093]

4/21 Fun Day at Sea

Found the place where I’ll start all of my morning- go to deck 16 then take a right after the elevators and enter the lido and there is a coffee machine right there with plenty of tables to choose from (especially before the lido opens). They also have a self-serve soda machine (by the ounce) and juice machines too. Drank coffee until the rest of my companions joined me. At 9 I went to Java Blue and ordered a mochaccino to take to DW. Ship is sensory inclusive and they have sensory bags available to help those with sensory issues. Grabbed lunch from Big Chicken, an Aristotle and it was very good. Made our way up to Serenity and DW got a salad from Fresh Creations. Chatted with TJ for a couple of minutes and lazed around. Folks around the Serenity pool were a tad boisterous. Eventually stopped by the Fortune Teller bar and tried a couple of their drinks. Got dressed for dinner and had some photos taken. Tonight is the first elegant night and they opened the dining room at 5pm. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a bread basket in the MDR but I recall on the last couple of cruises we typically had a choice between two different types of bread. This time around there was only one type of bread per meal (and the bread was as tasty as I remember it being). Ordered escargot and clam chowder, jumbo shrimp with fish cake, and WCMC. DW had the lentil soup, linguine Alfredo and the chocolate panna cotta. All of the food was spot on and as good as we remember it being. After dinner went to see Celestial Strings at Center Stage. Went to see Percy Crews 2 in Punch Liner then caught Brandon Bagget’s comedy/magic show in the theater. Both of them were hilarious. Went up to the White Party so DW could burn some energy. Went back to the cabin and ordered room service, which was again delivered in about 15 minutes. Cheers count- 21 (remember, this is for two 🙂).

 

4/22 Fun Day at Sea

Slept in until 7am this morning. They have actual sinks at the entrance to the Lido for handwashing, but I didn’t see them being used very much. The Chat feature on the Hub App started out wicked fast, but slowed way down as more people started using it. Decided to let DW sleep in a little longer today so played some trivia with DS and his GF at Summer Landing, then grabbed the mochaccino for DW from Havana Bar. We then played some more trivia until it was time for lunch and just grabbed some food from lido. I did try the chicken satay from Street Eats and it was very good. Reserved Bolt through the Hub app ($15 each). When we showed up for our reservation we were told that it was closed due to technical issues. DW then went on the ropes course with one of the older daycare girls but they didn’t make it too far. It was windy and they both got scared. Went to the military appreciation event in the main theater and it was well attended. Went to dinner and had shrimp cocktail, beef wellington, and bitter n blanc. DW had chicken noodle soup, portabella mushrooms, chicken breast and key lime pie. The shrimp are smaller than what we’ve had the last couple of cruises and a little mushy. The beef was very tasty and nicely cooked. DW enjoyed all of her selections. Went to Center Stage to watch the Lovin’ Vegas show and Brandon Bagget opened the show with some magic. It was an awesome show! Went to catch Percy Crews 2 in Punch Liner and he is funnier than heck. Decided to sit in the Piano Bar as we waited for the next event and have a couple of drinks while listening to Brad tickle the ivories. This is the first time we have ever been in a piano bar. Then we went to watch the 18+ Family Feud Live in the theater. It was a very funny show but the 18+ part doesn’t come from any of the surveys, only from the CD and the contestants. They don’t have drink service in the theater so you have to bring your own drink with you. The holders in the chairs weren’t made for hurricane glasses and it’s easy to spill them. Chatted with TJ and a couple of members of the Fun Squad after the show and gave them each a duck. Checked the account summary on the App and they had credited us with the Bolt charge, since they didn’t get it fixed. Cheers count- 24

[sparks1093]

4/23 San Juan

I woke up at 6:45am and we were already docked with NCL Prima across the pier from us. Lido is already hopping when I get there. They started letting people off at 7am, but we are planning on staying onboard all day. Had a ham and cheese omelet and while I was waiting saw him make up several omelets with everything (but he only had the toppings for the omelets listed). He also did an order of fried eggs before getting to me. After waking DW we decided to do some walking around because DS and his GF wanted to do some exploring. Browsed some of the sidewalk vendors before finding an outdoor restaurant to have a snack. GF wanted to walk up to the cathedral so we did that too. St John the Baptist Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the Americas and it is where Ponce de Leon is buried, so it’s kind of cool. Once we got back to the ship we relaxed a bit before attending Dr. Seuss trivia. The tax on drinks in San Juan is around $1.80 for a $12 drink, which is more than it was in Florida. Went to dinner and ordered spring roll, roasted sirloin, and banana cream pie. DW had broccoli cheddar soup, carbonara and banana cream pie. The spring rolls were very tasty with a tangy sauce. DW regretted not ordering two soups it was so good. MDR seems to be half empty tonight. Charles mentioned that this was only his second week on this contract so he’s still adjusting. Watched the Lovin’ Vegas show again (from the main floor, so from a different perspective). Relaxed with drinks afterwards. Chatted with TJ again and he said there were about 5,800 passengers onboard. Went to the Love and Marriage show which was as funny as it usually is. Figure we’ll be contestants in about 20 years. Cheers count- 17

 

4/24 Amber Cove

I had noticed that there was only one ticket in the envelope for today’s excursion so went up to the Shore Ex desk. Got there early so I grabbed some coffee and sat in near the pizzeria until they opened. It’s a nice area and they have indoor and outdoor seating. We had the Monkey Land excursion and it was fun. In the enclosure with the monkeys for quite a while and they use people as steppingstones. They put food in our hands and the monkeys had no problem eating from our hands. Toured a typical DR house and then watched a presentation about coffee, cocoa and mamajuana. Got samples of each to try. They had all of the items for sale so we bought a 350ml bottle of mamajuana (they said that we could fill it with our own rum, wine and honey when it was gone and make our own). Returned to the ship around 2pm. Grabbed a pig patty from Guy’s then enjoyed drinks around the pool. Had pre-dinner drinks at Brass Magnolia. Stuffed mushrooms, chicken parmesan, tiramisu. DW had French onion soup, stuff mushrooms, chicken parm and pear almond cake. Everything was wonderful. Went to Deal or No Deal at Center Stage and bought two cards to play along with ($40). Ended up winning a Bingo free play worth $29 (didn’t play, though). Watched Name that Grove and played some trivia in the Havana Bar. Caught late night comedy in the theater with Manny Manadando and Vince Morris and both were very funny. Cheers count- 24

[aborgman]

On 4/27/2024 at 4:51 PM, sparks1093 said:

4. There's no drink service in the main theater, you need to bring it with you.

 

 

That was one that surprised me... they are throwing away money by not serving drinks in the theater.

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

That was one that surprised me... they are throwing away money by not serving drinks in the theater.

I had the same thought, but the theater is very cramped with little room between the seats, so drink service on top of that would be nightmarish at best. Not the best design at all, for sure. 

[sparks1093]

4/25 Grand Turk

Déjà vu- up at 7 and we are already docked. Off the ship at 9 for our beach excursion with open bar and rum tasting. It was a 20 minute ride to Bajari beach. Beautiful water and nice facilities. The rum punch is strong and tasty. Tasted 3 different rums then had a drink mixed with all 3 and pineapple juice. A beach chair is included in the excursion but an umbrella was $15 extra. They have a buffet available or you can order food at the bar. We ordered jerked chicken for $12 (I think) and it came with two pieces of chicken, fries, macaroni salad and coleslaw. Headed back to the ship at 1:15pm and headed up to lido after dropping stuff off. Found a lounger in the shade and snoozed a little bit. Went over to Seafood Shack and ordered the clam chowder and the clam strips. $5 for the chowder and $8 for the strips. The chowder was thinner than I like but it had huge hunks of clam. It was good, but I think I preferred the chowder in the MDR. The clam strips were very good. Stayed on lido, had a few drinks, a dunk in the pool and hot tub before going back to get ready for dinner. Elegant night and open at 5pm. Had calamari, lobster, and blueberry panna cotta. DW had the mushroom soup, veggie lasagna, and WCMC. The panna cotta was a bit bland but everything else was good. Did a few more photos then went back to change. Had an envelope with luggage tags and instructions for disembarking, but don’t want to think about that yet. Decided to call it a night early. Cheers count- 10.

 

4/26 Fun Day at Sea

Drank coffee on lido as usual until it was time to get DW up. The rest of the party are reserved for the Dr. Seuss breakfast but we weren’t able to make a reservation. We waited in line and after speaking to the hostess she was able to seat us. We weren’t at the same table, though. Had the Who Roast Beast omelet, corned beef hash and fruit parfait that was all quite tasty. After breakfast swung by Java Blue and grabbed a spiked coffee and spiked milkshake before sitting down to play trivia. Decided on Cucina del Capitano for lunch with DS and GF. Had mozzarella sticks and pasta bowl with alfredo, shrimp, broccoli and mushrooms. DW had same except didn’t have the shrimp. After eating we went back to the cabin and packed a bit then went and watched Vince Morris’ PG show. At dinner ordered the roast duck as appetizer (Emeril’s selection), beef brisket, baked Alaska. DW did see anything she liked but ordered the minestrone soup, Indian vegetarian and WCMC. Tried the vegetarian but it was too spicy for her and made with veggies that she doesn’t like, so she ordered some alfredo noodles. They weren’t as good as the ones she had at lunch. Went to the World Works Here show (30 countries) at Center Stage, We Are One, All You Need is Love and United in Song. Went to late night comedy in the theater with Vince Morris and Just June. Then we went to the Piano Bar until it was time to call it a night. There were 4 off duty entertainers there and a couple of them joined Brad on a couple of songs. Cheers count- 23. Total for the week- 142. I think we got our money’s worth.

 

4/27 Port Canaveral

Sad day. I wake up at 5am and have a few cups of coffee on Lido and chat with our companions. Wake DW at 6:45am. Go down to the Flamingo Dining Room to meet for our excursion, Pontoon Boat Tour with Airport Transfer. They have coffee, juice, and pastries available while we wait. Disembarkation started just before 7, but since we are on an excursion I didn’t pay attention to who was being called when. I didn’t make a note of when we were called or how long it took to get our bags, etc. but we were on the bus by 8:05am. They used facial recognition for those with passports. Some of our travel companions didn’t have passports but it didn’t take them much time to be cleared. Should have brought a water for the bus but we were on the pontoon boat at 9:10am. They do have soda and water available for $3 each. We saw a manatee and her calf, dolphins, pelicans, herons, cormorants, and more and were back at the dock by 11:05am. Got on the waiting bus and got to the airport around 12:10pm. We had gotten a notice that our flight had been delayed so we were too early to check our bags. Went to the food court and grabbed some lunch and then checked our bags at 3pm. DW and I have TSA pre-check, but no one else did. It took us 11 minutes to get through TSA and it took them 25 minutes. Made it home to Vermont by 2:30am.

 

If I can answer any questions I would be happy to.

 

[john1238]

Thanks for all the info-we said on Mardi Gras in October and you answered several questions we had! Thanks

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, john1238 said:

Thanks for all the info-we said on Mardi Gras in October and you answered several questions we had! Thanks

If you have any others fire away, I might be able to answer them from my faulty memory.🤪

[Ken076]

Sparks1093 thanks for the review! Looking forward to sailing Mardi Gras in February.

[MedCruise_2022]

Thanks for these valuable information. We will be on Mardi Gras this August 31-Sept 8 for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise (Grand Turk, Amber Cove, San Juan PR and St Thomas).

[TN Roz]

Thanks for  all the info and for taking time to do this review. 

[Mary229]

Hi @sparks1093  I appreciate your review.  I have not sailed Carnival for 20 years but am getting ready to book a transatlantic on the Mardi Gras.  Is there a “Welcome to Carnival” thread on these boards.  I read through the Carnival FAQs on their web page  it was hoping to read through a simple newbie thread.  Any suggestions? Or should I just start my own thread - seems redundant 

[sparks1093]

18 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Hi @sparks1093  I appreciate your review.  I have not sailed Carnival for 20 years but am getting ready to book a transatlantic on the Mardi Gras.  Is there a “Welcome to Carnival” thread on these boards.  I read through the Carnival FAQs on their web page  it was hoping to read through a simple newbie thread.  Any suggestions? Or should I just start my own thread - seems redundant 

I haven't seen such a thread, but they have added a new feature at the top of the forum that allows you to filter the threads you want to see (I know that you can select the particular cruise ship but my coffee deprived brain can't recall any others) so you can only see threads related to Mardi Gras. You could start your own thread but you will receive a good number of posts from folks who will decry all of the changes and cut backs that have happened in the past 20 years. I will try to find a couple of those threads for you and post them in this thread to help save you time. 

[sparks1093]

Here you go @Mary229, these six threads should give you a fair idea of what it's like on Carnival now. They certainly aren't what they were 20 years ago, but they were making some changes before COVID and many post-COVID because of their debt load, etc. We've sailed Carnival since 2012 and yes, there have been changes but what hasn't changed is that Carnival still gives us a good return on our vacation dollar (which is all that is really important to us). Happy reading!

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2977838-no-more-made-to-order-omelette/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2881202-cut-backs-i-noticed-on-breeze/#comment-63960570

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2962809-ccl-still-charging-for-3rd-or-more-entrees/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2933484-is-carnival-cruising-better-or-worse-since-the-restart/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2926808-should-we-give-carnival-another-try/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2923854-haven%E2%80%99t-cruises-in-years/#comment-65011986

 

[Mary229]

8 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Here you go @Mary229, these six threads should give you a fair idea of what it's like on Carnival now. They certainly aren't what they were 20 years ago, but they were making some changes before COVID and many post-COVID because of their debt load, etc. We've sailed Carnival since 2012 and yes, there have been changes but what hasn't changed is that Carnival still gives us a good return on our vacation dollar (which is all that is really important to us). Happy reading!

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2977838-no-more-made-to-order-omelette/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2881202-cut-backs-i-noticed-on-breeze/#comment-63960570

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2962809-ccl-still-charging-for-3rd-or-more-entrees/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2933484-is-carnival-cruising-better-or-worse-since-the-restart/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2926808-should-we-give-carnival-another-try/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2923854-haven%E2%80%99t-cruises-in-years/#comment-65011986

 

Thanks.  I think none of the cruise lines are what they were 20 years ago and really they shouldn’t be.  People’s needs and desires change.  I think my biggest “shock” will be going from under 2000 pax ships to the 6000 pax ship.  Transatlantic, with its many days at sea and lighter passenger loads is likely the best time to experience and truly utilize the mega ship features.  

[sparks1093]

51 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Thanks.  I think none of the cruise lines are what they were 20 years ago and really they shouldn’t be.  People’s needs and desires change.  I think my biggest “shock” will be going from under 2000 pax ships to the 6000 pax ship.  Transatlantic, with its many days at sea and lighter passenger loads is likely the best time to experience and truly utilize the mega ship features.  

I sailed on an aircraft carrier when I was in the Navy and swore I would never set to sea with that many people again. Well, we make our plans and hear God laughing. I never felt like we were sailing with almost 7,000 people (which is something like 3 times the number of folks living in my village). I suppose it would have been obvious during disembarkation but we had a shore excursion/airport transfer so even then it didn't feel crowded. I think you are absolutely correct- you will have a lot of time to enjoy all of the features on this beautiful ship.