Planning a cruise vacation is always exciting, but choosing the right ship can make or break your experience. With so many options available, doing a little research beforehand can go a long way toward ensuring you book a ship that matches your travel style, budget, and vacation expectations.
I recently returned from a 7-night cruise aboard Carnival Mardi Gras, one of the newest and most innovative ships in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet. As someone who hadn’t sailed with Carnival for many years until recently, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. My previous Carnival cruises had been on older ships like Carnival Ecstasy with fewer onboard attractions and dining options.
In comparison, Carnival Mardi Gras is a completely different experience. As one of the newest and largest ships in the fleet, Mardi Gras offers more restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and activities than anything Carnival had built before.
After spending a week onboard, here are 10 things I think every cruiser should know before booking Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship.
1. The complimentary dining is one of the ship’s biggest strengths
One area where Carnival Mardi Gras truly shines is food. The ship offers an impressive variety of complimentary dining venues. Unlike some cruise lines that reserve many of their best restaurants for an extra fee, much of Mardi Gras’ most popular food is included in your fare.
Our favorite venue was Big Chicken, which serves crispy chicken sandwiches, tenders, and breakfast items throughout the day. We found ourselves returning multiple times because the food was consistently excellent!
Other complimentary favorites include Guy’s Burger Joint, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, BlueIguana Cantina, Street Eats, Pizzeria del Capitano, and Piazza Panini. Whether you’re craving tacos, pizza, barbecue, burgers, or sandwiches, you’ll have no shortage of options.
2. Mardi Gras feels completely different from older Carnival cruise ships
If your last Carnival cruise was years ago, prepare to be surprised.
For many years, Carnival largely resisted the industry’s trend toward building massive resort-style ships. While competitors introduced increasingly innovative designs, Carnival continued building mid-sized ships with relatively similar layouts and features.
That all changed with Mardi Gras – and for the better! As the flagship of Carnival’s Excel-class, Mardi Gras ushered in a new era for the cruise line. Launched in 2021, the ship introduced a more modern design, additional dining venues, larger public spaces, and entirely new attractions.
If you’re sailing on Mardi Gras, you’ll be experiencing the most modern version of Carnival Cruise Line.
3. The entertainment exceeded my expectations
Before sailing on Mardi Gras, I had never considered Carnival’s entertainment to be a highlight. I’ve always enjoyed the Punchliner Comedy Club, but production shows on previous Carnival ships often felt underwhelming compared to competitors.
Mardi Gras completely changed my opinion. The ship’s Center Stage venue serves as the heart of the entertainment program, hosting impressive productions that combine live music, acrobatics, special effects, and talented performers.
During our cruise, we watched shows including VooDoo Moon, Vegas Nights, We Are One, and Celestial Strings. The performances featured everything from electric violins and aerial acrobatics to large-scale musical productions.
In addition to Center Stage, guests can enjoy comedy shows, live music, piano bar performances, game shows, and traditional Playlist Productions throughout the cruise.
4. You’ll use the Carnival Hub app constantly
Like many modern cruise lines, Carnival has integrated much of the onboard experience into its mobile app. We found ourselves using the Carnival Hub app daily to check schedules, view activities, make dining reservations, and request tables for dinner.
Since we selected Your Time Dining, we didn’t have a fixed dining schedule. Instead, we requested a table through the app each evening beginning at 5:30 p.m. The system provided an estimated wait time and notified us when our table was ready, which we appreciated.
The same process was used for Sea Day Brunch, one of the most popular dining experiences onboard. While the system generally worked well, it’s worth knowing ahead of time that you’ll likely be using your phone frequently throughout the cruise. For this reason, it’s a good idea to bring a portable charger to ensure your phone will stay charged all day.
5. Mardi Gras is a huge cruise ship with a lot of people
Carnival Mardi Gras carries approximately 6,500 passengers when fully occupied… that’s a lot of people!
If you prefer smaller ships with quieter atmospheres, Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship may feel overwhelming at times. Popular events, pool deck activities, and sailaway parties can become crowded, particularly during peak hours.
However, Carnival did an excellent job designing the ship to disperse guests throughout multiple neighborhoods and venues. We rarely encountered significant lines for food, and many areas never felt overcrowded despite the ship sailing near capacity. The crowds were most noticeable during major events rather than everyday activities.
6. Some of the Mardi Gras’ best restaurants are included
Many cruisers assume specialty-style restaurants always cost extra, but that’s not entirely true on Mardi Gras.
Cucina del Capitano serves Italian cuisine in a full-service restaurant setting and quickly became one of our favorite dining venues onboard. Your first meal is free when you dine here for dinner, so be sure to try it out.
Another favorite is Chibang, which offers both Asian and Mexican menus. Guests can mix and match dishes throughout the meal, creating a unique dining experience that feels far more upscale than typical complimentary dining.
While Carnival now charges for additional dinner visits at Chibang, your first dinner remains included and lunches are still complimentary.
7. There are stateroom options for almost every type of traveler
Mardi Gras offers one of the most diverse cabin selections in Carnival’s fleet. Although I usually book interior staterooms, we decided to splurge on an Ocean Suite for this sailing. The extra space, larger balcony, and expanded bathroom made the upgrade feel worthwhile.
In addition to traditional cabins and suites, Mardi Gras features several unique accommodations. For example, Havana cabins include access to an exclusive outdoor retreat with a private pool and sundeck. Family Harbor staterooms offer access to a dedicated family lounge and convenient proximity to Camp Ocean. Finally, Cloud 9 Spa cabins provide thermal suite access and a location near the spa facilities.
The variety of cabin categories makes it easier to find an option that matches your travel style and budget.
8. The internet is surprisingly good
As someone who occasionally works while cruising, reliable internet is important to me. For this sailing, I purchased Carnival’s Premium Wi-Fi package and was pleasantly surprised by the performance.
Throughout the cruise, I was able to check emails, attend meetings, browse the web, and even stream content without major interruptions. Buffering and connectivity issues were minimal compared to some other ships I’ve sailed.
Even if you’re not working remotely, dependable internet can make it easier to stay connected with family, share photos, and manage travel plans while onboard.
9. Carnival’s Bolt rollercoaster is worth the hype
Mardi Gras is home to Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster, the first roller coaster at sea.
While some cruise attractions feel gimmicky, Bolt delivers a fun and unique experience. The coaster reaches speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour while circling the ship’s upper decks, providing ocean views and plenty of thrills along the way.
Although the attraction costs extra at $15 per person, I thought it was worth trying at least once. Just be sure to reserve your time slot early, as availability fills up quickly.
10. There’s truly something for everyone on Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship
It might sound cliché, but Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship offers something for every type of cruiser. Families will appreciate attractions like the waterslides, ropes course, miniature golf, and youth programming through Camp Ocean.
Adults can escape to Serenity, the ship’s adults-only retreat featuring a dedicated pool, loungers, and bar service. At night, the ship transforms with comedy shows, live music, deck parties, and a lively nightclub atmosphere that keeps the energy going late into the evening.
Whether you’re traveling with kids, cruising as a couple, or sailing with a group of friends, Mardi Gras offers enough variety to keep everyone entertained.
