Carnival Mardi Gras Review
Second time aboard Mardi Gras, just as good as last time!
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My husband and I cruised aboard Mardi Gras in November 2022, and liked the ship so much and had "unfinished business" aboard, so we booked a second cruise on her for Sept 2023. I never understood when people would say a ship was so big that you couldn't fit everything in/see all the attractions/try all the food and drinks in a one week sailing, but after last November I understood that! So, we went into this sailing with the idea to try everything that we didn't make it to the first time.
Mardi Gras is a beautiful ship, I love the new decor of the Carnival Excel class. The layout also works really well I think....after the first day, the ship never felt crowded. Spacing all the dining venues out like they have also makes breakfast, lunch and dinnertimes less hectic. The only complaint I have layout wise is the location of the spa...I love how on the older ships the spa is on the upper decks with lots of beautiful views, on MG it is on deck 5 & 6 and felt so closed in.
Our room (a "hump" balcony) was amazing. The layout was like any other balcony room, but that balcony....oh my! It was huge, with a direct view down to the water....no lower decks or lifeboats obstructing it. It was also just 2-3 decks above various bars/dining venues/entertainment venues. Super convienent!
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Costa Maya
We went to Maya Chan while our cruise visited Costa Maya, and the service there was out of this world! Everyone from the establishment was so friendly and kept checking to see if we needed anything. One of the servers even waded out into the ocean to bring us more drinks! The taco bar lunch was phenominal. My only complaint, and this is totally out of their control, was the water was not very inviting....it had a lot of seaweed in it, but again, that is out of their control. We will absolutly be back!
Cozumel
While docked in Cozumel, we visited Paradise Beach Club. It was a fantastic, relaxing day! I meant to make it to the actual beach this time, but the pool lured me in....and I never left. Our server, Luis, was great and made sure we always had drinks in our hand. When we got hungry we ordered some lunch, and I chose to get tacos from the taco truck....yum! The blackened Mahi were delicious with just enough of a kick to them, and the spicy garlic shrimp ones were not really spicy, just really, really good and flavorful.
All in all, it was a great, relaxing day at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We will return!
Roatan
The scuba diving in Roatan at Anthony's Key was stunning. The water was perfect, and the guides were funny and knowledgeable. 100% reccomend!