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Carnival Mardi Gras vs Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
The Carnival Mardi Gras was built in 2021. The Mardi Gras pays homage to Carnival's first ship, also named the Mardi Gras. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships: The French Quarter, a New Orleans-themed area, and La Piazza, which is dedicated to the Italian heritage of Carnival cabins. It's 30 years newer than the Paradise, which was built in 1991 and renovated in 2018. The Paradise previously sailed under two different names, the Costa Classica and Grand Classica, before being purchased by Margaritaville to launch their new cruise line.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Mardi Gras is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, the Mardi Gras is 242% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Carnival Mardi Gras holds more than double the amount of people as the Paradise based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Mardi Gras has less space per person compared to the Paradise.
The Mardi Gras uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Classica |
| Gross Tonnage | 180,800 | 52,926 |
| Length | 1,130 | 722 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 102 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,282 | 1,308 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 620 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 40 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Mardi Gras has twenty-eight different dining options like Rudi's Seagrill, Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship), and Pizzeria del Capitano. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Paradise has twenty-one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Fins Dining, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, and JWB Prime Steakhouse. five of these restaurants are complementary and the other two have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Mardi Gras might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Paradise.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 28 | 7 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 5 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 2 |
| % of Included Options | 68% | 71% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Mardi Gras has 9 more bars than the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. The Mardi Gras has 16 bars like Center Stage, Serenity Pool Bar and The Watering Hole. On Mardi Gras, you can grab a drink at 7 different bars such as Hemisphere Nightclub, Keys on the Water and Stars on the Water Bar.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Bar Della Rosa • Center Stage • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Fortune Teller Bar • Grand View • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • The Brass Magnolia • The Watering Hole • Tides Pool Bar | •12 Volt Bar • 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill • Euphoria • Hemisphere Nightclub • Keys on the Water • License to Chill Bar • Stars on the Water Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Mardi Gras serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Paradise serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Mardi Gras and the Paradise below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Mardi Gras has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs. 2 of the pools are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has fewer pools than the Mardi Gras and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Paradise. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Mardi Gras.| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Mardi Gras, 61% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Paradise, only 56% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Roller Coaster | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Mardi Gras will likely be more expensive than on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.95 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $8.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 64.99 |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $17.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
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