Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Carnival Mardi Gras vs Norwegian Star
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 20 years newer than the Star, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2024.
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 Norwegian Star, the Mardi Gras is 97% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Carnival Mardi Gras holds more than double the amount of people as the Star 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 Star.
The Mardi Gras uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Dawn |
| Gross Tonnage | 180,800 | 91,740 |
| Length | 1,130 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,282 | 2,348 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 1,031 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 39 |
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-three different dining options like The Chef's Table, Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue, and Seafood Shack. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Star has eleven fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Topsiders Bar & Grill, Main Dining Room, and La Cucina Italian. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Mardi Gras might be a better choice. It has 92% more dining options than the Star.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Mardi Gras might be a better choice then the Star. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 8 |
| % of Included Options | 61% | 33% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Mardi Gras has 6 more bars than the Norwegian Star. The Mardi Gras has 16 bars like Bar Della Rosa, RedFrog Tiki Bar and Serenity Pool Bar. On Mardi Gras, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Casino Bar, Gatsby's Champagne Bar and Topside Bar.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Norwegian Star |
|---|---|
| •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 | •Atrium Cafe • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Casino Bar • Gatsby's Champagne Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Proof Whiskey Bar • Sky High Bar • Spice H2O • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Topside 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 Star 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 Star 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.
Norwegian Star has fewer pools than the Mardi Gras and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star. 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 | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 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. You might up paying more while on board the Mardi Gras. Only 61% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Star, 64% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Mardi Gras | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Norwegian 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 Norwegian Star.
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 | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $7.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a More at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the More at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.