All about the Carnival Mardi Gras

The Carnival Mardi Gras is a fairly new ship, being built in 2021. It's considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 ft long and 137 ft 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. The Mardi Gras pays homage to Carnival's first ship, also named the Mardi Gras. It's the first ship to have a roller coaster at sea.

The Mardi Gras can hold 5,282 based on double occupancy (two people per room) and more when you take into account 3rd and 4th passengers. When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, the Mardi Gras has a space ratio of 35. Depending on the ship, this number can range from 30 to 52 (with a bigger number meaning more space per person) so this ship has less space per person than average. The Mardi Gras uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Carnival Mardi Gras
Class	Excel
Gross Tonnage	180,800
Length	1,130
Beam/Width	137
Passenger Decks	17
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,282
Crew	1,735
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	35

Carnival Mardi Gras Space Ratio

30 35 52

The Mardi Gras is one of three Excel-class ships currently sailing with Carnival. Excel-class ships are Carnival's newest and largest ships. Some signature features are the BOLT roller coaster, a LOFT 19 suite area, the exclusive Havana. They're Carnival's first ships that run on LNG, a cleaner burning fuel. They're known for their six-distinct zones, all with a different theme, that make the ship easier to navigate and breaks up the large crowds. The Mardi Gras is very similar to its sister-ships; Celebration and Jubilee, although each ship may have some differences.

Carnival Mardi Gras Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and there will plenty on the Carnival Mardi Gras. You have 21 different dining options to choose from. Of those options, 14 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee. Some of those options are a set price and some have a la cart menu pricing. 67% of the dining options are included which means if you're watching your budget, you won't feel like you're missing out by not going to a lot of extra fee dining places.

Restaurant	Restaurant Type	Cost	Type of Food
Big Chicken	Quick serve	Included	Chicken
Blue Iguana Cantina	Quick serve	Included	Mexican
Bonsai Sushi	Sit down	A la cart	Asian
Bonsai Teppanyaki	Sit down	Flat fee	Asian
ChiBang	Sit down	Included	Mexican / Chinese
Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship)	Sit down	Included	Italian
Emeril's Bistro 1396	Sit down	A la cart	Creole
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse	Sit down	Flat fee	Steakhouse
Fresh Creations	Quick serve	Included	Salad
Guy's Burger Joint	Quick serve	Included	American
Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue	Quick serve	Included	BBQ
Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship)	Sit down	Included	BBQ
JavaBlue Cafe	Quick serve	A la cart	Coffee
Lido Buffet	Buffet	Included	Buffet
Main Dining Room	Sit down	Included	Main dining room
Piazza Panini	Quick serve	Included	Sandwiches
Pizzeria del Capitano	Quick serve	Included	Pizza
Rudi's Seagrill	Sit down	Flat fee	Seafood
Seafood Shack	Quick serve	A la cart	Seafood
Street Eats	Quick serve	Included	Global
Swirls	Quick serve	Included	Dessert

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Carnival 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.

There are also plenty of bars available on this ship. You can check outrecent bar menus for the Mardi Gras below.

Pools and Hot Tubs on Carnival Mardi Gras

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day in a pool, a cruise might not be the right choice. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Carnival Mardi Gras has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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.

	Carnival Mardi Gras
Total Pools	6
- Pools - General Access	3
- Pools - Adults Only	1
- Pools - Exclusive	2
Total Hot Tubs	7
- Hot Tubs - General Access	5
- Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2
- Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0

Carnival Mardi Gras Features

There are quite a few things to do on the Mardi Gras. These are the main amenities that are available. Some are included in the cost of the cruise, while others have an additional charge.

	Carnival Mardi Gras
Adult Only Relaxation Area	Included
Arcade	A la cart
Basketball	Included
Brewery Tour	Flat fee
Casino	A la cart
Comedy Club	Included
Cooking Class	Flat fee
Fitness Center	Included
Jogging Track	Included
Mini golf	Included
Outdoor gym	Included
Pool-side Movies	Included
Roller Coaster	Flat fee
Ropes course	Included
Splash park	Included
Thermal Suites	Flat fee
Water slides	Included

Cruise Costs

Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. 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.

The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:

Carnival Mardi Gras 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 understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.

	Carnival
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$2.75
Domestic Beer Price	$7.50 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$59.95 Learn more
Internet Plan	$12.75 to $18.70 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Compare the Mardi Gras to Another Ship