Just found you on here and your enthusiasm is s contagious and getting me so excited to board the Mardis Gras for the first time in just 3 days. Loved all your tips.
Awwwwwww.. you bringing oboard the "good evening, everyone" with the hand movements Sean used to do (around 8mins, before dinner) 😍 That hit me HARD. So much love for the both of you.
We watched all the grand central shows in jan. Wrsat there also. Stef this was my friends 1st cruise. She lost her cancer battle 6 wks after we got back. We ate at chicane for lunch
It’s one of the best things about cruising.. Breakfast and then breakfast dessert! It absolutely has to be done. The spa looked lovely but I’ve never done it as I’m not sure how to! Your looking absolutely beautiful too…so happy and animated about everything. Loud…it was unbearable my word!!! I guess you can get a cocktail or coffee and wait for the show to start if you want to get a great seat…. I guess the type of people on these ships are a bit more lively shall we say… I don’t like a chaotic dining room, I like to be able to chill out enjoy and chat..quietly to my husband/ family…👍🇬🇧
Hello Stef. First time responder here. I really enjoyed your review. We just returned from a Mardi Gras cruise last week. It was fantastic. Like you said the ship is gorgeuos and would be a real surpise to folks who think Carnival is just a bunch of rowdy drunks. We have been on over 20 cruises from just about all major lines and found the Mardi Gras elegant and still very contemporary. We ate mostly alternative dining venues....The Seakhouse, Tepanacki Sushi and Rudy's Seafoood, where we at twice. Each of those restaurants were sophisticated and QUIET even though fully booked and the service was excellent. We grew up and lived in New England for over 60 years so we appreciate fine seafood. The two dinners we had at Rudi's were among the best seafood dinners we've ever had. Like you, we thought the Celestial Strings show was fabulous and like you we snagged those same seats on deck 7. We found the adult only comedy just hilarious if you can get by the language. It has been said that Carnival is built for "Walmart" shoppers. Based upon the sophisticated garments and very expensive jewelery we saw being worn, we let's just way, we're very happy Walmart shoppers. Just a gorgeous ship, excellent and very friendly service, terrific restaurants and entertainment at a reasonable price. I hope you cruise is the same as ours was.
Great to see your videos again! Love them and I love how you keep Sean alive and in our minds by saying a collective "we" rather than the singular "I" and with that lovely Sean Bear!
Glad to see that wonderful smile and hear your laughter again. I agree a little to loud in that restaurant to enjoy the meal, the show though looks amazing. Glad to see you take time for yourself at the spa. Just what Sean would want you to do. Xoxo
It is on Carnival to maintain the comfort of ALL their passengers. A word from the maitre d requesting a calm down at the rowdy tables would have/should have made dinner enjoyable. No excuse for ruining others enjoyment of their cruise. That has been a recent promise from Carnival...that there would be consequences for disturbing others.
Of you want a quiet environment at your own liking, they offer room service. It's a restaurant where you have no idea of the environment. They might have a bar close by with TV's and so on. Again, room service works great.
OMG!! Your expressions and facial reactions to what your experiencing are so spot on.. I bet you could do an entire episode with no talking and we would still understand your experience :) Amazing.. Don’t stop Talking though,.. just saying your very good at getting across your emotions of the moment.. Thank you .. wish more of us where like that.
I absolutely love Celestial Strings also! The rowdy bunch in Chi-Bang was enough to make you leave. Once in a while we get a group like that and it so annoying! However, it is great to see you enjoying yourself on cruises again. Always love your honesty.
I like that they give you smaller portions so you can try different things while limiting the food waste. I've spent three weeks on the Mardi Gras. A B2B in late summer of 2021 and then a week last November. Overall, I enjoyed the ship, but I miss the opulent designs of old! I do not remember Chi Bang being so loud! Wow! I would not like that either. I wasn't impressed with the food in Chi Bang. I had some kind of fish, but your Chicken looked amazing! I'll be on the Celebration in a few weeks and will have to try it. The other area on Mardi Gras that is super loud is the central area on the Serenity deck. I like there's a pool there, but people get really rowdy. On other ships, the Serenity area is very quiet (which I like). I really loved the Celestial Strings show both on Carnival Horizon and on Mardi Gras, but I couldn't see everything because I was sitting in the back where part of the screens were blocked. I'm excited to see the differences between Mardi Gras and Celebration.
I love your honest review, it is so helpful to see what you enjoy and what you don’t. Unfortunately, I think more and more restaurants in general are getting louder, and less enjoyable. Sometimes it really is a one-off like you said, but it’s happening everywhere. The show looked incredible!
Thats awful in that Restaurant 🤦♀️ you couldn’t even hear your friends if you had more at the table , doesn’t suprise me that more left as quickly as possible 🙁 The Desert looked very very dry 😢. Such a shame plus that the Ice cream was not the Flavor you order from the menu . Spa looked alot of Fun 😅. Lovely to see you Stef❤️ have a Good week 🥰
Chi Bang drove me crazy and I wasn't even there! HA! I would have been one of the people that up and left, I'm pretty sure. Not my idea of a good time.
My wife and I just got off the Mardi Gras and had the same experience you had very loud and not enjoyable but I do agree with you about the kung pow chicken and your desert. We enjoy your videos and all I can say is keep it up
I think Carnival can and should control the environment. The Food and Beverage manager should have stepped in along with Security if necessary. There's no excuse for ruining the dining experience for everyone. Loved your footage of the spa and show. ❤
The environment in the dining room was way too loud to have an enjoyable meal. Maybe it is just the Carnival vibe or it seems it is too noisy to have a good time. Thanks for the update looking forward to the next one. But, that show looks awesome.
The environment was awful. It’s really a shame because my food was really good. I have never had an experience like that in any other Carnival dining location. It was such a weird thing. Yes, the show was unbelievable!
Gotta love all the Carnival haters here in there comments saying typical carnival blah blah walmart blah blah. 37 nights at sea on Carnival here and I have never had a dining experience like that. Even had chibang on Mardi Gras once and the atmosphere was fine. Anyways Stef I agree what you showed there does not look (and sound) like a nice atmosphere for dinner. Hopefully it was just a one-off and isn't usually like that.
I'm so sorry that you had such a rowdy crowd there at Chi-Bang that night. Glad you enjoyed the Kung-Pao chicken and the show. We also love Celestial Strings! Much love!
Hi Stef greetings from Sydney very good review we have 2 Carnival ships here the Splender is very popular How ever we are older prefer Princess the Majestic docked this morning at 6am many passengers from the US including loads of Australians we've missed cruising will be on the Majestic next month.
We didn't have a good experience at Chi-Bang either. We were on the ship in July 2022. It was insanely loud to the point that we couldn't even hear the conversation at our own table. I think part of it is the design of the space as well as the closeness of the tables. Dinner took an hour and a half which I would not typically expect in that style of restaurant. The food was good, but not to temperature at all. Granted they seemed to be understaffed at that time. Would I go back? Maybe, but I certainly wouldn't book a ship for it!
It was awful. I would have left if the food wasn’t good. It was such a weird experience. I haven’t seen that on a Carnival ship before. It was so odd and totally not enjoyable
I have had an impression of Carnival as being a frat party at sea and your dinner experience confirms that, but was that a one-off or did you get that vibe in general on your cruise?
I agree with you as far as people acting like idiots. It seems to be getting worse. Why do they have to talk so loud? I guess they like being the center of attention. We liked Chibang more at lunch. The Chinese menu was the same menu as Mongolian Wok. Less crowded and less noise. Love your enthusiasm and honest opinion. Love and prayers!
Celestial Strings is an amazing show. Saw it on Carnival Horizon. The violin trio were super talented, my second favourite entertainers on that ship…Keys McLaughlin pipped them! The Fortune Teller Bar looks amazing. I was just thinking that Sean would have loved the Smokey drink too when you said he would!
Great vlog 🎉however I really don’t think that this is a ship I would try 🤷🏻♀️ it’s seem very loud and in your face ….. I’m pleased you seem to have had a good time and it’s good to see you out and about again with Seanbear xx
Cruised Carnival once and that was enough. Loud people that spent their entire vacation drunk, I enjoy a drink but spending my vacation with a bunch of loud drunks is not my idea of fun.
I ate the same thing you did. I had a glass of eine beforehand and the food was so spicy that, mixed with my drink, it just made me feel dizzy..it was that spicy.
The spa looked fantastic, even though it's small. Chi Bang was a madhouse - I kept pausing the video because I thought the noise was coming from the street outside of my hotel room in Philly - definitely not a nice chill dinner vibe. By the way, I've totally had seconds on dinner before because it was just that good!
The spa was really great. Oh my Chibang was something. It’s such a shame that the food is so good but the atmosphere is awful. I couldn’t believe how loud it was. You couldn’t have had a conversation with your table mate if you wanted. It’s like the school cafeteria where one table has to talk louder than the next table and then the volume keeps increasing and increasing around the room. The teacher in me wanted to jump up from the table and yell “can you all use your inside voices???” Bunch of adults acting like children. Wanted to go back but just couldn’t endure another meal there
I have sailed with Carnival only once and swore never again. It’s like the Greyhound bus of cruise lines. Too many red hat and NASCAR types that have no consideration for other people and do not know how to handle their alcohol.
I just got off the Mardi Gras today. The ship, food, crew, everything was awesome. Loved everything about it. Can't wait to go again.
Just found you on here and your enthusiasm is s contagious and getting me so excited to board the Mardis Gras for the first time in just 3 days. Loved all your tips.
Awwwwwww.. you bringing oboard the "good evening, everyone" with the hand movements Sean used to do (around 8mins, before dinner) 😍 That hit me HARD. So much love for the both of you.
I love your honesty on your experiences. It helps to know what to expect. Thank you.
I love your dialogue when describing your dining, spa and entertainment experiences! I just love you Stef!!
The atmosphere is just what I expected for Carnival! May want to think a different cruise line.
Carnival's sea day lunch is such a delight!
So wonderful to see you are happy. Love that smile. Your Mardi Gras adventure is geat.
The thermal spa was my escape from the rowdy crowd .
So relaxing and peaceful.❤
We watched all the grand central shows in jan. Wrsat there also. Stef this was my friends 1st cruise. She lost her cancer battle 6 wks after we got back. We ate at chicane for lunch
It’s one of the best things about cruising..
Breakfast and then breakfast dessert! It absolutely has to be done.
The spa looked lovely but I’ve never done it as I’m not sure how to!
Your looking absolutely beautiful too…so happy and animated about everything.
Loud…it was unbearable my word!!!
I guess you can get a cocktail or coffee and wait for the show to start if you want to get a great seat….
I guess the type of people on these ships are a bit more lively shall we say…
I don’t like a chaotic dining room, I like to be able to chill out enjoy and chat..quietly to my husband/ family…👍🇬🇧
Chi-Bang is my new favorite! So good!
Hello Stef. First time responder here. I really enjoyed your review. We just returned from a Mardi Gras cruise last week. It was fantastic. Like you said the ship is gorgeuos and would be a real surpise to folks who think Carnival is just a bunch of rowdy drunks. We have been on over 20 cruises from just about all major lines and found the Mardi Gras elegant and still very contemporary. We ate mostly alternative dining venues....The Seakhouse, Tepanacki Sushi and Rudy's Seafoood, where we at twice. Each of those restaurants were sophisticated and QUIET even though fully booked and the service was excellent. We grew up and lived in New England for over 60 years so we appreciate fine seafood. The two dinners we had at Rudi's were among the best seafood dinners we've ever had. Like you, we thought the Celestial Strings show was fabulous and like you we snagged those same seats on deck 7. We found the adult only comedy just hilarious if you can get by the language. It has been said that Carnival is built for "Walmart" shoppers. Based upon the sophisticated garments and very expensive jewelery we saw being worn, we let's just way, we're very happy Walmart shoppers. Just a gorgeous ship, excellent and very friendly service, terrific restaurants and entertainment at a reasonable price. I hope you cruise is the same as ours was.
Great to see your videos again! Love them and I love how you keep Sean alive and in our minds by saying a collective "we" rather than the singular "I" and with that lovely Sean Bear!
Glad to see that wonderful smile and hear your laughter again. I agree a little to loud in that restaurant to enjoy the meal, the show though looks amazing. Glad to see you take time for yourself at the spa. Just what Sean would want you to do. Xoxo
It is on Carnival to maintain the comfort of ALL their passengers. A word from the maitre d requesting a calm down at the rowdy tables would have/should have made dinner enjoyable. No excuse for ruining others enjoyment of their cruise. That has been a recent promise from Carnival...that there would be consequences for disturbing others.
Of you want a quiet environment at your own liking, they offer room service. It's a restaurant where you have no idea of the environment. They might have a bar close by with TV's and so on. Again, room service works great.
could not pay me to cruise on Carnival. People do not scream in the dinning room on Royal Caribbean.
OMG!! Your expressions and facial reactions to what your experiencing are so spot on.. I bet you could do an entire episode with no talking and we would still understand your experience :) Amazing.. Don’t stop Talking though,.. just saying your very good at getting across your emotions of the moment.. Thank you .. wish more of us where like that.
I absolutely love Celestial Strings also! The rowdy bunch in Chi-Bang was enough to make you leave. Once in a while we get a group like that and it so annoying! However, it is great to see you enjoying yourself on cruises again. Always love your honesty.
I like that they give you smaller portions so you can try different things while limiting the food waste. I've spent three weeks on the Mardi Gras. A B2B in late summer of 2021 and then a week last November. Overall, I enjoyed the ship, but I miss the opulent designs of old! I do not remember Chi Bang being so loud! Wow! I would not like that either. I wasn't impressed with the food in Chi Bang. I had some kind of fish, but your Chicken looked amazing! I'll be on the Celebration in a few weeks and will have to try it. The other area on Mardi Gras that is super loud is the central area on the Serenity deck. I like there's a pool there, but people get really rowdy. On other ships, the Serenity area is very quiet (which I like). I really loved the Celestial Strings show both on Carnival Horizon and on Mardi Gras, but I couldn't see everything because I was sitting in the back where part of the screens were blocked. I'm excited to see the differences between Mardi Gras and Celebration.
I love your honest review, it is so helpful to see what you enjoy and what you don’t. Unfortunately, I think more and more restaurants in general are getting louder, and less enjoyable. Sometimes it really is a one-off like you said, but it’s happening everywhere. The show looked incredible!
The Mardi Gras looks amazing but the noisy atmosphere would spoil it for us.
You look great Stef. So glad you are getting out on the water again.
Thats awful in that Restaurant 🤦♀️ you couldn’t even hear your friends if you had more at the table , doesn’t suprise me that more left as quickly as possible 🙁 The Desert looked very very dry 😢. Such a shame plus that the Ice cream was not the Flavor you order from the menu .
Spa looked alot of Fun 😅.
Lovely to see you Stef❤️ have a Good week 🥰
Miss you over here from Royal Caribbean Stef. Always love your contents!
Tablecloths would help with some of the clatter but it seems like Carnival has done away with them, even on gala nights in the MDR
Chi Bang drove me crazy and I wasn't even there! HA! I would have been one of the people that up and left, I'm pretty sure. Not my idea of a good time.
My wife and I just got off the Mardi Gras and had the same experience you had very loud and not enjoyable but I do agree with you about the kung pow chicken and your desert. We enjoy your videos and all I can say is keep it up
If it will be an up charge restaurant in the future, people may be more tame when having to pay. 🤷♀️
Your hair looks gorgeous!!!
I loved my time at the spa on the Mardi Gras. Was there every morning. Wish I could go back right now lol. I loved the bars onboard too.
I think Carnival can and should control the environment. The Food and Beverage manager should have stepped in along with Security if necessary. There's no excuse for ruining the dining experience for everyone. Loved your footage of the spa and show. ❤
6:56 ....did you remember to add the softener during the rinse cycle?
Hahaha, best comment ever 😁
Loved this episode - I genuinely feel like I’ve lived this day alongside you, ha.
The environment in the dining room was way too loud to have an enjoyable meal. Maybe it is just the Carnival vibe or it seems it is too noisy to have a good time. Thanks for the update looking forward to the next one. But, that show looks awesome.
The environment was awful. It’s really a shame because my food was really good. I have never had an experience like that in any other Carnival dining location. It was such a weird thing. Yes, the show was unbelievable!
Gotta love all the Carnival haters here in there comments saying typical carnival blah blah walmart blah blah. 37 nights at sea on Carnival here and I have never had a dining experience like that. Even had chibang on Mardi Gras once and the atmosphere was fine.
Anyways Stef I agree what you showed there does not look (and sound) like a nice atmosphere for dinner. Hopefully it was just a one-off and isn't usually like that.
I loved chibang .. busy spot but I ate there everyday at some point
The spa looks so relaxing. What a great sea day you had with a great brunch great dinner and great show! You are amazing all the love to you Stef! 🥰🤗
I'm so sorry that you had such a rowdy crowd there at Chi-Bang that night. Glad you enjoyed the Kung-Pao chicken and the show. We also love Celestial Strings! Much love!
Hi Stef greetings from Sydney very good review we have 2 Carnival ships here the Splender is very popular How ever we are older prefer Princess the Majestic docked this morning at 6am many passengers from the US including loads of Australians we've missed cruising will be on the Majestic next month.
What did the Cheerios and banana taste like?😂😂😂You crack me up Stef!!!
Wow, your afternoon at the spa was perfection 👌 I am jealous today. I could use that 🤪❤👍🎃
We didn't have a good experience at Chi-Bang either. We were on the ship in July 2022. It was insanely loud to the point that we couldn't even hear the conversation at our own table. I think part of it is the design of the space as well as the closeness of the tables. Dinner took an hour and a half which I would not typically expect in that style of restaurant. The food was good, but not to temperature at all. Granted they seemed to be understaffed at that time. Would I go back? Maybe, but I certainly wouldn't book a ship for it!
Holy I don't think I could have handled that noise.
It was awful. I would have left if the food wasn’t good. It was such a weird experience. I haven’t seen that on a Carnival ship before. It was so odd and totally not enjoyable
I have to say you are so beautiful and I just love your hair it is so pretty and you are looking so well my lovely xx
I understand texture is thing for me too.
Once I figure it out, I’m good to go 😁
The spa looked awesome I’m a spa girl for sure. Kung pow chicken looked delicious thanks for another great video Steph love you girl❤🎉
I have had an impression of Carnival as being a frat party at sea and your dinner experience confirms that, but was that a one-off or did you get that vibe in general on your cruise?
That’s classic Carnival
Been on seven carnival cruises. Even ate once at Chibang on Mardi Gras. What you see (and hear) in this video is, in my experience, a one-off.
I agree with you as far as people acting like idiots. It seems to be getting worse. Why do they have to talk so loud? I guess they like being the center of attention. We liked Chibang more at lunch. The Chinese menu was the same menu as Mongolian Wok. Less crowded and less noise. Love your enthusiasm and honest opinion. Love and prayers!
Celestial Strings is an amazing show. Saw it on Carnival Horizon. The violin trio were super talented, my second favourite entertainers on that ship…Keys McLaughlin pipped them!
The Fortune Teller Bar looks amazing. I was just thinking that Sean would have loved the Smokey drink too when you said he would!
Why would you think it would be caramel ice cream unless menu says it is ?
Try Celebrity Cruises or Princess
Great vlog 🎉however I really don’t think that this is a ship I would try 🤷🏻♀️ it’s seem very loud and in your face ….. I’m pleased you seem to have had a good time and it’s good to see you out and about again with Seanbear xx
Cruised Carnival once and that was enough. Loud people that spent their entire vacation drunk, I enjoy a drink but spending my vacation with a bunch of loud drunks is not my idea of fun.
I ate the same thing you did. I had a glass of eine beforehand and the food was so spicy that, mixed with my drink, it just made me feel dizzy..it was that spicy.
I think it's Lemon Curd
The spa looked fantastic, even though it's small. Chi Bang was a madhouse - I kept pausing the video because I thought the noise was coming from the street outside of my hotel room in Philly - definitely not a nice chill dinner vibe. By the way, I've totally had seconds on dinner before because it was just that good!
The spa was really great. Oh my Chibang was something. It’s such a shame that the food is so good but the atmosphere is awful. I couldn’t believe how loud it was. You couldn’t have had a conversation with your table mate if you wanted. It’s like the school cafeteria where one table has to talk louder than the next table and then the volume keeps increasing and increasing around the room. The teacher in me wanted to jump up from the table and yell “can you all use your inside voices???” Bunch of adults acting like children. Wanted to go back but just couldn’t endure another meal there
Classic Carnival, that’s why I stay at Royal or Norwegian
You looked very beautiful for dinner.
Awww, thanks so much ❤️
Oh my !! All of this makes me NOT want to cruise. To many LOUD people to close together Like your LOUD dinner. Bad food. COVID laced ships. No thanks.
I have sailed with Carnival only once and swore never again. It’s like the Greyhound bus of cruise lines. Too many red hat and NASCAR types that have no consideration for other people and do not know how to handle their alcohol.
That spa doesn’t to seam to be serine
sorry. i would have left without eating.
It’s Carnival where people just don’t know how to act.