Mardi Gras

The ship

Excel-class Carnival: Bolt, zones, modern statement

Mardi Gras is the lead Carnival Excel-class ship, delivered in 2020. She carries the Bolt roller coaster, zone-based decks and about 5,280 guests. She is Carnival’s Miami-scale statement ship — louder and more thrill-led than older Carnival ships, built for short and week-long Caribbean energy rather than quiet traditional dining.

Dining spreads by zone. Main dining and the Lido sit in the included dining. Guy’s and other casual brands cover easy bites between rides. Emeril’s Bistro, the steakhouse and Italian or Asian specialty rooms carry a cover. Sea-day specialty tables need a reservation. Zone casuals keep you fed between Bolt runs.

Bolt owns the top-deck photos. WaterWorks and Plaza entertainment fill family sea days. Evenings run from main theatre productions to late Plaza sets. Cloud 9 Spa and Family Harbor round out the week. Mardi Gras is Excel-class Carnival — she does not do quiet, and that is the brief.

On board

Zones, Bolt, WaterWorks

1. 01

   Dining by zone

   Main dining rooms and the Lido cover included evenings and buffet hours. Guy’s and other casual brand kitchens handle burgers, pizza and between-ride food across the zones. Specialty nights worth booking early are Emeril’s Bistro, the steakhouse and the Italian or Asian rooms — those sit outside the included dining and fill on sea days. Reserve specialty early if that night matters. Excel guest counts do not leave empty steak tables at peak. Zone maps matter — pick restaurants near where you already are rather than hiking the full length for a snack.

2. 02

   Theatre and Plaza

   The main theatre runs Playlist-style production shows and guest acts sized for Excel. Plaza spaces add street-style entertainment through the day. Carnival Live has brought named touring artists aboard Excel ships in past seasons — treat any billed star as sailing-specific, not a permanent fixture. Programme titles change by season, so check your sailing. Expect volume — Mardi Gras is not a soft piano-first evening ship.

3. 03

   After dark

   Bars, live music, nightclub corners and the casino cover Carnival’s after-dinner brief. Drink packages and specialty cocktails sit outside the simple cruise — decide what you will actually drink before you buy a package. Quieter lounges exist if you hunt for them, but the default culture is lively. Families with early bedtimes will lean on cabin time more than on a quiet traditional ship. Programme titles change by season, so check your sailing rather than chasing a name from last year’s brochure.

4. 04

   Bolt, WaterWorks, Cloud 9

   Bolt is the roller coaster at sea — the Excel photo and the queue magnet. Book a slot or queue with patience on sea days. WaterWorks brings the slides and splash. Cloud 9 Spa covers wellness; treatments are typically extra. Pool decks scramble for sunbeds when the ship is full. This is the thrill sell of the class — not a quiet adults-only week.

5. 05

   Kids and Family Harbor

   Youth clubs and Family Harbor cabin clusters are built for multi-gen Carnival weeks. Casino and shops take the adult loop once kids are signed in. Families who will ride Bolt and live in the zones get the most from Mardi Gras. Couples seeking soft traditional evenings will feel the Excel volume everywhere. Suites unlock nicer corners, not a private second ship.

Fit

Who she is for

• Families and friend groups who want Carnival’s Excel thrills — Bolt, WaterWorks, zone dining — at megaship scale, especially on Caribbean fly-cruise or Miami-pattern holidays.
• Guests happy to budget for specialty dining, drinks and the odd paid experience, and who prefer roller-coaster energy to quiet live-music evenings or British soft entertainment.
• Not the ship if you want quiet traditional dining, a mid-size learnable deck plan, or a British crew culture. Choose a quieter mid-size ship or a British formal line instead.

Where

Where Mardi Gras tends to go

Carnival programmes her primarily on Caribbean sailings from Florida. Longer deployments are uncommon for Excel-class lead ships.

Treat this as the ship’s range, not a fixed timetable. When this guide is public, sailings with two or more UK agent prices will sit at the bottom.

Before you book

What the brochure skips

• Carnival Cheers drinks packages, specialty dining and spa add up quickly. Bolt has height and weather limits — not a guaranteed daily ride. Price the week as the cruise plus what you will actually buy.
• Compare UK agents on the same sailing — same ship, same date, cruise-only, two sharing. The hero price should be the lowest bookable one, not the first logo you recognise.