Key Aspects:
- Carnival’s Mardi Gras returned from a major dry dock in France with 100 new connecting cabins, sparking frustration among guests who say they weren’t notified their staterooms had changed.
- Passengers are voicing concerns over privacy, noise, and lack of communication from the cruise line.
- Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed deck plans are being updated.
Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship Mardi Gras is back at sea after her first major dry dock, but the biggest buzz isn’t about the ship’s fresh upgrades. It’s about cabin doors.
During the ship’s time at Chantier Naval de Marseille in France, the cruise line adjusted 100 staterooms to become connecting cabins. The move was designed to better serve families and groups traveling together, but some longtime cruisers who booked months ago say the change has caught them off guard.
“We book our cabins based on them not being connected,” one guest wrote to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald on his Facebook page. “If we now have a connecting cabin, we’ll need to rethink our plans for next summer.”
Heald confirmed that the ship’s online deck plans are being updated to reflect the modifications.
“It will be updated. I’m told by the end of the month,” he said, adding that passengers can confirm with him by letting him know their cabin numbers.
Other guests expressed frustration over the lack of notice. One passenger sailing aboard the first dry-dock voyage, a 15-day repositioning sailing to Port Canaveral, Florida, said her family specifically chose non-connecting rooms months in advance.
“We had bad experiences with connecting cabins in the past and wanted to avoid that for a long cruise,” she wrote, calling the lack of communication “disappointing.”
Carnival Mardi Gras completed dry dock in Marseille. (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line)
Heald responded that there’s no cause for concern.
“There are no security implications, and if anything was to happen, we will take great care of you,” he said.
Still, the exchange sparked a flood of similar comments from guests eager to confirm whether their cabins had been converted, also citing noise concerns and calling for clearer communication before final payment deadlines.
Why the Uproar?
Carnival Cruise Line’s announcement that Mardi Gras had returned to sea following a multi-week dry dock in France revealed it had added 100 connecting stateroom options to provide families and groups more options.
In the announcement, Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said the project set a new bar for the line’s future refurbishments. This may mean additional ships entering dry dock in the future will be adding more connecting options.
Read Also: What NOT to Do When Choosing Your Cruise Cabins
“Mardi Gras was a game-changer when she debuted as our first Excel-class ship, and now she’s setting the pace again as the first in her class to complete a dry dock,” she said.
Duffy added that the updates “signal the exciting direction we’re heading in with future fleet enhancements.”
The 180,800-gross-ton Mardi Gras, which can accommodate up to 5,270 passengers at double capacity, is currently returning to its Port Canaveral homeport with calls in Malaga and Cadiz, Spain; Tenerife in the Canary Islands; and Carnival’s private destination, Celebration Key in the Bahamas.
Additional updates focused on accessibility and modernization, with expanded public walkways and guest areas. The ship’s casino and retail spaces were also updated.
Now, passengers booked to set sail on one of the vessel’s year-round Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises are worried their cabins will adjoin another.
Still, others at least took a moment to praise the upgrades, saying Mardi Gras is looking clean and new.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
