Stateroom Accommodation

All cabins come with two twin beds that can be made up into a queen, a vanity desk with a big mirror and instead of a coffee table, a new leather ottoman, which not only opens up for more storage, the top turns into a tray for room service breakfast. (Tip: We used the inside of this ottoman to store dirty laundry).Some Carnival Mardi Gras interior rooms, and every category of cabin from oceanview on up, has a sofa bed. On the balcony cabins, the placement of the sofa can either be by the window or in the middle of the room, allowing the beds to have the best view.A few other strategic improvements: There are USB ports next to the bed, but no plugs by the side of the bed – those are on the vanity. Modern storage in the wardrobes includes shelves that can flip up and move out of the way, and a shelf just for shoes. Additional amenities include hairdryers, safes, flat-screen TVs and mini-fridges. There's no self-serve laundry onboard, but you can send out.

Dining Options

There are two styles of dining on Mardi Gras -- traditional, with set times at the spacious two-story Palm restaurant -- and Your Time Dining in the much smaller Flamingo dining room. Dinners in the main dining rooms tend to be more traditional than what you find elsewhere on the ship, but Carnival makes sure that the atmosphere isn't stuffy

Daytime and Evening Entertainment

Popular activities include themed trivia sessions where you can win the coveted Ship on a Stick prize; bingo (you'll need to buy tickets for this), spa lectures (although keep in mind, these are usually aimed at having you buy something).A wealth of activities are on the top deck, for kids of all ages. Chief among them is Bolt, the roller coaster, which carries an extra $15 fee, but it's worth it -- your heart really will be racing after your two trips around.If you don't want to spend money, there's still free mini golf, a ropes course with a zip line, five waterslides and a splash park for kids. This is all contained in The Ultimate Playground neighborhood so pack your sunscreen and spend the day up here.