We were invited by Carnival to join members of the travel media for a seven-night sailing aboard the brand new Carnival Mardi Gras and attend the naming ceremony at Port Canaveral. The ship has actually been sailing since July, yet was not officially christened until today.

We flew into Orlando last night and spent one night at the Homewood Suites at Port Canaveral. Whenever possible, we try to fly into the city of embarkation the day before, just to allow for flight delays or cancellations.

As for the hotel, we can recommend Homewood Suites as a good pre-cruise property. The room, or “suite” was large with a full kitchen. The hotel is less than 10 minutes from the pier. Unfortunately, a traffic accident this morning has made getting to the ship a bit more difficult. Our scheduled transfer never showed up and our group of ten ended up having to find Uber rides at the last minute to get to the ship in time for the naming ceremony. Fortunately, we arrived in time.

As soon as we embarked, our group was escorted to Deck 16 aft where we were to observe the ribbon cutting of Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant. We arrived just seconds after the ribbon cutting and Shaq was already sitting down with Carnival President, Christine Duffy, to enjoy lunch while a horde of television media surrounded them.

Shaq tries to enjoy lunch with media crowded around

Next, we were escorted to the Mardi Gras Theater (Deck 7 Forward) for the official naming ceremony. The event was hosted by John Heald, Carnival’s Brand Ambassador.

Rickee and I attend the naming ceremony for Mardi Gras

The ‘Who’s Who’ of Carnival were onstage for the naming ceremony. This was the most impressive naming ceremony we have attended. Attendees included Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal; the ship’s Godmother, Miss Universe, Dominican Republic, Kimberly Jimenez; Miss Universe, Andrea Meza; Miss USA, Asya Branch; Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald; and Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.

Carnival dignitaries onstage for the naming ceremony

After the ceremony, our group enjoyed a special luncheon in the Palm Restaurant. After lunch, it was time to check out our stateroom, a standard Balcony Stateroom on Deck 14 Forward.

Watch our YouTube channel for a full walk-through and review of the balcony stateroom on Carnival Mardi Gras. After unpacking and getting everything put into its place, we met some of our group for a drink at Brass Magnolia (Deck 6 midship). The bar is beautiful, but very noisy, which I can only assume many people prefer. We are going to seek out a quiet place to enjoy a drink tomorrow night.

For dinner this evening, we joined our group and our media group host from Carnival at Cucina del Capitano on Deck 8 midship. This Italian bistro is now one of the included dining venues on Mardi Gras. On our previous Carnival sailings, Cucina del Capitano has always been an upcharge restaurant. Rickee and I were still so full from lunch that we hardly ate, but everyone at our table seemed very pleased with their meals.

After dinner, we were beat and ready for bed. On the way back to our stateroom, the casino lured us in for a contribution. The casino was packed, and a little to “smokey” for us. Fortunately, it did not take long for our cash to find its way into the Mardi Gras slots.

It was a long day with a lot of activity. Tomorrow is a day at sea. More to come.

Carnival Mardi Gras

Day One - Embarkation and Naming Ceremony

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