Grand Atrium on mardi gras..

[csoud68]

For those who have been on, what are your thoughts?

 

I haven't seen a video that focuses on that area. From what  I've seen it looks great.  but I'm wondering how useful it is.

 

I see crowds are constantly moving through there, it seems tight, the seating seems minimal,  steep and far away....and I see people blocking views of shows on stage. 

 

It has a wow factor but I'm wondering if it's functional.

[Trent1984]

During the day it was functional as an area to sit and chill or have a drink, but at night it added a lot of congestion in the area and if you didn’t get there at least 30 minutes prior to a show, you’ll have a hard time finding available seating. Your attention will also be drawn to shows, whether you like it or not as the sound permeates throughout the atrium and the shops and eateries in that area. 

[WildBlueYonder64]

We spent 2 weeks on the Mardi Gras. In our opinion, the design makes it very hard to see the show on the stage unless you are in the very front of the floor seating, or in the elevated seating on the upper levels. It was a shame that the major shows were held here, because only a small amount of people could actually enjoy the shows. Moral of the story, get there early!

[csoud68]

I thought that may be the case..it would be nice if they had that area and also a proper theater..

 

The only way that can happen is if the ship was much bigger and I don't see carnival going over 200 gt ever..

[BearsBeets]

I went to shows in the atrium & the theater. You must arrive at least 30mins early to get a good seat in both venues. We learned this after missing the first Family Feud because the theater filled up. After that we always got floor seats in the atrium, usually on the left side at the high top tables. Not many people seemed to notice that area. It's kind of in a corner, in the shadows, past the bar but still great seats. There are several monitors on the floor so the people in the back lounge area can still see everything on stage. 

 

One afternoon we made an unplanned stop to watch a show on the 3rd floor. We were in the second row but still couldn't see much past the heads of the people on the front row. 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, csoud68 said:

I thought that may be the case..it would be nice if they had that area and also a proper theater..

 

The only way that can happen is if the ship was much bigger and I don't see carnival going over 200 gt ever..

There is a proper theater called the Mardi Gras Theater on decks 6 and 7.

[Smuncha Luncha]

We were looking forward to having the windows in that portion of the atrium to look out at the sea when there weren't shows happening. But the only time we actually saw the windows was during embarkation. Seemed like a "waste" of the windows and how they advertised them being in the atrium.

[Saint Greg]

I liked it. I liked being able to walk past and see what was going on there without having to go into a theater at the front of the ship. Didn't have problem with seating but I was on at at half capacity. I'm also not very picky with seating. I stood for celestial strings. I know that's not fine for most people. It's fine for me though. I went to some late shows where I was the only person in the tables up by the stage. Again that was at half capacity.

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Saint Greg

[bmc alabama]

We liked it too.  The shows there, especially the circus themed one as well as Voodoo Moon were really good.

[Knights on the Beach]

I love that area. We just planned accordingly and went early when we wanted to get good seats.  We were on in December and March and had 5800 - 5900 on each cruise and we managed.  You can't walk up at the last minute and expect to get great seats but I did see some people get lucky.

Edited April 26, 2022 by cruisemom2