Carnival’s first Excel-class ship, Mardi Gras, just came out of her first dry dock looking fresh and polished after a little time in the yard. Like any ship hitting dry dock for the first time, she got some much-needed TLC — paint touch-ups, system upgrades, deep cleaning, and a few cosmetic refreshes which you can read about here.
But one particular change has some cruisers less than thrilled: the addition of a whole bunch of new connecting staterooms.
When “Connected” Isn’t Exactly a Good Thing
During the dry dock, Carnival literally cut holes in the walls between select staterooms to create new connecting rooms. While this makes sense from a family-travel perspective — after all, it’s nice for parents to have quick access to their kids’ cabin — it’s a major downside for those of us who prefer peace and quiet.
I’ve always avoided connecting cabins like the plague. Why? Because that door in the wall between rooms is basically a conduit for unwanted noise from your neighbors. Cruise ship walls aren’t the thickest to begin with, but add a connecting door and you’ll hear everything happening next door — conversations, alarms, TVs, snoring, you name it.
And while those doors do lock from both sides, I’ve never been entirely comfortable sleeping next to one. Some cruisers share that same uneasiness. Whether it’s a privacy concern or just the idea that someone else’s room is separated from yours by a single, thin door — it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Families Win, Light Sleepers Lose
Carnival’s intention here is clear: make travel easier for families. And I totally get that. Parents with young kids or larger families booking multiple rooms will definitely appreciate these new connecting options.
But for everyone else who booked a quiet, standalone cabin, finding out that your room now has a connecting door can be a major disappointment — especially if you picked it months ago, unaware that the ship’s layout would change.
Many longtime Carnival fans have taken to forums and Facebook groups to express frustration, especially those who booked specific staterooms only to find they’ve now become connecting rooms after the refit. I feel for them. If you’ve cruised before, you know just how much research goes into picking the perfect cabin.
Fingers Crossed It’s Not a Fleetwide Trend
Hopefully, this new approach doesn’t roll out across the rest of the Excel-class ships — Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee — or the ones currently under construction. Both of those ships are already family-friendly with plenty of adjoining options, so it would be a shame to lose more non-connecting cabins to this kind of modification.
I get that cruise lines are trying to make their stateroom inventory more flexible, but this feels like a change that benefits a specific group at the expense of many others.
Here’s hoping Carnival takes the feedback seriously and keeps future dry dock changes limited to improvements that everyone can appreciate — like better Wi-Fi, upgraded furnishings, and maybe a few extra soft-serve machines.
Connecting Cabin Numbers on Mardi Gras
If you’re planning a future cruise and want to avoid (or specifically book) a connecting cabin, here’s the full list of the staterooms which have been converted to connected staterooms on Mardi Gras after her dry dock:
Deck 4
4236 ↔ 4240, 4286 ↔ 4290, 4289 ↔ 4293, 4302 ↔ 4306, 4305 ↔ 4309, 4335 ↔ 4339, 4351 ↔ 4355, 4359 ↔ 4363
Deck 8
8227 ↔ 8231, 8242 ↔ 8246
Deck 9
9206 ↔ 9208, 9207 ↔ 9209
Deck 10
10234 ↔ 10236, 10269 ↔ 10273, 10286 ↔ 10288, 10342 ↔ 10346, 10358 ↔ 10362, 10374 ↔ 10378
Deck 11
11227 ↔ 11231, 11274 ↔ 11278, 11304 ↔ 11306, 11354 ↔ 11358, 11370 ↔ 11374, 11378 ↔ 11382, 11386 ↔ 11390, 11335 ↔ 11337, 11416 ↔ 11418
Deck 12
12270 ↔ 12274, 12281 ↔ 12285, 12334 ↔ 12338, 12350 ↔ 12354, 12366 ↔ 12370, 12374 ↔ 12378, 12382 ↔ 12386, 12402 ↔ 12406, 12445 ↔ 12447, 12456 ↔ 12458, 12473 ↔ 12475, 12485 ↔ 12487
Deck 14
14219 ↔ 14223, 14251 ↔ 14255, 14256 ↔ 14260, 14267 ↔ 14271, 14272 ↔ 14276, 14279 ↔ 14281, 14294 ↔ 14296, 14299 ↔ 14301, 14310 ↔ 14314, 14331 ↔ 14333, 14332 ↔ 14334, 14343 ↔ 14363, 14352 ↔ 14356, 14368 ↔ 14372, 14375 ↔ 14379, 14376 ↔ 14380, 14383 ↔ 14387, 14384 ↔ 14388, 14391 ↔ 14395, 14428 ↔ 14430, 14435 ↔ 14437, 14447 ↔ 14449, 14452 ↔ 14454, 14475 ↔ 14477, 14487 ↔ 14489
Deck 15
15221 ↔ 15225, 15234 ↔ 15238, 15242 ↔ 15246, 15258 ↔ 15262, 15269 ↔ 15273, 15280 ↔ 15282, 15281 ↔ 15283, 15288 ↔ 15290, 15296 ↔ 15300, 15305 ↔ 15309, 15315 ↔ 15319, 15318 ↔ 15320, 15327 ↔ 15329, 15330 ↔ 15334, 15331 ↔ 15335, 15346 ↔ 15350, 15362 ↔ 15366, 15363 ↔ 15367, 15379 ↔ 15383, 15382 ↔ 15386, 15423 ↔ 15425, 15424 ↔ 15426, 15432 ↔ 15434, 15439 ↔ 15441, 15451 ↔ 15453, 15479 ↔ 15481
Deck 16
16218 ↔ 16222, 16226 ↔ 16230, 16227 ↔ 16231, 16242 ↔ 16246, 16264 ↔ 16266, 16267 ↔ 16269, 16271 ↔ 16273, 16280 ↔ 16284, 16283 ↔ 16287, 16272 ↔ 16274
This list does not include the staterooms which were already connecting, so make sure to always check the current deck plan on Carnival’s official website as that’s where the most current version will be found. Do not rely on websites from travel agencies, info sites, etc as they may not have the current version published.