Costa SmeraldavsMardi Gras
Side-by-side creator consensus from cruise reviewers across YouTube.
The Bacon Verdict
Mardi Gras wins this matchup
Earns a +15% higher BaconScore than Costa Smeralda. Based on 9112 creator reviews.
The Bacon Story
Data-driven recap
Across 9112 creator reviews, Mardi Gras holds a +15% BaconScore lead over Costa Smeralda — 76% versus 61%. Mardi Gras leads on safety medical and Pool Deck. Costa Smeralda sentiment is trending up in the latest reviews. Coverage spans 617 distinct cruise channels — read the full breakdown for each ship below.
Score comparison
Opinion trend for Costa Smeralda
Opinion trend for Mardi Gras
Side-by-side facts
The specs
 | Specification | Mardi Gras |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Cruises | Cruise line | Carnival Cruise Line |
| 147 videos | Creator reviews | 8965 videos |
| 39 | Distinct creators | 578 |
- Cruise line
- Costa Cruises
- Creator reviews
- 147 videos
- Distinct creators
- 39
- Cruise line
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Creator reviews
- 8965 videos
- Distinct creators
- 578
Topic Scoreboard
How they really compare
Costa Smeralda
Mardi Gras
Where creators agree
- Costa Smeralda:8 mentions3 Happy BaconActivitiesBoth like itMardi Gras:1133 mentions3 Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:10 mentions3½ Happy BaconSuitesBoth like itMardi Gras:170 mentions3 Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:8 mentions3½ Happy Bacondining bars drinksBoth like itMardi Gras:436 mentions3 Happy Bacon
Where creators diverge
- Costa Smeralda:9 mentions1½ Sad Baconsafety medical0.30 gapMardi Gras:229 mentionsMeh
- Costa Smeralda:24 mentions1½ Happy BaconPool Deck0.22 gapMardi Gras:690 mentions2½ Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:17 mentionsMehcrowd capacity0.21 gapMardi Gras:691 mentions1 Happy Bacon
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyStandout creator quotes
“please never ever Cruise without travel insurance it makes me feel unwell”
“He is perhaps one of the best cruise directors I've ever seen on any of the ships we've cruised on so far.”
“And a Costa Cruises passenger has died after falling from the Costa Smeralda while the ship was docked in Civitavecchia, that's the port for Rome.”
“NCL told Cruise News today, "We are deeply saddened to confirm that one of our guests, a 79year-old male, was reported to have gone overboard"”
Drill Deeper
See the full creator breakdown
Each detail page has the full creator panel, topic heatmap, monthly trends, audience breakdown, and verbatim quotes — far more than fits in this comparison.
Other Costa Cruises ships
Costa Diadema
Costa Toscana
Costa Smeralda
Costa Pacifica
Costa Favolosa
Costa Fortuna
Other Carnival Cruise Line ships
Mardi Gras
Carnival Celebration
Carnival Horizon
Carnival Jubilee
Carnival Vista
Carnival Magic
Watch creators on each ship
More matchups
Compare with…
How this comparison is built
Scores aggregate every cruise creator review we've indexed for each entity, weighted by creator expertise and capped per channel so no single voice dominates. Read the full methodology →