For a stress-free Disney or Universal Studios vacation, let the FREE expert planners at Royal Carriage Vacations take care of every detail including dining reservations, applying discounts, and onboard cruise credit.
Universal’s Mardi Gras festival offers New Orleans treats, but some dishes miss the mark. Find out which ones to avoid here.
Mardi Gras at Universal
The city of New Orleans hosts the largest Mardi Gras celebration filled with citywide festivities and vibrant parades, but Universal Orlando Resort offers a grand celebration of its own.
Universal’s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval takes place on select dates from February 3 until April 7.
During the event, you can enjoy fantastic floats inspired by New Orleans and Carnaval celebrations from around the world. The party also features thrilling new Elements floats and gives you the chance to catch beads.
What I Tried
King cakes are the most popular Mardi Gras dessert, especially in New Orleans. These cakes are also popular at parties, offices, and homes, with hundreds of thousands of people enjoying them every year.
First, I (Susan) tried the miniature king cake with a plastic gold baby in the center.
This mini-bundt cake tasted like an apple spice cake with way too many sprinkles. I wanted to like this so badly! But, I couldn’t get past the weird taste that it had. I’m not sure if they put spices in it or what was wrong, but the taste just didn’t work. I threw it away after two bites.
Beignets are a favorite snack of mine, and I was so excited about trying these. They came with 4 beignets in a paper bag.
When I bit into one, it was hollow and dry. They were a huge disappointment. I managed to eat one, but threw the rest away! And I was starving, but I couldn’t finish them.
Where to Find the Best Beignets
You won’t find the best beignets at Universal, they’re right down the road at Disney.
You can’t beat the beignets at Disney’s French Quarter Resort! They’re worth a special trip.
These beignets are delightfully fluffy and cooked to perfection. In addition, they come with a choice of wonderful sauces. Caramel is my favorite! To make things even better, Disney’s French Quarter has seasonal flavored beignets.
What do you think of Universal’s Mardi Gras Festival? Have you tried these or other Mardi Gras booths? Let us know in the comments and share this post with someone planning a Universal trip.
Share the love!
Wanda
Thursday 7th of March 2024
I'm from NOLA and authentic Beignets ARE hollow or what we call an air pocket but certainly not dry and are loaded with powdered sugar. We live next to Disney and the version of Beignets served at Port Orleans or anyway at disney are nothing more than a doughnut and some are served with ice cream which is not the traditional Beignets. Most people dont know any different but I guess that's a plus for Disney. There's nothing like authentic Beignets but You won't find them at DL or WDW or Universal.
Susan Phillips
Thursday 7th of March 2024
The authentic beignets sound wonderful!