Review: Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience
Mardi Gras season at Universal Orlando is in full swing! During Mardi Gras season you get to enjoy the festive decor, yummy food and drinks, and awesome Mardi Gras Entertainment. There's lots of free Mardi Gras offerings you can enjoy with just your regular theme park admission ticket.However, If you’re wanting to add some extra magic to your one of your Universal Orlando vacation days, Universal is offering guests a guaranteed spot on a Mardi Gras parade float this year. You also get a 3-course meal at one of four participating restaurants.In this post I'll break down everything you need to know about this experience, what to expect, tips, and if it's worth the price.
I wanted to see what this new Mardi Gras offering was all about, so I booked this experience Feb. 5th.
What Is Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience?
New for 2023! Universal Orlando is offering an experience that includes dinner and riding on one of the parade floats. It’s the best way to guarantee your place in the parade! If you’re not familiar with this years float riding process, there’s 3 ways to ride on 1 of the floats:
UOAP slot (Free but slots are gone)Snagging a Virtual Line spot via the Universal Orlando app (Free, but limited space)Purchasing the Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience
Float Ride & Dine Experience
WHEN: Select Dates Feb. 4–Apr. 16
WHAT:
Get a reserved spot on a parade float and toss beads to the crowdEnjoy a 3-course meal selecting from the full menu at 1 of 4 participating restaurants at Universal Orlando Resort
Price: $84.99^+ tax per guest
Prior to the concert line-up being announced, I snagged mine for $64.99
Annual & seasonal passholders can receive a 15% discount on tickets for this experience
HOW: Purchase this experience by calling 407-224-7554, or visiting www.universalorlando.com/mardigras
There are 2 dining locations Inside Universal Orlando Florida & 2 at CityWalk:
How Long is The Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience?
Plan for roughly an hour at dinner, and then 2-3 hours for the float experience. That 2-3 hours includes the check-in/waiver process. The actual parade lasts about 45 minutes.My Timeline:
Grabbed Float & Dine ticket at Will Call: 1200pm (When I arrived for the day)Dinner at Cow Fish: 3:00pmFloat Check-in: 4:55pmMardi Gras Parade Start time: 6:15pmTime I got off float and back into USF: 7:00pmUSF closed at 7:00 pm that night so I walked over to Island’s of Adventure to close out for the night (IOA closed at 9pm)
Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Check-In Process:
To pick up your Ride & Dine tickets, follow the signs to the Will Call Kiosks, which are located at the front gate of Universal Studios Florida or Universal's Islands of Adventure. You'll just need to show government Issued Photo ID to confirm you purchased the experience. 
Go ahead and have your email confirmation with the QR code pulled up on your phone and ready to go.
My dinning reservation was 3:00PM, so I had grabbed my ticket at Will Call before I entered the park that day. This took maybe 5 minutes.Dinner Check-in Process:
Plan to arrive to your dinning location a few minutes before your designated reservation time. ( I was ready to check in at 2:55pm for my 3:00pm dinning) I did notice they required everyone in the party to be present before letting you enter. 
Inside the restaurant, you'll give your Mardi Gras Float & Dine paper ticket the staff, and they'll give your credential lanyard, and instructions for what to do after dinner. 
Mardi Gras Ride & Float Dinning Experience:
Chow down on a 3-course meal selecting from the FULL menu! This includes a non-alcoholic beverage. I thought for sure at the last minute Universal would change this experience to choosing items from a special Mardi Gras menu. Before walking in, I assumed we would all be put in one area of the restaurant, but that was not the case. We were all dispersed in the dinning area with regular guests. (Totally fine! I was kinda hoping there would be fun Mardi Gras theming in the seating area)
What I Ordered at Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar:
1 Non Alcoholic Beverage
Fountain Soda
Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Hi-C Lemonade. Normally - $4.49
As someone who normally gets a glass of water to save money, it was nice drink a nice cold Diet Coke, lol. I almost defaulted and ordered a water but my waitress reminded me I could get a soda, haha. You can of course purchase an alcoholic beverage or 2 if you want.1 Appetizer
Crab Rangoon Dip
Creamy crab rangoon with Parmesan panko crust, wonton crisps, sweet chili sauce and chives. Normally $15.00I legit devoured this entire thing by myself. If and when I eat at Cow Fish in the future, I am totally get this as just my MEAL. Huge portion. It was banging!!!
1 Entree
Kye Marn Roll
Braised short rib glazed with orange togarashi bbq, panko fried and topped with a Haitian spicy slaw. *Limited time Mardi Gras offering. Normally $20.00This was S P I C Y but absolutely incredible! Have a full glass of water on hand. HUGE portion.I’m all about seasonal offerings so thats why I chose this instead of a normal item on the menu.
1 Dessert
The Summer Matinee Shake
Vanilla ice cream, buttery popcorn, Reese's Cups, caramel sauce, marshmallow creme. Normally $13.00I ordered the most expensive milkshake because…. YOLO!
This was my first time eating at Cow Fish, and I would 100% eat there again. It was a really yummy sit down meal, great service, and I didn't feel rushed. I didn't feel any less special than a normal guest. Naturally, I got my left-overs put into a to-go box.I chose to eat at Cowfish for this experience because its normal a restaurant a little too pricey for me to do on a regular park day, and because it seemed like the most bang for my buck compared to the locations you could choose from.My dinner would've come out to $53 before tax and tip, so well worth the $64.99 I paid for the Mardi Gras Float & Dine Experience.
Note--Tip is already included as part of the Mardi Gras Float & Dine price.After Dinner
After dinner (or before, depending on your reservation time/the parade time) you'll head to go check in by Animal Actors on Location for the float riding portion of the experience. After my dinner, I had enough time to leisurely walk around, check out some of the Mardi Gras performers, bathroom, and say hello to Beetle Juice before going to check-in.My dinner reservation was 3:00pm and took about an hour. Had I not taken forever to choose what I wanted, it woudl’ve gone way faster. This left me with 55 minutes to explore USF before float check-in.
Parade Check-in Process:
Check-in was effortless. You'll just show your credential's and queue until it's your turn to check in. Universal will have you on the list of float riders, and your float will have already been pre-assigned. You’re given a color coded wrist band based on the float you’re assigned to.You’ll stop to sign a Parade Float Rider Waiver upon float rider check-in .After that you're directed to a fitting area to put on your Mardi Gras float attire! MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE RESTROOM BEFORE HEADING ONTO THE FLOAT!There is a "My Universal" Photog available to take your picture before, and during the Mardi Gras Parade. Just note these photo’s are NOT included in the Float Ride and Dine Experience. Instead, you're given a QR card to pay for those afterwards.Once it’s time to head to your assigned Mardi Gras Parade float, no photo’s or video can be taken while you're backstage. You’re not permitted to start using your phone until the parade has started and you can see guests in the park.While back stage, you’re walked to your desingated float. You’re educated again on the plan for the evening, float riding information, how to throw the beads, etc. You’ll then be given your place to stand on the float before the parade begins.Best Tips for Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience
Dress comfortable-- including your footwear. You're going to standing for a good hour right before and during the actual Mardi Gras ParadeSkip the big bag during this experience. You can put your items at your feet while on the float, but if it doesn’t fit, having it on your back won’t be as enjoyable while you’re trying to toss all the beads.Tell your friends and family what float you’ll be on prior to the parade startingCome hungry for the dinning portion. It’s A LOT of food for one person to eat, lol. I made the mistake of having a snack beforehand and I regret it.
If you have friends watching in the park, figure out what side of the park they’ll be watching on. You can ask your float supervisor if you can either be on the Driver, or passenger side of the float (that way they can see you tossing beads their way!)Things To Keep in Mind Before Booking The Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience
Prices, dates, times, experience details and benefits are subject to availability, change and/or cancellation without notice.Tickets are not refundable, not transferable and not exchangeablePurchasing the Mardi Gras Float and Dine experience does NOT include admission to Universal Studios Florida. A Separate park ticket for the same date required. If you want to book this experience you can do so HERE
On days with a 6:15 p.m. parade start time, dining reservations are for 3 p.m. and on days with a 7:45 p.m. parade start time, dining reservations are at 4:30 p.m. This means you might have to plan your day and other meals a little differently time wise than you’d normally would.
Pay attention to the date you pick for the Mardi Gras Float & Dine experience. If you book a night when there's a concert, there a good change you'll miss the beginning of the concert, and may not have as good as of a view as you'd like.
Mardi Gras Parade Float Riders must be 18+ or accompanied by their legal guardian age 18 or older. All riders must be at least 48” in height and able to board the floats and must be able to stand for the duration of the parade
Purchase must be made 24 hours prior to event dateGuests must sign Parade Float Rider Waiver upon float rider check-in prior to participationUniversal Orlando will try to keep all parties together, but larger groups may need to be split into different dining parties and floats
What Makes Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience Worth It?
You can enjoy a fancy meal that normally requires an advanced reservation. Depending on where you eat, you can get a lot of food for way less than you'd pay on a normal park day.You can enjoy the Mardi Gras offerings without the stress of trying to get a a virtual line spot to ride on the the Mardi Gras Parade floats.Overall Review of Universal's Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience
Riding on the Mardi Gras parade float should definitely be on your Universal Orlando bucket list!Every step of the Mardi Gras Ride and Dine experience went smoothly in my person opinion. This was impressive considering it was just the second night this experience had been offered. It was nice having the Float and Dine credential lanyard. On the back it has what time you need to be at Animal Actors on Location to check in for the float, it explains dinning information, etc.
It makes for a fun Mardi Gras souvenir too!My server at CowFish was amazing. She was great at helping me choose my app, entree and dessert. I can honestly say I had a delicious sit down meal, I didn't feel rushed, and I just want to stress I made it to the float check in with PLENTY of time to spare. I would absolutely recommend doing this add on, I had a really great time, and would totally buy this experience again!You can purchase this experience calling 407-224-7554 or visit www.universalorlando.com/mardigras
