SRQbeachgirl

We cruised the Magic with our then- teen-aged son. We had not problem using an over the door organizer for all out toiletries and miscellaneous "stuff." It was a huge help! The walls and ceiling are magnetic. If you want some privacy when changing clothes (or don't want to swelter in the bathroom after taking a shower and would like to open the bathroom door to get some air) I recommend some strong magnetic hooks and a cheap shower curtain. We hung it from the ceiling between the main room and the hallway where the closets are and it made a nice changing area.

Mr. SRQ is retired, but I've told him I will not be retiring with any expectations of receiving a check for a maxed-out paid time off account balance. I intend to use every single minute of my vacation time--it's the only thing that keeps me sane!

Bitter and Blanc, chilled soups, and Spaghetti carbonara. I eat lobster and/or steak in restaurants almost every week, so I can pass on those, but give me ALL THE CARBS when I'm on a cruise! However, on our last Mardi Gras cruise we didn't eat in the MDR at all.

Glad you enjoyed it! We will be boarding her for our second Mardi Gras cruise in 19 days!

Perfect - my kind of drink! I'm going to hunt one of those down in 19 days!

That looks delicious and I love watermelon! Do you know what's in it?

Which one is better - chocolate or red velvet?

I stopped over packing after lugging a large suitcase from Heathrow to Piccadilly Square. Even after moving to Florida where we are within short driving distance of four cruise ports--and could take as much luggage as we want--we still only take one carry-on sized rolling suitcase each. Now, I will admit to being able to cram a surprising amount of clothes in a carry-on bag and it never fails that I end up not wearing about a quarter of the clothes I take. As other have said, mixing and matching with a few foundational pieces is the key to the success of minimal packing. I take three or four pairs of dressier black capris that go with just about anything and that makes up my evening wardrobe. We stopped doing "formal" years ago, so those capris, my normal summer tops, and one pair of black sandals are all I need for evenings.

I was just thinking about ordering a cake for our anniversary, so I'm happy to see this topic. Alternatively, was thinking about the chocolate chip cookies if anyone has any experience with those.

We will be on a sold out Mardi Gras in three weeks and it will be the first time we haven't had FTTF. There was no FTTF availability when we booked and it's been sold out ever since (and I know this because I have been STALKING the website). With the ship being fully booked I'm just hoping I don't have any need to stand in the Guest Services line.

SHHHHHHHHH! Geesh, now everyone is going to be in on the secret! 🙄 😆

Vodka and Coke Zero with a squeeze of lime is my go-to low carb drink.

I didn't necessarily think Mardi Gras felt crowded, just that it seemed to take a long time to get anywhere. If I wanted to get a specialty coffee at Bar Della Rosa and some huevos rancheros from Blue Iguana for breakfast, either my coffee or my food would be cold before I could find a place to sit. Of course, part of this feeling might have been that we were staying in an aft-facing balcony, so we literally were as far as we could get from most of the ship. This next time (three weeks from today!) we're staying in a slanted balcony on the front of the hump, so we'll be more central to everything. It will be an interesting comparison.

Lawn Club Grill and be sure to order the Chocolate Chip Cookie for dessert. Mr. SRQ and I booked a second night there just for the cookie. 🤤

On our MG cruise last year we didn't eat in the MDR at all. Went to all the specialties except Chibang and ate at the buffet once. The buffet was terrible and Mr. SRQ got so sick from P&A that we had to miss our excursion the next day. We'll likely be skipping both of those this next time.

We've changed bookings several times after deposit--dates, ship, cabin--and always paid the $50pp fee. It's always been very quick and easy to make the changes we wanted.

I've never understood why they don't keep at least one of these venues open later. It would be a good casual dinner option for those who don't like the buffet.

Good point. I prefer Celebrity's version - just wish there were more shows.

Celebrity has both PG and R rated comedy shows, but not nearly as many as Carnival.

You mean you didn't order the Trichinosis Special?

We find at least one duck on every cruise. We give them to our son who has a Jeep Wrangler. Between the ones we've given him and the ones other Jeepers have left for him, his front dash is covered in ducks.

The worst port we've ever been to was Caracas. Raw sewage and trash flowing down the hill next to the port was visible from the ship (let's not talk about the smell, m'kay?) and our tour bus was held up at gunpoint. Fun times.

I think it's more that their website is completely messed up. They obviously need to feed the hamsters better. When I booked our last cruise I paid in full at the same time, but had to go to a meeting and didn't have time to type in my husband's name and info so it left the second passenger listed as TBD. I went back online a few days later and put his info in, but when I hit save it suddenly showed a balance due of over $1,500. I called Celebrity immediately and they said when I put his info in it removed the Florida resident discount. They fixed it and apologized, saying the system was "glitchy." I do sometimes wonder why IT systems are rarely "glitchy" in the consumer's favor...

We didn't have any soot on our Mardi Gras aft balcony, but the heat and lack of breeze was so unbearable we said we'd never book another one.

^^^This right here. It's a shame that getting on a cruise ship doesn't magically impart manners.