dromMOM

Thanks. Hopefully, on our March 23rd cruise, we won't have Martinique but I'll check out Gladys tour if I can find it. We just had to stop at Martinique in September when skirting away from Hurricane Irma. Do you have a website link?

We ended up with Martinique on the cruise prior and we are so glad we did. We found it one of the best Island. We had a great tour there too!

We booked a private tour and our Tour guide was wonderful.

I have to agree with you on many of your points.. Ship is rough around the edges.. MDR chairs.. furniture in our room and bed skirt not clean. We had terrible service the first two days of Select dining. and was seated twice in terrible upstairs section. one on the left right next to server station. so noisy and busy. Very slow.. 3 hrs. to eat. Another time right outside the kitchen.. the servers running back and forth was pretty stressful and distracting. Then we decided to schedule at the same time every evening after being put at IVANS table! Ha.. he was a real character.. we loved the quiet back room and there we stayed for the rest of our 10 day cruise. We still found the food in the dining room hit or miss. A few bad choices.. did love the jerk chicken, escargot, Cesar salad and Classice Steak! My husband went to the lectures and found himself dozing. He did want to go to the stargazing but the sky wasn't quite right. I found very little to do. We also totally did not have a clue about that one bizzare production number. I guess we were too old to recognize the music and had no clue how it all fit together. We thought our comic ( a different one was ok) We don't drink but went to the Ensemble bar a couple of times and listened to the Duet singers and classical performers but they were just ok. After a night of each plus their additional pool shows we were over it. and one Silent disco was plenty. We stayed a half hr.. Also since they removed the real disco and have begun to use the main atrium we hated crowding around the railings on the different level to see.. well people dancing.. the dance floor was too tiny.. not enough places to sit near the dancing. Then the noro virus broke out the last few days and the self serve disappeared and you then had to wait in a long line for your coffee.. while your food got cold or visaversa! While I understood the reason still frustrating. I have decided that the worst items of all to touch besides the public restroom door would be the serving utensils in the buffet. Next time I am using a napkin!

Check out the Captain when we visited St Lucia last week. It appears the was first visit and they plan on building a new pier. We loved this Island and the ships tour was great.

I realize there have been a number of discussions on Internet packages / options, but am hoping to get a current update. I am hoping I can get some current information on what is being offered on board.

 

My wife and I will be sailing on the Eclipse Dec. 10th sailing. On our last sailing, last Dec, I purchased the option of minutes (200?) that was offered a couple days into the cruise.

 

I am hoping someone from a recent or current sailing can share what the current on board offering is related to minutes or a daily cost.

 

I need to decide soon if I am going to purchase the whole package in advance (to save the 10%) or take a chance after sailing. Thanks in advance....TedGman

I just got off the Reflection and paid $299. I had decent internet most times. I even went live quite often. It was well worth it and I saw cell phones in hand by the dozens. There are dead zones but I used Skype and facebook to place "phone calls without a problem except an occasional lag..

My first cruise was the Mardi Gras too!! In the summer of 1977 - them were the days!!! Believe it or not - but I came back with more money than I went with!!! I used to be a tall, thin, girl with long brown hair....(Now I'm a short, fat, woman with short gray hair!!!) Yes - them were the days!!!

Back to the story - I didn't have buy any of my drinks and I played bingo once - just for the fun of it - and won $500!!!!!

Ahhhhhh...the Mardi Gras!

We're twins.. sounds like me..lol

Can you think of anything negative about booking a balcony cabin on the Verandah deck, in front of the front elevators? As far as I can tell, there are cabins above and below at that part of the ship. We'd get a free upgrade to that deck, otherwise I'd book the popular Empress deck. Thanks.

We have stayed on the Veranda deck on the Valor and Liberty and as long as you have cabins above and below that deck was great!

LOL, now I am wondering if there is a sea equivalent of the mile high club!

Shhhhhh! LOL

Oh my god, a post about the Mardi Gras. This was my first cruise in 1983, 3 single girls and they put another single girl travelling solo in our cabin. I don't remember much about the cruise except we had a great time. I would have been 23 yrs. old. That poor girl travelling solo probably didn't know what hit her.

The bathroom was a joke! One of us tried the shower one day and water was running out of the bathroom. As one poster said, you can shower and go to the bathroom at the same time. Around the corner from our cabin was a public bathroom which had a shower/tub and toilet. We used this all the time. I think one of the other girls actually slept in the tub one night. Also, there was a public room where you went to plug in curling irons and such. There were so many of us crammed in there trying to primp ourselves before dinner. I remember the crew wanting to be all over us literally. Now that I cruise as a family with my 16 year old daughter, I'm very cautious of this fact. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise that the crew and passengers don't mingle. I know from experience they do.

From that point on I have been hooked on cruises but have not had the opportunity to cruise as often as I would have liked. My second cruise was with my husband on a two day cruise to nowhere out of Tampa and then the kids came along and we did Orlando several times and travelled about with kids competitions etc. Last March/05 I was finally able to cruise again, this time as a family aboard NCL Sea and they loved it.

(I think they decommissioned that ship also) We are currently booked to cruise the new Carnival Liberty in March/06. Cruising is much different now from my first cruise 22 years ago but I enjoy it just as much. It's just a different time in my life and I've had a blast with each phase. Travelling is in my blood and is a priority for me, it's just my bank account that holds me back and paying for 4 from Canada is pretty costly so we do what we can and enjoy it to the fullest.

The Mardi Gras holds wonderful memories for me. It was my first cruise love!

Rest in peace.

My memories exactly.. we were two girls traveling alone. They put us at a table with 3 other girls.. from Tennessee.. We called them the TN trio..lol

We had a blast.. we hung out with the band.. and of course with the cute officers.. from Italy..

I was about the same age.. It was wild.. In many ways.. rough seas.. poor stabilizers.. It was great fun.. and my first cruise.. I will post a few more pics.. soon.. ah those were the days..

I'm curious - those of you whose first trip on Mardi Gras was in her later years of service, did you find her run down at all? She first set sail in 1961 and was bought by Carnival in 1972; this site says many of her cabins were as they were when originally built. She left Carnival in 1993 and was scrapped in 2003. So there were at least 21 years of Carnival service plus lots more on either end. I'm curious...was she kept in good shape? Obviously she wouldn't be as sophisticated as newer ships, but how did she look?

I was on her in 78.. and the paint was peeling off on the furniture in the cabins.. shabby.. ...

The hurricane did some widespread damage down here, but fortunately most of it was moderate to light in severity. As with last year's two storms, lots of trees shed branches or came down completely - power was lost from Lake Okeechobee to Key West. This storm was stronger than either of last year's hurricanes - Boca clocked winds at 118MPH during peak gusts. Lots of tile damage on roofs, with a few unlucky souls having more extensive roof damage...lots of broken windows for those who didn't shutter...and yes, driving was quite a challenge with more than 95% of all traffic lights in 2 counties out of service.

 

The airport took heavy damage...several hangars torn down with planes inside - losses exceeded $100 million to the planes there. Mizner Center in downtown was severely hit, with the ampitheater shredded, many roofs and windows blown out, and lots of external wall structure damage. Office buildings suffered, with many losing roofs or glass atriums. Town Center fared well, with some glass roof damage which they repaired quickly. Trees are gone everywhere...but somehow Boca still manages to look like one of the greenest places on earth. Power is back for 99% of the city now, and all the places which were lightly damaged are back up and running...it's almost normal again, except for the 8-foot-tall piles of debris lining all the neighborhood roads which they are working on clearing.

 

You know Boca...changing all the time. I'm sure there are a few dozen new restaurants since the last time you came...there's one or two new ones even when I go away for a week. But the better places tend to stay popular and are still here - Maxwell's, Mario's, Banyan Grill at Addison, Arturo's, Brewzzis, Bacio, Coppola, Johannes, La Vielle Maison, etc. A few of the newer restaurants (don't know if you've been to any of these yet) include Bacio, Coppola, and Johannes. Some of the Mizner joints are closed for a while with the hurricane damage (Mark's at the Park and Gigi's). And of course the better chain restaurants are all still here - New York Prime, Morton's, Ruth's Chris, Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's, and PF Chang's.

 

My personal favorite joints in town run the gamut from fancy to cheap-and-loud, but all based on taste of the food:

 

Baja Cafe - great mexican

Bong - fancy Asian fusion

Bombay Cafe - itsy-bitsy, cheap cafe with excellent Indian food

Bistro Provence - excellent French country cuisine

Cuban Cafe - hole-in-the-wall with great service and great Cuban food

Cannoli Kitchen - Takeout king of the city

Gosh thanks for the great updates... I will copy and keep these suggestions.. of course been to all the chains.. been to Mario's, Arturo's... but lots I havent been to.. but I am familiar with..

We love Boca.. I have been coming down every year for almost 20 years..

Zackie Dawg... I will try to scan them this weekend...

I see you live in Boca.. did u have much damage.. My MIL lives in Boca Lago.. and she said half the trees came down. One on a car in her POD... she was staying with us.. and extended her trip with us.. when she found out she still had no power in her complex.. she went back home last Tuesday.. Wed her cable came back..

She said driving was crazy because the stop lights weren't working..

She avoided driving during rush hour..

We visit every year.. When we get off our Liberty Cruise we will be spending the week in Boca.. So any new restaraunts.. I should know about?

Where do you live in Boca?

I am going to try to scan these and post them.. Do you all remember the ugly bed spreads.. in those stripes??LOL

Ijust found a whole envelop with lots of my Mardi Gras memorabilia.. all the capers.. and.. even the 1981 brochure promoting the Carnival/Festivale/Mardi Gras..We went on the Festivale in 81 too.. this brochure has pics and the cabin maps..etc..

Can't beleive I didnt thow this all away..

Ok so I also saw the officers quarters.. LOL.. but I was with a friend..safety in numbers..

But heavy makeout sessions near the smoke stack..way up high..in the wee hours.

BUT I was 23!!!!! LEGAL>>>>>

Been so busy.. though I did pull out the album.. I'll try to do it on the weekend..

Please keep posting pics!! This trip was a great adventure for me, 17 years old..fresh out of high school and then I was a world traveler!!! My cabin was on the Main deck, I think it was M48. I shared it with three other students from my school.

 

Do you remember the mirrored rooms in the hall where you would dry your hair?

 

Yep, the staff hung out in the bars,cabins and even on the islands with passengers. I also remember being tossed from one side of the ship to the next. Or having the heavy wood railing from the bunk above me coming down at like 3am almost mashing my head!

 

I have a pic of the room sink, I'll try to post it later tonight.

When I get a free moment I will scan in some more pics....

Elena, what a great picture! I'm not able to see the slide Zackie posted a while back...is it gone? I am presently reading Devil on the Deep Blue Seas which is about the history of cruise companies, with a heavy emphasis on Carnival, so I am learning a lot about the Mardi Gras! Was anybody here on board when she hit the sandbar? :o

Never experienced the sandbar.. what fun that would have been! LOL

I sailed March 27, 1976!! Carnival had 2 ships, the Carnivale and the Mardi Gras!From what I remember...to tell the difference between the ships, the smoke stacks were painted in opposit colors...(red whie and blue for one and blue white and red for the other) Carnival was filiming a promo movie and I was in it!! I saw it at a CCL travel agents seminar about a year later!! Bob Dickenson was on the cruise as well!!

I fell in love on that ship and almost married the guy!! It was my first cruise and I will never forget it! I still have the formal night dinner pictures!! AHHHHHHH memories...I sail Friday on the Fascination, can't wait...

WOW.. 1976 you have me beat.. I thought 1978 was going way.. back.. by the time I was onboard the furniture was peeling.. and there were no such thing as stabilizers that worked.. We would dance in the disco and get tossed totally from one side of the dance floor to the other...and you had to hold on tight to the railings to climb from one level to the next it rocked so bad.

I think the picture came out great, especially considering how you "digitized" it! I never would have come up with that solution. Thanks so much for providing an up-to-date link...it's a superb ship picture, with nothing else around - I look forward to seeing more if you ever get them online!

i have a few other pics too.. when i get a chance i will scan them in..but that is one of my favorites.. as that is how I remember the Mardi Gras.. in those days.. the late 70's the officers flirted up a storm....Back then the music in the DISCO was LIVE!!!! And we also hung out with the band.. The actual single passengers.. were nothing to write home about .. we had much more fun with all the staff....

elena

Wow, what a gooood time that must have been! I know what you mean about the crew. My wife has a pic of her dancing with the Mardi Gras captain in the mid 1980's.

Well here was my favorite officer......Roberto.. from Portofino!

Remember I was only 23!!!!

Boy have times changed..

I was on the Mardi Gras on March 8, 1978!!!!

If you think it was loose and wild then.. Let me tell you it was even more wild and crazy in 78!

Not only did they have the Cutest Italian Officers.. but they mix and mingled.. with us..

I will try to share a few pics.. as I get them scanned.

Here is a pic of me and this ship.. and my Booking Receipt!