Anyone done the Mardi Gras cruise

I looked that cruise up and it arrives on Sunday and leaves on Fat Tuesday at 10 PM. Why aren't they coming in on on Monday and leaving on Wednesday at 10 PM? You're missing a great deal of Mardi Gras by leaving so early.

I am not going to read the remainder of this thread, but I will comment because I was born and raised in New Orleans and have lived here all of my life. Perhaps another person has already commented on this...If so, sorry for the repeat.

The ship is arriving at the perfect time...Even better would have been Saturday instead of Sunday. Some of our very best parades are on Saturday night (Endymion) and Sunday night. By 10:00 PM on Mardi Gras day, the New Orleans police are lining their horses up, ready to canvas (at midnight) the French Quarter to shut it down for clean-up and All Saints Day the next day.

Just some info.

While in New Orleans..eat at Commander's Palace. You will not regret it.

The quote at the top was NOT posted by me. Cruise Critic at times places the wrong name with a statement. It has happened before. I would have never said what is stated in the quote as I took the cruise because it was promoted as a Mardi Gras cruise. It was one of Celebrity's Signature Events.Check post 32 .

Apologies

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize this was a first for Celebrity. Guess that is why I haven't been able to find reviews, ha. I will keep checking after the 2017 cruise. I think we will put a deposit down for the 2018 cruise, sounds like prices only go up. :)

Not the first Celebrity, the Equinox did this same cruise for Mardi Gras this year.

As someone who used to live in New Orleans and attended seven Mardi Gras', by about noon on Fat Tuesday the celebrations come to an end. The peak of Mardi Gras is actually the Saturday and Sunday before Fat Tuesday, but lots is going on from about the Thursday evening before Fat Tuesday through the morning of Fat Tuesday (and some festivities start even well before that).

sfThanks for the information

Bill and Rosie

Thank you for a fantastic film we are doing 2018 I hope ours is as good as yours

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Just had dinner with our friends who did the mardi gras cruise on Equinox...in a regular OV stateroom...

They very much enjoyed the cruise, various get togethers and NO in general, BUT said their stateroom was filthy..,not cleaned before they boarded,,, beds had dirty linens and yucky stuff in trash. We found that surprising. They said it was gross....

The attendant was not helpful to remedy the problems and very defensive when they had to report it...wonder if others experienced this or they just had a bad attendant.

Just had dinner with our friends who did the mardi gras cruise on Equinox...in a regular OV stateroom...

 

They very much enjoyed the cruise, various get togethers and NO in general, BUT said their stateroom was filthy..,not cleaned before they boarded,,, beds had dirty linens and yucky stuff in trash. We found that surprising. They said it was gross....

 

The attendant was not helpful to remedy the problems and very defensive when they had to report it...wonder if others experienced this or they just had a bad attendant.

In a 1A and all was very fine.

We did the Celebrity Mardi Gras Cruise in February 2007 but we are talking the truly big Mardi Gras celebration in Rio and lthough can't remember the ship (we think it was the Summit). It was a 14 day round trip cruise from Buenos Aires and I cannot remember if we spent 2 or 3 nights in Rio. But 2 nights were the big nights when they had the parades in the Sambadrome. It was a fantastic cruise and everyone on the cruise had reserved seating for 1 of the 2 nights of the main parades. I remember they bused us over to the Sambadrome about 8pm....and then we could stay as long as we pleased (the parades go on until dawn). They had buses leaving throughout the night (between the various club parades) and most cruisers left by 1am. We managed to stay until nearly 3am...but then returned to the ship.

As to New Orleans, I have been fortunate to have attended those festivities on a few occasions and it is a fun experience. We would never do it on a cruise, since we found much of the fun was staying in New Orleans for several days. When it comes to NO....the first thing we do when we are planning a visit is to make restaurant reservations...as this is one great city for foodies. The 2nd thing is to get hotel reservations :).

Hank

Just had dinner with our friends who did the mardi gras cruise on Equinox...in a regular OV stateroom...

 

They very much enjoyed the cruise, various get togethers and NO in general, BUT said their stateroom was filthy..,not cleaned before they boarded,,, beds had dirty linens and yucky stuff in trash. We found that surprising. They said it was gross....

 

The attendant was not helpful to remedy the problems and very defensive when they had to report it...wonder if others experienced this or they just had a bad attendant.

That sailing was shortly after X eliminated about 1/4 of the cabin stewards and switched from teams of two to everyone working solo. Our steward had just come aboard and it was his first sailing under the new "improved" system. Big adjustment. Saw him in the hallway from 7am to 9pm every day. At least his grats increased commensurately.

We did the Celebrity Mardi Gras Cruise in February 2007 but we are talking the truly big Mardi Gras celebration in Rio and lthough can't remember the ship (we think it was the Summit). It was a 14 day round trip cruise from Buenos Aires and I cannot remember if we spent 2 or 3 nights in Rio. But 2 nights were the big nights when they had the parades in the Sambadrome. It was a fantastic cruise and everyone on the cruise had reserved seating for 1 of the 2 nights of the main parades. I remember they bused us over to the Sambadrome about 8pm....and then we could stay as long as we pleased (the parades go on until dawn). They had buses leaving throughout the night (between the various club parades) and most cruisers left by 1am. We managed to stay until nearly 3am...but then returned to the ship.

 

As to New Orleans, I have been fortunate to have attended those festivities on a few occasions and it is a fun experience. We would never do it on a cruise, since we found much of the fun was staying in New Orleans for several days. When it comes to NO....the first thing we do when we are planning a visit is to make restaurant reservations...as this is one great city for foodies. The 2nd thing is to get hotel reservations :).

 

Hank

Would you mind sharing a few of your "must-do" restaurants in NO?

Would you mind sharing a few of your "must-do" restaurants in NO?

OMG! I could list 20, in all price ranges and with various types of cuisine. And then somebody else might list 20 different places....and we would be both be right :). If you are only in that city for a short time you will be forced to make tough choices between some of the long standing decent traditional restaurants (i.e. Antoines, Commanders Palace, Galatoires, etc) or perhaps the original restaurant of Emeril Lagasse (we at there when he was cooking....and DW and the most amazing dish of Skate in a Caramel Sauce). And then there are many newer innovative restaurants that offer world class cuisine. And don'f forget the great Oyster Bars, Po Boy places, Cafe du Monde (with their unique coffee and famous Beignets). etc etc. I gain weight just thinking about being in NO.

Hank

OMG! I could list 20, in all price ranges and with various types of cuisine. And then somebody else might list 20 different places....and we would be both be right :). If you are only in that city for a short time you will be forced to make tough choices between some of the long standing decent traditional restaurants (i.e. Antoines, Commanders Palace, Galatoires, etc) or perhaps the original restaurant of Emeril Lagasse (we at there when he was cooking....and DW and the most amazing dish of Skate in a Caramel Sauce). And then there are many newer innovative restaurants that offer world class cuisine. And don'f forget the great Oyster Bars, Po Boy places, Cafe du Monde (with their unique coffee and famous Beignets). etc etc. I gain weight just thinking about being in NO.

 

Hank

Trust me, I've gained a few lbs just doing some research! As it is, we are going to be in town for 2 days prior to our cruise and 2 days afterwards. So...the goal is to find a few quintessential NO eats. As much as I'm looking forward to the cruise, I have a feeling come boarding time I may be wishing I was staying in NO for the entire week!

Would you mind sharing a few of your "must-do" restaurants in NO?

As someone who used to live in New Orleans, and who often still visits once a year on food-centric vacations, here are my favorites (lots of other outstanding venues, but these would be my 'can't miss' restaurants/venues):

Fine Dining:

August: I find this to be a better value and experience (not to mention better food) than some of the more famous venues, such as Commander's Palace, which are IMHO overrated and if you are not a VIP you often receive mediocre - at best - service.

http://www.restaurantaugust.com/

2nd choice for fine dining would be Herbsaint

Upscale:

La Petit Grocery (French/Local)

http://www.lapetitegrocery.com/

2nd choice for upscale would be tie between Shaya (Isreaeli) and Compere Lapin (Caribbean/New Orleans fusion)

Moderate:

Willa Jean (Open for all meals; wonderful baked goods as well as a nice menu of savories - great cocktails too, including frozen beverages that are balanced and not ridiculously sweet like at the touristy venues)

http://www.willajean.com/menu/

Cochon and Cochon Butcher (Adjacent to one another; meat-centric venue - the Butcher is more casual and features outstanding sandwiches whereas Cochon is a table service venue with composed plates).

https://cochonbutcher.com/

Bacchanal (Beautiful outdoor venue with live jazz; they have a wine shop on the property that sells bottles of wine at retail prices you can bring to consume in the outdoor seating area as well as a full service restaurant). This venue is a bit further away from the other venues above, but fairly inexpensive cab/uber and well worth visiting if the weather is nice.

http://www.bacchanalwine.com/

Cheap Venues:

Willa Mae's Scotch House (Old school fried chicken venue). Is in a bit of a sketchy area - so be sure to take a cab or Uber, do not walk or take the bus here.

http://www.williemaesnola.com/

Verti Marte (Grocery store with a counter in back with prepared foods and some of the best subs - Po Boys - ever)

No website - here is a link with info: http://www.neworleans.com/restaurants/verti-marte/

Cafe DuMonde (Beignet venue - New Orleans' style doughnuts - in French Quarter - been around forever; touristy, but is a must if you've never been and has great people watching)

http://www.cafedumonde.com/

Carousel Bar (French Quarter bar where the bar spins slowly like a carousel; a bit gimmicky, but decent cocktails and kind of fun to do once)

http://hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar/

Spotted Cat (Not a food venue, but cool divey jazz club on outskirts of French Quarter):

https://www.spottedcatmusicclub.com/

Funny you mentioned that there is one in Feb 2018, just booked mine last week for the 10 days cause had to cancel the 11 day one we booked for this Feb...It actually was cheaper for 2018 by $3000 dollars because I booked later then I should have for 2017 one!

We're also booked on the 2018 Mardi Gras cruise! A really different kind of cruise for us, but we're hoping the ship is packed with people who are fun and ready for the biggest party in the USA

We're also booked on the 2018 Mardi Gras cruise! A really different kind of cruise for us' date=' but we're hoping the ship is packed with people who are fun and ready for the biggest party in the USA[/quote']Well me and the good lady will be there hopping there will be a few more us for the sale away party Graham and Vanessa

 

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We're also booked on the 2018 Mardi Gras cruise! A really different kind of cruise for us' date=' but we're hoping the ship is packed with people who are fun and ready for the biggest party in the USA[/quote']

 

The 2017 cruise was fun, but only because of the guests, we made our own fun and planned our own activities. The ship, and especially the cruise director really dropped the ball. The decorations consisted of two large masks hung by Guest Services and that's it. It was really disappointing that the ship made no effort whatsoever.

Hopefull there was enough feedback from 2017 Mardi Gras cruise and they've made appropriate changes. Do you remember if there was music (live and/or otherwise) at the main pool area?

Hopefull there was enough feedback from 2017 Mardi Gras cruise and they've made appropriate changes. Do you remember if there was music (live and/or otherwise) at the main pool area?

Yes they did

The 2017 cruise was fun, but only because of the guests, we made our own fun and planned our own activities. The ship, and especially the cruise director really dropped the ball. The decorations consisted of two large masks hung by Guest Services and that's it. It was really disappointing that the ship made no effort whatsoever.

Totally agree. Despite the sailing being billed as a theme cruise with prices to match X treated the sailing as just another cruise that just happened to call at NOLA. CD was M.I.A. most of cruise. They did have a good speaker on history of NOLA and one night there was a jazz band, but it played to an empty ship as everyone was off to parades. Didn't see any cajun food either. Still had great time thanks to our very large and boisterous cc group. Sometimes you have to make your own fun.

Thanks for the reply; since I have you (both) here, I'm wondering if you noticed any music around the pool area? Live music in particular. Celebrity on the Solstice class ships had cut way back on it, so we stopped cruising for a couple of years. I bitched about it in their survey, so I'm hoping that will change! So you found it helpful to do the "roll calls" on CC?

Well me and the good lady will be there hopping there will be a few more us for the sale away party Graham and Vanessa

 

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We're Dave & Kathy....hope to see you there

Thanks for the reply; since I have you (both) here' date=' I'm wondering if you noticed any music around the pool area? Live music in particular. Celebrity on the Solstice class ships had cut way back on it, so we stopped cruising for a couple of years. I bitched about it in their survey, so I'm hoping that will change! So you found it helpful to do the "roll calls" on CC?[/quote']

 

Believe, but not sure there was occasional live music poolside.

 

Our roll call was the most active and enthusiastic I've experienced in 30+ cruises, over 500 members and 12,000 posts. Lots of activities aboard ship and in every port. Required many people willing to take the lead in managing events. Too many leaders to mention, but have to single out Mary (Beba Beba), our ace coordinator. Here is link to her spreadsheet

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pg6dfsr01lRCgl_CEtqOt2SF1Avpss8lHwK_wpLelPQ/edit#gid=0

OK -- we are back from our Mardi Gras cruise and had a blast!!

Prices came down quite a bit -- probably due to all the negative news about Mardi Gras. We were cautioned until we were blue (and maybe that was a good thing) but at no time did we feel unsafe at any point in time. We walked in pairs or a group of 4 to most places. I would not describe it as mayhem or raunchy in the very least. I am sure there are areas around that were like this (as some have warned) but we didn't experience it. We were also warned to take a pair of disposable shoes. The worst thing we ran into was little bits of horse droppings from the parades and that was easy to avoid. From what we noticed, there were a couple of women in the grandstands on Lundi Gras that painted their torso with sparkly paint and one on Bourbon St on Mardi Gras. We were told they really tried to clean it up and from our experience, they have. Once off Bourbon St, while walking down to Jackson Sq, we saw a lot of families on the side streets, some with kids in strollers. We shared our beads with the kiddies, other people shared their unopened beer / waters and even stood in a not too long line to pick up some Cafe Du Monde beignets (sp?) before heading back to the ship in the early evening.

The ship did spend sufficient time in the port and we did hit it during the heart of Mardi Gras. By Tuesday afternoon, they were cleaning up the streets after the parades. There were a lot of beads and empty bead bags. I didn't run into anything disgusting in the streets. Celebrity could have done a few things better -- these would be my suggestions:

 

-More Mardi Gras themed decoration and food choices onboard

-During the New Orleans talks (we may have missed one), let passengers know about the red line that is right at Julia Street and takes you into the French Quarter

-Charge less for the grandstands (the cost, which included transportation -- 1 mile each way) ran $249 pp. We had the same seating but no goodie bag for $30 pp for the Monday parades and $65 for the Fat Tuesday parades (we only went to the Monday parades). So, as you can well imagine, the people that paid more than 8 times as much were very annoyed. I could see $80, but $249 - rip off!!

-Disembarkation when first arriving in New Orleans -- they gave us each a number but then didn't end up using them and let people disembark nilly willy. We waited our turn, not knowing it was a free for all and waited an extra 4 hours to get off the ship. :(

-Work on the re-embarkment procedures in New Orleans - there was a long line every time and you had to stoop way down not to hit your head getting back onto the ship. It was not well planned out.

 

Now that I have done Mardi Gras, I wouldn't have to go back and do it again but it really, really was fun and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the one next year on the Reflection for others. I am sure you do need to be cautious, and we were, but didn't feel it was anymore dangerous than walking in downtown San Francisco.

We joined a group that rented a balcony on Bourbon Street for Fat Tuesday which included food and drink. It was a little pricey and the balcony was a bit small for the number of people that joined in, but it still was a solid plan. The food was just so so, though ... drinks were good once they got it set up properly. Others paid for a different event on St Charles St and were very disappointed ... both those events and ours were booked through our roll call and not through Celebrity.

If you like to gamble, Harrahs is right there on your way to the French Quarter and it wasn't that crowded. If you wanted to eat at a great restaurant, know that you should probably have reservations ahead of time and keep in mind that many things (the Riverwalk Mall, the WWII museum, many shops and restaurants) will be closed on Fat Tuesday ... it is a holiday for them. The transportation may also be limited, especially along the parade routes....especially on Mardi Gras day. I did learn that some of the pedicabs were without charge. Don't quote me on it ... I didn't use one but that would have been fun and my feeties were quite tired with all that walking....LOTS and LOTS of walking but flat and everything was really within a couple of miles or less.

Please don't hesitate to ask away if you have questions ... or even read our roll call but it is on two separate threads with over 10K posts. It has a wealth of information, though!

Thank you for that info! How would one go about getting the bleacher seating without going through the cruise line?

Thank you for that info! How would one go about getting the bleacher seating without going through the cruise line?

We purchased through this site and sat in the Lafayette A section which was almost across from from reviewing stand. Great seats and surprisingly not too crowded. Recommend getting there early for front row seats. It helps to sit or stand near small children, they're throw magnets. Note: prices vary by popularity of parade. Our favorites were Bacchus, Orpheus and Rex.

https://www.mardigrasparadetickets.com/pages/zones

Thank you for that info! How would one go about getting the bleacher seating without going through the cruise line?

I just received an email from the promoters from the grand stands yesterday ... so really good timing. The link is below and don't wait too long to purchase your tickets as they do sell out ... but you should have a couple of weeks.

https://www.mardigrasparadetickets.com/pages/zone/3

We sat in Layafette Square B ... loved those seats. It's close enough to walk there and back and if you get there early, you get your choice of seats. If you want to catch a LOT of throws, sit down towards the bottom row but it should be known that we had several handicapped people attending so some who got their seats early gave them up and ended up standing. It was only the right thing to do but why buy seats in that case?? We got there way too early and so had our pick of seats. There is a parade tracker you can download on your phone and so you know when the parades are starting ... but then it still took them about 90 more minutes to get to our location. Anyhow, we choose the seats way at the top of the grandstands as there was at least something to lean your back against. Be forewarned, these are not the seats you want if have a weak bladder as you will not be getting out and back ...just because of the crowds and navigating the bleachers is not really easy, not because you won't be allowed back in. Anyhow, we still got quite a few beads thrown to us but you have to catch someone's attention on the floats as they tend to throw them to the bottom rows. We had a blast and I would choose those same seats if I were ever going to do it again.

We purchased the VIP tickets as there was access to a tent in case of rain and access to the bathrooms. We never used this option, though ... but it wasn't expensive....maybe an extra $5 or $10 pp.

We went to Proteus and Orpheus and loved the second parade the most ...not sure which one was which, though. We saw bits and pieces of the Fat Tuesday Parades from Bourbon Street ... much more elaborate throws from those floats. As it was, we couldn't take home all of which we got ... but we did take enough of our souveniers home to host a Mardi Gras party at our house this year.

Oh ... and if you get a chance to taste some King Cake ... yummmmm!! I don't even care for sweets and it was excellent.