Kmom NEEDS LOTS OF HELP PLEASE - Pre-Planning Pre-Review Preview Mardi Gras August 7, 2021 - Join me if you dare

[mondello]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

We'll likely arrive after our 10:30-11:00 window. Perhaps 11:30 ish.

Fashionably late is great for the red carpet.

 

Dang it, I meant to call the Fun Shops a have a bottle of Tito's Handmade Vodka sent to your suite. I thought, "Tom and Cheryl in the Presidential Suite," and they'd figure it out.

[KmomChicago]

[sailingships]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Let us know how embark is going.

There was a salad bar on the Serenity on the Horizon. Do they have the same set up on the MG?

[SenatorsFan]

36 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Hooray! Your cruise is really happening. Have a blast. 😁

[KmomChicago]

Several little challenges getting settled in. Embark was fine but parents room wasn’t ready, then neither key worked. Now my steakhouse restaurant booking does not show in my hub app-nor does any dining booking for tonight-but my husband’s hub app shows bonsai teppanyaki for tonight which we didn’t book. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

6 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Several little challenges getting settled in. Embark was fine but parents room wasn’t ready, then neither key worked. Now my steakhouse restaurant booking does not show in my hub app-nor does any dining booking for tonight-but my husband’s hub app shows bonsai teppanyaki for tonight which we didn’t book. 

ugh...!

 

So far, no big hitches. I was sad to see that Emeril's Bistro was not open for lunch today as it was for the sailing last Saturday, that was our planned first food stop. Instead ended up at Shaq's Big Chicken, and was actually impressed with the MDE Chicken Sandwich !!

 

Trying to find my reservations in the Hub app. Have not yet (but I did confirm our reservation at the Steakhouse earlier). The fellow I spoke to there said they have 130 people for tonight, with 9 servers. He said this with the look of stress on his face!

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

14 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

ugh...!

 

So far, no big hitches. I was sad to see that Emeril's Bistro was not open for lunch today as it was for the sailing last Saturday, that was our planned first food stop. Instead ended up at Shaq's Big Chicken, and was actually impressed with the MDE Chicken Sandwich !!

 

Trying to find my reservations in the Hub app. Have not yet (but I did confirm our reservation at the Steakhouse earlier). The fellow I spoke to there said they have 130 people for tonight, with 9 servers. He said this with the look of stress on his face!

 

Tom

That doesn’t sound terrible to me ratio wise but we shall see.

[Shayhooper]

18 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

ugh...!

 

So far, no big hitches. I was sad to see that Emeril's Bistro was not open for lunch today as it was for the sailing last Saturday, that was our planned first food stop. Instead ended up at Shaq's Big Chicken, and was actually impressed with the MDE Chicken Sandwich !!

 

Trying to find my reservations in the Hub app. Have not yet (but I did confirm our reservation at the Steakhouse earlier). The fellow I spoke to there said they have 130 people for tonight, with 9 servers. He said this with the look of stress on his face!

 

Tom

130 for 9 servers shouldn’t be too bad.  Assuming 2 people per table and let’s say 2 different seatings, that would be at worst 3 - 4 tables at a time per server.  That number goes down dramatically if there are more people per table.

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

Magic is heading out and should be passing you guys here shortly 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

No sparkling wine in our suite. Guest services said they ran out, but are bringing on more. Plan B then for toasting at sail away!

[rmh661983]

What time is sailaway?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just now, rmh661983 said:

What time is sailaway?

Supposedly 5.

[watermelonqueen99]

Following! Have a great cruise!

[SNJCruisers]

12 hours ago, sailingships said:

There was a salad bar on the Serenity on the Horizon. Do they have the same set up on the MG?

Yes.  Along with a bar and a good size pool with a sunken padded area next to it.

[KmomChicago]

Well hullo again everybody. I’m not sure why but the first 24+ hours of this cruise have been more of a whirlwind than what I’ve experienced in the past. It may be my age or a few actual differences between other cruises from my past. There are many things to love about Mardi Gras and a few things to adjust to a bit - which is not bad, just a new era.

So to catch everyone up, we had dinner at the steakhouse Saturday night and Tom and Cheryl successfully identified me from clues I had dropped about my family. They are way way more experienced cruisers than we are and were in the steakhouse as well. So let’s look at some fancy appetizers. Bone marrow and beef tartare, tuna tartare with some avocado juicy concoction as a palate cleanser, and iced and smoked oysters. 
 

We had first received a selection of breads with rich butter and basil mousse which seemed like more butter encased in green dust and didn’t taste all that basilly but was still delish. We also were given a very nice amuse bouche of fried avocado with a teensy but of some sweetish jelly. We had come onboard late for us, 1:30, and had run into multiple little snafus so we skipped lunch and were all too ravished to take pics before inhaling any if this. Also this is a far more sophisticated meal than we are accustomed to so we were all pretty delighted by this point.

Edited August 9, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

Kiddo got surf and turf with red wine sauce (most excellent) and bearnaise (good but kiddo didn’t like it as much) with baked potato.

[KmomChicago]

No wagyu. Supply chain problems have kept the steakhouse from getting any yet so I got the spice rubbed ribeye with sautéed mushrooms. Everyone else in my party got filet mignon and they all said it was one of the best they have ever had. 

[KmomChicago]

I am going to try to upload the video of the chocolate sphere dessert. They bring you this tennis ball size gorgeous shiny brown chocolate ball but don’t let you touch it until they douse it in this warm bitter chocolate sauce (a little boozy) which deconstructs it into a messy and succulent pile of dessert components that are practically beyond description. Very nice.

[KmomChicago]

Watched Playlist Production Rock Revolution which we really enjoyed, but we always like the song and dance shows. I love the sight lines in the main forward theatre. There is no balcony and there are no blocking poles or glass walls to separate you from the action as on seemingly every other Carnival ship. The theatre may be a little smaller but it’s better designed like a standard old time regular theatre with just rows of seats looking at the stage, not like a lounge with all the nonsense of banquettes and booths and little arrangements of seats around tiny cocktail tables. 

[KmomChicago]

I was doing some walkies this morning like John Heald (who is not onboard nor is Christine Duffy, though I have seen Dee and Jay, aka ParoDeeJay several times and told Jaybird I am a fan). It was about 10:45 in the morning, extremely bright sunshine, very hot and very very muggy. I believe this was the Tides pool and vicinity, decks 16 and 17 aft. Lots of claimed/hogged loungers but still tons and tons available. I generally like the heat and it is way too hot for me and thus far I have no interest in being out there for more than a quick walk around. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

Much more crowded around the main Lido pool at midship near the tiki bar which is of course the center of pool action. Still loungers were available. I haven’t made it to Serenity yet to check it out. Later in the afternoon this area was jam packed including the pool itself to the point of sardines. 
 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

Waterworks with seating for parents right there.

 

[KmomChicago]

Bolt photo op car. 
 

 

 

[KmomChicago]

Sports Square random stuff. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

56 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

No wagyu. Supply chain problems have kept the steakhouse from getting any yet so I got the spice rubbed ribeye with sautéed mushrooms. Everyone else in my party got filet mignon and they all said it was one of the best they have ever had. 

I tried the spice rubbed ribeye once and was, sadly, not impressed at all.  It was good.  It SHOULD HAVE BEEN great.  Every other Carnival steakhouse dinner I've had was GREAT.  My favorites have been turf and surf with the filet medium-rare, and rack of lamb.