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

[mlshum]

Ok, you’re hysterical (and I fully support that!) and we’re on the Mardi Gras in January so i’m IN!

[KmomChicago]

7 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Kmom, certainly a blathering rambler thou be but only in a most sensible, entertaining and well-written way.

 

We are former Carnival cruisers, enjoyed them all but outgrew the vibe many years ago. Wouldn’t you know, along comes Mardi Gras and tickles that dormant Carnival fancy thus forcing two helpless seniors to purchase passage onboard a future sailing. The fact that she will reside thirty minutes up the road from our residence made it easy to want to get acquainted with this new girl in town.

 

Now, obviously I cannot help you, but, I will ride your coattails over, under, around and through this thread thus, like you, gathering info and determining possibilities. I'm even going to let you do all the work…my arthritis and all.

So, if that’s good with you I will certainly take advantage. If not, I’ll just sit back and enjoy your prose.       

 

Oh, Spif. Be still my beating heart. To meet a kindred soul so early in this nascent thread, a lover of things both Carnival and othercuisely, a loyal follower of both my words and my actions as well as those who choose to travel among us. Your place upon my coattails is secure and guaranteed.

 

If I may pry, which vibe better suits you in the normal course of events? I too am technically a senior, celebrating my 55th annum while aboard this anticipated journey, though one who still toils for wages and expects to continue for many years hence.  My 78 year old father and 73 year old stepmother will also be aboard.

[kwokpot]

I'm booked on the Mardi Gras on 9/4 and 4/15. The 9/4 was just booked a couple of weeks ago on an amazing Casino comp, so I'm really excited to be on the 5th cruise of this ship!

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Bluebird perhaps we will get some feedback on that topic here, and in any case when I actually sail I will work on scoping out this situation and will ask some questions of the culinary staff onboard.

 

Awesome KMom thank you; I look forward to any information you can scope out re vegan cruising on the Mardi Gras!

[Spif Barwunkel]

31 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Oh, Spif. Be still my beating heart. To meet a kindred soul so early in this nascent thread, a lover of things both Carnival and othercuisely, a loyal follower of both my words and my actions as well as those who choose to travel among us. Your place upon my coattails is secure and guaranteed.

 

If I may pry, which vibe better suits you in the normal course of events? I too am technically a senior, celebrating my 55th annum while aboard this anticipated journey, though one who still toils for wages and expects to continue for many years hence.  My 78 year old father and 73 year old stepmother will also be aboard.

Thanks Kmom, I appreciate the guaranteed security. Being your dads age I would never ask my beating heart to be still. Don't want to give it any ideas.

 

In a normal year, in normal times, DW and I will do 3 or 4 cruises. Celebrity is our cruise line of choice with Royal second, (if we're feeling a little frisky). Don't get me wrong, we are healthy and able but do prefer the less hectic more easy going pace provided by X. 

 

The Caribbean islands are very familiar to us, living in the neighborhood and all. Cruising on Mardi Gras will be totally a ship thing. Be interesting to see if we can get into a Carnival frame of mind. I'm sure we can.   

[KmomChicago]

Welcome and thank you to all who have joined me and posted here. Since this is a pre-planning preview and since I'm not getting anything done at work today, I might as well cover a few basic points early. 

 

OBLIGATORY COVID VACCINATION PARTY DECLARATION - PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS TOPIC MAKES YOU AN ANGRY POTENTIAL CRUISE PREVIEW READER.

 

The youngest person in our traveling party (five passengers, two stateooms) is 15 and also the last among us to get the Covid vaccine (2nd dose last week).  This means, of course, we don't need to worry about that as far as impacting the cruise manifest. We will be part of the 95% and the more of us who are covered, the more space there will be for some li'l chillin's to come along under the 5% provision. 

 

Of course I don't know how many passengers will actually be on the ship. If there are only 1,000, for example, We need at least 950 vaccinated which leaves room for 50 un. If there are 2,000, we need 1900 V, and now there is room for up to 100 U. And so forth. Pretty simple math.  They have told us we are 'posed to be jabbed if eligible, and we need to submit a form tout de suite if an exemption is requested for someone ineligible.

 

Honestly I am just glad we don't have to worry about it anymore. I don't have any kids under 12 and I wouldn't want to be in that position at this particular moment in time. It does make me feel kind of good that our party is not asking for any of the exemptions, so they can be available to others in that boat (so to speak). 

[Wanna_Cruize]

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Question number 3: Steakhouse. Mardi Gras will have a 555 Steakhouse and it looks like two non-steak options are the Broiled Rosemary Chicken and the Lobster Ravioli. I just have to be difficult and be a rebel so I am considering both of these. Who has had them on one of the other ships, and who can tell me if they are worth the upcharge?

 

Kmon, I believe I saw Dover Sole on the Steakhouse Menu. Never tried it, but it might be an option for you also.

[KmomChicago]

I feel the need to get this out there too:

 

• Party of 3, Premium inside cabin, price before adding gratuities and vacation protection.  

[mkcurran]

• I like verbose reviews. Count me in!

[KmomChicago]

My immediate family of 3 is flying from O'Hare to Orlando International. We are on Frontier, I have the "Discount Den" membership this year, and I bought the Perks bundle which gives us the ability to assign our seats, a carry on bag, a checked bag, and priority boarding, for all 3 of us. Cost is $744. I also used Frontier a couple weeks ago when the teen and I flew out to Las Vegas for a ten day trip there and northern Arizona. Those 2 flights easily justify the annual fee for Discount Den and we may or may not fit one more flight in before the year is up.

 

Dad and stepmom live down that way so they will be picking us up at the airport the day before the cruise, and of course they are driving us all to the ship in their vehicle which we will park at the port. On the way back, our flight is pretty late on debark day so we will all ride back to their place for a few hours before they bring us back to MCO.

 

In the past we have flown Allegiant from Indianapolis to Sanford. Indy is further for us, but less traffic and hassle than Chicago, and Sanford is closer to my dad's place and a nice easy little place to get in and out of.

[KmomChicago]

I mention we chose the PREMIUM INSIDE CABIN. Let me explain what this is and why. 

 

We would like a window or even a balcony or, heck, let's be honest. A suite.  On this ship we are not willing to pay for any of that. The newer, larger ships tend to be significantly pricier than the old rust buckets Fantasy class and other older ships.

 

This phenomenon is much worse during high season, which summer definitely is, even this late-ish summer date. Getting a window, much less a balcony, was going to add many, many hundreds of extra dollars to our base fare. I don't remember how many of them but it was more than five of the hundreds and I think it was something like 8. Hubby and I just said, it's not worth it. We had an inside guarantee on Oasis of the Seas a few years back and it was really comfortable and well designed at about 170-180 SF and we were fine with it, especially since the ship was so awesome we were only in the room to change, shower, and sleep.

 

I like how quiet and cool inside cabins tend to be, and how pitch black dark they are at sleepy time. 

 

Now the problem is, MOST of the inside staterooms on Mardi Gras are small. They have room for a bed, and a little desk, and the closet, and that's it. No sofa. We had this layout on Carnival Sensation and also had a "rollaway" bed on the floor for the kiddo - no upper berth - which took up about 80% of the very limited floorspace. It was our smallest cabin as a family. I kinda hated it, TBH. So did everyone else. We still had a great cruise on that ship and would still sail Fantasy class again in the right situation but I would choose a room with the upper pullman. 

 

So the key here is, we like our space. These rooms we chose are few and far between, but significantly larger than the other insides and for only $150 more total for the whole cruise for all 3 of us. There are about 30-40ish of what they are calling a Premium Inside cabin. It looks like it will be very similar to what we had on Oasis. About 180 SF and enough room for a sofa and some open space between it and the desk. They have introduced a new single bed that flips really easily from couch to bed, and it doesn't open up and take up more floor space. 

 

At this link you can watch a video at the stateroom factory where they show this bed. They model a balcony cabin, but the floor plan shows our premium inside will be exactly like this, just no sunlight and no balcony.

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/mardi-gras/staterooms.aspx#Design

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

Question number 4: I can't help but notice Cucina del Capitano is cheaper than some of the other specialty restaurants. Is it worth it?  If so, what dishes particularly do you recommend?  

 

I do see what appear to be some vegan options - i.e. spaghetti with red sauce seems safe, at least one salad, and a few sides that should fill the bill.  

 

Again for me I think the appetizers and sides are grabbing me more than the entrees. Rice balls, minnestrone, burrata, roasted broccoli and cauliflower with some lemon thing I never heard of before.

 

By the way, I'm not sure my companions will do all this with me - some meals may be solo and then I am definitely just ordering appetizers. 

 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/cucina-del-capitano-menu.ashx

[KmomChicago]

Back to the Steakhouse. What is the deal with Wagyu Beef? It just says you get Wagyu. It doesn't say what cut of this venerable high quality beef.  I have to assume it must be somehow incredible because it's on the menu. Can someone explain this please? Does it really taste different than grab-bag beef?

 

[KmomChicago]

I've lost track of question numbers but the companions like sushi so I think Bonsai sushi has a high chance of making the grade. Looking for general recommendations from the peanut gallery, please. 

 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Back to the Steakhouse. What is the deal with Wagyu Beef? It just says you get Wagyu. It doesn't say what cut of this venerable high quality beef.  I have to assume it must be somehow incredible because it's on the menu. Can someone explain this please? Does it really taste different than grab-bag beef?

 

Wagyu beef is a premium cut of beef. Exactly like Angus beef is. Wagyu is a Japanese cow,so in the example you posted the beef is a cross between Australian cattle and Japanese cattle. You won't find real 100% Japanese Waygu beef in most places since it's insanely expensive.  All the places you see advertise Waygu beef it's a cross breed between Angus cattle and American bred Waygu cattle. The beef is supposed to be super tender because of the unique marbling of fat throughout the beef.

[KmomChicago]

21 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Wagyu beef is a premium cut of beef. Exactly like Angus beef is. Wagyu is a Japanese cow,so in the example you posted the beef is a cross between Australian cattle and Japanese cattle. You won't find real 100% Japanese Waygu beef in most places since it's insanely expensive.  All the places you see advertise Waygu beef it's a cross breed between Angus cattle and American bred Waygu cattle. The beef is supposed to be super tender because of the unique marbling of fat throughout the beef.

 

Interesting. I literally did not notice the "Australian" part or realize it is not, like, "real" Japanese Wagyu. That's straight from the Carnival website from their steak house menu. Thanks!

Edited June 25, 2021 by KmomChicago

[Wanna_Cruize]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Question number 4: I can't help but notice Cucina del Capitano is cheaper than some of the other specialty restaurants. Is it worth it?  If so, what dishes particularly do you recommend?  

 

I do see what appear to be some vegan options - i.e. spaghetti with red sauce seems safe, at least one salad, and a few sides that should fill the bill.  

 

Again for me I think the appetizers and sides are grabbing me more than the entrees. Rice balls, minnestrone, burrata, roasted broccoli and cauliflower with some lemon thing I never heard of before.

 

By the way, I'm not sure my companions will do all this with me - some meals may be solo and then I am definitely just ordering appetizers. 

 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/cucina-del-capitano-menu.ashx

 

We loved eating at Cucina Capitano on our couple of cruises on Magic out of Galveston. We're definitely going to try them on Panorama. DH is Italian, and he really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. A few years ago they had a short rib that was awesome. Don't see the exact thing on the menu anymore, but something similar. It is open for lunch, completely free, doing pretty much a build your own pasta, so that would be great for a vegetarian. 

[Clarasgrandma]

14 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Question number 2 is for the Main Dining Room. I have always wanted to try that Cinnamon Pumpkin Cheese Pie. I picture a slice out of a a nice seasonal, smooth cheesecake type concoction, but now I wonder if it's more of a savory pot pie type of thing? I know someone out there has tried this and can let me know if it's any good and what it actually is. 

The one time I tried this is was more like a pie with a top crust.  The filling wasn’t sweet and not enough cinnamon for me. I’ve read on other reviews that this dish can vary from ship to ship in taste.  I love pumpkin but this tasted like straight pumpkin without any other flavors when I had it. If I would have had some sugar and/or cinnamon to add to it, it would have been ok.

[IntrepidFromDC]

15 hours ago, stellarose said:

...  not vegan just pescatarian. 

And in a moment of rare solidarity, the cows, pigs and chickens all raised a glass and chanted "Yeah, who needs them fish anyhow???!!!"

[helene109]

17 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

My immediate family of 3 is flying from O'Hare to Orlando International. We are on Frontier, I have the "Discount Den" membership this year, and I bought the Perks bundle which gives us the ability to assign our seats, a carry on bag, a checked bag, and priority boarding, for all 3 of us. Cost is $744. I also used Frontier a couple weeks ago when the teen and I flew out to Las Vegas for a ten day trip there and northern Arizona. Those 2 flights easily justify the annual fee for Discount Den and we may or may not fit one more flight in before the year is up.

 

Dad and stepmom live down that way so they will be picking us up at the airport the day before the cruise, and of course they are driving us all to the ship in their vehicle which we will park at the port. On the way back, our flight is pretty late on debark day so we will all ride back to their place for a few hours before they bring us back to MCO.

 

In the past we have flown Allegiant from Indianapolis to Sanford. Indy is further for us, but less traffic and hassle than Chicago, and Sanford is closer to my dad's place and a nice easy little place to get in and out of.

We are flying out of Midway on 8-13 and live in Indiana. I got airfare for $92 each way on Southwest!

[SNJCruisers]

With regards to Cucina del Capitano......the best entree there, IMHO is the Tomahawk Pork Chop.  For side dishes, the three of you can split an order of spaghetti carbonara and an order of fingerling potatoes.   The tariff for this meal, as well as dinner at Jiji's is only 15.00.

Another new to Mardi Gras venue that you have not mentioned is Rudy's Seafood Grill, which, like the steakhouse runs 38 pp.  And if someone is anti seafood, they do have 3 nonseafood entrees.

 

Below is a link that has the menus for Shaq's Big Chicken, Emeril's Bistro 1396 and Piazza Panini.  Emeril's is a la carte pricing and the other two are free.  https://www.alannazingano.com/videos/carnival-mardi-gras-menus

Below is a link to Rudi's menu. 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/rudis-seagrill-menu.ashx

 

[KmomChicago]

45 minutes ago, helene109 said:

We are flying out of Midway on 8-13 and live in Indiana. I got airfare for $92 each way on Southwest!

 

Excellent, well done. I love Southwest and I like flying out of Midway rather than the behemoth O'Hare when I can. By booking with Frontier last December when the airlines were all pretty desperate, I got what seemed a reasonable deal to me. If I had foregone the nickel and dime charges we'd have been quite a bit less, but I'm not willing to have us all separated in middle seats and trying to cram a week's cruise - without guest laundry (boo Mardi Gras) - into carry ons and backpacks.

[helene109]

Just now, KmomChicago said:

 

Excellent, well done. I love Southwest and I like flying out of Midway rather than the behemoth O'Hare when I can. By booking with Frontier last December when the airlines were all pretty desperate, I got what seemed a reasonable deal to me. If I had foregone the nickel and dime charges we'd have been quite a bit less, but I'm not willing to have us all separated in middle seats and trying to cram a week's cruise - without guest laundry (boo Mardi Gras) - into carry ons and backpacks.

I hear you! We are 4 adults kids are 22 and 25 and I am really going to miss the laundry! I might by the early bird can’t decide yet. Going to book my transfer from my Disney hotel soon! So excited we have never had a suite! Kids have their own room. Price wasn’t that much more as this is the 3rd cruise rebook. 

[KmomChicago]

5 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

With regards to Cucina del Capitano......the best entree there, IMHO is the Tomahawk Pork Chop.  For side dishes, the three of you can split an order of spaghetti carbonara and an order of fingerling potatoes.   The tariff for this meal, as well as dinner at Jiji's is only 15.00.

Another new to Mardi Gras venue that you have not mentioned is Rudy's Seafood Grill, which, like the steakhouse runs 38 pp.  And if someone is anti seafood, they do have 3 nonseafood entrees.

 

Below is a link that has the menus for Shaq's Big Chicken, Emeril's Bistro 1396 and Piazza Panini.  Emeril's is a la carte pricing and the other two are free.  https://www.alannazingano.com/videos/carnival-mardi-gras-menus

Below is a link to Rudi's menu. 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/rudis-seagrill-menu.ashx

 

 

Thank you SNJ. I am considering whether to do Rudi's. I kinda feel I should, simply because it's new to Carnival and I would like to provide useful info here back to peeps after the cruise, and also I don't know if we will ever sail another Excel Class ship, so no-time-like-the present.  On the other hand I did look at the menu and for some reason it's not grabbing me. I definitely want to do Emeril's for some meal - it's open B/L/D so maybe I will take advantage of an early meal there, (sushi place is open for lunch too but we LOVE sea day brunch and we haven't planned our port days yet) and of course we will check out the free Shaq's and Panini place. 

[helene109]

5 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Excellent, well done. I love Southwest and I like flying out of Midway rather than the behemoth O'Hare when I can. By booking with Frontier last December when the airlines were all pretty desperate, I got what seemed a reasonable deal to me. If I had foregone the nickel and dime charges we'd have been quite a bit less, but I'm not willing to have us all separated in middle seats and trying to cram a week's cruise - without guest laundry (boo Mardi Gras) - into carry ons and backpacks.

Doesn’t Southwest allow 2 free bags?