Live from Steerage. Onboard Mardi Gras now. Ask us anything.

[ProgRockCruiser]

@KmomChicago, I've been following along as best I can with this thread.  So much exciting stuff!  Thank you so much for all that you typed up and posted.  This has been a fantastic insight into the Mardi Gras, which we'll be sailing in December.

 

I am not surprised you ended up booking the next cruise so quickly - that post-cruise high with the memories of the Fun just right there you can almost touch it make it so easy. 

 

I'll be going through this thread with my wife over a glass or bottle of wine one evening when we want to wind down - will make for an excellent excitement builder for our MG cruise in Dec!  (But first, we have a cruise in Sept on Magic...)

[busymomintc]

20 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Del Sol store at Mahogany Bay. I’m pretty sure they are at just about every Caribbean and Bahamian cruise port. Here’s what it looks like in the sunshine when it does its color change.

 

Jacket was right about 50 which I was pretty happy with. It’s sharp looking and flattering.

Thanks!

[busymomintc]

15 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Okay, I just told everyone we have no further cruises booked and that I am completely fine with inside rooms. Both of those things were true when I typed them. And I whined about our flight home Saturday night. And then I thought about how I long ago figured out Baltimore is the closest port to drive to, and my mom would only come with us if we drive anyway. So then I looked at the upcoming school holiday break schedule and liked what I saw.

 

Talked to my mom, who wasn't really planning to go on any more cruises, but after all, has never tried Carnival, and who has a completely different idea of what kind of room she is willing to inhabit, and somehow, I really am not quite sure how it happened, we ended up with a confirmation for the following two rooms for the 4 of us on deck 6.  I think I must have blacked out or something.  I don't remember a thing. It wasn't me. Nobody saw anything. You can't prove it. It's all Carnival's fault. 

 

So here we are. You travel with people, ya gotta give them what they want. Mom and I will share the big 'un and it will also function as the living room for all of us, because she's my mom. A few doors down we will have DH and teen in the "2nd bedroom."  I guess we're cruising again and quite a bit sooner than I expected.

 

That's awesome!  If I remember correctly each cruise we've been on was booked shortly after returning home from a cruise except for Mardi Gras.

[maryann2]

On 8/16/2021 at 5:37 AM, KmomChicago said:

Our ship on a stick has a friend now. We tried but couldn’t win one on Sensation so poor old reborn Triumph has been lonely for a while.

My ships. Also a few MSC but didn't get one on Meraviglia.

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, maryann2 said:

My ships. Also a few MSC but didn't get one on Meraviglia.

 

Are a couple of them silver colored?

[mondello]

48 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Are a couple of them silver colored?

Yeah, looks like the ones from MSC are. Notice the one way up high on the shelf, on the left? Looks like it's from the Titanic, with the ship nose down.

[Roscoe13]

3 hours ago, mondello said:

Yeah, looks like the ones from MSC are. Notice the one way up high on the shelf, on the left? Looks like it's from the Titanic, with the ship nose down.

Costa Concordia...

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, Roscoe13 said:

Costa Concordia...

If you expand the picture,  it looks like you can see the Captain waving to his girlfriend. 

[TravelBluebird]

14 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

There's a longer term mental health aspect to this.  Having something to look forward to has a massive therapeutic benefit to ALL FOUR OF US. I can see it, I can feel it. We are more cheerful. We have something positive to talk about and anticipate with true and deep happiness and affection for each other. 

 

So true. Booking my upcoming Carnival cruises was the thing that lifted my spirits out of my pandemic depression.  The Delta variant is doing its best to try to drag me back down, but I’m not letting it win. 

[KmomChicago]

I guess the initial rush of live Mardi Gras reports is already over after the 2nd sailing, with the usual suspects already on and off. 

 

At some point I was chatting with a couple of crew and they said everyone knew that the first couple of sailings were full of active semi-famous vloggers and reviewers and influencers, travel reporters, company VIPs, Travel Agents, etc.  They didn't really know who most of them were, and just treated everyone as they normally would.

 

I assumed there would be live reviews weekly for some time but I guess we will have to wait for someone to get off the ship from this third sailing to find out how it's going. 

[sanmarcosman]

10 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I assumed there would be live reviews weekly for some time but I guess we will have to wait for someone to get off the ship from this third sailing to find out how it's going. 

Let's hope the novelty hasn't worn off this soon.

[maryann2]

19 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Are a couple of them silver colored?

I dusted them all off and took some more photos.

Dream Magic and Elation are silver coloured

[maryann2]

Just now, maryann2 said:

I dusted them all off and took some more photos.

Dream Magic and Elation are silver coloured

Glory  Freedom Imagination Splendor

 

Destiny Sunshine and Legend

 

Triumph Vista Horizon and Conquest

[maryann2]

I am missing Miracle Spirit and Breeze.

[KmomChicago]

On 8/10/2021 at 6:21 AM, sailingships said:

All those empty seats did everyone have to sit further back from the stage?

 

Hi, Sailingships. I am finally, a full week after coming home, going back and re-reading my whole thread here start to finish for the first time.  One of this week's live reviewers, who just boarded yesterday, took a picture of Grand Central and they have reconfigured this seating in the area right in front of the stage. Now they are little groups of four chairs around a cocktail table so I will be asking him if they are being used more through his week.  I think really none of us thought they looked like good seats. Nowhere to put your drinks, very exposed, and there was lots of cocktail seating further back which was just more comfortable. 

 

The other possibility is that, with this space being an open theatre venue, people might like the ability to drop in and then choose to bail without being obvious to the performer. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

11 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

they have reconfigured this seating in the area right in front of the stage. Now they are little groups of four chairs around a cocktail table

So this sounds like a much more attractive way to sit up front.  Glad Carnival is willing to adapt and overcome!

[KmomChicago]

On 8/12/2021 at 2:11 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

When your dad was in Danang, I was about 400 miles south down the coast in Phan Rang. Has your dad enjoyed the pleasure of an Honor Flight?

 

I have been meaning to ask him this since you posted and here I am ten days later. . . it's on my list. I should be chatting with him sometime in the next few days and I will ask. 🙂

[KmomChicago]

On 8/12/2021 at 3:13 PM, pc2425 said:

Oh ok good.  I will see it for myself in 2 days.  Can’t wait!

 How was your cruise, Peggy?

[tallyho8]

I collect the Carnival pins that we get for being platinum. All the others I have had the ships name on it but the one I got on Mardi Gras just had Carnival and the year. Disappointing.

 

Did anyone get a pin that said Mardi Gras on it?

[KmomChicago]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:15 AM, ninjacat123 said:

If you charge it on your Carnival Barclay's card you get 10% off, or if you use an AllState Carnival gift card you get 10% off.  AND it's only $359, I misquoted the price. 😃

 Again Niinjacat I took your advice and booked the HMC cabana.  I didn't qualify for the discount but we decided for once to give it a try anyhow.  It's easy to drop over $100 pp on excursions anyway, and it's not like we can conveniently spend a day living like royalty on a gorgeous tropical beach every day so why not do it when the opportunity presents?  

 

My mom is not sure she wants to hobble on and off of a tender or try to take her Scootaround to HMC.  However I read that a golf cart will take you from the dock to your cabana. Can anyone comment? She is mobile but somewhat unsteady and tires quickly.  I did not get the accessible cabana as it was not available on my planner. I assume that means it's already sold but perhaps I should be calling special services or someone. 

[KmomChicago]

On 8/18/2021 at 11:51 AM, maryann2 said:

I am missing Miracle Spirit and Breeze.

 

Because you didn't sail them or because you didn't win?

[KmomChicago]

8 hours ago, tallyho8 said:

I collect the Carnival pins that we get for being platinum. All the others I have had the ships name on it but the one I got on Mardi Gras just had Carnival and the year. Disappointing.

 

Did anyone get a pin that said Mardi Gras on it?

 

We're just red so I am not sure but there have been a few elites commenting here so hopefully they can help. 

 

I can assure you we are not continuing to sail Carnival for the great loyalty club perks.  We are continuing to sail for the chance to win ships on sticks. 🙂

[KmomChicago]

MENU by POST NUMBER

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!  I finally got this stuff organized. While onboard I was posting in between having a great time and doing fun little recon missions per reader requests.  The menus I posted did not always necessarily correspond to what we were doing at the time of the post, so they are literally all over the place within this thread. 

 

Certain menu information was on the Hub App while onboard, and certain information came from scanning QR codes from little cards at each location.

 

Menus in this thread are from our Mardi Gras August 7, 2021 sailing and of course subject to change. Please note I did not post any menu information that seems readily available on the Carnival website or other good online sources. I tried to include certain menus specifically because pricing was available by scanning QR codes during the active cruise but not otherwise out there on the ol' interwebs.

 

Main Dining Room (Flamingo, YTD and Palm, early and late seating)

MDR Days 1 and 2, Post 322

MDR Day 3, Post 40

MDR Day 4, Post 119

MDR Day 5, Post 207

MDR Day 6, Post 276

MDR Day 7, Post 315

 

Other Menus Exclusive to Mardi Gras

Emeril’s Bistro 1396 with prices, Post 51

Emeril’s Bistro 1396 Market Prices for Seafood as of August 7 sailing, Post 63

Cucina del Capitano Lunch Menu, Post  67

Chibang! Lunch Menu, Post 68

Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse Dinner Menu (Complimentary on our Sailing), Post 88

 

Bar Menus with Pricing

Watering Hole Bar (Deck 8 Aft in Summer Landing, outdoors), Post 121

Parched Pig Brewhouse Bar Menu (Adjacent to Smokehouse), Post 123 and 124

RedFrog Tiki Bar, Post 159

Tides Bar, Post 257 I am not sure but I think this is also the general bar menu for bars without their own specialty drinks.

 

Not exactly a menu, but: Carnival Kitchen, Post 176.   (This is not my post.  It is from PC2425, and I think they borrowed it from someone on another MG thread.) I was interested in this activity but it was fully sold out by the time I got my bearings onboard. We stayed plenty busy even without this activity.

[maryann2]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Because you didn't sail them or because you didn't win?

I sailed on them also the Liberty. Forgot to mention that one. It was my first cruise and didn't realise  that one day I would become a collector of the ships. 

Didn't win on the Miracle and Spirit.  There was a couple on board who went to all the trivias with a clipboard and won them all. 

Won several times on the Breeze but they had run out of ships and just gave us collector cards of the entertainment staff.

[SNJCruisers]

7 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

MENU by POST NUMBER

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!  I finally got this stuff organized. While onboard I was posting in between having a great time and doing fun little recon missions per reader requests.  The menus I posted did not always necessarily correspond to what we were doing at the time of the post, so they are literally all over the place within this thread. 

 

Certain menu information was on the Hub App while onboard, and certain information came from scanning QR codes from little cards at each location.

 

Menus in this thread are from our Mardi Gras August 7, 2021 sailing and of course subject to change. Please note I did not post any menu information that seems readily available on the Carnival website or other good online sources. I tried to include certain menus specifically because pricing was available by scanning QR codes during the active cruise but not otherwise out there on the ol' interwebs.

 

Main Dining Room (Flamingo, YTD and Palm, early and late seating)

MDR Days 1 and 2, Post 322

MDR Day 3, Post 40

MDR Day 4, Post 119

MDR Day 5, Post 207

MDR Day 6, Post 276

MDR Day 7, Post 315

 

Other Menus Exclusive to Mardi Gras

Emeril’s Bistro 1396 with prices, Post 51

Emeril’s Bistro 1396 Market Prices for Seafood as of August 7 sailing, Post 63

Cucina del Capitano Lunch Menu, Post  67

Chibang! Lunch Menu, Post 68

Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse Dinner Menu (Complimentary on our Sailing), Post 88

 

Bar Menus with Pricing

Watering Hole Bar (Deck 8 Aft in Summer Landing, outdoors), Post 121

Parched Pig Brewhouse Bar Menu (Adjacent to Smokehouse), Post 123 and 124

RedFrog Tiki Bar, Post 159

Tides Bar, Post 257 I am not sure but I think this is also the general bar menu for bars without their own specialty drinks.

 

Not exactly a menu, but: Carnival Kitchen, Post 176.   (This is not my post.  It is from PC2425, and I think they borrowed it from someone on another MG thread.) I was interested in this activity but it was fully sold out by the time I got my bearings onboard. We stayed plenty busy even without this activity.

This overview post is phenomenal for those who need it and are looking for the information provided.