Mardi Gras / Live / Solo / Nov-27-Dec-04-2021...

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Testing day!!!... I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous that I'll bungle the test somehow, and excited to get it over with and get my "official" results. I considered trying to do it on my phone, but I think that the Chromebook would be easier, leaving my hands free. Only thing is, I don't have internet at home so I'll have to take it over to my old job and bogart their internet... But first, I've got to chug down this pot of black coffee...

Make sure there’s plenty of table space in front of you to lay everything out. And make sure the camera can see it all.

[Saint Greg]

7 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

There is no such thing on the Mardi Gras.

I don’t think there’s one for any ship right now. They’re limiting the number of people in the lounge due to covid protocols. That’s why it’s suites only.

[sid_9169]

"Mr Clean"... I went ahead and gave myself a haircut this morning, and I also shaved, which I really hate to do... I'm about to head out to perform my corona virus test now. Wish me luck...

 

 

[meatball_nyc]

Good luck!! 🤞

[19cruiser59]

Jules will take care of you!

[sid_9169]

I'm currently knee deep in the corona virus testing with eMed... I'm using my Chromebook, and it's been pretty straightforward so far. First, it asked me to login to the Navica app, and pretty soon I was speaking with the "guide"... I opened the box under his supervision, then opened the actual test card. I had to squirt six drops of fluid into the top hole of the test card, prior to using the swab. Next, I opened the swab and rotated it in both nostrils five times. I then inserted it into the testing card, and now must wait fifteen minutes for the results to become clear. I just realized that this is as close as I've ever been to being involved in a zoom meeting... And, now we wait.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

At this point, I can clearly see a single pink line indicating a negative result... Four minutes to go...

 

 

[sid_9169]

Two minutes. Still looking good.

[sid_9169]

One minute left... Still looking good:)

[sid_9169]

Negative!!!...

 

 

[sid_9169]

I went ahead and printed two copies of the results, and I saved one to my phone... I assume that I can also access the results on the Navica app if needed...

[meatball_nyc]

Awesome Sid!!! 

 

Have a nice Mango Marg to celebrate!

 

🍹

[Jamman54]

Congrats Sid! Let the drinking commence! 

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

And, now a bit more of the back story...

 

I wanted to upgrade to a balcony cabin, but for whatever reason, it wouldn’t allow the rep to “capture” the particular cabin I had selected. He put me on hold again, and it was a good 20 minutes before I was able to speak to a manager. When all was said and done, he was also unable to secure the cabin I wanted, saying they were “working on the website” today… Either way, I was booked, and that’s all that really mattered. Well, that and the nearly year and a half wait to sail…

 

 

I had already booked, and paid for my Cheers! Beverage Package and some specialty dining, and they said it would be automatically refunded in about “1 to 3 weeks”... The time frame really didn’t bother me, as long as it was refunded eventually. The $600 in OBC would easily cover my Cheers! Beverage Package as well as the daily service charges / gratuities, and also helped to take the sting out of being cancelled on. Since I had already booked flights and a hotel room months ago, I next began the process of cancelling those as well. The hotel was no problem, as I hadn't actually paid yet. With the flight, I would end up receiving a “flight credit” rather than an actual refund. Not a huge problem, as I would need to re-book flights eventually anyway…

 

[sid_9169]

Now that the test is out of the way, I checked in for my flight and printed my boarding pass... My TSA Pre Check is good to go, so I'll save time in line for security... Now, I'm about to make the drive across town to have Thanksgiving at my dad's house. All that's left now is the remainder of the packing and one nights sleep!...

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by sid_9169

[sid_9169]

.........

 

A few days later, I was able to secure the balcony cabin I had selected, and this would be the first time in a few years that I’ve sailed in anything other than an inside or solo cabin. It would mean that I would owe a few hundred dollars over what I had originally paid, but I had more than a year before I would actually need to make a payment. Plus, I would receive another $50 in OBC, bringing my total to $650…

 

At that point, I pretty much put this “review” on the back burner, as we were still smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic that no one could have ever imagined would linger on for so long. America was also in the midst of a contentious election cycle, which further soured my outlook on life overall… 2021 began, but things seemed to only get worse, rather than better. The rollout of the vaccine began to gain steam, and at least there appeared to be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. My entire life was packed up in boxes, and I still hadn’t been able to find an affordable place to live. Fortunately, my landlord had taken my place off the market for the time being, due to the length of the ongoing pandemic. The cruise lines continued to cancel incrementally, and it was now an entire year since sailings had set sail from America. Finally, in late spring, there was a glimmer of hope for the cruising industry, when Royal Caribbean and Celebrity began fully vaccinated sailings from ports in the Caribbean. Soon after, Celebrity Edge became the very first ship to sail from the US with paying passengers. Other lines would soon follow, and I finally had some kind of hope that this nightmare of a year would soon be behind us…

 

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

.........

 

Carnival returned to service on Independence Day weekend, launching the Vista from Galveston and the Horizon from Miami. I couldn't believe it was actually happening, and I wished that I could have been among the first back on board. I was “this close” to pulling the trigger on a Horizon cruise in August, but my budget and my apartment search weren't in the greatest shape, so my better judgement prevailed. Normally, I would have just thrown caution to the wind, but I really needed to get my life under control. On top of that, my “pandemic eating” was beginning to catch up with me, so I made it a project to get my eating and drinking under control. I had also been dealing with a terrible pain in my arms, which made just getting through the day at work excruciating. The doctor said it appeared to be tendonitis, and I started taking some medication, which would hopefully offer some relief. 

 

 

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

.........

 

Around mid-July, I found a condo that would fit my needs, and was still close to work. It would be a bit of a stretch in my budget, even with the nice down payment that my mom helped me out with. At least I would now be building equity in something, rather than throwing money away on rent, like I’d been doing for the past 30 years. Finally, on July 31st, the Mardi Gras set sail for the very first time from Port Canaveral… I sooo wished that I could have been one of those on board to experience her for myself, but my sailing was still more than 100 days away. I immersed myself in preparing for my upcoming move, and prayed that everything went well, and that I could finally unpack my boxes, which had been packed up for over a year now… 

 

In mid August, I closed on my new condo, and immediately began the process of painting / cleaning / and moving boxes over… I should have done this 30 years ago, and I would own it free and clear right now, but instead I now owe mortgage payments all the way up till 2051… At least I wouldn’t have to move again just because the owner decided to sell the place out from under me. The news coming from the first several sailings of the Mardi Gras was great, with many saying it was the “greatest Carnival ship ever”... It certainly had more dining and beverage options than any of their other ships, and this is what I was looking forward to most of all.