Willdra's Massive Carnival Mardi Gras Apr 30- May 7 Review

[we b cruzin]

Thank you for the review. It is great and I am really enjoying reading it. We sail on the Mardi Gras next April. 

[MistyRo76]

On 5/29/2022 at 2:52 PM, willdra said:

So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?

She thinks it's special, but it's all reused

That was our place, I found it first

I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you

 

Do you get déjà vu when you CRUISE too?

Do you get déjà vu?

Do you get déjà vu, huh?-Olivia Rodrigo with my edit

 

 

Cousins! Shake the dice, and steal the rice, Willdra’s back with another round of rabble! This time, we embarked upon Fat Tuesday herself, the Massive Carnival Mardi Gras!

 

If you've never read any of my reviews, welcome and where have you been? To catch up, there are links below in my signature. If you're already one of my cruise cousins, welcome back! You know the drill. 

 

As always this will be WAY too many words, and lots of them will be irrelevant and unnecessary. You will most likely daydream and doze off while reading this. So, if you’re like me, and need a nap, keep reading.

 

On this journey it was just W, (a guy who takes me places, buys me things, and to whom I’m married) and I. I’m happy to report that we kept our pre-cruise drama to a minimum this time. God knows what we need. We got our tests done on the Wednesday at CVS, since we’re both boosted. I wasn’t taking chances and playing games with W this time, so I scheduled my test, then sent him a screenshot, so he would pick the right one, then I checked to make sure he did it correctly. I’ve learned. Test day came fast and it was as nerve wracking as ever. Btw, is it nerve wracking, nerve racking, or nerve wrecking? Let’s go with nerve wracking. I think they all mean the same.

 

I knew we didn’t have the big C, but there’s always a chance for a false positive. Don’t want it. My time slot was 10am. The whole ordeal took about 5 minutes. At this particular CVS, they come to your car in the parking lot, then give you the test kit and instructions. A very uncomfortable minute later, you’re done. After my test, I called W to let him know that he could come early. His test was at 10:45. He was already in the area, so he got his done right after mine. At about 11:30, we got our negative results. Deep Exhale. Times two.

 

Next it was time to get serious about packing. Sort of. I pack a little every day, and it seems like it takes forever. I think it takes so long, cuz I try on stuff, dig for shoes, and perform other assorted time wasters whilst packing. It’s also cuz I have 4 closets to check for my things. Every time we go somewhere, I say “I’m going to consolidate some of this crap” but I never do. #consistent. So sometime Thursday night I finished “most” of my packing.

 

On travel day my alarm was set for my regular wake up time of 6:45. I got up at my normal 7am. We didn’t have a hard goal, so we took our time. I also like to make sure the house is super clean when we go away. There’s nothing like coming home to an already clean casa. That way when we return, all we have to do is unpack and relax. W took our little dude to the vet for boarding, while I finished my chores. We ended up leaving around 9. Just in time for Friday morning Atlanta traffic. To be honest, there’s always traffic here. I’m fortunate tho. My office is only about 8 miles from our house, so I really don’t get in traffic at all. W on the other hand, does. All of the time. As soon as he gets on the highway, it shows too. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride a'int got nothing on him. The good thing about his driving everywhere, if there is one, is that he drives, and he knows things. He is very knowledgeable about the exits on all of the major highways in GA. You name it, and chances are, he’s prolly been there. So when I say “I’m as hungry as a hostage”, he already has a plan.

Food is my love language. No shame.

 

 

We make it through GA and into FL which is not too complicated. Traffic was as thick as my thighs tho. There was also a noticeable police presence in spots. If you use Waze, it’s usually on point with letting you know where the popo is hiding. It relies on others reporting it, so we always pay it forward and either confirm, or report their hiding spots too. Keep your eyes peeled fam. They’re trying to take your cruise cash!

 

 As per usual, here are pics of W taking me places: 

 

 

 

I'm only three paragraphs in and I've already got a stupid grin on my face and have LOL'd from what I've read so far! So excited for another Willdra trip report! And tonight when I say MY prayers, I'm thanking the Lord for a slow day at work today so I can get caught up! 😜

[Megan_Strick]

On 5/29/2022 at 2:52 PM, willdra said:

So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?

She thinks it's special, but it's all reused

That was our place, I found it first

I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you

 

Do you get déjà vu when you CRUISE too?

Do you get déjà vu?

Do you get déjà vu, huh?-Olivia Rodrigo with my edit

 

 

Cousins! Shake the dice, and steal the rice, Willdra’s back with another round of rabble! This time, we embarked upon Fat Tuesday herself, the Massive Carnival Mardi Gras!

 

If you've never read any of my reviews, welcome and where have you been? To catch up, there are links below in my signature. If you're already one of my cruise cousins, welcome back! You know the drill. 

 

As always this will be WAY too many words, and lots of them will be irrelevant and unnecessary. You will most likely daydream and doze off while reading this. So, if you’re like me, and need a nap, keep reading.

 

On this journey it was just W, (a guy who takes me places, buys me things, and to whom I’m married) and I. I’m happy to report that we kept our pre-cruise drama to a minimum this time. God knows what we need. We got our tests done on the Wednesday at CVS, since we’re both boosted. I wasn’t taking chances and playing games with W this time, so I scheduled my test, then sent him a screenshot, so he would pick the right one, then I checked to make sure he did it correctly. I’ve learned. Test day came fast and it was as nerve wracking as ever. Btw, is it nerve wracking, nerve racking, or nerve wrecking? Let’s go with nerve wracking. I think they all mean the same.

 

I knew we didn’t have the big C, but there’s always a chance for a false positive. Don’t want it. My time slot was 10am. The whole ordeal took about 5 minutes. At this particular CVS, they come to your car in the parking lot, then give you the test kit and instructions. A very uncomfortable minute later, you’re done. After my test, I called W to let him know that he could come early. His test was at 10:45. He was already in the area, so he got his done right after mine. At about 11:30, we got our negative results. Deep Exhale. Times two.

 

Next it was time to get serious about packing. Sort of. I pack a little every day, and it seems like it takes forever. I think it takes so long, cuz I try on stuff, dig for shoes, and perform other assorted time wasters whilst packing. It’s also cuz I have 4 closets to check for my things. Every time we go somewhere, I say “I’m going to consolidate some of this crap” but I never do. #consistent. So sometime Thursday night I finished “most” of my packing.

 

On travel day my alarm was set for my regular wake up time of 6:45. I got up at my normal 7am. We didn’t have a hard goal, so we took our time. I also like to make sure the house is super clean when we go away. There’s nothing like coming home to an already clean casa. That way when we return, all we have to do is unpack and relax. W took our little dude to the vet for boarding, while I finished my chores. We ended up leaving around 9. Just in time for Friday morning Atlanta traffic. To be honest, there’s always traffic here. I’m fortunate tho. My office is only about 8 miles from our house, so I really don’t get in traffic at all. W on the other hand, does. All of the time. As soon as he gets on the highway, it shows too. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride a'int got nothing on him. The good thing about his driving everywhere, if there is one, is that he drives, and he knows things. He is very knowledgeable about the exits on all of the major highways in GA. You name it, and chances are, he’s prolly been there. So when I say “I’m as hungry as a hostage”, he already has a plan.

Food is my love language. No shame.

 

 

We make it through GA and into FL which is not too complicated. Traffic was as thick as my thighs tho. There was also a noticeable police presence in spots. If you use Waze, it’s usually on point with letting you know where the popo is hiding. It relies on others reporting it, so we always pay it forward and either confirm, or report their hiding spots too. Keep your eyes peeled fam. They’re trying to take your cruise cash!

 

 As per usual, here are pics of W taking me places: 

 

 

 

Yay! I've been waiting!

 

[Shaded Lady]

Whew- I was hoping I'd catch up on Day 1 so I could comment how much I loved your Mardi Gras leggings! So glad to join you on yet another Willdra and W adventure!

[bunnyette]

Yay Jamman & Wildra reviews!   Love your hair Wildra…

[willdra]

23 hours ago, rwest898 said:

I'm already laughing!! Thanks for the review. 

 

Thanks for jumping in! 😁

[willdra]

22 hours ago, AKR2011 said:

I've been looking forward to this one! I'm a huge fan of your reviews.  Love yout style, and you and W seem like my kinda people. Thanks so much for sharing! 

 

❤⚓ Ashley 

 

Thanks for hanging out with me! 🥰

[willdra]

19 hours ago, aztekpm said:

Yay, another Wildra review. What a week for reviews!

 

You and W are looking good and as always I laughed thru the start, you have a fantastic sense of humor and a way of telling a story.

 

I just did a road trip from Toronto to FL and back and gas seriously fluctuates thru every state.  You do NOT want to know what we pay up here!  LOL I also got the roadkill notice while driving.

 

Can't wait for more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow you did Toronto to FL and back?? I'm in total awe! Hopefully it was fun and you got to enjoy the ride! 🤗

[willdra]

19 hours ago, natefish95 said:

Oooooooh I am excited for this! Your reviews are always some of my favorite and I love all your random observations. The ashy feet man made me choke on my water lmao. 

 

Your hair is gorgeous by the way! 

 

Thank you! 🤣😂

 

[willdra]

12 hours ago, jimbri said:

Great review and photos!

 

Thank you!! 😆

[markkw07]

Hi Willdra and W!

 

Following along on your review and living vicariously through you both. I am "scheduled" for 

Mardi Gras in August 2022, so only a few months to go!.. Looking forward to it and getting

some pointers and observations from you both!

 

Glad u had a wonderful time!

Mark 

 

[willdra]

10 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

First, this review is So. Much. Fun.

 

Second, is it weird to get so excited over a shower door? Asking for a friend. 😉

 

Thanks, and excitement over the shower door is accepted and expected! 😆

[willdra]

5 hours ago, ALSPAUGHDOLL said:

You have a way of writing that makes me want to beg for more!!  I love your humor!!  We board the Mardi Gras June 18th.  I can't wait!

 

I'm jealous! You are gonna love her so much! ❤️🚢❤️

[willdra]

4 hours ago, we b cruzin said:

Thank you for the review. It is great and I am really enjoying reading it. We sail on the Mardi Gras next April. 

 

Thank you for joining my journey! 😍

[willdra]

4 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

I'm only three paragraphs in and I've already got a stupid grin on my face and have LOL'd from what I've read so far! So excited for another Willdra trip report! And tonight when I say MY prayers, I'm thanking the Lord for a slow day at work today so I can get caught up! 😜

 

Thanks! I appreciate the LOLs! 🤣😂 

[willdra]

2 hours ago, sthrnbll said:

Yay! I've been waiting!

 

 

LOL thanks for coming through!! 😃

[willdra]

2 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

Whew- I was hoping I'd catch up on Day 1 so I could comment how much I loved your Mardi Gras leggings! So glad to join you on yet another Willdra and W adventure!

 

Welcome back! Glad to have you onboard! 🥰

[willdra]

2 hours ago, bunnyette said:

Yay Jamman & Wildra reviews!   Love your hair Wildra…

 

Thank you!! 😃 It's definitely cruise review season on here! 😁

[willdra]

19 minutes ago, markkw07 said:

Hi Willdra and W!

 

Following along on your review and living vicariously through you both. I am "scheduled" for 

Mardi Gras in August 2022, so only a few months to go!.. Looking forward to it and getting

some pointers and observations from you both!

 

Glad u had a wonderful time!

Mark 

 

 

Smart! I did a little research here before we went, and it helped out a lot. Mardi Gras is big and beautiful, with so much to offer. You are gonna have so much fun! Wish we were going back that soon! 😍

[willdra]

Sunday Sea Day

I got up around 8. I wanted to hit Emeril’s before it got too popular. W wanted to sleep a little longer, which was fine. I could have all of the bathroom time that I needed while he slept. No pressure or deep sighs from the corner. Perfect.

 

It took me about an hour to get presentable enough, which just means I didn’t look like someone who eats Flaming Hot Cheetos, and drinks Sprite for breakfast. Hopefully. The plan was for me to go down, order, and get a table, then W would get there eventually. He woke up right at 9 as I was leaving. I reminded him where I’d be, and dipped out.

 

The ship was waking up when I stepped out. Bodies were in motion. The line at Emerils was short. There was one other person in front of me. In line, I quickly pulled up the menu in the app, cuz it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t know what else I wanted other than the beignets. I settled on the Shrimp and Grits, and a Latte. At Emeril's they give you a number to put on your table, then bring the food to you. Juan was the server bringing out the food and drinks. He was super nice. The Shrimp and Grits came out first. I dug in. It was everything! The grits were as smooth as unicorn fur, and the sauce was just as magical. I swear I saw stars, and heard heavenly harps playing as soon as I put it in my mouth. W came up as I was eating, and placed his order. He got the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich. That thing was colossal. It was a whole lot of food, even for W. My beignets came out, and I was definitely not disappointed. They were warm, soft, tender pillows of fried dough sprinkled with a combo of powdered sugar and pixie dust. Ngl, I think I like these better than Café Du Monde. Gasp! I know. Don't come for me, my Nola fam. It took a lot for me to make that decision, and it's not one that I made lightly. If you've never had beignets, (what are you even doing with your life?) you gotta know that it's almost impossible to eat them and not look like a bag of powdered sugar exploded on you. They are messy, but so worth it! Get 'em.

 

 

 

Shrimp and Grits

 

Beignets

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

So while I was thoroughly enjoying this culinary exquisiteness in front of me, one of the servers bought W a latte. Weird. I never got the one that I ordered. W drank the latte, and then had the unmitigated gall to announce that it was good, but he thought they brought him the wrong drink. Seriously? You thought that AFTER you drank the whole thing? I asked him what he ordered, and he said an americano. Let me get this straight. I ordered a latte that I never got. He got a latte that he never ordered. I smelled a rat, and a latte thief, whose name most likely begins with the letter W. So I say “I think you drank my latte”. His reply was “Oh I’m sorry”. Queue the slow wall slide. I paused for a few deep breathing exercises. Then I prayed that W wouldn't have to meet his maker for drinking my latte. Ok I got this. When Juan passed by again, I told him what happened, and he said “No problem, I’ll get you another one”. He did just that about 5 minutes later, and it was also delicious! Whew. That was a close call. W's life was spared yet again. God has his back!

 

The second latte 

 

We finished eating, and ran up to Serenity. It was only 10 am, and I thought we would have a decent chance still at finding shade. I was correct. As usual. There were still a few shady choices out. I claimed a lounge bed for us, while W went back to gather his belongings. He was low key bummed, cuz he forgot to pack his sandals. I ain’t even gonna try to figure out how that happened. The less you know, the better off you are.

 

We stayed out on Serenity a few hours until the sun won the battle and beat the brakes off of us. We didn’t put up much of a fight, cuz Serenity wasn’t exactly all that Serene. The inner seating area by the pool and bar attracted a lot of passengers. For good reason. It’s shady, breezy, and there’s lots of seating. However, it’s kind of in a cove, so the sound from people talking in there really travels. We were on the outside of it, and we could hear every word of several conversations. Not ideal. Not Serene.

 

W said he wanted to check out deck 8. We did that but didn’t find anything that grabbed us on that deck, or along the way. We were outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, and outplanned. From there, we went up to 16 and 17. There were some good options on the port side of 17. It was shaded and would stay that way. It was also close to food. Big wins. This was a popular walk-through spot tho, so there was loud traffic going thru periodically. It was mostly mature adults who were funny to listen to, cuz they were lost and couldn’t figure out where stuff was, so it was tolerable. 

[willdra]

A little while after we sat down, W said he was hungry, but he fell asleep. Welp, you snooze you lose.  I was hungry too, so I walked down to Street Eats to get fries. That day's fries were Philly Cheesesteak. I went up to 17 and got a burger from GBJ to go with the fries. W was awake when I got back, and he was jealous of my fries. Oh no my brother, you've got to get your own! The fries motivated him, so he popped up, and went to get food, after he realized that he wasn't gonna eat mine. To tell the truth, I was still low key giving him the side eye about the latte "situation". 

 

Philly Cheesesteak Fries and Burger

 

 

When he returned with his food, I was getting sleepy. I was also over being outside. I wanted to go back to the cabin to see if I could catch our Steward. I needed to see when he would come to the cabin. I didn't think the time was clear when we talked the day before. It seemed there was still a question mark where a period should've been.  I bid W farewell, and I went back to 14484. When I got there, I looked around and I didn’t see Jason in the hall. I went inside to just wait him out. While I was waiting, I straightened up the cabin and made the bed. That instantly made the cabin look 100% better. I was really sleepy after that. I laid down on the couch with just my pillows no blanket. The plan was to not get too comfortable, so I could jump up when the steward came in. I set my mental alarm for 5 o’clock, in case he didn’t come in, then I fell asleep. It was freezing in the cabin, which made me fall asleep fast. I woke up at 5. No cabin steward. No W.

 

I got up and started putting my stuff together to take my shower. I looked down the hall again to see if I saw Jason before I got in the shower. The coast was clear, and the hallway was empty. As soon as I got in the shower, I heard some commotion in the cabin. It sounded like somebody was breaking in, and fighting for their life. My mom didn’t raise no fool, so I reached out and locked the bathroom door. Whoever or whatever that was, would have to miss me with those happenings. The noise died down instantly, and it got silent. I finished cleaning off the funk of the day, and got out. W was back, so I asked him what happened. He said the commotion was him stopping Jason from coming in. Wait. Let me get this straight. I’m down there for 2 hours. I check the hall when I got there, and before my shower and nothing. As freaking soon as I got in the shower, errybody and their mama wanted to show up. Unbelievable. Let's hope this was at least productive.  I asked W if he locked down a time with Jason, whilst they were tussling. He said they agreed on 7:30pm. Hmmm. We'll see.

 

Since it was elegant evening, I wanted to be a grownup and wear makeup. It takes me an uncomfortable amount of time to apply it, since I hardly ever do it. I turned on my "making my face up" playlist, and got started with my elegant evening face beat, for what it was worth. However, instead of a face beat, I got more of a face pat. I did ok until I got to the glitter eyeshadow. That stuff is like cement. Glitter cement. Once you get it on, it sticks. If you happen to make a mess like I did, it gets EVERY.WHERE. And it will not be moved. Ughhh Thank God I remembered to bring the scotch tape. That’s the only way to get that stripper dust off. I cleaned it up as much as I could, then tried to finish blending and contouring. I don’t know how people do this all of the time. It’s a job.  A job that I’m horrible at. I finally had to call it quits, put everything away, and get dressed. I was outta time. As usual. 

[willdra]

W checked us in on the app, and we walked out at 7:26. We still had 10 minutes until our table would be ready so we went to the bar at the steakhouse. I got a glass of Merlot. I needed a red wine glass in the cabin, for the wine that I brought, and this worked out. Our table was ready soon after that. It was a 4 top, and we were happy with that. We could sit on the same side and people watch. #nosey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our server was Zandra, and she came over and took our orders. She was very nice. I had a Chocolatini, Shrimp Cocktail, the Pork Tart, Lobster, Prime Rib, and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. W had the same except he got the Crème Brûlée and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. Everything was scrumptious. We ate and enjoyed the atmosphere. For showtime we got 1 song. I think it was Sweet Caroline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we looked in a few shops, and scoped out the scene. We decided that we wanted to do the comedy show at 10:15. We went back down to change, then made our way to the Limelight Lounge. While we were waiting there, we saw there was an R rated show at the same time. We left the PG show, and went down to the Punchliner for the adult show. Even though it was about to begin, we found seats. I don’t know if this was a good sign or not. The comedian Jimmy Della Valle, wasn’t that funny to us, but other people were laughing. I guess everyone has their type of humor, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Emeril's looks so good! I can't believe all the reports that it is not busy. Enjoying your review!

[willdra]

Happy to reach the end of that show, we piled out and went to Lido for the 80’s Rock and Glow Party. Now that was fun! We got a good spot, and we sang (screamed) at the top of our lungs to our favorite 80’s songs. It lasted about an hour. W and I love music, so these sing-alongs are always our jam. I was kinda sad when it was over.