Pirate’s LIVE Mardi Gras Review…11/12/22-11/19/22

[pirate4me2]

I always do reviews AFTER my cruise to help with my PCD (post cruise depression), but in honor of this being my first cruise post-pandemic, let’s try something I have never done before…a LIVE review! Ok, Ok, really the reason I am doing a LIVE is because DH is in college and has to do some schoolwork while onboard (Looser! Just kidding….way to go Hubs), so we have to purchase an internet plan. We normally just purchase the Social plan to stay in touch with the petsitter, so if I am shelling out for a higher plan, you can bet I am going to take advantage of it and make y’all jealous that I am onboard! 😜

 

It has been 2 years, 8 months, and 26 days (or just a very long 1001 days, however you prefer to see it) since I stepped off Carnival Conquest and I will step on the Mardi Gras. In that timeframe, I have lost any traces of sanity that I originally had. I had a really bad horse accident that resulted in a TBI, had a mental breakdown (probably part of the TBI that I didn’t realize I had at the time), sold my house, moved into a camper (right at the start of winter….that shows how bad my mental state was! 😨), lost my dog Traveler to a stupid accident 💔 (some of you may remember him from my Dysfunctional Family Vacation review), and just recently lost my beloved old cat Gizzy due to old age 💔. I’m still here tho, just a slight alcoholic and much grumpier Pirate at this point. Needless to say, this cruise is a MUCH NEEDED getaway! DH and I have done many land vacations over the past 2.5 years (FL Keys, Texas, Gulf Shores, NOLA) but they just aren’t our thing. We are CRUISERS at heart!

 

We decided to book this cruise the day after Carnival announced that unvaccinated cruisers could sail again, as long as they did a pre-cruise COVID test. 🎉 I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of shoving a Q tip up to my brain (I had somehow made it thru this whole debacle without submitting to a COVID test), but I was willing to suffer thru one if it meant I could cruise again! As the weeks leading up to the cruise passed, other cruise lines began loosening or doing away with their COVID testing protocols, and I started getting excited. First, Carnival said you no longer had to do a SUPERVISED test (hooray! I can just have DH shove my Q tip up his nose! Just kidding….I wouldn’t do that…I’d shove it up Fido’s nose first. 🐶KIDDING!!!), then Princess said no more testing althogether, and FINALLY I got an email at 8:45 pm on October 25 saying Carnival no longer required a pre-cruise test. YAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS!

 

 We had been booked on Mardi Gras before the shutdown for one of her first sailings from Port Canaveral, and seeing the videos and reviews of the ship the past several months really had me itching to try her out. I saw an aft balcony available, and I jumped on it. We also decided to splurge and do something else we had never done before: purchase the CHEERS! package….remember, I am somewhat of an alcoholic now since the shutdown and my accident. 🍸🍹 My goal this cruise: try at least one drink from every single bar onboard, and work my way thru every single drink on the menu at at least one of the bars. Y’all think I can do this? 😉

 

So….with all that boring talk outta the way, who’s ready for FUN? Tune in for Pirate’s marvelous return to the seas!

[MeganGC1983]

Following. Have a great cruise! 

[pirate4me2]

7 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Following. Have a great cruise! 

Thank you! I’m a little anxious about the trip down Friday (looks like we will have cruddy weather!) and leaving our camper and KatieKat, but hopefully it’ll all go smoothly. 

[DebOinKC]

So glad you're back Pirate. Look forward to your review.

[pirate4me2]

10 minutes ago, DebOinKC said:

So glad you're back Pirate. Look forward to your review.

Thank you. It’s going to feel great to get back onboard a ship! 

[Jamman54]

Looking forward to this! 🤗

[pirate4me2]

12 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Looking forward to this! 🤗

ME TOO Jeff! 🙂

[crewsweeper]

Watch your footsteps as prep for our January/February adventure.  As always curious what other find.  And what might be different from when we were last on board the Mardi Gras.

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

pirate ~ glad to see you've started your live from. Looking forward to cruising Mardi Gras through you.

 

Stay safe.

 

~ Jo ~ 😊

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, retiring soon said:

Hi all!

 

pirate ~ glad to see you've started your live from. Looking forward to cruising Mardi Gras through you.

 

Stay safe.

 

~ Jo ~ 😊

Glad to have you onboard with me Jo!! We really need to coordinate another cruise together! A “What a Breeze” reunion!

[pirate4me2]

All packed! Into CARRYONS! Heck yeah! 
if anyone sailing on Saturday sees me parading thru Terminal 3 like I won the 2 billion dollar jackpot…this is about equivalent to it! I NEVER pack light. And DH said it couldn’t be done…don’t say those words to me! Challenge accepted! 
side note: the sloth isn’t coming along, he was just dropped there by Divya the Ausshole as she walked by. She is trying to smuggle something into our luggage to remind us of her, so we feel guilty about leaving her behind at Rotten Rottie Resort. 

[ninjacat123]

Great start and looking forward to more!!  Say hi to MG for me😃

[pirate4me2]

Pre-Cruise Hotel Info:

 

On one of our land vacations to the Keys last year, we stopped in Cape Canaveral as a quick overnight to visit our favorite port to sail away from. We were itching for some yummy food from Fishlips, and we wanted to see our beloved ships in port...including the shiny new Mardi Gras! As is our tradition when in PC, we booked to stay at Raddisson Resort at the Port….we love that awesome pool, and every time we have stayed there it has been nice.

 

WOW……have things changed! The room we were put in was NOT up to standards. It looked like a cheap hotel you’d rent by the hour, if you know what I mean. I really didn’t want to lay down in that bed, for fear of bedbugs (which I checked for by the way!) and when I did it was squeaky, and the linens were scratchy. I refused to bring my suitcase in the room, for fear of creepy crawlies getting in it. The carpet was frayed and had stains in it, and the bathroom had stains in the toilet and tub.  I heard a few others complaining about the condition of the hotel as well, and even DH, who can sleep in a hammock between a tree for all he cares, said it was run-down and nothing like it used to be. The pool was still beautifully kept up, but they really need to invest some money into the rooms.

 

So, with that said, when I booked this cruise I did not even consider staying at Raddisson pre-cruise like in the past. I looked around online, and settled on trying out Home2 Suites by Hilton, which I THINK is kinda close to Raddisson. The address says it is at 9004 Astronaut Blvd, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. We shall see! I didn’t see a Park & Cruise package like Raddisson has (but then again, I was not sober when I booked….I discovered Absinthe and drank ½ a bottle of it as I was researching….word to the wise, absinthe is NOT your friend if you drink that much of it) so I very well may have overlooked it on their site. Oh well, I am not heartbroken about parking at the port….I actually like parking at Port Canaveral, it is easy peasy lemon squeezy, and when I hop off the ship I can just get in the truck and start zooming home!

[MeganGC1983]

38 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Pre-Cruise Hotel Info:

 

On one of our land vacations to the Keys last year, we stopped in Cape Canaveral as a quick overnight to visit our favorite port to sail away from. We were itching for some yummy food from Fishlips, and we wanted to see our beloved ships in port...including the shiny new Mardi Gras! As is our tradition when in PC, we booked to stay at Raddisson Resort at the Port….we love that awesome pool, and every time we have stayed there it has been nice.

 

WOW……have things changed! The room we were put in was NOT up to standards. It looked like a cheap hotel you’d rent by the hour, if you know what I mean. I really didn’t want to lay down in that bed, for fear of bedbugs (which I checked for by the way!) and when I did it was squeaky, and the linens were scratchy. I refused to bring my suitcase in the room, for fear of creepy crawlies getting in it. The carpet was frayed and had stains in it, and the bathroom had stains in the toilet and tub.  I heard a few others complaining about the condition of the hotel as well, and even DH, who can sleep in a hammock between a tree for all he cares, said it was run-down and nothing like it used to be. The pool was still beautifully kept up, but they really need to invest some money into the rooms.

 

So, with that said, when I booked this cruise I did not even consider staying at Raddisson pre-cruise like in the past. I looked around online, and settled on trying out Home2 Suites by Hilton, which I THINK is kinda close to Raddisson. The address says it is at 9004 Astronaut Blvd, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. We shall see! I didn’t see a Park & Cruise package like Raddisson has (but then again, I was not sober when I booked….I discovered Absinthe and drank ½ a bottle of it as I was researching….word to the wise, absinthe is NOT your friend if you drink that much of it) so I very well may have overlooked it on their site. Oh well, I am not heartbroken about parking at the port….I actually like parking at Port Canaveral, it is easy peasy lemon squeezy, and when I hop off the ship I can just get in the truck and start zooming home!

I enjoy your research ways. 😆

[pirate4me2]

8 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I enjoy your research ways. 😆

Yeah, but it could be dangerous....I made sure to double check the other day (before my evening shennigans) and make sure I booked a hotel for the correct date and correct city/state!  

[peteandpris]

We will be on this cruise back to back. Hope to see you there.

[kelkel2]

I’m so looking forward to this review!! I’ll be on MG in January! And now I’m very glad we didn’t book the Raddison! 

[pirate4me2]

1 minute ago, peteandpris said:

We will be on this cruise back to back. Hope to see you there.

If you see me, say hi! I told DH I am going to try and be more social this cruise. I am terrible with small talk, but I am trying to work on it. He just laughed when I told him that is one of my goals this cruise. 🙄

[pirate4me2]

1 minute ago, kelkel2 said:

I’m so looking forward to this review!! I’ll be on MG in January! And now I’m very glad we didn’t book the Raddison! 

Thanks for following along!

As far as Raddisson.....I was shocked to be honest by the condition of it. Maybe they have done some work (our stay was last June), but I just wasn't willing to chance it. Every time we stayed there before it was great, so maybe this was a one-off, but yeah....I won't stay again until I see reports of it being in better condition. 

[kelkel2]

2 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Thanks for following along!

As far as Raddisson.....I was shocked to be honest by the condition of it. Maybe they have done some work (our stay was last June), but I just wasn't willing to chance it. Every time we stayed there before it was great, so maybe this was a one-off, but yeah....I won't stay again until I see reports of it being in better condition. 

Yeah, that’s too bad. I know at one point it was a nice hotel. But they have to keep up with it. I’m kind of a hotel snob after working for hotels through college and I just won’t compromise or take a risk. It’s too bad really.. 

[VitaminSea23]

Hi Pirate, this thread is getting me even more excited! I see you have your Mardi Gras beads ready to go! I will be joining you; on your mission to drink through an entire menu at one bar😁. Can't believe how close we are. I am here in Orlando anxiously waiting for Nicole to pass already🙄. Saturday looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, hope to see you onboard.

[pirate4me2]

1 minute ago, VitaminSea23 said:

Hi Pirate, this thread is getting me even more excited! I see you have your Mardi Gras beads ready to go! I will be joining you; on your mission to drink through an entire menu at one bar😁. Can't believe how close we are. I am here in Orlando anxiously waiting for Nicole to pass already🙄. Saturday looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, hope to see you onboard.

Hey VitaminSea, yes, I put the beads on my luggage so they are ready to go! 

Lucky you being so close to the port.....we have to drive thru Nicole to get there! My anxiety is more than a little escalated by that. We will be heading out early Friday morning and taking it slow and easy to get down there. 

[VitaminSea23]

6 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Hey VitaminSea, yes, I put the beads on my luggage so they are ready to go! 

Lucky you being so close to the port.....we have to drive thru Nicole to get there! My anxiety is more than a little escalated by that. We will be heading out early Friday morning and taking it slow and easy to get down there. 

Slow and steady wins the race, you will have a beautiful huge ship, plenty of drinks, and a double guys burger waiting for you at the finish line😆. Safe Travels on Friday!

[pirate4me2]

Hahaha thanks! I am hoping they still have the Funderstruck burger, I do want to try that. I already know my first meal on embarkation day will be Shaq's....love me some good fried chicken! 

[MeganGC1983]

54 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Hahaha thanks! I am hoping they still have the Funderstruck burger, I do want to try that. I already know my first meal on embarkation day will be Shaq's....love me some good fried chicken! 

Big Chicken is so good.