LIVE! Mardi Gras Redux 3/18 - 3/25 Let’s Cruise!

[TravelBluebird]

I’ve been having such a good time, I need to play catch up!

 

First off, I’m going to go LIVE with today’s happenings, then catch up with yesterday after, since yesterday was so busy.

 

Russ (husband) and I totally slept in; our room steward woke us up knocking on the door to see if we were still inside! It wasn’t really that late; 9:15.  I had a minor RA flare up, so I didn’t sleep well. I often get them at the beginning of a trip after flying and dragging luggage around; it irritates my carpel tunnel and then my hands go numb and I get shooting nerve pains. Not fun.

 

I only tell you this because it influenced my decision to take my dose of a medication called methotrexate today. When I was younger, I’d skip the dose when on a cruise ship, since I wanted to have a few drinks and not be fuzzy-headed for a day.  Seems I can no longer do this, so I took my medication after breakfast. Absolutely no drinks for me today (the medication is hard on your liver) so THANKS to Carnival again for creating those Lyre’s Spirits drinks! I’m looking forward to one after dinner while watching our Center Stage show tonight.

 

OK, back to the fun. So our friends were already awake and enjoying the cloudy and cool (not cold, just pleasant) weather out at the Summer Landing pool. More kids than last time there due to Spring Break, but all well behaved and a lovely morning spot.

 

Russ and I went to Emeril’s to get some coffee to go (no line!) our favorite coffee on the ship, and joined our friends out at Summer’s Landing where we planned the day.

 

We had a nice sea day brunch; wait time when we checked in (I think around 10) said 10 minutes, it was about 15.  My vegan friend loved the freshly squeezed vegan juices, but had a bit of trouble finding something to eat at the brunch. Much more about vegan dining after the trip is over, but if you are vegan and want to go to the Sea Day brunch, be sure to arrange what you want at the MDR the night before. She wanted avocado toast (no longer on the menu) and there is a crab and avocado sandwich on the menu, but you can’t get avocado toast if you are vegan without an order the night before. I had huevos rancheros, it was good; the crab and avocado sandwich ($ from Emeril’s; 25 minute wait) and omelette all good.

 

Afterwards, my husband won a reduced-price massage treatment later today, so he decided to do that; was able to get a 1pm booking.  Three of us decided to go walk the walking track for exercise.  Russ and Sue (my friend) are fast walkers; me not so much, so we all decided to walk at our own pace.

 

Wow. I mean, its Spring Break so not unexpected, but the walking track area is a happening  spot on this ship right now! Water park, mini golf, basketball, BOLT roller coaster, ropes course all up on that level. Last trip, the areas were in use but walking on track for exercise was no problem. This trip?  People going in all directions (there is an arrow for one direction…) people pushing baby strollers really slowly, you name it.  I decided to just shoot some video, and got maybe 5 laps in. My companions did manage several miles. My last lap around, a clam chair became available; I scooped that up and then Sue joined me and then Rick; so we hung out and watched the ocean and people watched awhile.

 

Here, we all split up.  This is a good thing. One of the best type of cruising companions to have are ones that are OK with everyone marching to the beat of their own drum.  My drum was the 1:15 line dancing at the Lido then the Thriller dance class at 2:00. Russ was the massage (and then the cerviche at Emeril’s; he loved it); Rick and Sue wanted to relax and explore.  

 

The Lido line dancing class was great! Michela (from Australia) from the fun squad was a good leader; we had about 25 people dancing, and we learned some NEW line dances, plus did some old favorites (YMCA, Cupid Shuffle, Fireball…). Rick and Sue came by and got some photos//videos for me. We ended slightly early due to a rain squall that came on quite quickly; I was about to quit because I was afraid I’d slip on the wet deck; they cut the class off at the exact right time.

 

Then off to the Thriller dance class in the Havana Bar. Also fun; had. great group; when the group was split up into 2 sides and we danced at each other, I had a fun Zombie stare down with another woman. So fun.

 

All my traveling companions ended up in a quiet corner of the Havana Bar where we just hung out and talked.

 

Quick shower (a must do after dancing; still love the Mardi Gras shower; great water pressure and temperature, plus that glass door!! And here I am staring at the beautiful ocean out my balcony window and writingl

 

Not sure if I’ll be able to put this up right now or if it will end up online later tonight; having terrible problem with Internet being super slow. Clearly no Starlink on this ship yet.

 

OK, I’m in! But almost off to an early Formal dinner. Here is the write up for today; photos to follow later tonight as well as some answered questions!

[ciship]

What kind of suite did you have?  We have an Ocean Suite coming up in Sept.  Have heard that the cabins, and particularly the bathrooms are very small.  Interested in your impression?

[Drazil65]

We had a "bump out" corner suite on MG and loved the room (there was a pull over divider curtain between bedroom area and living room, 2 big TVs and our bathroom was good with a larger shower (love the glass doors) than a regular balcony cabin bathroom and plenty of storage.  The bump out balcony was great for us (larger and can fit lounger with 2 chairs and table).   We love an OS on most ships but really enjoyed them on MG and the newer ships.  

 

 

[audcc77]

19 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

having terrible problem with Internet being super slow. Clearly no Starlink on this ship yet.

Hi Bluebird. I’m on here with you.  My cruises are usually working cruises and after trying for 45 minutes to connect, I called guest services to see if there was an issue.  After 10 rings, they hung up on me. I went downstairs and the lady says “it’s because of the weather” so apparently a few sprinkles makes the internet not work.  She said that  it will work “eventually”.  
 

We had actual thunderstorms and terrible winds on Elation last month and I watched the Murdaugh trial on YouTube with no issues.  

Agreed.  Let’s hope Carnival gets Starlink soon.  

 

[kelkel2]

3 hours ago, ciship said:

What kind of suite did you have?  We have an Ocean Suite coming up in Sept.  Have heard that the cabins, and particularly the bathrooms are very small.  Interested in your impression?

We had 14410 on the Mardi Gras in January. And although the room was more narrow than we’re used to and the bathroom was smaller than other ship’s cabins, we loved our suite. The suite bathrooms are larger than the ones in the standard balcony cabins. We had our 2 kids with us and we weren’t cramped at all. 

[TravelBluebird]

2 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Hi Bluebird. I’m on here with you.  My cruises are usually working cruises and after trying for 45 minutes to connect, I called guest services to see if there was an issue.  After 10 rings, they hung up on me. I went downstairs and the lady says “it’s because of the weather” so apparently a few sprinkles makes the internet not work.  She said that  it will work “eventually”.  
 

We had actual thunderstorms and terrible winds on Elation last month and I watched the Murdaugh trial on YouTube with no issues.  

Agreed.  Let’s hope Carnival gets Starlink soon.  

 

 

Yep! I was out gambling last night and when I got back to my room late (with my traditional after-gambling pizza snack—(by the way LIGHTNING fast on the pizza last night—I got mine with literal zero wait—they had additional servers grabbing the pizza and giving it the people in line by the hot peppers and oregano; fastest I’ve ever got pizza on a ship). I wanted to upload photos and catch up on my LIVE!.  Zero internet. I was told the same thing; weather.  There was one gnarly thunder clap and a few lightning streaks, but still.

 

Today in Nassau its been pouring all day and can’t bring up Cruise Critic at all on Carnival WiFi and everything else molasses slow.  I’m linked to my ATT $10 day pass on my phone just so I can post this!

 

So if I’m not keeping up with my LIVE!, now you all know why. I have SO much content to share; I’m going to post a bit about last night and today, and then hopefully tonight and/or tomorrow we’ll have better weather and some internet service! If we don’t, I’ll do all the photos//rest of info and answer questions as soon as it improves, or when I get home.

 

Internet is so expensive; I feel we should get a partial refund when it is like this.

[TravelBluebird]

5 hours ago, ciship said:

What kind of suite did you have?  We have an Ocean Suite coming up in Sept.  Have heard that the cabins, and particularly the bathrooms are very small.  Interested in your impression?

 

We have an Ocean Suite on 9; right by the aft elevators, and just past the big white awning on 8. We LOVE the location; so convenient to Summer Landing, Emeril’s and so many of our favorite spots..

 

I also really love the Mardi Gras Ocean Suites. Unlike on other ships where the Ocean Suites are square in shape, these suites are long. Close to 300sq ft, they have a nice desk//dressing area with a huge closet (not a walk in), and a great little sitting area with its own TV that separates from the bed area by a curtain. Husband is happily snoring right now after our day in Nassau (daily napper that one) and I am happily in the sitting area writing with the lights on, and looking out my balcony window.  

 

Balcony is also bigger than a regular balcony room (although no lounge chairs) but as my husband says, at least you can stretch out your legs.  Ours is in the location that does not have a cover over the balcony—not great for the rain, but it lets in tons of light and nice for enjoying the sun when its out, and you can see the night sky! But others can look down at you.

 

Bathroom is bigger than a regular balcony room but not huge or incredibly fancy; its just OK, but shower is great and it is bigger than the very tiny bathrooms in the Mardi Gras regular balconies

[TravelBluebird]

Today was our Nassau day. It rained. And not one of those tropical rains where it rains for 10 minutes and the sun comes out. It started raining about 15 minutes after we got off the ship, and then it kept raining, and got harder and harder.  At one point (we were on a walking tour) crossing the streets was like fjording rivers. We were prepared with light rain jackets, but we still got soaked. 

 

WOW was it busy in port today! 5 ships; Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Sunshine, Celebrity Reflection, MSC Merviglia and the Norwegian Encore. Someone said that there were 22,000 cruisers in port today, and that seemed about right.

 

Although I’d already been on it, I did the Tru Bahamian Food Tour with Captain Ron. First of all, last time I did it, I didn’t have Captain Ron as my guide, and he is truly amazing. Second, my foodie husband wasn’t with me and really wanted to do it; and third, well, it rained last time I did it. So I thought, great, I can also get some video for my channel that I couldn’t get last time.  HA. Lets just say last time it rained much LESS than this time.  Anyway, I’ll do a full review with photos when I return, and you can also look at my review of the tour in my first Mardi Gras LIVE!  

We did some shopping after, and then gave up the ghost and came back to the ship to dry off.

[TravelBluebird]

Last night waas Formal Night!

 

Unlike last time I was on Mardi Gras and put in for dinner at a later hour and waited forever for a table the first formal night, this time we put in for a table at 5:30.  The app said 10 minutes and the wait was not bad; I’d say about 20 minutes.

 

Food was very nice; I had the Crab Cake, Caesar Salad,  Filet Mignon and Grand Marnier Soufflé (worth the diet cheat!) and my vegan friend Sue had a nice Chef’s Choice that she enjoyed. Rick had the Salmon.  

 

We finished dinner just in time to find some scarce seats for Celestial Strings. Everyone loved it! And we are talking major theater people here; All of us have been involved with theater either onstage or back stage; RIck even directs local theater,  The cast was great in this; strong singers and good dancers. They were so much better in this than in the Rock Revolution we saw the previous night, i’m going to assume this was the show out of all of the ones on the ship they were most closely cast for.  And of course the string trio was great.

 

Last time I saw the show i saw it from high up on Level 7; this time down on the floor, but a bit towards the back; so a very different experience. Upstairs, you feel the spectacle; downstairs, the emotion. The performers use much of the lower floor for the performance; we were right by a tree in the set and could practically reach out and touch the performers, they were so close at times!

 

They we went to the Alchemy bar and tried some more of the Lyre’s Spirits drinks. I had a Martini Seduction and my husband The Perfect Storm. We enjoyed both; The Restorative Basil Drop and Cucumber Sunrise still our favorites since they are less sweet.  Only ones we have left to try are The Remedy, The Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini, and the Hearts of Fire.  When I have more internet, I have photos, a more in-depth review, and menu images.

 

It was fully my intent last night to go to the Mega Deck Party after some gambling. Well..if you gamble, you know what its like when you find a slots machine that lets you gamble for a LONG time without investing a ton of money. I found one of those last night, and instead gambled until 12:30! I actually walked away only slightly up, BUT I got over 1500 points, so drinks on us in the Casino for the rest of the trip! Which is a little funny because the only thing I drank last night while in the casino was a water…but now that I’ve taken my meds, I DO intend to drink some the rest of the trip (already had a Bahama Mama on the food tour).  

 

OK that is it for now!  Don’t want to waste phone data with a ton of photo uploads; I’ll just do several posts of just photos when I have better Mardi Gras internet (keep your fingers crossed!). Keep the questions coming;  i may have time to answer a few more before we leave Nassau, but its almost 4pm so I’ll lose my phone connection.  

 

[TravelBluebird]

@audcc77

 

Are you having a good cruise? If you see me on board, please say hello!

[TravelBluebird]

On 3/19/2023 at 1:06 AM, VIFP1987 said:

What did you think of the Lyre’s drinks?

Which drinks did you try? Thanks!

 

Its a little buried in another post, so I’ll repeat here:  SO far we’ve tried the Martini Seduction, the Restoritive Basil Drop, the Cucumber Sunrise and the Perfect Storm.   Full review and full info to follow; we are pulling away from port now!

[audcc77]

45 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

@audcc77

 

Are you having a good cruise? If you see me on board, please say hello!

Yes!  Great time! 
Food has been good except the buffet where the beef dishes seem to have A LOT of fat and gristle. This is why I rarely eat meat outside my house.  
 

I’m a huge fan of the creative salad bar concoctions at the end of the salad bars.   
 

Very much interested in what your vegan friend is enjoying around the ship as our son is vegan and I keep telling him to cruise and they will accommodate him.  I love good vegan food.  
 

I will say hello if I see you around ! 

[BermudaBound2014]

On 3/19/2023 at 5:28 PM, TravelBluebird said:

Russ and I went to Emeril’s to get some coffee to go (no line!) our favorite coffee on the ship, and joined our friends out at Summer’s Landing where we planned the day.

 

 

Aloha and thanks for the great trip report. I'm enjoying following along.

 

Can you please elaborate on Emeril's coffee situation? Why is this your favorite (other than no line)? Cost? Do they make latte's? Mochas? TIA 🙂

[audcc77]

32 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Can you please elaborate on Emeril's coffee situation?

While you wait for Bluebird, I will tell you that Emrils had NO flavorings.  And they serve you in a cup unless you are taking it to go.  The cup is not as large as a regular Java Blue cup as far as I could tell.  
 

We stopped off for beignets which were on sale for $5 for 6.  
 

Somehow, I thought they had some kind of luscious cream filling of some sort but they only had air inside. Say what?!   Maybe you’re supposed to pour the chocolate or strawberry sauce  INSIDE this big gaping hole?  🤷‍♀️

 

At any rate, they were yummy. 

[ninjacat123]

8 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

While you wait for Bluebird, I will tell you that Emrils had NO flavorings.  And they serve you in a cup unless you are taking it to go.  The cup is not as large as a regular Java Blue cup as far as I could tell.  
 

We stopped off for beignets which were on sale for $5 for 6.  
 

Somehow, I thought they had some kind of luscious cream filling of some sort but they only had air inside. Say what?!   Maybe you’re supposed to pour the chocolate or strawberry sauce  INSIDE this big gaping hole?  🤷‍♀️

 

At any rate, they were yummy. 

The beignets I ate at Cafe du Monde were puffy, warm bites of fried dough with powder sugar liberally sprinkled on. No sauce.  I didn't eat any at Emeril's (dang it) but they sound very similar.  Yum!!

[BermudaBound2014]

33 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

While you wait for Bluebird, I will tell you that Emrils had NO flavorings.  And they serve you in a cup unless you are taking it to go.  The cup is not as large as a regular Java Blue cup as far as I could tell.  
 

We stopped off for beignets which were on sale for $5 for 6.  
 

Somehow, I thought they had some kind of luscious cream filling of some sort but they only had air inside. Say what?!   Maybe you’re supposed to pour the chocolate or strawberry sauce  INSIDE this big gaping hole?  🤷‍♀️

 

At any rate, they were yummy. 

 

Thank you! Is the coffee they serve different that the lido? Cost?

[audcc77]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Thank you! Is the coffee they serve different that the lido? Cost?

Yes. It’s about $4-5. 
 

I was on the MG twice last year and they must have upgraded their coffee machines because coffee tastes way better now. 

[TravelBluebird]

7 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Yes!  Great time! 
Food has been good except the buffet where the beef dishes seem to have A LOT of fat and gristle. This is why I rarely eat meat outside my house.  
 

I’m a huge fan of the creative salad bar concoctions at the end of the salad bars.   
 

Very much interested in what your vegan friend is enjoying around the ship as our son is vegan and I keep telling him to cruise and they will accommodate him.  I love good vegan food.  
 

I will say hello if I see you around ! 

 

The biggest problem so far is getting the wait staff in the MDR, Chibang, Sea Day Brunch etc. to understand that there is a difference between vegetarian and vegan. Several times, wait staff has guided my friend to items on the allergens-noted menu that are not vegan, for instance, items with dairy sauces, or tofu with fish sauce (that isn’t even vegetarian!).  She has enjoyed the Guy’s vegetarian burgers. There is always a good vegan Indian selection for MDR dinner ,but you need to be able to eat spicy food for that. The chef did make a nice “Chef’s Choice” menu for Formal night.  THere are delicious vegan juices at Sea Day brunch ($5 charge).  Fruit for desert. Salad bars in buffet and Serenity deck.

 

All MDR food that is vegan must be ordered the night before in the MDR, whether it is for dinner or sea day brunch.

 

My friend is going to help me put together a more complete review of her eating experience on the Mardi Gras when I return and I’ll be sure to post it. 

[TravelBluebird]

6 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Aloha and thanks for the great trip report. I'm enjoying following along.

 

Can you please elaborate on Emeril's coffee situation? Why is this your favorite (other than no line)? Cost? Do they make latte's? Mochas? TIA 🙂

 

I should have clarified that we get the Emeril’s Cappucinos with an extra shot of espresso. We don’t get the regular coffee there.

 

And I agree with @audcc77 that the regular buffet and MDR coffee is better this year!

[TravelBluebird]

We’ve had one snafu this trip I want to tell you about.

 

All 4 of us were booked at the Chef’s Table for Wednesday night (2 reservations, 1 for each couple), paid an with confirmations. Sometime between when I left my house on Friday and getting on the ship Saturday, “shore” cancelled my reservation (the one for me and Russ).

 

When we got on the ship, in the app under notifications, I had a notification that my Chef’s Table was cancelled, which is how I found out.  We went to Guest Services immediately (before it got crowded, 1st day), and they assured me that was a mistake, they could see I had a reservation, and that I paid for it.

 

Later that day, I got a call from the Chef’s Table manager, who said she didn’t know what happened or how the reservation got cancelled, but could we move to another night? We said no (wanted the experience with our friends) and so she said OK, she’d fix it.

 

Our friends got a message from same person, but were not there to answer it.

 

Still feeling nervous, after 1st night’s dinner, we asked about it in the MDR, and they told us to speak with the manager of Rudi’s Seagrill, who managed the Chef’s Table also. So we did, all 4 together. She again assured us that we could all dine on Wednesday together

 

So imagine our surprise when Alwyn (I did not have my glasses on so I hope I have the name right), a dining officer, came to find us at ChiBang tonight during our dinner.  He explained that they could only comfortably take 16, not 18, and apologized but we could not get accommodated. We were going to not go (we’ve done it but our friends had not) and let our friends go, but they decided to cancel their reservation as well (there was not another night that would work for all 4 of us).  We’ve been told we’ll all get our cost for the reservations refunded (I hope before we disembark because ours was made with ship credit).

 

I was upset that we were not told a firm no:  our mistake, can’t be done on the first day because we wasted time and ended up in the same place.   I hope the Carnival technology for reservations doesn’t do that often.

 

Alwyn came back to our table after briefly leaving and offered us a free bottle of wine as an apology. We told him thank you, but no one really was drinking wine on this cruise. We briefly conferred and asked instead could we get some vouchers for 4 drinks at the Alchemy Bar, including the Lyre’s Spirits drinks that we’d been drinking?  He said yes, and said he’d actually  bring them to our dinner!  So he and a server came back with our drinks ; the Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini for me, 2 Cucumber Sunrises, and a regular alcoholic drink as well (name escaping me at the moment).

 

We appreciated those drinks from Carnival very much! Nevertheless, we were disappointed, and I am sad I won’t have the chance to review the Chef’s Table for everyone. Perhaps if it’s offered on the Venezia TransAtlantic, I’ll get a chance to attend and report on it then.

[TravelBluebird]

OK; its after midnight but the rain has stopped and the wifi is working a bit better: Here are some photos to catch up before bed, with more to follow tomorrow which is a sea day:

 

 

 

 

Line Dance Class out on the Crowded Lido

Playin’ the Slots

 

 

 

 

Adorable Elephant Towel Animal first day

Me enjoying that clamshell seat after my walking workout; proud of that broken ankle cankle!

Chef’s Choice Vegan Sea Day Brunch

Huevos Rancheros Seaday Brunch

 

 

Emeril’s waiting for coffe

 

 

Russ enjoying the final part of our Peking Duck at Chibang ($20 up charge; info to follow) 

Closer look at the duck stir fry and noodles side dish, ChiBang. Movie below is of the Line Dancing Dance Class on Lido, first sea day. Last photo of me in that clamshell again!

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

Ok just a couple more photos till tomorrow; these are various views of the 5 ships in port today in Nassau, plus one of the nearly completed Nassau Cruise Terminal (so much progress since last year!) and one of Captain Ron, guide for our  Bahamian food tasting tour. If the internet cooperates tomorrow I’ll catch up on info and I have more photos to share! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by TravelBluebird

[gatorchinsky]

10 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Yes. It’s about $4-5. 
 

I was on the MG twice last year and they must have upgraded their coffee machines because coffee tastes way better now. 

I was wondering is Emeril’s coffee included in the Cheers package?

[ciship]

11 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Yes. It’s about $4-5. 
 

I was on the MG twice last year and they must have upgraded their coffee machines because coffee tastes way better now. 

One of my VERY few complaints about Carnival is their flavorless coffee.  Just a pointless cup of joe!  Another reason why I love the Cheers package.  Much better coffee at Java Blue and various other bars/restaurants!

[audcc77]

1 hour ago, gatorchinsky said:

I was wondering is Emeril’s coffee included in the Cheers package?

Not sure.  I’d grab coffee at Java Blue or Bar de la Rosa as I think it tastes better.