Mardi Gras...oh what a first cruise story!

[e150club]

the madi gras 1985 honey moon cruise i was hooked then. a lot has changed since then. i remember you paid cash at the bar,you could buy booz at the duty free shop and bring it to your room. we had a great time that we will never forget. we leave on our fourth cruise in july cant wait.

[daveco58]

I met a lovely girl on the Mardi Gras - ahh the memories. I was with family, she was sharing a cabin with someone - we got chased all around the boat by crew trying to clean up in the wee hours - and two years later we were married.....

Sadly, the Mardi Gras outlasted the marriage.

[slotl]

daveco58,

 

If you were on the Original Mardi Gras, you will love the following book:

 

Devils on the Deep Blue Sea : The Dreams, Schemes and Showdowns That Built America's Cruise-Ship Empires by Kristoffer Garin (Hardcover - Jun 23, 2005) -

 

It is the history of the cruise industry focusing on the beginning of Carnival, the story of NCL, and the rivalry which created Royal Caribbean. It is quick reading.

 

If you are like me and have cruised for many years, you can remember and associate with the ships and activities mentioned in the book.

[oceanbreezer]

I cruised on the Mardi Gras in 1979 for March Break to the Eastern Caribbean with a group (around 30 I think) from our high school. We all were around 17 years old. Our high school had only about 400 students in our small town so this was BIG for us. One teacher and his wife were our chaparones. We flew out of Detroit to Florida. I will never forget the excitement of seeing her for the first time. The orange vinyl chairs in the DISCO bar (do the HUSTLE). Our chaparone was well into his 4th or 5th drink before we left port. We saw him about 3 times during the 7 day cruise. Once was during the 'Talent Show' when one of my roommates and I sang "IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS". We received a 'Gold Ship on a Stick' way back then too.

Everynight when we went back to our stateroom, our pajamas were in the shape of some sort of animal or something. It was amazing what they could do with those little pieces of fabric.

I remember spending the last night sleeping under the stars on deck. Some guys mother that I met from Oregon woke me up and asked if I was a Canadian. When I replied yes she told me I had to go down for customs. I didn't want the cruise to end!:(

There is a web page I came across when I googled Mardi Gras and Empress of Canada. It is the whole history of her how she really wasn't ready to be sent to the ship graveyard but just sort of got forgotten there and became all rusted out.

 

http://www.greatoceanliners.net/empressofcanada3.html

 

I will never forget the happy memories I have of my adventures on the Mardi Gras. Whenever I attend the Past Cruisers cocktail party on Carnival Cruises, I proudly clap when she comes up on the screen and I am proud to say...Yes! I remember....I was there!

[Nitram]

Zackiedawg- your 1st post caught my eye as the Mari Gras was my first cruise back in 1987. You brought back so many FUN memories!:p This was my high school graduation gift from my parents....we all went..parents & my little brother. Our "family" cabin was exactly as you described (minus the cot) WOW those rooms were SMALL! At 17, I thought having a port hole in our room was the coolest thing ever...well, besides no age limit on board for alcohol!! I'm going to have to pull out the pictures! It is sad to read she isn't around anymore:(

 

9/1/2007- Voyager of the Seas (RCCL) – Western Med.

2005- Radiance of the Seas (RCCL) – Panama Canal

2004- Vision of the Seas (RCCL) – Alaska

1994 – Festival (Carnival) – Caribbean

1993 – Celebration (Carnival) – Caribbean

1987 – Mardi Gras (Carnival) – Bahamas

[rdmurray]

I just looked up the Mardis Gras. I can't believe it ran aground on it's maiden voyage!

[GranysT]

I just looked up the Mardis Gras. I can't believe it ran aground on it's maiden voyage!

 

YEP, she sure did..:)

[zackiedawg]

Zackiedawg- your 1st post caught my eye as the Mari Gras was my first cruise back in 1987. You brought back so many FUN memories!:p This was my high school graduation gift from my parents....we all went..parents & my little brother. Our "family" cabin was exactly as you described (minus the cot) WOW those rooms were SMALL! At 17, I thought having a port hole in our room was the coolest thing ever...well, besides no age limit on board for alcohol!! I'm going to have to pull out the pictures! It is sad to read she isn't around anymore

 

Thanks Martin...glad to see so many others had such great memories on her too.

 

While I love the new ships, and the big ships, I'll always have a special fondness for the small, intimate ships from my earliest days of cruising!

[UlvaZell]

Myself and a couple of friends from school were passengers in the summer of 1976. The ship sailed out of Miami and the ports were Nassau, San Juan, and St. Thomas. At that time they had a special singles fare. I think they reserved some percentage of the rooms for this fare, and the draw was that you could potentially end up in a suite. We did not.

 

Ours was an inside cabin on one of the lowest decks, as I remember down the hall from the main dining room. Our cabin had two lower berths on the floor and two upper berths that dropped down from the wall over each of the others. There was a bathroom and a closet.

 

I also remember the movie theater. The movie showing was "The Way We Were". There was a scene in the movie where Redford and Streisand were sailing on the water. Of course the ship was rocking and in the scene in the movie the camera was rocking. Almost too much.

 

The ports were fun. In Nassau and San Juan we simply wandered through town. In St. Thomas we rented motorcycles at some place near the dock and rode all over the island visiting the various beaches.

 

The booze flowed freely and the food was great. Its a shame she is gone. She was a good ship and it was a great first cruise...

[earl_m]

The mardi gras was my first cruise in 1986 . 4 day out of florida, I didn't go on any of the tours and we were on a tight budget, When first saw her in port , I couldn't believe the size of her.Imagine what I would think today if I first saw the freedom of the sea.

[dangit]

This was my DH and my first cruise too. We had an inside bunk room M123 a few steps away from the hair dryer room. Didn't have towel animals but if you left your nightgown out it was laid out on the bed with an hourglass figure and pointy boobs. And to think they didn't have a spa onboard only saunas.

 

One thing I remember that is certainly not done now, was seeing huge plastic bags of trash being thrown out to sea. Probably all ships did the same thing in those days good thing it's not like that now with sooo many ships at sea now instead of ocean we'd just see floating bags.

 

Ours was a 7 day to Santo Domingo, St. Thomas & Nassau. The seas were really bad one day and there were several messes in the halls. I didn't get sick, I was just scared. That night at the show one of the entertainers was a juggler on a unicycle and he didn't drop a thing.

 

My DH fell in love with cruising on that trip and had planned to do another the next year but we didn't manage to go again until 2004.

[cruiselover49]

My first cruise was the Mardi Gras, Feb 22,1991. It was a three day to the Bahamas. I wanted to cruise really bad and I could not get my husband to get on a boat for nothing. We went to Florida to visit my mother and before we left I called my TA and she booked it for us. Last minute really cheap. I got him on. He was sick the whole time (I think too many rum punches). But he was hooked. I loved it from the moment we stepped on board. She was a good first experience for we two hicks from the Ozarks.

[cwittman]

I stumbled on to this thread and had to read it end to end. The Mardi Gras was such a wonderful ship. I loved that cruise so much because I had cruised alone, barely out of high school. Booked a "Single Guarantee" and you can imagine my surprise when I entered my cabin and saw my 3 roomies that I had been matched with were not a day younger than 70! Wow!

 

The 3 were from Miami and were all related to each other (sisters and one aunt). Being the "youngster" in the group, they immediately took me under their wings and told me, "Sweetheart, don't you worry about waking us up - you stay out and dance as long as you want to!". They enthusiatically waited to hear about me attending the "singles party" and my many adventures in the disco.

 

They were a scream and it was a very fun and memorable cruise for me!! This ship is the main reason I stuck with Carnival and love it today.

[romy]

I too have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread from beginning to end! I've not sailed with Carnival yet, but may have to one day. I'm loving the history and am going to rush out and buy Devils on the Deep Blue Sea.

 

Thanks everyone for the nostalgia!

 

Happy Sails!

Romy:)

[zackiedawg]

Ulva, Earl, Dangit, cruiselover, and cwittman - thanks for sharing your Mardi Gras stories and keeping the memories alive!

 

Romy - thanks...It's always nice to see how the early days of cruising, which was predominantly aboard either Costa, Princess, or Carnival in the '70s and even into the early '80s, carry such vibrant memories and hooked so many of us on cruising forever. It's especially fun for me to see how many replies and views this thread has gotten. As my second post ever to Cruise Critic - this thread has some legs! Shows what a classic Mardi Gras was.

 

They might be faster, bigger, richer, fancier, have more entertainment, better food, and more to do...but the modern vessels of today will never match the atmosphere and uniqueness of the 'classic' vessels of cruising's first decade!

[romy]

Ulva, Earl, Dangit, cruiselover, and cwittman - thanks for sharing your Mardi Gras stories and keeping the memories alive!

 

Romy - thanks...It's always nice to see how the early days of cruising, which was predominantly aboard either Costa, Princess, or Carnival in the '70s and even into the early '80s, carry such vibrant memories and hooked so many of us on cruising forever. It's especially fun for me to see how many replies and views this thread has gotten. As my second post ever to Cruise Critic - this thread has some legs! Shows what a classic Mardi Gras was.

 

They might be faster, bigger, richer, fancier, have more entertainment, better food, and more to do...but the modern vessels of today will never match the atmosphere and uniqueness of the 'classic' vessels of cruising's first decade!

 

Zackiedawg, what I would give to step back in time and onto one of these classic vessels! When I was little, I absolutely adored The Love Boat which probably explains my passion for cruising. That, or I was a drunkin sailor in another life:D. Another Grand Dame I've read about is the Norway which I believe has unfortunately been scrapped as well. I'll do some searching and post the link if I can find it, it's been a while but it was fascinating reading too, although certainly not quite as entertaining;) .

 

Thanks again Zackiedawg, just think, in 20 or 30 years, the ships we're sailing now will be classics, eek, so will we:eek: !

 

Happy Sails!

Romy:)

[DocF]

Zackiedawg, what I would give to step back in time and onto one of these classic vessels! When I was little, I absolutely adored The Love Boat which probably explains my passion for cruising. That, or I was a drunkin sailor in another life:D. Another Grand Dame I've read about is the Norway which I believe has unfortunately been scrapped as well. I'll do some searching and post the link if I can find it, it's been a while but it was fascinating reading too, although certainly not quite as entertaining;) .

 

Thanks again Zackiedawg, just think, in 20 or 30 years, the ships we're sailing now will be classics, eek, so will we:eek: !

 

Happy Sails!

Romy:)

 

The Norway is beached at Alang in India. It is not scrapped - yet. Although our DD who was on the last cruise contends it was a floating scrap heap before the boiler explosion.

 

Doc

[e150club]

I need to figure out how to scan and post my pic's from 1985. Remember they used night gowns instead of towels. Skeet shooting off the stern and the captin was at the table across from us every night. The Mardi Gras was spic and span when we were on it [her]. They were painting and varnishing every day.

[Cheaprock]

My first (and up until now, only) cruise was a 4 day Bahamas cruise on the Mardi Gras in early May 1987. (Back when I was single and a young thing of 23). I went alone, but met up with a pretty wild group of people. I think we were drunk about the entire time...the drink of choice was something called a Banana Banshee. I had an inside cabin, a single, and was envied by the people I hung out with because most of them were in 4 and 6 person bunk bed cabins with the previously mentioned "shower while sitting on the toilet" bathroom. I had a "real" bathroom with a shower in a real tub. Small, but dark! I remember we made up a dance called the "Dickhead" which involved some antics with hat someone bought in the Straw Market that had an elephant's trunk. I also remember the "Male Nightgown Contest"...we dressed up a couple of guys in bikinis and makeup...and one was, let's say, well, almost falling out of his....surprised we got away with that, it was boarderline pornographic. Such memories...and a classic old ship...too bad she's gone. Nice to see so many people have good memories of this ship.

 

Now, 21 years later, I'm going on another Carnival cruise....my husband's parents will be married 50 years this fall, and to celebrate, they are taking everyone....DH and I and our son, DH's sister and her husband and four kids....11 people...on the Legend to the Western Caribbean out of Tampa on June 15. Needless to say, this will be a "tamer" cruise...but probably more fun in a different way!

[miakoda]

These stories brought back so many memories for me! A girlfriend and I cruised in August of 1977 (I had to dig out my old photos, which I wasn't sure I still had) to verify the date. My husband got a kick out of them!

 

I remember - the cruise director also was part of the entertainment in the lounges at night.

 

Flew into Miami - my first plane ride and my first cruise. Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas. Saw them cleaning turtles (for meat - gross) in Nassau, the fort in San Juan, and we went to a night club in one of the ports with some of the crew member (who we were probably not supposed to be associating with - but it was soooo much fun). We just made it back to the ship with about 20 minutes to spare.

 

Tiny rooms - bathroom and toilet in one room. Amaretto on the rocks was the drink of choice.

 

Was seated with two great gals from Cleveland, Carmel and Antoinette and girls from Houston (I think), who were also very nice.

 

First time I ever tasted frog legs. Desserts with sparklers on them.

 

Yikes, all of this is coming back so fast.

 

A great time and my DH and I are leaving for an Alaskan cruise this Sunday. My first since 1977. Too long, but we'll have to make up for lost time now.

 

From what I'm reading, this ship is going to seem gargantuan compared to my Mardi Gras experience.

[zackiedawg]

Very cool that this old boat stays alive in so many people's fond memories over the years! Thanks for sharing those additional stories - two people with a long gap between their last cruise and next one!

[sunny6sea]

Hi, I worked on the Mardi Gras making change in the Casino from Jan. to April 1976 when the Cruise Ship dry docked 1 week for repairs, I drove home to Upper Michigan to bring my car home so I didnt have to pay parking fees and to have my wisdom teeth removed. Anyhow I flew back to Miami and my flight was delayed and I missed the ship! I then waited a week to get my belongings off of the Mardi Gras and decided to move back to Michigan where all my friends were coming home for the summer from college. It was a great experiance, I was interested in hearing about the old ship and anyone who worked or traveled during that time, although most of the travelers were senior citizens at that time, they would be deceased. Cruises were not that popular until after the Love Boat show aired.

[Williebill]

I'm glad to hear that so many have such wonderful memories of the Mardi Gras. For me and my DW, the Mardi Gras just about ruined cruising for us. If we hadn't cruised on the Seawind Crown a couple of years after the Mardi Gras cruise, we probably wouldn't have ever cruised on board another vessel.

[MauraBOne]

My husband and I sailed on the Mardi Gras in August 1981, with my fourteen year old brother and 81 year old grandmother as cabin mates. We sailed from Boston just prior to drydock for refurbishing. Though the curtains, bedspreads, etc. really needed it, I too remember the beautiful polished wood and fine details. We were upgraded to a large cabin on Main Deck, thank God! Don't know how the four of us would have managed in a smaller one! Our cruise was especially memorable because we encountered a hurricane/tropical storm (Dennis) and had 24 hours of "rough seas"--all that the crew would admit to. The waiters actually poured water from the pitchers onto the tablecloth to keep the breakfast dishes and coffee cups on the table. By the time we reached Bermuda, however, all was well. We had a great time--it truly lived up to its reputation as one of the "Fun Ships", Carnivals theme at the time! My brother won the dance contest in the disco! My travel agent and her teenage daughters actually came on the cruise with us when I pointed out to her what a great deal it was. Her daughters were thrilled with my brother's company and they often came in later than we did. We took many slides on the cruise and if we can figure out how to do it, we'll scan in some photos. We had a post cruise party to share the slides and we laughed and laughed at the pictures--especially the ones of "rough seas". We also had Mardi Gras T Shirts made up with "I Survived Hurricane Dennis" on the backs. Enjoyed the walk down memory lane...

[Robroy]

This was our first cruise also - Spring of 1975. Our waiter was named "Ace" - told us he was our "Ace in the hole" and he sure was! Service was unbelievable - he had a ball bringing us as much food as we could consume. Being mid-20's at the time, I could really pack it away.

I remember there were no outlets in the cabin (again very tiny - my wife/sister-in-law and I in an inside cabin!!) so you had to go to a room down the hall to use a hairdryer. On the run down from Miami to St. Thomas we hit rough weather and I recall they put up netting in the hallways which we could hang onto as there were no stabilizers like we enjoy today. In retrospect, it was pretty rustic but we had a great time. Again, the teak decks and classic lines of the ship are now a thing of the past.

Thanks for the memories!

 

Rob