ChrisNCruiser

We had cabin 11480, exactly one level above 10468, and loved the larger balcony. Here are some pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1aFs4b1VjW7poKHu6.

This is Mardi Gras-specific, but both the short ribs and the grilled shrimp entrees on the complimentary Cucina Del Capitano dinner menu were so good I had each on two separate nights (portions are small).

...I often order the cheese platter dessert as an appetizer.

We do this too! Almost every night the Better Half and I each order an entree of our own, plus split an order of the Indian Vegetarian

we had 11480 - one of the corner balconies - and LOVED it. Didn't pay extra. Here are a few pics, including pics of the adjoining balconies / balconies below

51-y.o. fairly fit male here. In the last couple years I've twice slept on a Carnival sofa bed made up for one, and I'll warn you in advance it's NOT comfortable - hard as a rock, and I like a firm mattress. Granted, neither were in the newer Mardi Gras cabin style so theoretically it could be less unpleasant if the couches are significantly different from the ships I sailed. Your son is half my age so he may fare better. That said, I'd do it again if the cabin price is right 😛

Yes - same process. Log on one at a time, and spend the week arguing over when it's your turn to "have the internet" 😛. "I'm going to the bathroom." "OK, I'm going to grab the internet." "But I'll be right BACK!..." (still preferable to spending 2x as much)

Thanks! 🙂 I'm that annoying very early morning person and also very patient. Also, in Amber Cove we were there from 8-5:30 and it was raining / drizzling that morning. We've been there several times before so unlike most we decided not to get off the ship until after lunch. We got to enjoy an empty ship that morning so I used the opportunity to get some of the pics then. I hope you enjoy Mardi Gras as much as we did!

the bags are in the thin top drawer, and there's usually only one - two tops. When we meet our steward we always politely inform them that we love our complimentary laundry and ask them to drop off a few extra bags and forms at their convenience. For a 7 night cruise we usually do three bags, occasionally four depending on our cruise pre-gaming.

To maximize space I agree with a poster above that the rolling method works best. I roll all my shirts, shorts, and pants into tight logs and then stack them carefully in the bag. I use socks / 'unmentionables' to fill in small gaps :-P. We still leave a couple of empty inches on top of the bag and lay the completed form on top. Halfway though filling, you can also gently pick up and 'tamp' down the bag by dropping it a couple inches onto the table - this often gives us a couple extra items' worth without ripping the bag or making it too tight. Sounds like a lot of work but the whole thing takes us less than five minutes now - last thing at night or first thing in the morning.

I was also on this sailing - I didn't realize the Playlist Production shows in the theater and Center Stage shows were two different groups! We thought it was interesting that they had a 'house magician' but thought maybe he was a little overused in so many performances. We didn't exactly love his dedicated theater show but chalked it up to the Carnival scripting and overproduction. FWIW even as Diamond we had to track down our room steward after 2 PM to ask for our room keys, which still hadn't been put out yet. Our room was ready and clean by the time we embarked right before 11, but the door was left open since the key wasn't available. We don't blame the steward - she clearly had too many cabins based on the fistfuls of key envelopes she had to sift through to find ours, and I actually felt bad asking her when I saw how many cabins she had. She was fabulous throughout the week and we certainly gave her our appreciation several times during and at the end of the cruise. We ended up skipping the main dining room altogether because we didn't want to end up sitting THAT close to another couple (e.g. two 'tables for two' practically touching each other). That Palms dining room looked awfully cramped! We enjoyed several nights each at Cucina (outside, lovely!) and Chibang!, and didn't have to sit in anyone's lap at either venue. We had a fantastic cruise and will definitely sail MG again, hopefully with Bolt running the next time 😉

agree on all counts!

We sailed on Mardi Gras last week with YTD - and for the first time ever we never once went to the main dining rooms. Did Cucina four nights and Chibang three nights. The menus were extensive enough to avoid repetition, and both include a menu page of traditional stuff from the main dining room (albeit the same offerings every night - grilled steak, salmon, chocolate melting cake, etc). If you try Cucina I HIGHLY recommend asking for an outside table once you get there. It was cool and shady - loved, loved, loved eating outside. FWIW, We were technically assigned to the Palms main dining room - walked through it the first day and thought "no thanks" - seemed very cramped and underwhelming.

We had plenty of new stuff to see and experience otherwise, and it gives us an excuse to sail the Mardi Gras again 😉

I was on the Mardi Gras Apr 23-30 and took LOTS of ship pictures. Here is a Google Photos link in case anyone wants to check them out. Some notes: We stayed in balcony cabin 11480, and it was awesome. At least at the time of booking you get a huge panoramic corner balcony at the regular balcony price. We go on lots of cruises so we tend to stick to the free stuff, so few pics of the paid restaurants or experiences (unless I stepped in briefly to take pics). We never ate in either of the main dining rooms except for once at the Diamond VIFP lunch in the (very underwhelming) Flamingo dining room. We ate outside (free and highly recommended outside - you gotta ask) at Cucina Del Capitano for dinner four times, and three times at Chibang. The menus provided enough variety that we didn't get tired of either. Sorry, no gym / spa pics. Not really our thing on this cruise. Bolt didn't run that week at all Sorry for so many duplicates / variations of the same stuff but I found it hard to choose which to keep vs. delete 🙂