Ckrewz

Seeing the posts about it being relaxing and quiet is very appealing for our next cruise. This trip we will prefer the sounds of nature e.g. birds, waves, wind but when there is loud music with too much bass (thump, thump, thump) it is really takes away from our zen. ;) We do like music, and a party, but when we look to relax we really like just some light background music and the sounds of nature. Is there any music played at Nachi?

Thank you!!

On Triumph in April they were $12.

I get the Plain Jane, then remove most of the lettuce...they give way too much, and it's all in one big piece! Then I add the crispy potato strings from the toppings bar....those things are awesome....I can't believe no one has mentioned them.

I really wanted to try them and I looked twice on our April cruise but never saw the potato strings. Both times it looked like a tornado went through the toppings bar though so I guess my timing was poor. :confused: Maybe I will get to try them on our December cruise.

Trying to review CURRENT insights on La Casa en La Playa Cozemel. Nothing since 2013 , something isn't Kosher with this excursion.

I would be interested in any current reviews as well.

The Joint has good beef brisket and McClure's (inside NOLA Brewing) has good pork ribs I am not sure about beef ribs at either place. Moe's Original, a chain started by some U of Alabama students, does a lot of smoked meats. We like VooDoo BBQ's dry rub. Sorry I can't tell you about beef ribs per se but maybe the above will get you started. Since you have a love of smoked meats, you may like Cochon Cajun and Southern Cooking and Butcher.

SIX very loooonnnnng Days! ;)

I still see them too. Gift card tab first then travel.

I may not be searching correctly. Should the offer show up on my AARP home page with the featured offers? I don't see it. Are they still available?

You have to go to the rewards catalog, under gift cards, then travel. They were there at 3:50p (central daylight)

On the topic of asking to sit with others during the rush.

During a girls trip my friend and I got all dressed to the nines with lots of time spent on hair and make up to go dancing on the first night of our cruise. We met some really fun people, had too much to drink and danced into the wee hours of the morning. Around noon the next day we made it up to the buffet for "breakfast"- hiding under baseball caps, sunglasses, sweatpants and of course no makeup and probably some "bedhead" going on. The tables were pretty well full but we spotted two women we had met the night before and went right over to say hello and ask to sit with them. They both politely offered the chairs, but through the course of trying to strike up a conversation about the night before, things got really awkward. They gave my friend and I really weird looks and avoided our questions. :confused: We finally said hey "Lucy and Ethel" is something wrong? They replied with, "We don't even know yall?" :mad: We said, umm we're "Thelma and Louise" from last night.. Both ladies' eyes got HUGE:eek: and they said almost in unison, "You all look rough! We didn't even recognize you!" "It's like extreme makeover only opposite!" :o:D They were embarrassed but we thought it was funny, (we know we cleanup well) ;) and we all had a great cruise together.

Will be going home on the 26th (from the Dream). Plan to park at the Port. Will I have much trouble getting out of the port onto I10 to head toward Atlanta?

That area in the morning, you should be fine.

I can’t speak to the availability of parking but I can offer some insight on cruising that weekend and catching a parade.

We departed for a cruise during the same time a few years ago. We live only a ½ hour from port and had someone drop us off so we did fine time-wise. We also traveled from the “westbank” side on HWY 90 so traffic was better. My in-laws coming in from Mississippi, via I-55, had another story and were 2 hours later to arrive than they had anticipated. As others have said, allow a lot of extra time. FWIW I-10 from Gonzales to NOLA CAN be a bear anytime. :eek:

Here is a link to the Okeanos parade route. http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule/parade-info/parades-okeanos.html . We watch this parade on St. Charles between Julia St. and Girod every year. I don’t remember a time that it has gotten to us before/at 1:00pm. You might want to download a Mardi Gras parade tracker app so you will know if the parade starts on time, plus how fast it’s moving. (you'll find app option through a search) One has to be flexible during “parade season”, and you will probably have to determine whether catching the parade is doable the day of. I highly recommend it if you can.

Walking from the port, I personally would head to Julia Street then take Julia to St. Charles.

We are a group of 18 people that will be on the same cruise with you. We are staying pre-cruise at the Drury and then again post Cruise. I've been concerned about how to get to the cruise terminal since our hotel is right next to the parade route on the other side. I'm hoping taxis won't cost a fortune since they will have to go all the way around I'm assuming. Any advice how to get to and from the hotel to the cruise port including after the cruise is over where we are staying the last 3 days of Mardi Gras.

 

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On the 19th and the 26th the uptown parades will start about 11:00a. It will be a few hours before they get to Poydras St. so you should be okay getting to/from port just call early for a taxi/uber. Once you get to your hotel post cruise, be prepared to walk everywhere, it's just easier to get around and streetcars are on very restricted schedules plus they stop service two hours before and two hours after parades. When they are running they are extremely crowded.

This link may help with your planning http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/news/news/getting-around-new-orleans-during

Two years ago when I called pre-cruise to order trays I was told we could get them on embarkation day, and to call as soon as we boarded to order as they would require time for preparation. When we arrived early, (we had FTTS,) and called we were informed we could not get them on embarkation day at all. I was informed that trays were only delivered on sea days. I was not very pleased with that little detail, which was left out when I placed my order as I specifically asked, so I was able to negotiate a delivery after our stop in Cozumel.

The presentation and quality were exceptional however. I will probably order them again for our next cruise as we have a special celebration on one of our sea days.

On our 2015 cruise, I called well in advance for delivery on embarkation day. I was told on the phone that would be fine but then once on board was told they don't deliver trays on embarkation day and prefer to deliver them on a sea day. We did not want it on a sea day so we negotiated to get it delivered after the Cozumel port. The trays were very good however.

Thanks Drinkybird. Very helpful!

One other question. Is there a swimming pool at the pier in Progreso? I did a search on video related site and in one of them it looks like a swimming pool in the background.

Thanks again.

In my research to AVOID spring break activities ;) :eek: Corona Beach Party and Buddy's come up. I have never been to either so cannot speak to WiFi or recommend either. Maybe one will work for your trip.

I am sure there are folks on here who can give more details about both.

Day One/Part Two

 

After muster we got our towels and headed to the Serenity deck to enjoy the view. And others had the same idea...

We had to take a picture. How many passengers can you cram into a hot tub? ...

I saw the picture before I read your post and said "Dang! Look at all the people in that hot tub!" :eek:

I just noticed I had Chet's Table in the title. Really need to proof read! :o

I have searched for the night the Chef's table is held on 5 night Elation and have seen a couple of different answers.

1. Does it change?

2. What night has it been recently?

Thank you! :)

2 more calls later to Carnival and I got a very helpful young lady who directed me to shoreexcursions@carnival.com. Who knew?? Well probably many of you but I had no idea this was available!:o Within 24 hours I had the answers to my questions.

Thought I would share.

Thank you for contacting the Shore Excursion Department and we are happy to be of assistance.

Please kindly see the answers to your question:

1. What is the travel time from port to destination? 30 MINUTES

2. What type of vehicle is used for transportation? VAN OR BUS.

3. What is the maximum number of passes sold for the day? DEPENDS FROM CRUISE TO CRUISE, BUT 47 GUESTS MAX

4. Is there water entry from the beach? From the pictures it appears to have a rocky bulkhead with no entry. YES, THERE IS AN ENTRANCE.

5. Is Wi-Fi included? THE LOCATION WILL HAVE WIFI SOON.

If you have any additional questions regarding the Shore Excursion program, please feel free to contact us again.

Tour Operations

Carnival Cruise Lines

Do you happen to know what night the Chef's table was held during your sailing?

Thank you!:)

Thank you for taking the time to write a review, we sail on Elation next month. Age and size doesn't matter to us ;) The experiences you listed do, especially 80's night:D!

I just saw this added to the excursion list. I would be very interested to hear more about this one, if anyone goes before March 21! :D From the pictures it looks like there may not be a good water entry as it appears to be a rocky bulkhead/barrier. I called Carnival to get more info but got no help, just what was listed on the website.

Without hesitation I say Broussard's of those three.