Carnival Mardi Gras circa 1983

[SmoothFlying]

Found these in the photo album. Can not believe how small this ship was compared to today’s ships[ATTACH]417824[/ATTACH]

 

 

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Noooooo kidding !!!;p She was my 'first' !! I was a virgin cruiser and had NO clue what to expect !:eek: Went by myself and shared a room on the Rivera deck (which, if memory serves me right, was the deck just above the water line) with gentleman who was an exec (so he said) at some BIG hospital in Houston ? I'm thinking, 'F you are, then WHY are down here in steerage class ??' She ( the Mardi Gras) was a rowboat compared with the mega cruisers today ! I bet she didn't have 2000 people, but that trip in 1990 exposed me too the wonderful world of cruising !! I'll NEVER forget her !

 

 

Mac

[TDCRose]

Found these in the photo album. Can not believe how small this ship was compared to today’s ships[ATTACH]417824[/ATTACH]

 

 

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Spent my honeymoon on this ship, 1986, and have been cruising ever since

[schazzy]

I finally refound this article:

 

Inside the Carnival ships that made cruising history

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/09/17/cruise-ship-tours-carnival-classics/15623267/

[SmoothFlying]

Anybody remember the total passenger capacity of the ship ? I did her in '89 but since it was my first I never did know enough to find out.:D Funny, NOW all that matters is SIZE and the ship's capacity:rolleyes: With each line trying to outdo the other.

 

Mac

[SmoothFlying]

Found these in the photo album. Can not believe how small this ship was compared to today’s ships[ATTACH]417824[/ATTACH]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Was she the very first Carnival ship? I did hear that before CC bought her, she had been an merchant ship (The Star of India, I believe) and heard CC paid a million dollars to gut and completely refurbish her for cruising

 

Mac

[WPTNGirl]

She was the Empress of Canada and according to the article, she sailed with about 1200 passengers. Most of the cabins were very small and in some sections there were as many as 8 cabins between the port and starboard sides. We were in one of these tiny cabins in 1992 but since was our first cruise, we thought we were in the lap of luxury. Special memories!

[pratzert]

We sailed on the Mardi Gras out of Baltimore to Bermuda on 1978.

 

The crew and service were great!

[grandmarnnurse]

 

 

 

Wow! My how ships have grown! My first cruise was in 1995, and it was a small ship on a now defunct line, followed by the Ecstasy in 1999. We sail the Breeze in 2019 and the Magic 2020.

 

 

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[samatha]

Wow! My how ships have grown! My first cruise was in 1995, and it was a small ship on a now defunct line, followed by the Ecstasy in 1999. We sail the Breeze in 2019 and the Magic 2020.

 

 

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This will age me! Do you remember in Nassau when the boys would climb the mooring ropes and dive in for quarters and apples?

[sc4125]

I was actually working on the Mardi Gras about the time those photos were taken. I worked in the Gift Shop, (a gift shop "girl" and later managed the shops) on the Mardi Gras, Carnivale and Festivale from 1980 until 1982. I then went on to work as an officer (a Purser) on the Rhapsody which was with Paquet Cruise Line until 1986.

 

Carnival was a blast to work on back then. I know the crew still have fun (my daughter did a 6 month contract in the Entertainment Staff on the Glory about 18 months ago), but no where near the fun we had!!

 

Those pictures brought back WONDERFUL memories.

[grandmarnnurse]

This will age me! Do you remember in Nassau when the boys would climb the mooring ropes and dive in for quarters and apples?

I have been to nearly every island in the Caribbean, but I have to confess that I’ve never been to Nassau. But I remember so much of early cruising that is gone now. Past cruiser reception party, Captains party, beautiful midnight buffets with ice sculptures. We didn’t have all the bells and whistles on cruise today’s cruise ships, but we sure did have a good time.

[Gravedigger]

Sailed on both the Carnivale and Mardi Gras. The bathrooms were so small you sat on the toilet to take a shower and the sink was in the main cabin. To see a show at night they would load you on a bus and go to a casino in port. Paid for drinks with cash and the slot machines only took quarters. Trap shooting and golf driving off the aft. It was a good time back then.