Live from Steerage. Onboard Mardi Gras now. Ask us anything.

[KmomChicago]

17 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Okay, let's see if I have this straight. On port days, Cucina and Chibang are closed.  What about Guys Smokehouse? Emerils?  Trying to figure out specialty dining reservations.  Want to spread out the full meals.  Can't do it everyday.  Don't want to be miserable.  We will probably stay on board for the whole week. 

 

Closed for lunch, open for supper on port days. On sea days open for both. All open for supper all days.

[kdr69]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Some of the sandwiches state that they come with the sauce, but they will honestly make it however you want. It’s basically like Subway, they are right there talking to you while they assemble it. The is a sauce / condiment bar where you can choose to sample and sauce it yourself. That’s where the slaw, pickles and potato salad are as well.

 

We did not get any OBC, likely because we didn’t have any cruises canceled. We might be the only people on board who both 1. Didn’t have a casino rate and 2. Never had any cruises canceled due to Covid. This is the only one we have booked in the past 2 years and Carnival knows who Kmom is in real life, so they got the Mardi Gras sailing just for us. You’re welcome, cruising public. 

Im a puttin you on my good to know list then 😁

[KmomChicago]

Jeff The Juggler. 

[peteandpris]

Great review, thank you.

[ninjacat123]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Not spa people but the hub app has prices for all kinds of expensive options. Anything in particular?

Just curious if there are restrictions in numbers, any other rules or is it business as usual?  We have a day pass for the Spa (pool, chairs, aromatherapy, etc) for our cruise Sept 4 and if it's too restrictive we may cancel. Thanks for any insight!

[Mandar13077]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Not spa people but the hub app has prices for all kinds of expensive options. Anything in particular?

 

Could you show the prices of the Couples Intensely Cleansing Salt Scrub and the Couples Aroma Stone Therapy massages?

[KmomChicago]

48 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Just curious if there are restrictions in numbers, any other rules or is it business as usual?  We have a day pass for the Spa (pool, chairs, aromatherapy, etc) for our cruise Sept 4 and if it's too restrictive we may cancel. Thanks for any insight!

With the exception of a lot of masks everything feels like a cruise in The Before. Nothing feels restricted. I don’t think the ship is full, which may be helping, but wouldn’t think it will be in September either. If I were you I’d keep it and enjoy before the ships start reaching capacity. 

[KmomChicago]

53 minutes ago, Mandar13077 said:

 

Could you show the prices of the Couples Intensely Cleansing Salt Scrub and the Couples Aroma Stone Therapy massages?

[KmomChicago]

54 minutes ago, Mandar13077 said:

 

Could you show the prices of the Couples Intensely Cleansing Salt Scrub and the Couples Aroma Stone Therapy massages?

No couples salt on the Hub. Here’s single: 

[KmomChicago]

Different days and times have different prices and the last sea day is almost sold out. 

[Mandar13077]

5 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Different days and times have different prices and the last sea day is almost sold out. 

Thank you!!! 🙂

[tmt3698]

4 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

It all depends upon whether you have YTD or set dining.  They each have their own dining room, Flamingo and Palm.  If you have set dining, yes, you're at the same table each night and it's set up like dining as been for years.  If you have seen many videos available on YouTube, there are various seating arrangements.  Social distancing is certainly not in play.  At the YTD dining room, at prime time when there is a long wait they are currently shifting people to Chibang and Cucina, which are both currently free for dinner and in addition to their regular menus, they also have the full MDR menu as an option.

If you have YTD, you can make a reservation ahead of time for Chibang or Cucina once you are able to get access to the HUB app once you're on the ship.  It should be really interesting once they ramp up to 100% occupancy if it is sometimes difficult at 75%.  But hopefully over the next few months they get the cobwebs worked out and things improve.

Thank you for info, that helps a lot. I think the plan for now will be to try for the reservation at Cucina or ChiBang, I change my dining to YTD so I can get in before 7:30

[KmomChicago]

16 hours ago, stellarose said:

is guy's smokehouse still complimentary for lunch /dinner?  we are in a spa interior. would love to see the interior room.

We did supper at Smokehouse Monday night and it is currently complimentary. DH got a pick 3 entree and said it was all very good. In particular the greens were the best he’s ever had in a restaurant. 

[KmomChicago]

Our server specifically said he didn’t recommend the daily special for Monday which was the sticky pork belly so I got the pig and anchor melt which was scrumptious. I wasn’t impressed with my sides. Baked Mac and cheese was okay but not the style I prefer. Slaw had too much heat and beans had too much other stuff in them-like chunky veggies? Couldn’t identify exactly but maybe tomato, sweet peppers and/or onions.

I want to reiterate that this is a matter of personal taste as I think these sides are probably all actually pretty good but just not my preferences. 
 

Banana cream and Mississippi Mud pie were both fabulous and highly recommended ParoDeeJay did a review last week that the Apple cobbler was nothing special so we didn’t bother with it.

 

Overall we were both very happy with this meal. The atmosphere in the smokehouse is super casual and the servers are dressed to match the cowboy sort of aesthetic. Oddly there are a couple of MDR type hosts in the normal dark suits and dresses ushering you in to the place for dinner and looking uncomfortably formal among the roadhouse noise, live music and theme.

[KmomChicago]

For beer drinkers there’s an important hack available at the bar in the smokehouse. You can purchase either a big growler bottle or a smaller Mason jar and then get refills the whole cruise for a discounted price. I will try to get more specifics on the pricing. 

[KmomChicago]

Last week ParoDeeJay noted the Summer Landing pool area, deck 8 aft, seems underused compared to those up on higher decks and I have seen the same this week. That’s where I am at 6 this morning, Tuesday, as we approach Costa Maya. The smokehouse adjoins this outdoor area and crew is busy in there getting the smaller breakfast buffet set up just inside. 
 

I can’t photograph the dark sky real great with my iPhone but that’s obviously Venus, the morning star for Kmom as we glide along the big water skirting a faraway land.

 

Supertramp is playing on the speaker and I’m definitely taking the long way home.

Edited August 10, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

I’m gonna throw something out there to let you understand my perspective. I’ve battled depression and attitude problems my whole life and I still do sometimes. I think a gigantic percentage of the population does as well.
 

17 years ago an old beloved college friend died at the age of 37 of cancer. She left behind 3 very young children after fighting hard a couple of futile years during which we all knew it didn’t look good. 
 

That loss flipped some switch in my brain, strengthened the positive, logical, sensible part of me to more effectively fight my own demons of self pity and other emotions that aren’t so nice.

 

Unless I or people close to me are maimed or sick or threatened, I’m not going to get very upset about stupid stuff. I may tell you my ribeye in the steakhouse was just good, not life-altering, and you should know it really bothers me less than zero because no steak is that important to me. Oh yeah, there are some addiction problems in the portfolio as well. Moving from surviving to thriving is truly life altering. My friend Carol taught me to choose to thrive.
 

So please as I note minor issues on the ship, know they are just factual observations, not personal offenses. I work in pharmaceuticals where we are trained to think about risk management all the time. A lifetime of observations of humanity helps me predict what could go wrong and my instinct is to suggest remedies. Please know I’m enjoying every minute. 

[jimbri]

Thank you for your review and photos.

[bafinegan]

53 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Last week ParoDeeJay noted the Summer Landing pool area, deck 8 aft, seems underused compared to those up on higher decks and I have seen the same this week. That’s where I am at 6 this morning, Tuesday, as we approach Costa Maya. The smokehouse adjoins this outdoor area and crew is busy in there getting the smaller breakfast buffet set up just inside. 
 

I can’t photograph the dark sky real great with my iPhone but that’s obviously Venus, the morning star for Kmom as we glide along the big water skirting a faraway land.

 

Supertramp is playing on the speaker and I’m definitely taking the long way home.

Where is the SUmmer Landing pool area?  I love underused, not crowded venues!

[KmomChicago]

12 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Imo when the live pit orchestra went away, then singers had to double as dancers. Shows just arent that good. Luckily comedy club is good or better.

 

On the other hand cookie my next cd makes me laugh, hes a show all to himself.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSUOvOmgOXy/?utm_medium=share_sheet

 

I have seen hints Galveston will get the 3rd new ship coming. Hope it's like mardi gras.

This is a judgment free zone and if you don’t like Playlist I get it.

 

We really enjoyed Rock Revolution and are impressed with these talented lithe people who can both sing and dance hard for a sustained period of time, sweat pouring out of some of them as if we can’t understand how hard they’re working. 
 

Flying Scotsman has a show one night as well. Family Feud was really fun, pretty hilarious.

[KmomChicago]

12 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Thanks for the update! Are Guy's Smokehouse dinner specials (free) and pay prime rib good?  

We timed it wrong. Filet is the Saturday special and we were over at 555 instead that first night enjoying a free bottle of wine. Our smokehouse server specifically recommended we avoid the Monday special, sticky pork belly, so we complied. However the pick 3 and the pig and anchor melt sandwich were both very good so we didn’t mind.

 

Sorry but we don’t like prime rib enough to pay extra for it. 

Edited August 10, 2021 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

12 hours ago, kdr69 said:

Im a puttin you on my good to know list then 😁

Just checking who’s actually reading this drivel. 

[sailingships]

12 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Jeff The Juggler. 

 

All those empty seats did everyone have to sit further back from the stage?

[KmomChicago]

22 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

Where is the SUmmer Landing pool area?  I love underused, not crowded venues!

Deck 8 aft. From the central atrium you move through Pixels, then past all the Italian places including nummy Piazza Panini (Caprese was great!) and 24 hour pizza. . . then past the joke of a space for Guest Services (too small, often bottlenecked as it’s also a main thoroughfare) . . . then through the smokehouse and Heroes lounge and finally out to the pool. Plenty of chairs.

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, sailingships said:

All those empty seats did everyone have to sit further back from the stage?

Not at all. All the performers are like, this isn’t school! On land people pay a fortune for the front row, what’s wrong with you people?