Mardi Gras Review

[Terre]

Where’s the Mardi Gras?:  The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

 

Ship:  Carnival Mardi Gras

Sail Dates:  October 2 through October 9

Our Cruising Experience:  45 total; 16 with Carnival

Our Cabin:  12276, Category 8D

Ports of Call:  Port Canaveral, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay (Rotaton)

Captain:  Giuseppe Giusa

Gross Tonnage:  180,000

Length:  1,130

Total Crew & Officers:  1,745

Holds:  6,465 Passengers

More Facts:  https://carnival-news.com/ship/carnival-mardis-gras/

 

The Old and the New

 

 

Disclaimer:  I apologize for the long review, but I like to be thorough, and it is my opinion and written to be helpful and informative.  I put things in sections so you can read what you want and skip over what you don’t want to read.  It has been several years since we’ve sailed on Carnival, so some of the things that were new to us, may not be new to loyal Carnival cruisers.  Here goes…

 

Precruise:  We decided to drive to Port Canaveral and stay at the Radisson at the Port.  We’ve done this many times and love Port Canaveral.  We got there the afternoon before the cruise and got checked in and went to Papa Vito’s for dinner.  We’ve been there before and really like the food.  After dinner we went to Manatee Sanctuary Park to walk around and enjoy the evening.  We discovered this park a few years ago while driving around and loved it.  It’s very peaceful with beautiful wildlife and wonderful sunsets.  After spending close to an hour there, we headed back to the Radisson.

   

 

 Embarkation:  We had booked the first shuttle from the Radisson to the cruise terminal, which left at 10:30.  We grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then checked out and waited for the shuttle.  With the shuttle on time and on our way…excitement was building as well as some anxiety since this was our first cruise since COVID.

 

Embarkation was actually very organized and smooth.  I’d read reviews where it was chaotic, but it really wasn’t.  We had everything ready for them and had done all the pre-check in stuff before we left home, so that made it easier.  They use your passport photo so you don’t have to get your picture taken. 

Two women checked us in.  One checked our COVID results very carefully against our passports and vaccination cards making sure all names, birthdates, etc. matched.  With this part completed, we are on our way! we went to the waiting area to be called by loyalty groups.  We are Platinum so once they began calling groups, we didn’t have to wait very long.  Of course people tried to sneak in, but they were checking your boarding passes to make sure you belonged in that particular group.  And our vacation begins as soon as we stepped onto the ship!

 

The Ship:  It was so good to be on a ship again and I didn’t care where it was going as long as I was on it!  I was disappointed at the lack of décor and anything Mardi Gras related.  No pictures on the walls, no colorful lighting, nothing in the theater that suggested you were on the “Mardi Gras”.  I missed those features from other ships and in particular a Carnival ship.  It didn’t feel like a Carnival ship to me…thus, my title, “Where’s the Mardi Gras?”  Other Carnival ships we’ve sailed on had décor around the ships that correlated with the name of the ship, but not this one.  It was actually kind of dull and boring in my opinion.

 

The ship is large and even at 70% capacity, felt full.  The Serenity pool was always packed and you couldn’t even sit on the edge around it, much less get in it.  The pool was full, and people were sitting at the ladders where you go in.  There was a “life guard”, but no one would listen to him.  The deck and seating around the pool are some sort of laminate, not teak, and extremely hot.  You can blister your legs and feet very quickly on this product.  Be sure you wear your shoes and if you want to sit around the edge, put down a towel to sit on.  I’m assuming this was a cost saving feature, but it’s not practical and could be harmful.

Main Pool:

 

Serenity Pool:

There are so many restaurants and eating venues on this ship that we just couldn’t get to them all in seven days, but just to name a few that we ate at are:  Guy’s Burger Joint, Pig & Anchor, ChiBang Chinese Mexican Restaurant, Cucina del Capitano, Pizzeria and Panini, buffet of course, and main dining room.  You just couldn’t get to all of them and I don’t even know where they are all located.  You need to book a b2b, maybe even a b2b2b, to learn this ship.  I’ll talk more about the food in another section.

 

The Ultimate Playground is located on top of course, and includes the roller coaster, a water park, basketball, putt putt, and some other things.  One of the things I loved was a lounge called “Heroes”.  It was in honor of American service men and women.  It is beside Pig & Anchor and has very comfortable seating, two very large screen TVs and photos of service men and women.  It was a very nice tribute to the men and women who served our country so gallantly.  Thank you to those who served.

 

 

Our Cabin:  Once on board, around 11:30ish, we found our cabin and was able to leave our luggage and head to the buffet.  Our Cabin Steward was Wayan, and his Assistant was Joey.  Both were very good and our cabin was always cleaned very well, and once I told Wayan what I needed, I had it every day.  They are only cleaning cabins once a day now because they are short on cabin stewards, so they ask if you want morning or evening service.  We chose evening because we like to nap during the day sometimes.  I try to keep our cabin as neat as possible because I know they have a lot of cabins to clean, and even though I would put our used towels and face cloths back on the rack to reuse, they would always get the face cloths at some point during the day and leave plenty of clean ones.  I asked for two wine glasses every day and always had them.  These guys did a great job for us.

 

The cabin is smaller than the previous cabins we’ve had on Carnival ships.  There are no bedside tables, but there are very small “shelves” attached to the wall by the bed.  Not even enough room to hold an alarm clock.  Mine is not very big, but was a little big for this tray.  There are plenty of USB ports and regular outlets for charging and plugging things into so no need to worry about that.  The closets were small, but there were plenty of hangers and some baskets that you can use for drawers.  I still missed the amount of drawers we always had at the desk.

 

The bathroom was exceptionally smaller than what we are used to with Carnival.  The shower now had doors which is okay, but they open out into the bathroom and drying off in there is impossible.  The toilet is right up against the sink and you have to be a contortionist to even reach the toilet paper…it’s behind you.  I don’t know how a large person would even get into the bathroom, much less sit on that toilet!  There is hardly any shelving or places to put your toiletries.  There is a pull out mirror that has a magnification mirror on one side.  It could be used to put on your make-up, except you have to straddle the toilet to use the mirror.  Not very well thought out design-wise.

   

 

Food:  The food was good, but there were a couple of nights the main dining room didn’t have anything I wanted for an entrée, so I ordered three appetizers and dessert.  Here are some of the food we had in the main dining room. 

Appetizers:  shrimp cocktail, spring rolls, crab cake, fried shrimp

Soups:  roasted tomato, wild mushroom, onion soup, New England clam chowder, steak ale and cheddar

Entrees:  Mahi Mahi, brisket, prime rib, lobster (barely), flat iron steak, shrimp Creole, filet mignon

Desserts:  chocolate melting cake, butter pecan ice cream, apple pie, praline cake, Grand Marnier soufflé, cheese plate

Guy’s Burger Joint:  burgers, of course!

Cucina del Capitano:   We ate here for a sea day brunch and loved the atmosphere and the food.  We got our Sea Day Brunch drinks – Margaritas, and for our lunch I ordered penne with pomodoro, while my husband had the linguini with bolganese sauce.  For apps we had fried mozzarella and roasted tomato soup.  Dessert was blood orange gelato.  It was a very filling lunch and very tasty as well! 

Pig & Anchor:  We ate dinner here one night when we didn’t see anything on the menu in the MDR that we wanted.  The food here is excellent and if you love BBQ, this is the place for you! I ordered ribs and my husband had the combo of ribs, brisket, and chicken.  I tasted some of the brisket and it was wonderful!  You had your choices of sauces.  For dessert I had bourbon banana pie and my husband had Mississippi mud pie.  All the food here was excellent and really worked on your taste buds making them jump with joy at the flavors and textures!

ChiBang Chinese Mexican:  We came here for a late night snack one night when we didn’t want pizza.  We both had two chili shrimp rolls and Singapore Chili Shrimp (we chose two chili peppers…the number of chili peppers determines how hot it is).  Well, friends, it was hot, I mean hot!  Like in the song, Hot, Hot, Hot!  Ohmigosh, I couldn’t drink enough water.  My nose was running, my forehead was sweating, my eyes were watering!  If there is a next time, I will order it with one chili hot.  My side was Hakka noodles which helped take a little of the spiciness away, but not much.  As someone said in another review, don’t get the Chinese and the Mexican together…I’m glad I trusted that comment!

Pizza and Panini:  We got pizza a few times in the evening, and from the looks of it, most people did the same.  The pepperoni pizza was good, and I got a turkey Panini one night and my husband got a ham and cheese Panini. Both were good.

 

Guy's Burger Joint

Pizza:

Prime Rib:

Pig & Anchor:

Entertainment:  The Carnival Singers and Dancers did a great job with the two production shows.  The backdrops and props were very good, but these guys and girls were excellent and very professional.  I noticed that one of the main characters in one show accidentally caught a button from her jacket on her stockings, making a big hole.  At some point, and I don’t know when…she changed her stocking so the hole was gone.  The costumes were all very beautiful and very well made and fit the dancers well. 

 

Their first show was “Rock Revolution, Summer of ’69”  It was well performed and included music and songs from the psychedelic era of 1969.  The main singers were actually singing the songs and not lip synching.  We sat very close to the stage and you could tell even the ones who sounded just like the original songs, that they were singing.

 

The second show was “Broadway Beats” and very good as well.  Again, costumes excellent, well fitting, and the singers and dancers did a great, professional job.  One evening they performed in Center Stage “Evening of Enchantment”.  It was beautifully done, but get there early for a seat, we had a hard time finding anywhere to sit.  We came by during the second showing and I was able to get shots from above.  The costumes were amazing!  Just beautiful and again, a very professional performance.  Everything from backdrop to props to costumes was white.

 

All three shows were not your typical Carnival shows and much more professionally done from choreography to costumes, to singing and dancing.  Don’t miss these shows.

 

 Punchliner’s Comedy Club:  We saw several comedians on this cruise and most were very funny.  It took a while with one for us to warm up to, but when we did he was funny as well.  My favorite was Spike Davis.  Ohmigosh!  He had me rolling with laughter and snorting because I couldn’t catch my breath.  We saw his PG and adult shows and his adult show was not terribly nasty, but extremely funny.  Spike had good interactions with the audience and got them involved as well.  He and I had some good interactions…

 

Others we saw were Tommy Drake, Sean Kent Blanchard, Kim Harrison, and Billy D. Washington.  They had two Punchliner’s, one for PG shows and one for adult shows.  They were on different decks and at different times so you could catch both shows if you wanted to.

 

Miscellaneous:  We watched Family Feud, a couple of the bands -- Center Stage Band was my favorite, and karaoke. We also watched a ventriloquist for a few minutes one evening.

 

Ports of Call:  Our ports of call were Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay in Roatan.  We didn’t book any excursions at any of the ports because we’ve been to all of them so many times.  We got off the ship in Cozumel to get photos of the ship, but it started to rain so we went back to the ship.  We also got off in Roatan just to walk down to Mahogany Bay to see if it was the same as the last time we were there.  We didn’t see the dolphin swim, but the beach area is the same.  It was so stinkin hot there that we were drenched by the time we just walked down to the beach and back to the ship, so we were glad we hadn’t booked a tour.

 

The Carnival HUB App:  We had to download this app prior to boarding the ship.  I didn’t like it at first because I don’t like always having to carry my cell phone with me on a cruise, but once I figured it out and learned to use it, I liked it.  For those of you who like us have not used it before, you can access dinner menus, let them know you’re on the way and your table is waiting on you; you can access all entertainment, see where it is and how to get there; see your account spending and balance; all food venues and their menus, there is so much you can do with the app, I didn’t think I could get along without it by the end of the cruise.  You can also see all of the same things on your cabin TV.  This app cuts out the paper menus and the daily paper with all this information.  Cost saving? Sure, but more like the 21^st century “with it” thing…

 

Now for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…

 

The Good: 

Embarkation was very smooth and well done. 

Entertainment by the Carnival Singers and Dancers was exceptional and some of the best we’ve seen. 

A PG dedicated Punchliner’s Comedy Club. Food Venues and restaurants.

Debarkation was very smooth as well.

The handrails in the main theater are high enough at the end of the rows that you don’t have to bend over to hold onto them.

 

The Bad:

Lack of cabin space, shelving, and size of bathroom.

Lack of any Mardi Gras décor, or any décor for that matter.

Our balcony was quite small.

The Loyalty Gift has been downsized quite a bit, but it has been a few years since we sailed on Carnival.  Previous gifts have been ceramic coffee mugs, silver picture frame, tumblers, etc. Our last gift was a nifty beach bag with a zippered part on the bottom for any extras, like cans of drinks…this time we got a rubbery luggage tag.  

The ship pin didn’t even have Mardi Gras on it…it just said something like Fun Ship in 2021 or something.  I really wanted to add a Mardi Gras pin to my collection.

 

The Ugly:

We had drinks one night at the Pig & Anchor Bar.  I was debating whether or not to drink my drink after watching the bartender.  She started making our drink, was interrupted by a customer at the bar who wanted the channel changed on the TV, so she picked up the remote (she’s not wearing gloves), changed it to several channels until he was satisfied, went back to making our drink, was interrupted again by a staff member who needed to get into the locked door.  She used the keys that I’m sure everyone had access to, opened the door, touching the knob that I’m sure everyone else had touched, pushed open the door with the same hands…went back to making our drinks without washing her hands.  Picked up and squeezed the limes with her hands into our drinks.  Ug-ly!

The cabin bathroom for reasons I’ve already stated under the Our Cabin section.

The Serenity pool and deck.  Too small for the number of people who wanted to use it.

The material around the deck floor and seating area around the pool extremely hot and can blister your skin and feet easily.

 

Terre’s Final Thoughts:

Would I go on this ship again?  Maybe, but only if it stays under full capacity.  In my opinion the venues are too small for a ship that size and holds as many people as it will when it’s up to full capacity.  But that’s my opinion, yours may be entirely different and you may love it. Even though the majority of passengers on this sailing were more in our age group--the Boomers--I do think this ship was designed with the Millennial generation in mind.

 

More Pictures

[bettyboop16]

We were on the same cruise. I can agree with a lot of your review. We didn't get to all of the eateries either. Cocktails were strong & costly. We've been to all the ports before. We were cruising for the ship.

Would we go again....maybe if the price was right & not sailing to full capacity.

[DeanDeeDee]

We were also on the same cruise and agree with your review.  Our best meal was in the Steakhouse.  We also liked the Pig and Anchor and pizza. I enjoyed reading your review and seeing the similar impressions of the ship.

[mondello]

@Terre Thank you for the detailed review. Just wondered why you mentioned, " Lobster (barely)'" Was it "barely" eaten because it was bad or too small? Either way, I'd probably ask for more and expect they'd be out of another batch. I think the multiple food venues will continue to draw crowds to book but, I'm seeing too many posts about the too narrow cabins.

[audcc77]

1 hour ago, Terre said:

I was debating whether or not to drink my drink after watching the bartender.

Thanks for your review.  
 

I agree. That’s a tough call.  
 

The bartender probably had someone else’s germs from the last glass she picked up anyway. 
That’s why hand washing before eating is a good idea. 
 

We just have to hope that our immune response will work.  But I get it.  😏

[Terre]

1 hour ago, mondello said:

@Terre Thank you for the detailed review. Just wondered why you mentioned, " Lobster (barely)'" Was it "barely" eaten because it was bad or too small? Either way, I'd probably ask for more and expect they'd be out of another batch. I think the multiple food venues will continue to draw crowds to book but, I'm seeing too many posts about the too narrow cabins.

Barely...because it was so small!  That's why we also ordered prime rib.  The lobster tail used to be so big when we started cruising, but that was many years ago!

[Terre]

50 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Thanks for your review.  
 

I agree. That’s a tough call.  
 

The bartender probably had someone else’s germs from the last glass she picked up anyway. 
That’s why hand washing before eating is a good idea. 
 

We just have to hope that our immune response will work.  But I get it.  😏

So true!  I hoped there was enough alcohol to kill those germs!

[HappySails4U]

Thanks for sharing the very thorough review !!   We depart on the Oct 30th Halloween cruise so this information is very helpful !!
 

 

[hurricane0226]

Thanks for the review, we are on the Thanksgiving cruise on her, hope it is better

[mondello]

10 hours ago, Terre said:

Barely...because it was so small!  That's why we also ordered prime rib.  The lobster tail used to be so big when we started cruising, but that was many years ago!

I saw a recent post that claimed the unofficial record was 23 lobster tails eaten in one sitting. I had a few, years ago when they still had them at the buffet; had a couple more in the MDR at late dining.

Edited October 27, 2021 by mondello
Add

[flpalmgirl]

We were on mardi gras and agree with almost everything…….we did not purchase drink pkg we were on w drinks are free while playing in casino…..the first drink served i asked the bartender did you put any booze in this cocktail and he said do you  want a double for $3. More?  No i want you to make me a drink i can taste booze in we did not have that problem in the casino w free drinks just the ones we paid for ….  The whole seven days!   Never had a problem like this on the 40+ trips sailed on all different lines.

That being said we thought most of the food in MDR was great and the service also…..no tablecloths kind of made it look like a large cafeteria though.

We LOVED the entertainment the piano bar my personal  fav, the pig and anchor so comfortable and the music…..wow….there was not one person on that ship that moved from venue to venue that we did not like….put all the best entertainment on any ship we went  on and they were all on this cruise!

 

[Rollin Tide]

Great review.

Did you not try Shaq's Big Chicken?  And how was the crab cake in the MDR?

Thanks

[Spif Barwunkel]

We have not cruised on a Carnival ship in many years. Whereas we enjoyed the cruises we did take, we outgrew the presentation and the overall Carnival vibe. We will cruise on the Mardi Gras in December '21. We look forward to seeing this new vessel and, indeed, this is a "ship" cruise only. Because Mardi Gras lives 30 minutes north up A1A from us and we were able to get a very good rate on a very nice cabin, the choice was easy. Had she lived anywhere else, we would not have been interested.

 

There have been some good Mardi Gras reviews, Kmom's in particular was excellent, as is this one presented in a totally different way. Your “Goods” are important to us and the “Bads” we really don’t care about. We look forward to trying several food venues but are not concerned with whether or not we try them all. Living in Florida, on the beach, the pool deck and surrounding area does not attract us except to observe from afar.

 

Thank you for this thorough review. You have given us additional insight as to what to expect from this new girl in town. I am sure our time spent on Mardi Gras will be enjoyable and will serve to get us back to the cruising routine.

 

One question, we very much enjoy the comedy clubs. Are reservations required or recommended for Punchliner or do you just show up?

 

[Techycruiser]

7 hours ago, Rollin Tide said:

Great review.

Did you not try Shaq's Big Chicken?  And how was the crab cake in the MDR?

Thanks

I was just on the Mardi Gras t 10/9.  I ate Shaq's chicken twice, my husband 3 times.  It was good.  I also had the crab cake and it was okay, not bad, but not overly great.

[Terre]

13 hours ago, mondello said:

I saw a recent post that claimed the unofficial record was 23 lobster tails eaten in one sitting. I had a few, years ago when they still had them at the buffet; had a couple more in the MDR at late dining.

Wow!  Even as small as they are now I don't think I could, eat that many

[Terre]

4 hours ago, Techycruiser said:

I was just on the Mardi Gras t 10/9.  I ate Shaq's chicken twice, my husband 3 times.  It was good.  I also had the crab cake and it was okay, not bad, but not overly great.

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Terre

[Terre]

13 hours ago, flpalmgirl said:

We were on mardi gras and agree with almost everything…….we did not purchase drink pkg we were on w drinks are free while playing in casino…..the first drink served i asked the bartender did you put any booze in this cocktail and he said do you  want a double for $3. More?  No i want you to make me a drink i can taste booze in we did not have that problem in the casino w free drinks just the ones we paid for ….  The whole seven days!   Never had a problem like this on the 40+ trips sailed on all different lines.

That being said we thought most of the food in MDR was great and the service also…..no tablecloths kind of made it look like a large cafeteria though.

We LOVED the entertainment the piano bar my personal  fav, the pig and anchor so comfortable and the music…..wow….there was not one person on that ship that moved from venue to venue that we did not like….put all the best entertainment on any ship we went  on and they were all on this cruise!

 

The bands that played in Pig & Anchor were good.  I felt the entertainment  was a step above other Carnival ships we've been on.

[Terre]

12 hours ago, Rollin Tide said:

Great review.

Did you not try Shaq's Big Chicken?  And how was the crab cake in the MDR?

Thanks

I thought the crab cake was good.  My husband got chicken from Shaq's, said it was good.

[Terre]

Just wanted to mention that the link at the end of my review "More pictures" takes you to more pictures, not those below it that were uploaded throughout my review...don't  know  why it did that.

[Terre]

8 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

We have not cruised on a Carnival ship in many years. Whereas we enjoyed the cruises we did take, we outgrew the presentation and the overall Carnival vibe. We will cruise on the Mardi Gras in December '21. We look forward to seeing this new vessel and, indeed, this is a "ship" cruise only. Because Mardi Gras lives 30 minutes north up A1A from us and we were able to get a very good rate on a very nice cabin, the choice was easy. Had she lived anywhere else, we would not have been interested.

 

There have been some good Mardi Gras reviews, Kmom's in particular was excellent, as is this one presented in a totally different way. Your “Goods” are important to us and the “Bads” we really don’t care about. We look forward to trying several food venues but are not concerned with whether or not we try them all. Living in Florida, on the beach, the pool deck and surrounding area does not attract us except to observe from afar.

 

Thank you for this thorough review. You have given us additional insight as to what to expect from this new girl in town. I am sure our time spent on Mardi Gras will be enjoyable and will serve to get us back to the cruising routine.

 

One question, we very much enjoy the comedy clubs. Are reservations required or recommended for Punchliner or do you just show up?

 

Thank you.  No, reservations are not required but you will need to get there early for a good seat.

[Pellaz]

On 10/27/2021 at 6:08 AM, mondello said:

I saw a recent post that claimed the unofficial record was 23 lobster tails eaten in one sitting. I had a few, years ago when they still had them at the buffet; had a couple more in the MDR at late dining.

 

Yep, that was my post.  The source was the chef de cuisine on the Imagination (r.i.p.) in January 2012, during the BtF Tour.   The record on Imagination at the time was 19, and fleetwide it was 23.  😮  

 

As I mentioned, he said they EXPECT patrons to have more than one lobster tail and they allocate their supplies on that basis.   Someone like the OP who ordered the "surf and turf" (lobster and prime rib) might not get offered a second lobster tail routinely, but almost invariably my cruise companions who have ordered JUST lobster tail as the entree are offered a second, and sometimes a third, by the table waiter.  

Edited October 28, 2021 by Pellaz

[mondello]

2 minutes ago, Pellaz said:

 

Yep, that was my post.  The source was the chef de cuisine on the Imagination (r.i.p.) in January 2012, during the BtF Tour.   The record on Imagination at the time was 19, and fleetwide it was 23.  😮  

 

As I mentioned, he said they EXPECT patrons to have more than one lobster tail and they allocate their supplies on that basis.   Someone like the OP who ordered the "surf and turf" (lobster and prime rib) might not get offered a second lobster tail routinely, but almost invariably my cruise companions who have ordered JUST lobster tail as the entree are offered a second, and sometimes a third, by the table waiter.  

I always have 2 or 3. Years ago I had a few at the buffet and a couple more in the MDR at Late Seating.

[crewsweeper]

Terre.   Thanks for the review.  This is our itinerary after Thanksgiving.  We're with you on the ports, except for Costa Maya we always visit my old friend Jaime at Jaime's Blue Reef. We've know him since his pre-CM days.  

Appreciate the cabin review.  We've got a balcony as well.   Sounds like I need to bring a small folding table/tray for my CPAP.  Did you go into the spa/gym?  Have always used those showers but Vista and Horizon locker rooms were worse than the cabin shower.  

Did you hang out at all on the aft by the Pig & Anchor-Watering Hole?  Was it as crowded as the Serenity?   Glad to here the kudos for the Hero's area.  Might be my hangout spot. 

 

 And sounds like the barkeep at the P&A could have been the same one we had on the Horizon.   Couldn't do a proper pour, mix a drink correctly, and paid more attention to the CHEERS people than the one drink folks.  I told the Alchemy mixologists they should give her lesson.  LOL.  

 

As far as décor, pictures I've seen of Emeril's and the  Fortune Teller do seem to have NOLA flavor, but agree there should be more around the ship.

 

Thanks for the entertainment reviews.  That's been hit or miss on recent pre-COVID cruises.

 

[Terre]

3 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Terre.   Thanks for the review.  This is our itinerary after Thanksgiving.  We're with you on the ports, except for Costa Maya we always visit my old friend Jaime at Jaime's Blue Reef. We've know him since his pre-CM days.  

Appreciate the cabin review.  We've got a balcony as well.   Sounds like I need to bring a small folding table/tray for my CPAP.  Did you go into the spa/gym?  Have always used those showers but Vista and Horizon locker rooms were worse than the cabin shower.  

Did you hang out at all on the aft by the Pig & Anchor-Watering Hole?  Was it as crowded as the Serenity?   Glad to here the kudos for the Hero's area.  Might be my hangout spot. 

 

 And sounds like the barkeep at the P&A could have been the same one we had on the Horizon.   Couldn't do a proper pour, mix a drink correctly, and paid more attention to the CHEERS people than the one drink folks.  I told the Alchemy mixologists they should give her lesson.  LOL.  

 

As far as décor, pictures I've seen of Emeril's and the  Fortune Teller do seem to have NOLA flavor, but agree there should be more around the ship.

 

Thanks for the entertainment reviews.  That's been hit or miss on recent pre-COVID cruises.

 

You will definitely need something for your C-pap machine.  I didn't  visit the spa this time, sorry.  We did hang out at Heros which is beside The Pig & Anchor.  That was one our favorite places to relax.  It has nice leather chairs and sofas. I didn't  think Pig & Anchor was as crowded as the Serenity, but was crowded at times.

[mlshum]

Thanks so much for your review.  We’re on the Mardi Gras in January.  I truly appreciate your insight!