Mardi Gras

[keels81]

On 12/15/2021 at 6:02 PM, soulsistah007 said:

 

Thanks for providing great insight! Yours is the first I've read about Tappanyaki being worth the splurge. Can you share more about your experience with this? We're the portion sizes reasonable? Also, the Michael's session....what kind of crafts did they offer?

 

Michael's craft sessions: I've texted her to get pictures and more details, but I know one day they made little photo books (notecard sized) that were ocean/vacation themed and were really cute. The other was a hanging decoration -- think like a wooden ornament -- that was also ocean/beach/vacation themed. It's free and she really enjoyed it when they were offered!

 

Bonsai Teppanyaki: So, it's more personal preference (and allergy experience!) than anything else but I also really like teppanyaki restaurants. We always go to Teppan Edo at EPCOT when we do Girl's Trips to Disney, so I basically compared it to that ... and I find the quality to be WAY higher at Bonsai than at Disney, with the price at Bonsai being more than half of Disney or Benihana when the final bill shows up.

 

Someone mentioned the cost and how they would go to Rudi's -- I have a shellfish and mollusk allergy and they were able to accommodate me way more than Rudi's was -- Rudi's was like "Would you prefer the steak or the pork chop". Rudi's said they were able to do macaroni and cheese without shellfish, but when it arrived (in a different color crab bowl) it had a distinct fish smell to it, so I avoided it. 

At Bonsai, they were able to offer me an off-menu combination of steak and chicken for my entree along with vegetables and udon that usually accompanies the tofu -- and they actually cooked all of my items first and separate from the rest of the group without making it seem like I was the problem child at the table.

 

I also thought the appetizer and dessert bento box were FANTASTIC.

 

For an appetizer, I had the Spicy Tuna on the Rocks and it was fresh, bright and I would eat an entree order of this if they were ever to allow it. Look how pretty!

 

And here's the dessert bento box ... I don't have my notes, so I'm trying to remember what everything was -- top row, left to right, green tea ice cream, mochi, sake; bottom row, left to right, asian-style creme brulee, flourless chocolate torte, chocolate covered strawberry.

Edited December 17, 2021 by keels81

[soulsistah007]

4 hours ago, keels81 said:

 

Michael's craft sessions: I've texted her to get pictures and more details, but I know one day they made little photo books (notecard sized) that were ocean/vacation themed and were really cute. The other was a hanging decoration -- think like a wooden ornament -- that was also ocean/beach/vacation themed. It's free and she really enjoyed it when they were offered!

 

Bonsai Teppanyaki: So, it's more personal preference (and allergy experience!) than anything else but I also really like teppanyaki restaurants. We always go to Teppan Edo at EPCOT when we do Girl's Trips to Disney, so I basically compared it to that ... and I find the quality to be WAY higher at Bonsai than at Disney, with the price at Bonsai being more than half of Disney or Benihana when the final bill shows up.

 

Someone mentioned the cost and how they would go to Rudi's -- I have a shellfish and mollusk allergy and they were able to accommodate me way more than Rudi's was -- Rudi's was like "Would you prefer the steak or the pork chop". Rudi's said they were able to do macaroni and cheese without shellfish, but when it arrived (in a different color crab bowl) it had a distinct fish smell to it, so I avoided it. 

At Bonsai, they were able to offer me an off-menu combination of steak and chicken for my entree along with vegetables and udon that usually accompanies the tofu -- and they actually cooked all of my items first and separate from the rest of the group without making it seem like I was the problem child at the table.

 

I also thought the appetizer and dessert bento box were FANTASTIC.

 

For an appetizer, I had the Spicy Tuna on the Rocks and it was fresh, bright and I would eat an entree order of this if they were ever to allow it. Look how pretty!

 

And here's the dessert bento box ... I don't have my notes, so I'm trying to remember what everything was -- top row, left to right, green tea ice cream, mochi, sake; bottom row, left to right, asian-style creme brulee, flourless chocolate torte, chocolate covered strawberry.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! Very helpful! I do lots of crafts so I would definitely like to check that out on the ship. The food looks yummy! Thanks for the pics. Glad to hear they were better accommodating to your needs.  Sounds like there are lots of food options so I don't want to miss out!

[keels81]

14 hours ago, soulsistah007 said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! Very helpful! I do lots of crafts so I would definitely like to check that out on the ship. The food looks yummy! Thanks for the pics. Glad to hear they were better accommodating to your needs.  Sounds like there are lots of food options so I don't want to miss out!

 

Having a game plan DEFINITELY helps. The only dinner options we didn't experience were the main dining room and Pig & Anchor dinner (we did lunch, though!). 

 

Because of my food allergy, we didn't plan on initially doing Rudi's but it ended up being a casino comp and my girlfriends really wanted to go, so we went. They enjoyed it but I'm not sure it would be a repeat for us if it ends up on the Celebration when we cruise on her next year. 

 

My husband is pretty meh on Carnival as a cruise line (lack of bars and food options), but he was so jealous of everything on the Mardi Gras that I'm taking him to experience the ship in July for our anniversary.

 

Personally, I would sail this class of ship and not even care about the itinerary -- that's just how much greatness there is to experience! I miss the lounge pods on the Serenity deck almost daily.

[soulsistah007]

1 hour ago, keels81 said:

 

Having a game plan DEFINITELY helps. The only dinner options we didn't experience were the main dining room and Pig & Anchor dinner (we did lunch, though!). 

 

Because of my food allergy, we didn't plan on initially doing Rudi's but it ended up being a casino comp and my girlfriends really wanted to go, so we went. They enjoyed it but I'm not sure it would be a repeat for us if it ends up on the Celebration when we cruise on her next year. 

 

My husband is pretty meh on Carnival as a cruise line (lack of bars and food options), but he was so jealous of everything on the Mardi Gras that I'm taking him to experience the ship in July for our anniversary.

 

Personally, I would sail this class of ship and not even care about the itinerary -- that's just how much greatness there is to experience! I miss the lounge pods on the Serenity deck almost daily.

Oh that's awesome to hear you like this ship class! I'm so jealous lol...You'll be on again before me. We go in October for our anniversary too so still a long wait. We have never been on a ship this big. Reading posts helps build excitement and passes the time lol

[SNJCruisers]

5 minutes ago, soulsistah007 said:

Oh that's awesome to hear you like this ship class! I'm so jealous lol...You'll be on again before me. We go in October for our anniversary too so still a long wait. We have never been on a ship this big. Reading posts helps build excitement and passes the time lol

The other classes on Carnival are in my rearview mirror.  I currently have B2B's on the Mardi Gras for February and August and a 5 day on the Celebration next January.  Glad that Carnival has upped their game and this class of ship is more in tune with their competition, even though those with Carnival blinders on would disagree with me.

[keels81]

6 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

The other classes on Carnival are in my rearview mirror.  I currently have B2B's on the Mardi Gras for February and August and a 5 day on the Celebration next January.  Glad that Carnival has upped their game and this class of ship is more in tune with their competition, even though those with Carnival blinders on would disagree with me.

 

Totally agree. The husband was over cruising Carnival -- even though we're literally five minutes from the cruise port here and see the Valor and Glory pass by our house -- until I got back from my annual girl's trip on the Mardi Gras. He's so excited to experience it. 

 

The girls and I are on the Celebration in December and already planning when to book Jubilee.

 

I don't think this feeling is limited to Carnival, though. I love Celebrity, but I imagine my view on some of the smaller classes of ships will need extremely exciting itineraries to get me back on them after we experience the Apex later this month.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, keels81 said:

 

Totally agree. The husband was over cruising Carnival -- even though we're literally five minutes from the cruise port here and see the Valor and Glory pass by our house -- until I got back from my annual girl's trip on the Mardi Gras. He's so excited to experience it. 

 

The girls and I are on the Celebration in December and already planning when to book Jubilee.

 

I don't think this feeling is limited to Carnival, though. I love Celebrity, but I imagine my view on some of the smaller classes of ships will need extremely exciting itineraries to get me back on them after we experience the Apex later this month.

Our last cruise was 1/2020 on the Edge and we enjoyed it so much we booked onboard for the same cabin on the Apex next month.

The original Jubilee was my first cruise in 7/86, but since it's reincarnation embarks from Galveston, it won't be on my horizon.  Flights are expensive, Galveston is too far from either Hobby or Bush airports and Cheers is not available on day 1.  Three strikes and it's out.

[keels81]

18 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Our last cruise was 1/2020 on the Edge and we enjoyed it so much we booked onboard for the same cabin on the Apex next month.

The original Jubilee was my first cruise in 7/86, but since it's reincarnation embarks from Galveston, it won't be on my horizon.  Flights are expensive, Galveston is too far from either Hobby or Bush airports and Cheers is not available on day 1.  Three strikes and it's out.

 

I'm in New Orleans and my girlfriends I cruise with are in Texas, so the Galveston thing isn't a total hardship for Jubilee. I'm just waiting for a casino offer like I booked for the Celebration that includes Drinks On Us so I'm not beholden to Cheers for the duration of a cruise, if at all possible. I don't mind paying out of pocket for one day if I have to.

 

I'm VERY excited to experience Edge/Apex/Beyond. Celebrity is my preferred line but due to life situations, Carnival has just been easier for a quick getaway to scratch the cruising itch. Until Mardi Gras ruined me for all other ships that is.

[soulsistah007]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

The other classes on Carnival are in my rearview mirror.  I currently have B2B's on the Mardi Gras for February and August and a 5 day on the Celebration next January.  Glad that Carnival has upped their game and this class of ship is more in tune with their competition, even though those with Carnival blinders on would disagree with me.

I will definitely keep an eye out on your posts about your experiences! We haven't cruised in years (kids, covid, etc.) but with the many things this ship offers, we already think it will be a game changer for us. 

[SNJCruisers]

12 minutes ago, soulsistah007 said:

I will definitely keep an eye out on your posts about your experiences! We haven't cruised in years (kids, covid, etc.) but with the many things this ship offers, we already think it will be a game changer for us. 

Two ships I would recommend are the NCL Prima and the Celebrity Beyond  both coming out in 2022.  We will be on the Prima for an 11 day sailing at Halloween and a B2B in February of 2023. Check out YouTube videos, it will be a game changer for NCL similar to how the MG is for Carnival.