LIVE! Mardi Gras on the Mardi Gras 2/26 - 3/5. Let’s Cruise!

[TravelBluebird]

41 minutes ago, clginal said:

Hi TravelBluebird!!

My DH & I were on this cruise, too.  In fact, I met you on the Monkeyland excursion.  I was the one that took you & your daughter's picture at the little waterfall waiting on the excursion to start (hope that turned out OK as I'm no photographer...& couldn't find where to look through ...LOL).

Was worn out when we got home last night & got up this morning to look for your review.  Just glancing over it, I can't wait to sit down & read it all.

We did a few things the same......we also ate at Cucina's the last night & had the same terrible service as you.  We normally just understand & go with the flow so, not trying to complain but, we did remark several times that something just seemed off.  The staff seemed rushed.....we were there a little after you were.  Sitting & waiting between courses was just plain boring.  Hope it was just an off night for them.  

 

Love your Mardi Gras pictures!!  You 2 look great!!!  We were sitting 2nd floor of the Red Frog with great views to watch the party.  Wow, it was a blast & so packed.

 

 

 

 

I’m glad you found my LIVE thread! It was so nice to meet you on the Monkeyland Excursion.

 

The photos you took of us at the waterfall turned out great—thank you! I love that you had a problem “finding where to look” on the camera. This happens to everyone now; they don’t know what to do with my “real” camera with a small viewfinder instead of an electronic screen!

 

Yeah, Cucina. I heard on Book of Faces that a bunch of new crew was just out of their required quarantine and was starting training on the ship the last day or so..it’s possible that new crew was being trained during dinner? Just speculating.

 

And OMG I LOVE your Mardi Gras Party photo! WOW! What a great spot you found to watch the fun.  It not only felt like being in New Orleans Mardi Gras; it LOOKED from your vantage point like being at New Orleans Mardi Gras! Well, except for the pool 😂  

 

Also, it felt post-pandemic. We really WERE packed in there. And since I did not hear of any reports of outbreaks of COVID on the ship, I hope that it IS post pandemic! We feel totally fine, and were very lax about our mask wearing toward the end of the cruise, just like most of the other cruisers.

 

 

[TravelBluebird]

Boy, did I sleep in! Tired this morning; its like all the cruising/travel adrenaline leaves my body the day after I get back from a cruise. But I can’t complain—daughter had a big plane delay in LAX and didn’t get home till 4:22 AM east coast time, so I got all the plane luck on the way back with my two earlier standbys.

[TravelBluebird]

If you are interested in the comedy on board the Mardi Gras (and other great information I didn’t cover—you really CAN”T do it all in one week!) @TNcruising02 has a great thread with detailed comedy info (plus more Uber info and ice cream info

 

 

[clginal]

3 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

Yeah, Cucina. I heard on Book of Faces that a bunch of new crew was just out of their required quarantine and was starting training on the ship the last day or so..it’s possible that new crew was being trained during dinner? Just speculating.

That makes sense......I told my DH it felt like they were learning.  Like I said, we go with the flow & even slow service, when we feel there is a reason, doesn't get to us.  NOW, if we were paying, that might have made us feel differently.  But, I took it as a trial run.  

[clginal]

3 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

The photos you took of us at the waterfall turned out great—thank you! I love that you had a problem “finding where to look” on the camera. This happens to everyone now; they don’t know what to do with my “real” camera with a small viewfinder instead of an electronic screen!

LOL....of course, I knew how to use that type of camera but, wow, didn't realize how I'm so used to my cell phone now.  Just caught me off guard 🤣glad the pics turned out good!!!

 

3 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

And OMG I LOVE your Mardi Gras Party photo! WOW! What a great spot you found to watch the fun.  It not only felt like being in New Orleans Mardi Gras; it LOOKED from your vantage point like being at New Orleans Mardi Gras! Well, except for the pool 😂  

 

Also, it felt post-pandemic. We really WERE packed in there. And since I did not hear of any reports of outbreaks of COVID on the ship, I hope that it IS post pandemic! We feel totally fine, and were very lax about our mask wearing toward the end of the cruise, just like most of the other cruisers.

We loved that spot.  We are big "people watchers".  For the Sail Away, we were standing to the right of that spot & realized it was a great spot...but, didn't like standing the whole time.  So, for the Mardi Gras Party & the 80s Party, I went early & grabbed that 1st table.  Best decision we made!!!  

and yes, it was packed.....and so glad of no outbreaks on the ship.   Guess we'll be keeping our fingers crossed this week to not start feeling bad.  Between the cruise & flying, I'm hoping for the best.  

Edited March 6, 2022 by clginal

[clginal]

On 3/1/2022 at 3:27 PM, TravelBluebird said:

After Emeril’s we attended the Military Tribute. I always tear up at that; our Flying Scotsman Chris led a beautiful tribute. For my Dad and any of you who served, I truly thank you for your service. The tribute was held in the Mardi Gras Theater; about 1/2 hour long and very well attended.

I attended this too (in honor of family members).......I completely teared up.  I was very impressed with how Chris handled this tribute!!  & agree, the turn out was nice!!

[TravelBluebird]

46 minutes ago, clginal said:

LOL....of course, I knew how to use that type of camera but, wow, didn't realize how I'm so used to my cell phone now.  Just caught me off guard 🤣glad the pics turned out good!!!

 

We loved that spot.  We are big "people watchers".  For the Sail Away, we were standing to the right of that spot & realized it was a great spot...but, didn't like standing the whole time.  So, for the Mardi Gras Party & the 80s Party, I went early & grabbed that 1st table.  Best decision we made!!!  

and yes, it was packed.....and so glad of no outbreaks on the ship.   Guess we'll be keeping our fingers crossed this week to not start feeling bad.  Between the cruise & flying, I'm hoping for the best.  

 

Smart planning! I like to dance too much at the parties, so I was down there in the crowd (also hoped for more of a Second Line than what was attempted, but it was just so crowded; too hard to parade around the pool!

 

Also keeping fingers crossed this week re COVID; so far, so good. Coming back to Tennessee and running errands today was eye-opening—first time since the pandemic began that my local Kroger checkers were no longer wearing masks! And first time I left the house since the pandemic began without a mask in my purse (I felt naked!)

[TravelBluebird]

As I’m unpacking, here is my Carnival swag!

 

The bag is an insulated cooler bag which came with 24 bottles of water delivered to the cabin or only $27.99. Steal of the century (purchased about 2 months prior to the cruise). I went to purchase the same package for my April cruise and the bag ALONE with no water is now $29.95.  I really like the bag; used it for Jack’s Shack and the insulation helps keep your waters//drinks cold, plus there is a cross-body strap AND the insulation helps stuff in the bag not bump into//dig into your side as you walk.

 

The mug is from the “Carnival Vessels Series” and best I can tell made by the same people who make the Starbucks city mugs. LOVE the graphics and all the spots on the ship that are mentioned, and on the bottom inside of the mug in script is “See You Soon!”

 

Finally, my Gold pin,  Nice pin! Do wish it said Mardi Gras on it.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by TravelBluebird

[clginal]

Here's the view we had for the 80s Party 

 

[clginal]

Dee,

Not trying to add my photos to your thread.......but, hoping you might find you or your daughter in a picture.  I tried to find the ones that have the widest view of the crowd.

Thanks for your review!!  I'm reliving the cruise through your writing.........and your daughter's drawings are awesome!!!  Extremely talented!!  

Sure wish I was still on the ship.........but, back to work tomorrow 😢

[Cherries Jubilee]

Thanks for the amazing review @TravelBluebird!

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, clginal said:

Dee,

Not trying to add my photos to your thread.......but, hoping you might find you or your daughter in a picture.  I tried to find the ones that have the widest view of the crowd.

Thanks for your review!!  I'm reliving the cruise through your writing.........and your daughter's drawings are awesome!!!  Extremely talented!!  

Sure wish I was still on the ship.........but, back to work tomorrow 😢

 

No no, please DO add them! I love seeing them, especially from the different viewpoints!!

 

She is so talented; I’m so proud of her. Her dream is to work with an animation studio some day.

 

I wish I were back on the ship too, and like you, must work tomorrow. 😢 Dinner tonight was painful...wait, what, food prep and clean up and setting the table...food no longer magically appears before me?? 😂

[TravelBluebird]

2 hours ago, clginal said:

Here's the view we had for the 80s Party 

 

  The 80s party image isn’t downloading for me, and I’d love to see it.

[clginal]

not sure why......and I'm not great at this stuff .........let me try again

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

No no, please DO add them! I love seeing them, especially from the different viewpoints!!

 

She is so talented; I’m so proud of her. Her dream is to work with an animation studio some day.

 

I wish I were back on the ship too, and like you, must work tomorrow. 😢 Dinner tonight was painful...wait, what, food prep and clean up and setting the table...food no longer magically appears before me?? 😂

I was thinking she would be awesome in animation!  

[TravelBluebird]

2 hours ago, clginal said:

not sure why......and I'm not great at this stuff .........let me try again

 Thank you! I see us; we were standing to the left of the palm tree!  The 80s party was super fun; I really enjoyed all that 80s music; brought me back to my youth!

Edited March 7, 2022 by TravelBluebird

[JandPB]

Thank you for doing this. Thoroughly enjoyed reading along. 

[clginal]

9 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

Thank you! I see us; we were standing to the left of the palm tree!  The 80s party was super fun; I really enjoyed all that 80s music; brought me back to my youth!

Awesome!!!  glad I had a pic with you in it!!  and yes, it was so much fun....the music was great.  

[SNJCruisers]

On 3/5/2022 at 10:53 PM, cruises42 said:

How much was your Uber to port (if you don't mind me asking)?

If you need transportation either from MCO to PC or vice versa, we used Corey @ Cruise Control Transportation.  His shared van is 20 pp and his private Uber XL like service is 85.00 for two people and 95.00 for three.  On google he's rated 4.9/5.0.

https://www.cruisecontrol-transportation.com/

Edited March 7, 2022 by SNJCruisers

[clginal]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

If you need transportation either from MCO to PC or vice versa, we used Corey @ Cruise Control Transportation.  His shared van is 20 pp and his private Uber XL like service is 85.00 for two people and 95.00 for three.  On google he's rated 4.9/5.0.

https://www.cruisecontrol-transportation.com/

We used Cruise Control Transportation after the cruise to go to the airport.  $40 for 2 of us & we were in a smaller van with only 4 others.

We didn't use them before the cruise, we rented a car since we came in a day early.  Returning the car is so easy w/shuttle to the terminal.  

This was the 1st time we used CCT & had no issues, at all.  

[TravelBluebird]

On 3/5/2022 at 10:53 PM, cruises42 said:

How much was your Uber to port (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

I don’t mind your asking! It cost us $134 because it was the Uber XL; we could have waited and tried the regular Uber for $96 again but my anxiety was getting the better of me after several of the regular Ubers dropped our ride.  

 

We probably could have waited it out, but there was so much bedlam at Terminal 3 with people coming in for the new cruise, all the long lines for the shuttles etc. I was disappointed that the Terminal does not have a designated spot for Uber/Lyft pick ups OR a designated taxi line (for sure there was not one for an Uber, and if anyone knows of a designated Taxi line, please let us know!

Edited March 7, 2022 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

OK, I’m back to work but I still have lots of info from my cruise on the Mardi Gras that I want to share, so I’ll continue to add reviews and my overall impressions and feelings (especially for the events/days onboard  that my Internet was not so good).

 

First, lets talk COVID (or lack thereof) on this Mardi Gras cruise.

 

With 5300+ passengers on board, crowds at times and packed elevators are inevitable. If your personal comfort level on COVID protocols is low, I don’t think the Mardi Gras is a good ship for you at this time.

 

That said, with the beginning of the trip still under COVID protocols, most people did wear their masks where they were required (elevators, casino, shows).  After March 1, when masks were no longer required for new sailings on Carnival, more and more people slowly dropped masking. Carnival didn’t enforce at this time, so they allowed un-masking to naturally start to occur. I’m sure that they had a good feeling that the risk of catching COVID on this cruise was drastically reduced as compared to Omicron a month ago.

 

I’m was on a huge Book of Faces group for this cruise, and out of 1,300 members, not one person reported a positive COVID test prior to the cruise, and so far, no one has reported a case of COVID after the cruise.  I will report back here if this changes.  I also think that is remarkable, considering the last 2 years of this pandemic and what we’ve all been through with cruising and outbreaks.

 

That is all; I don’t want my LIVE to devolve into a general COVID thread, but I DID want to let everyone know where this very full cruise which sailed in the middle of protocol changes stood.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, clginal said:

We used Cruise Control Transportation after the cruise to go to the airport.  $40 for 2 of us & we were in a smaller van with only 4 others.

We didn't use them before the cruise, we rented a car since we came in a day early.  Returning the car is so easy w/shuttle to the terminal.  

This was the 1st time we used CCT & had no issues, at all.  

 

11 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

I don’t mind your asking! It cost us $134 because it was the Uber XL; we could have waited and tried the regular Uber for $96 again but my anxiety was getting the better of me after several of the regular Ubers dropped our ride.  

 

We probably could have waited it out, but there was so much bedlam at Terminal 3 with people coming in for the new cruise, all the long lines for the shuttles etc. I was disappointed that the Terminal does not have a designated spot for Uber/Lyft pick ups OR a designated taxi line (for sure there was not one for an Uber, and if anyone knows of a designated Taxi line, please let us know!

Corey at Cruise Control was great.  We used him on the front end with his private service for 80, which has just gone up to 85 for the two of us.  On the back end we used his shared van service for 40, with a pick up at 1035. Since our flight was at 145, this worked out well.  The private service was in an upgraded SUV.  

Will be using his services again in August when we're back on the Mardi Gras and next February when we're on the NCL Prima.

[TravelBluebird]

1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said:

 

Corey at Cruise Control was great.  We used him on the front end with his private service for 80, which has just gone up to 85 for the two of us.  On the back end we used his shared van service for 40, with a pick up at 1035. Since our flight was at 145, this worked out well.  The private service was in an upgraded SUV.  

Will be using his services again in August when we're back on the Mardi Gras and next February when we're on the NCL Prima.

 

Thanks; I have bookmarked his page for future use at MCO/Port Canaveral!

[kelkel2]

@TravelBluebirdwhat time did you get off the ship and to the airport?