Fully Booked Mardi Gras Review 04/16 x7 days

[Bulldogsoc]

My spouse and I recently returned from a seven day sailing on the Mardi Gras from April 16 to 23.  I usually try and return the favour and post a review that hopefully will be helpful for other awaiting their departure date.

 

Background

 

We are in our early fifties.  We live north of Toronto and decided to travel once the PCR Re entry requirements were lifted.  We were on the Horizon on March 15, 2020 and were one of the last ships into Miami when the industry shut down.  We had a wonderful time on the Horizon so were more than happy to book with Carnival again.  We booked directly through Carnival and got an amazing deal that I think only lasted a matter of hours.  At $390 pp plus port fees for a balcony cabin, how could we go wrong?  We couldn’t and didn’t!

 

Pre-Cruise

 

My wife booked us on Air Canada from YYZ to MCO on points so this was shaping up to be very cheap holiday in my book.  We flew in the day before the cruise.  Back in 2020 I took a trip with two friends on a NCL cruise out of Canaveral and we flew in early the morning of the cruise.  While we made it, my buddy from Calgary was delayed and we learned our lesson to avoid the stress.  The airlines are short staffed right now and are very much not back in the groove yet (IMO) so delays are to be expected.  

 

We went to the local Shoppers Drug Mart to get our $40 rapid covid test the night before we left.  The pharmacist did actually touch our nostrils this time with the swab but certainly did not swab as directed (i.e. it would be a miracle if I tested positive regardless).  I think it was kind of like… my twenty year old car needs an emissions test…. “I know a guy!”  Anyway, negative paperwork in hand we returned home and finished packing.  

 

We were flying out a little after lunch.  Check in, security and customs took a little over an hour, which was a big improvement on my early March flight to LA which was almost three hours.  We were able to grab a bite and a few drinks at the Maple Leaf lounge before heading for boarding.  The flight was full and on time.  We arrived in Orlando and thanks to pre-clearance in Toronto, we were able to go straight to our bags and they were there!  I could not believe how fast they were!

 

Our initial plan was to bite the bullet and pay the ransom fee to stay at the MCO terminal airport hotel but once all of the fees and taxes were in, it was more than one of our cruise fares!  So we ended up booking a package deal called Fly Snooze and Cruise with Goport.  It includes a participating hotel and shuttle to and from Canaveral.  When you stay at a hotel, they send the Goport bus to that hotel to pick you up.  I assume it goes to several hotels until it is full and then heads to Canaveral.  We wanted to get the first bus out which is a 10am bus from MCO on level one.  So when we booked we asked if we could simply make our own way back to the airport the morning of the cruise and catch the shuttle from there at 10am instead of waiting to be picked up at 11:15am at our hotel (plus however many other hotels).  They emailed back to say no problem.

 

As long as the hotel is clean and safe (and those generally go together) then we are good if it is just a bed for the night.  We chose La Quinta which was a company that I studied as a business case back in MBA school and knew a little about.  Anyway, they had a shuttle and we called when we had our bags and they were there in about 30min.  The hotel is only about 4 km (if that) from the airport. But Orlando is not a walking city even if you were travelling light and so inclined!  I think a Lyft was about $23 at the time but I had seen it as low at $12.  Anyway, super friendly driver arrives right when there is a downpour of rain and doesn’t blink about getting wet loading the bags.  He pulled the bus door under the overhang to give people some shelter.  Off we went. The Hotel Shuttles picks you up at ground level at station B3 which is the furtherest to your left if you exit terminal B on the ground level.  

 

Check in was quick and easy at the La Quinta and I was surprised that they did not require a credit card to check in (even though we were fully paid).  They usually want a security of some type.  This made me concerned as to what I was going to see when the room door opened!  It was fin. We got a fourth floor room with a king bed and it was HUGE.  Nice big bathroom, big closet and cold fridge and microwave.  The AC was on when we arrived and it was cold enough to hang meat!  We had to turn it down. There was a sign in sheet right there on check in so we managed to get two seat for the 9am back to MCO the next morning.  If you want to catch the shuttle to the airport see about booking a soon as you get there.  It was full by the time we were back from dinner that night.  This place was clearly popular with cruisers.

 

La Quinta is in a cluster of about two dozen hotels and restaurants just north of MCO.  There are many restaurants within walking distance.  There is a convenience store about a ten minute walk.  We grabbed some beer and soda and then grabbed a quick bite at TJI Fridays.  Great service.  $2 Draft.  Nice salsa and chips and burgers were done just right (we cannot get burgers done any other way in Canada except well done!).  Back at the hotel we hung out by the pool and enjoyed the 80 degree evening with some cool beverages and their outdoor hot tub all to ourselves.  

 

The next morning they had an included breakfast which was very nice.  We ate by the pool.  Surprisingly good coffee I might add.  Then off on the shuttle and back to MCO.  Two thumbs up to La Quinta.  For $200 for both the hotel and return Goport Canaveral plus the free airport shuttle, that was a very good deal in my opinion.  It was not the ritz but the room was huge, clean and it was super quiet.  La Quinta builds all of their buildings with extra soundproofing which was why it was the choice for travelling mid market business types back in the day (or so said the business case I read over twenty years ago!)

 

The hotel shuttle driver dropped us off at the airport and we made our way to the Goport reception desk on level one in terminal A (the two terminals are connected to each other and you can walk from one to the other with ease).  They checked us in.  Gave use neon luggage takes with “3” on them to signify we were going to the Mardi Gras terminal.  They told us to take a seat inside and not to leave as they would announce when we would be loading.  This was about 9:30am.  It was at this point that our phones and many around us started ringing from Carnival saying we would be delayed by an hour due to them being late getting into port.  According to the news a gentleman jumped of the ship on the last night and after some time searching the Coast Guard released  the Mardi Gras to return to port.  I don’t think he was found or at least I could not find a story to say that.

 

The drive to Canaveral was less than an hour.  The bus was full.  The Driver did a bit of comedy and tour guiding.  It was fun.  We first dropped those going on another cruise at a different terminal next to Disney and then off to ours.  Goport keeps you on the bus until all the luggage is off which is smart as it made things easy.  We were at the terminal entrance by 11:15am.  Our registration time was set for 11:30 but they sent us right in.  We could not get VeriFLY to download our vaccination documents so we just used our paper which was fine.  There was a slight hic up in that despite doing our covid declaration on line before hand and letting us print our boarding passes, the Carnival web site kept saying on line that we had not done so; so at check in there was some issue on this that required them to go back and forth with a manager for a few minutes but it obviously worked out.  

 

We then sat down for about ten minutes in their huge terminal until we were called.  We were on board at 11:40.

 

Day 1

 

So we are on board.  

 

We entered onto deck six beside the stage in grand central.  We made our way to our muster station.  Which is printed on your boarding papers.  Ours is F7 which is the Palms Restaurant.  We were there for maybe 4 minutes.  The gentleman showing us how to put on the life vest spoke very little English and seemed satisfied that we had done this before.  So we were off. On my previous cruise I have been able to go directly to my room to retrieve the envelope with out SnS Cards but this was the first time they were not there until appointed time of 1:30.  We did deposited our back packs in our rooms and headed to the Lido deck(14).  We grabbed some beef shawarma and salad at the market buffet and two cruiser cocktails at the tides bar aft at 14 and then headed to the Red Frog Tiki Bar.   I had this notion of snagging a table on level two at the rail overlooking the pool for the sail away party, knowing we would have to park ourselves there for a few hours as it would be valuable real estate.  Low and behold there was a free table and we parked ourselves there!  They had table service so, with our cruisers done we ordered  a Rum Jumper and a Scorpion.  Not sure what was in the Scorpion but it was strong!!!

 

We alternated letting the other go explore a little and then come back as we waited for the sail way party.  During this time we tried the three daily offering from the Street Eats.  This day one included loaded fries (ok), Pork Bun (ok) and Kabob (one of the best tasting items on the cruise in our collective opinions).  There is lots of middle eastern food in Toronto and I love it.  These Kabobs were juicy and perfectly spiced.  A home run. 

 

As I had to finish her Scorpion, Niki ordered Red Frog Caribbean Wheat beer which was very nice.

It was very fun people watching including all of the groups in group outfits and some in Fat Tuesday parade garb.  At 1:30 we were able to get our SnS cards.  And we took some turns wandering around for a bit while the other held the real estate.  By 2:30 it was getting very crowded and by 3pm it was a big party.  We sampled the Carnival Golden Anniversary Beers and they were also very flavourful.  We had to get another round of those kabobs from Sizzle as well.   By 4:30 our cruise director hopped up on the pool deck and the sail away party was in full swing with not a empty piece of deck space to be seen anywhere. It was the biggest sail away I had ever seen.  It was a hot day and we enjoyed our shaded second floor balcony table that afternoon to have some table service and watch the festivities.  It was a good afternoon.  Then it was off the cabin to freshen up.   More to come.  I got to light the BBQ for dinner….  Mark

[dns65]

Thanks for this and looking forward to reading the rest.  We're sailing Mardi Gras on the eastern itinerary in January

[Bulldogsoc]

Day 1 … continued

 

So I should loop back and touch on part of the tile of this post and that is that all the rooms were booked on this sailing of the Mardi Gras.  We were told there were 5890 passengers on board.  I do not know if that is true or not.  I do know that weeks before we left the cruise was sold out.  That is a lot but I can safely say that it really did not feel crazy.  In my opinion they did a lot in setting this ship up to deal with the large numbers.  For example you might show up a Guy’s Burgers or Big Chicken and see a line, but the lines move very quickly.  The pizza and sandwich lines were long at times, but again, they moved quickly and if you came back 30 minutes later, more likely than not there were much fewer people.  There are a ton of bars and aside from the first afternoon, or right in prime time between 7pm-8:30pm some bars like Alchemy were pretty busy.  I can only remember a few times that we could not get a seat at Alchemy.  We would just go elsewhere and then come back.  There was one sea day where the chairs were scarce at Serenity at 2pm but you could still find one.  I have read complaints about the size or lack thereof for some venues like the punchliners and grand central and the theatre but the bottom line is it would be impossible to have a big enough to space for all to see one show or event at the same time.  If you want to have a half decent seat for something in the Grand Central such as Bingo (not our thing), you need to get there AT LEAST 45 minutes in advance.  For premium picks earlier.  For comedy I would get there at least 30 min early to get a seat with ease.  They have bar service so it is a pleasant wait.  We went to a lot of the early comedy shows so you went right into the venue vs. Waiting in line for subsequent shows.   There were no lines for the ropes course or slides.  I could always find a hot tub spot anywhere, but I usually did this in the AM and later at night on the starboard Aft tubs which were only full a few times.  The bottom line was that we were not bothered by the numbers. I was on a four day sailing out of LA on the Carnival Radiance in early March and it was 1/3 full.  With those two extremes one might expect a big difference in the experience.  I can’t say there was a big difference in the experience.  Opinions vary so take that with a grain of salt.  For at $390 base fare I have ZERO complaints of any significance.

 

So back at the cabin we unpacked.  We were in a starboard balcony cabin at the back on deck 10.  The aft side of our balcony boarded the hot tub of one of the corner XL suites.  Our cabin overlooked the two hot tubs and watering hole bar on deck 8. It is very true that Carnival squeezed at least 6 inches off the width of the cabins.  The space between the bed and the wall is pretty narrow.  You will hit your shin/ankle on the bed base and will have to lurch to the side to avoid the TV going by; and if you are of a bigger frame, well you will know. The bathroom is basically the size of my toy hauler trailer bathroom.  It is not very big but everything works and has a place.  I would trade the shower door for a little more space but that is not a big deal and not a deal breaker.  If they can squeeze some more cabins in there and keep the fares low then that is fine.  What did not lack for space was the four full size wardrobes.  With the life vests at the muster there is tons of space.  If you are a balcony room without a Pullman (i.e. a 3 person) I think your bed(s) will be closest to the balcony and if you have a Pullman above a couch then the bed(s) will be closer to the bathroom.  I think that is how it works with respect to the beds being in different positions.

 

I like the room but if I could get another 2 degrees out the AC that would have been perfect.  It was cool but on some hot days like we had in Cozumel, it struggled.  Now, we booked not long ago so we took the rooms that they had and we were not picky.  If I was to give it more thought I would give these tips.  You are going to spend you days on decks 16-18. You are going to spend most of your nights on decks 6-8.  With 5k+ passengers and LOTS of scooters, elevators are in demand at peak times.  So If I was booking I would pick deck 10 aft as there are rooms above and below and you are a quick two flights to deck eight, and we spent more time on 6-8,  Deck 9 has the no cabins below, so that would not be my preference.  If you spend more time on deck 16 then I would pick deck 14 as it is only two flights up and has cabins above and below.  From my observations the aft elevators were the ones less often used.  I personally found the the busiest to the Forward elevators.  I know that does not seem to make sense for them to be busier than the mid elevators, but that is what I observed.

 

So we got back to our cabin after sail away and had a shower and threw on some pants for dinner and off we went to explore before dinner.  I grabbed a Peroni Beer and Niki had one of their Truly brand seltzer drinks at the pig and anchor and we explored the ship.  I like how it is laid out.  I really like that you can pretty much walk from one end to the other starting on 6 and then go up to 7 and 8 and repeat (aside from a little jog you have to do around the Casino on deck 7).  I cannot recall where we parked ourselves for Niki’s watermelon martini.  It might have been the 555 bar.  Anyway.  She enjoyed than and I had my go to Whisky Sour and it was more good people watching.  The 555 Steakhouse bar is a secret I think.  You could always get a seat.  I think people thought it was for those waiting on their table but that was not the case.  They have some higher end liquor and wine that you can only get there.  I had a a Cognac there after my sour.  The only thing I did not like was that the stool seats seemed to slope forward.  It was like you had to rock them back like you were in a tavern to sit level which was not very elegant!  Let me know if you experienced this or if it was just met.  Anyway, the Steak House Bar is a good spot.  Shout out to Daniel working the Bar.

 

Before heading to dinner we visited the Alchemy.  Niki had a Martini Seduction and I had sour concoction of some type with rosemary in it.  I had it on the radiance.  The name escapes me but I will look it up because it is really good.  At the end of the is long tome I will post of list of the drinks we enjoyed the most and where get them.  

 

Ok… I have to get he chicken on for dinner (back to reality !).  More later… Mark

[Bulldogsoc]

[CarolSW]

Excellent review so far!

THANK YOU for taking the time to write it and share.

😊

[crucero]

Thank you for the awesome review so far! I don't go on Mardi Gras until March of next year, so I have a long time to plan!

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, Bulldogsoc said:

If you are a balcony room without a Pullman (i.e. a 3 person) I think your bed(s) will be closest to the balcony and if you have a Pullman above a couch then the bed(s) will be closer to the bathroom.  I think that is how it works with respect to the beds being in different positions.

 

I wish it was that easy to figure out.  We've been on MG twice and had balcony rooms on 12 and 16.  The one on 12 had the bed near the bathroom and the one on 16 had the bed by the balcony.  Neither room had a pullman.  According to a video I watched, if you look at the deck plans and the little notch indicating the door is on the left, the bed should be by the balcony and by the bathroom if the notch is on the right.  That held true for both our rooms but others have said that wasn't the case for their room.  So who knows - maybe it's mostly true with some exceptions.  😄  But let me tell you, the room felt bigger and much less awkward with the bed by the balcony.  We're booked again on MG in December and we'll see if our luck holds out for that room - it's on 16, two doors down from the room we had last and we loved that room and location.

 

I'm enjoying your review - LOVE LOVE LOVE the Mardi Gras!  I also agree with your thoughts so far, we had around the same amount of people onboard as you did for both our weeks and with the exception of the first afternoon it really didn't feel too crowded.

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by cruisemom2

[nessz79]

Following along! We are on the sister ship, Celebration next spring break, 2023.  Can't wait!

[SRQbeachgirl]

4 hours ago, Bulldogsoc said:

So If I was booking I would pick deck 10 aft... 

 

I cannot recall where we parked ourselves for Niki’s watermelon martini.  It might have been the 555 bar.  

 

We're booked in an aft balcony on Deck 10 - good to hear that's a good location!

 

And thank you for the mention of the watermelon martini! I had heard about them and wanted to try one, but couldn't remember which bar served them.

[Bulldogsoc]

Wrapping up Day One…

 

Well I should at least finish day one before bed.  

 

Thanks to Cruisemom2 or pointing out that I have some more investigating to do to find the secret sauce that determines the balcony room layouts!  

 

After our drinks at Alchemy we decided to head to the Palms for the first night dinner.  We generally eat around 7pm at home with the kids and later when on vacation.  I really love the new way of booking your table on the HUB App.  I found it really easy and much better than the old way.  We chose anytime dining.  We normally do this anyway but I read that if you do fixed dining you cannot book Chibang or Pig and Anchor during those sittings or at least it is more difficult.  Not sure if that is true but that is what we read.  You request a table on the App and then it tells you when it is ready and gives you a number.  You show up and there is a line of waiters waiting to take you to your assigned table.  Anyway, we were seated quickly.  I had a Caesar Salad, Calamari, sea bass, melting cake, cheese plate and cappuccino.  The Caesar is good.  So is the Calamari.  My bass was rather bland but ok.  The melting cake was like normal, as was the cheese.  My cappuccino never arrived.  My sense is they really don’t like getting these.  On all my cruises where there is no bar close buy I sense that it is a pain for the the staff.  Anyway, the meal was good.  The service was quick and I was quite content and when they ask me how it was I say “great”.  I would be loath to say they forgot my coffee as it is no biggie for me but they make a big deal out of such things and they work hard enough as it is.  Just my take on it.  I cannot recall what Niki had.  I think it was the chicken and the Calamari.  Anyway, we washed it down with some rose Bruit if I recall.  I think we wondered the ship for a bit and took in some live music and decided to call it an early night as it had been a long and hot day for us use to the snow.  

 

I got up around 2:30 am feeling a little parched and went in search of an ice machine and water. I had meant to pick up a gator aid at Java Blue to put in the fridge earlier but never got to that.  The buffet drink machines were being serviced.  I found a juice and water and ice machine near pizza place that was lined with people.  I ordered a pie and took some ice cold juice and water back to the room.  While I was downstairs, I notice that there was land on our port side.  I thought that was very odd as Florida would be on our starboard at that point and we certainly should not be that close to land I thought… sure enough I was told by a fellow passenger that we were going into Ft. Lauderdale to offload a medical case.  I thought to myself… this boat is cursed.  Two incidents in 24 hours.  I wondered to myself if we could make up the time to get to Cozumel for day 3 or not (we did).  I sat on my balcony and ate my pizza and watched us dock in Ft. Lauderdale (or at least that is the port I think we were in… only port between Canaveral and Miami).  We saw a great number of very unhealthy looking humans that first day and we both wondered who it might be?  Maybe that very elderly woman standing on the back of her husband’s scooter didn’t make it up that ramp to the theatre?  Who knows.  I hope they recovered.

 

My closing thoughts for day one.  On this cruise I was gold status.  On my prior cruise a month earlier out of Long Beach I was Red, which gets you some large bottled waters in the room.  My wife was red on this cruise.  There were no large bottled waters left in the room like previously on the Radiance or the Horizon.  However, when we went to the main dining room or the other restaurants they brought one to the table even if you did not ask.  At the Sushi place on the last day, they brought some fancy glass bottle of water and told us it was ours to take as a part of our benefits.  So maybe someone in the know can clarify, are they leaving your free water in the room anymore or do you just ask for it at a venue?  Or does it vary by ship?  Just curious.  We both had cheers so we could get water anywhere anyway.  I learned on my last day that I could have asked for a pin as gold VIFP benefit at the fun shops but only if you go two days before the end of the cruise.  NOT Too upset.  One thing I have lots of is stuff (aka crap) and so my pin will have to wait until July, but more on that later.  I went back to bed after we headed out of the port.

 

We had a great first day.  Tomorrow I get to tell you about our favourite morning routine and maybe give you a few tips that worked well for us for the week that you may or may not have thought of.

 

Time for bed.  Frost advisor tonight!!! Yuck!  At least I am told the ice is off the bay at the cottage up north, which is bright spot.

 

Here are some pics of the Palm on deck 6, the brew house and Bistro 1396 from deck 7.

 

More Tomorrow.  Mark

[kwokpot]

16 minutes ago, Bulldogsoc said:

.  So maybe someone in the know can clarify, are they leaving your free water in the room anymore or do you just ask for it at a venue?  Or does it vary by ship?  Just curious.  We both had cheers so we could get water anywhere anyway.  I learned on my last day that I could have asked for a pin as gold VIFP benefit at the fun shops but only if you go two days before the end of the cruise

We were on the same cruise and actually still on for a b2b. Always interesting to see how others view the same cruise. So far my thoughts align with yours (Although at times the crowds in the buffet were a little daunting even though you always were able to find a table).

With regards to the loyalty water you have to ask for it at any bar, it's no longer delivered to your room,just like the other loyalty gifts which you have to pick up at Pixels.

 

***I have to laugh at your mention about that lady riding the back of her husband's scooter. That was weird.

 

Just wanted to add that because of Easter weekend the ship was filled to the brim with families with young kids,teens, tweens,and everything else. This week's cruise is only shy 100 passengers but far,far,far less kids.

 

Edit: Thank you for this write up!!!

Edited April 27, 2022 by kwokpot

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

17 hours ago, kwokpot said:

We were on the same cruise and actually still on for a b2b. Always interesting to see how others view the same cruise. So far my thoughts align with yours (Although at times the crowds in the buffet were a little daunting even though you always were able to find a table).

With regards to the loyalty water you have to ask for it at any bar, it's no longer delivered to your room,just like the other loyalty gifts which you have to pick up at Pixels.

 

***I have to laugh at your mention about that lady riding the back of her husband's scooter. That was weird.

 

Just wanted to add that because of Easter weekend the ship was filled to the brim with families with young kids,teens, tweens,and everything else. This week's cruise is only shy 100 passengers but far,far,far less kids.

 

Edit: Thank you for this write up!!!

 

Have you tried the Muffuletta yet?   🙂

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Have you tried the Muffuletta yet?   🙂

 

Tom

I did see your post on the other thread. No, unfortunately not yet. Haven't had anything from Emeril's yet.

We'll see if the OP had any food from there and if so their opinions. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

18 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I did see your post on the other thread. No, unfortunately not yet. Haven't had anything from Emeril's yet.

We'll see if the OP had any food from there and if so their opinions. 

You're running out of time, lol.

 

Tom

[Bulldogsoc]

Day Two

 

Well our first Sea Day was a beauty!  Blue sky and warm temperatures.  

 

We are normally early risers even on vacation.  With two big dogs at home there are few days they let us sleep in.  

 

I am always the first up and one great thing about the MG is that the Java Blue on deck six opens at 6 am and at that hour you are in small company.  When I was on the Radiance in early March that Java Blue did not open until seven which is just a little late for my liking. Bar Della Rosa on 8 opens at 7am.  It is an Italian inspired bar I think.  Java Blue forms a line of some significance between 7am and 8am.

 

So my normal routine is to take both our SnS cards down get us some coffee.  Niki’s regular is an Americana and I usually do the same or get a spiked coffee if it is a port day.  The great thing about the Java Blue is that they have so many grab an go items.  In the morning they have self serve cooler bunkers with milk and yogurt and then dishes with plastic covers with a nice snack size service of fresh cut fruit into cubes and the same dishes with covers over granola that you can mix the yogurt into.  The dishes a thick and hold cold to keep the fruit at the A+ temperature if you have a walk back to the room.  There is a another bunker that has self serve pay items like water, soda/pop and Gatorade and Muscle Milk. There is also Monster Energy in another cooler on the other side of the cash. They have bottled organic juice there as well but that is not included in cheers.  There is a large selection of breakfast sandwiches, that you can just go up and ask for and they will heat them up.  So. These items I would get each morning and bring back to the room.  They have coffee cup trays for the asking so you can simply stack those dishes and the tray and it is manageable for one to bring it back for a nice coffee and “first breakfast” on the balcony in our case.  FYI the spoons (for the yogurt)are down by the coffee creams and sugars. At least that is where I found them.  They may be elsewhere and some can pipe up if they know. Before seven there were few lines.  

 

Tip-  Speaking of trays… on sea days you might be up in serenity and be yearning for more than just one of the nice salads.  I read that people complained that they wanted to grab some street eats for two and if you took one of each, times two, that is six… you need a tray.  There are none.  So I had a look at the dollar store and I found a flat one for a buck that fit neatly in a beach bag and that worked great on the trip for taking stuff from kiosks to other venues with ease.  LOL Walk into Serenity at 2pm with a six or eight street eats or something else and people give you some jealous stink eye and wonder where the tray came from.  Worked for us.  Just get a stiff one and not one like at an old Ponderosa Steak house that is warped convex on top or it will slide around and off.

 

FYI… the afore mentioned watermelon martini can be had at the 555 Steakhouse Bar for the cool cash sum of $10.95 if you are not on cheers.

 

So anyway I was at Java Blue at six and back at the room at 6:20 as I had ordered some breakfast juice and such from room service the night before and wanted to be back before..oops… they beat me!  And I was greeted with a curse from my better half as she was woke from a dead sleep.  Sorry Hun.  Oh Well.  We were up.  We had our Americano coffees and juice but I can tell you the Carnival room coffee was terrible.  I do not remember it being that bad!  Seriously I did not think it undrinkable on our other three Carnival cruises but this morning it was.  The pastry and fruit and juice were nice but the coffee was a bad and we just avoided it the rest of the cruise.  

 

I read that there was a better (free) grind and brew machine in the pig and anchor and that is true.  That is a good idea for anyone that is not doing the cheers or doesn’t want to spring for the wait or expense at one of the Cafes.  

 

After our coffee we headed down to the aft starboard hot tubs for a dip as they open by 7:30 ish and are pretty empty that time of day. Beauty.

 

The Red Frog Tiki Bar opens at 7:30 am and they do Bloody Marys.  On the Radiance I asked for Grey Goose or Belvedere in mine but on that ship they had premixed a batch with something else.  Not here.  We had him do one Grey Goose and one Tito’s and then did a taste test.  I prefer the GG but it was not a huge difference.  The Bar Tender knew are names by the next day from our routine.  I think he worked the comedy club bar later in the day as well.

 

Another tip I did not know… On Day Three we found out that they have Clamato mix, at least at the Tiki bar.  So for those looking for a Caesar… there you go.  One more point.. I am not a big fan or their Bloody Mary Mix (too thick… drinks like a meal), so I get them to just use the thinner tomato juice; and I like their Tomato juice!  

 

I read that the Pig and Anchor Bloody Mary has a more fancy garnish but i can’t confirm that because we never made it down there to order one.

 

After a trip to Blue Iguana for some second breakfast we were up in serenity by ten or so.  Lots of selection up there at that hour.  The Serenity Bar opens at 8am (at least on seas days it did).  The Salad bar up there opens at noon.  The call it Fresh creations.  We shared two of those big bowl salads while on the cruise.  Some of the big lounge beds in certain shaded areas are in prime demand and would be staked out early.  We got a day bed by the pool for a few hours that morning but gave it up when we went to lunch that day.  When we came back at two the place was pretty packed but we did find two loungers at the front of the ship.  So even on a super full sailing i think it is fair to say you are likely to find a space.  If you go early you will have your pick.

 

We wanted to do the Bolt to just say we did it and we should have listened to the advice to do it early because you never know about mechanical and weather issues…. Well when it is day two and it is 32’C and the sun is shining you are thinking…. Naaah… it will be fine later.   We missed out as we had high winds the last two days and our two bookings were cancelled. OH Well.  Just saying… I should have listened.  [Maybe we subconsciously wanted to be $30 to the good all along!]

 

We had third breakfast a little later in the morning by getting some tenders from Big Chicken… Yum.  

 

Another tip… Background first… my first job as a 15 year old was a cook at a KFC in a small rural town.  One of the perks for this $4.75 per hour job was all the chicken you wanted.  So cold chicken in tin foil in the fridge has been a staple in my life ever since. I just love cold fried chicken and the pace is always closed when I am hungry for it late at night… pack a few sheets of foil to wrap it up and use in those WONDERFULLY COLD fridges Carnival managed to put on this ship.  Remember those silly cabinets that kept their fridges unable to diapause the heat on the older ships!  I remember the only way we could get them half way cold was to prop the door open with a note and tip for the steward not the close the cabinet.  The radiator needed to cool… anyway, I digress.  If you crave Big Chicken Tenders at all hours, bring some foil and stash some away for after hours in those great fridges they put on this new ship.  

 

Speaking of stateroom attendant, a shout out to Mario who did a fine and fast and invisible service. He made up our room every morning so fast it was done by the time we were back from breakfast.  Amazing.  Thank you.

 

Ok, gotta go for now.  More later about the best or close the best meal we had on elegant night, our list of interesting evening cocktails, and the hilarious Jim Brick comedian PG show.  

 

Cheers… Mark

[Bulldogsoc]

Sorry… it was crumpled in my bag! 😬.  This was the Day Two Sea Day.  You can get these at various places on the ship including the Java Blue, Bar Della Rosa and Guest Services.  I have a few others.

 

[Momma1980]

Wow! Great review with many practical and relevant tips. Thank you so much. Following with all my heart. Will be in the Mardi Gras next month. Thank you for posting. 😃

[JaniceB]

Enjoying your review.  The coffee at Pig and Anchor is fresh brewed by the cup and the breakfast there is a small buffet in the morning.  

[Bulldogsoc]

First Formal Night -  Day Two

 

On Day two we took in a PG Comedy show around 4pm in the Limelight Lounge.  We got there about 25 minutes early and got two of the swivel seats at the seat backs at the back.  Good seats and were able to serve serve at the bar.  Saw Jim Brick.  OMG, the Funniest PG show ever.  Great comedian.  Laughed and laughed.  He roasted these teens and their parents.. Oh my it was so good I decided to line up for the 11:15 show later that night.  He ended up roasting those same parents later that night.  As stated by another posters… there was a lot of fun on this cruise and not a lot of parenting shall we say.

 

We dressed up for formal night. Went to the the Italian place.  Had about an hour wait that night but we hung out at 555 and Alchemy (two words… Cucumber Sunrise!!). We also had plenty of time for drinks and stringed music at our favourite bar, the Brass Magnolia.  We had Hurricanes that night before dinner and then Bayou Lemonade (another fav) and Brandy Milk Punch… like Nog on Xmas Eve after dinner.

 

We finally got our call at La Cucina and we were able to sit out on the deck.  Awesome.  It was a warm night but there was lovely sea air.  I had the minestrone soup… it was excellent but if it was just slightly hotter I would have given it an Awesome rating (even a so so soup is good hot and I like hot soup).  Niki had the Nana Meat ball (one big one, it is plural in name only)…. Very very good.  I had a pork chop and a Lobster tail… wonderful.  Both Perfectly cooked.  Love it so much I did not order a second for fear it would not live up to the first (memories are good things).  On formal night you can get the Lobster in any of the other sit down venues so you don’t have to go the the Palms or other auxiliary dining room (name escapes me).  Niki had and Spaghetti Carbonara (excellent).  I had the Fritters and Niki the Tiramisu and both were good.  A cappuccino and all was awesome.  Then back to the Brass Magnolia for a night cap.  We walked around a little and saw everyone getting the last of their best dressed photos.  Niki was done but I decided to wait for a good seat for the 11:15 double feature with both comedians doing adult.  They were funny but I decided that waiting late at night for a seat (it turned out I could have just showed up and got a seat as the theatre was not full at showtime) was not something I would do again in case the show was only sos so.  Again, when you get something good… keep don’t water down that great memory with something so so (like first perfect the lobster).  Late night they do the comedy in the Theatre due to the demand.  

 

So I hauled my tire three piece suited butt back to the cabin as I was done!  End of Day Two.  Great day.  Even better than day one and Day Three was going to be even better.

 

Day Three

 

My morning routine was a little later this day.  I went to Della Rosa for the Americanos and Baileys and some fruit.  I got some chicken strips from Big Chicken that morning for the “foil” as I knew I would want a late night snack that night after Cozumel.

 

When we booked the cruise I reserved two spaces for Mr. Sancho’s for the day in Cozumel.  For those who have not been, you really need to book it before you leave home.  It is only a $5 pp charge to hold our spot and then you pay the reminding $50 or $55 (cannot recall if it is $55 or $60 pp) at the entrance.  If you decide to do something else you are only out a few bucks but this place fills up.  I had been there before.  Great spot.  Can be a party spot at spring break but when we were there it was full but laid back.  Great food.  Wonderful Service.  The taxi driver will ask if you have reservations as they know they are alway full on port days.  You catch the taxis just outside the port shops.  $17 for a taxi (up to 4 people).  There is a taxi sign showing the fixed prices.  We met some people and shared a cab back around 4pm.  Shopping there.  Great day.  We were there by 10:00.  Great time.

 

Back on board we were stuffed from the food at the beach but we managed to find room for Guy’s Burgers.  Yum.  A nap was in order.  Don’t you love a guilt free nap with a Turner Classic Movie on as you doze off… VACTATION!  We took in some live music and did a hot tub soak.  A few more drinks and a soup and salads at the Buffet and we were done!  Tomorrow was Costa Mya.

 

Day Four

 

After a good night’s sleep it was time to dial things up and start with an Irish Coffee and breakfast sandwiches from Java Blue.  Yum.  Caesars at the Red Frog (he remembered us by name from the Comedy club the other day).  

 

We got off early to wonder around the rather lack lustre “mall” that is Costa Maya (The comedian later that night was less complimentary shall we say in his opinion of the port.  A lot of four letter words to describe it!).   

 

Anyway, we walked around and looked at the poor dolphins (they seemed happy with the fish but…. ). I had gone to Maya Chan on a prior excursion and that was pretty chill but I did not like the water there so I likely won’t go back.  They have an awesome staff, drinks, food and little shaded nooks that make you feel like a cast away but the properly is only so wide and the neighbouring properties were not the tidiest when I was there and I did not like the actual water.  I would still recommend the place.  Look it up.  It may be for you.

 

Now to get to Maya Chan you walk out of the port through the gate and then down the road on the right past the taxi stand until you come across a sign that is the meeting place.  If you walk a little further you come to a traffic circle in a very run down area (perfectly safe in day) but in the centre of this traffic circle there is a pyramid.  Not sure if it is old or new but anyway it was hot and we walked that far and then turned around.  I got Niki to do an angled shot so it looked like I had walked through the Jungle to this thing so I could tell everyone that I did the Tomb Raider thing.  

 

Gotta run for now but I promise I will wrap this up tomorrow.

 

Cheers. Mark

 

[MSarahM]

Awesome review!! I cancelled a Royal Caribbean cruise I had booked so we could go on MG this August instead. Beyond excited! Really appreciate your insight and looking forward to reading more!

[jpennin217]

Did I miss the rest of the review? It was awesome but I don't see the rest anywhere.