Our Marvelous Mardi Gras B2B (with pics!) - April 23rd, 2022

Jamman54 · May 21, 2022

10 minutes ago, Donna1127 said:

Jeff, Ive read your other reviews and loved them, but this one is special as my friend and I will be sailing on Mardi Gras in November after two years of waiting for my 60th birthday!! Thank you for the review and thanks to Patti for her amazing pictures! Following along....

Thanks for following along. Glad to have you on board with us! You picked a great ship for your return to cruising. Be safe to take notes! 😀

Grambler · May 21, 2022

2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Thanks so much for reading. Glad to have you aboard! I can think of a few places to pick up some wine, but none are within walking distance. You'll have to uber to whichever one you choose. We will be doing a B2B on the Celebration next April. I still have a lot more to post, so stay tuned!

Definitely planning on it, great information! Will let you know how our Celebration in November goes!

audcc77 · May 21, 2022

4 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

the screen behind the stage displaying the scenery is so huge, it made you feel like you were inside of it.

Yes!! Great description. That’s exactly how we felt! Excellent show.

Jamman54 · May 22, 2022

Hey gang! Won't be posting anything today. Tomorrow we'll get you to San Juan! 😎

Hogladyrider · May 22, 2022

@Jamman54...enjoy your day.

I admire you and Patti for all the work you put into providing us with such FANTASTI cruise reviews.

You get better and better with each review......looking forward to additional adventures!

Webecruzen · May 22, 2022

I see we should book Rudi’s for one night. With all of the Specialty Restaurants onboard, not sure we will make it to the main dining room.

Jamman54 · May 22, 2022

2 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@Jamman54...enjoy your day.

I admire you and Patti for all the work you put into providing us with such FANTASTI cruise reviews.

You get better and better with each review......looking forward to additional adventures!

Thank you so much for your kind words. It's posts like these that make it all worthwhile. Plus, we get to relive our vacations and talk cruising! 😀

Jamman54 · May 22, 2022

43 minutes ago, Webecruzen said:

I see we should book Rudi’s for one night. With all of the Specialty Restaurants onboard, not sure we will make it to the main dining room.

Definitely! We didn't eat in the MDR once during our two weeks abroad the Mardi Gras! 😁

canes20 · May 22, 2022

3 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Hey gang! Won't be posting anything today. Tomorrow we'll get you to San Juan! 😎

jolyroger · May 22, 2022

On 5/18/2022 at 9:22 PM, purpleally said:

The restroom. You have got to see it ! The biggest, the cleanest!

OMG they truly are!! We went for the first time to Buc-ee's in March on our way to WDW . Needless to say on the way home we stopped as well. Cruising in July on the MG , and Buc-cee's will be our first stop on the way to the Port!

Knights on the Beach · May 23, 2022

6 hours ago, Webecruzen said:

I see we should book Rudi’s for one night. With all of the Specialty Restaurants onboard, not sure we will make it to the main dining room.

5 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Definitely! We didn't eat in the MDR once during our two weeks abroad the Mardi Gras! 😁

We've spent two weeks (so far) on Mardi Gras and ate in the MDR three times. We'll be back on MG in December and don't plan to go to the MDR at all. We should have skipped it after the first time. 🙂

Chunky73 · May 23, 2022

On 5/16/2022 at 10:22 AM, Jamman54 said:

First to the party. Welcome aboard!

Thank you for sharing, look forward to reading every review. I am doing the same B2B next February and can't wait,

Chunky73 · May 23, 2022

On 5/18/2022 at 2:13 PM, hockeyluver said:

Looking forward to the rest of your review, we were on the Mardi Gras in February and had a bump out balcony OMG loved it. So glad we have one booked for the Celebration next February as well !!

I am doing a b2b 2/2023 but changing rooms after fight leg. Both rooms have a bump out, did you feel like the surrounding cabins could see in your room? Can I ask what you liked about the bump out balcony? tiA

Chunky73 · May 23, 2022

On 5/18/2022 at 4:17 PM, Jamman54 said:

We stopped and checked out the Mardi Gras Theater located all the way forward on Decks 6 & 7. It seemed a bit small, but the comfy seats with a cup holder was a plus…..

It was now after 1:30 so we decided to head back to the cabin to see if it was ready. The door was locked, and our sail & sign cards were outside. This is cabin # 11374…..

The bathroom and shower…..

Our extended balcony, complete with a lounger…..

Here is some Good to Know info for those that want to know…..

To be continued…..

love your balcony!!!

Frenchys29406 · May 23, 2022

Your review of Mardi Gras is making me want to book the ship!

MistyRo76 · May 23, 2022

On 5/19/2022 at 6:05 PM, Jamman54 said:

Patti continues with her embarkation day picture tour. She heads all the way aft on Deck 6 to the Palm Restaurant. This is the Restaurant for Your Time Dining, and the Sea day Brunch…..

Patti heads up to the upper level of the Palm Restaurant on Deck 7…….

Moving forward on Deck 7, she passes the Dream Studio which is aft on the starboard side……

Across the way on the port side is the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse…..

To be continued…..

A couple questions/comments now that I'm caught up!

Is it just me or do the tables/chairs in the main dining rooms on these newer ships look very cheap. I am getting like cafeteria vibes. I used to think the main dining rooms always looked very elegant! Maybe this is by design to make them less appealing and drive more traffic to the for-pay venues???

Is the LimeLight Lounge really as small as it appears in Patti's photos? It looks tiny - other than the Trivia and PG comedy shows you mentioned, what else is this space used for?

I am digging those fun plates at Rudy's SeaGrill! I have always been a MDR gal (late seating FTW!), but not cause I don't enjoy trying other venues. On the contrary, we have occasionally eaten at the steakhouse and did the Chef's Table on our last cruise and loved it! But now seeing your detailed experiences at the Teppanyaki and SeaGrill, I'm thinking once I finally get on MG or one of her sister ships, I won't be dining at the MDR much at all!

Can't wait to read about (and see) the rest of your journey!

wardwhitty · May 23, 2022

Do you know if you can get the full dining room menu in Cucina and Chibang ?

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

7 hours ago, Chunky73 said:

Thank you for sharing, look forward to reading every review. I am doing the same B2B next February and can't wait,

7 hours ago, Chunky73 said:

I am doing a b2b 2/2023 but changing rooms after fight leg. Both rooms have a bump out, did you feel like the surrounding cabins could see in your room? Can I ask what you liked about the bump out balcony? tiA

7 hours ago, Chunky73 said:

love your balcony!!!

Thanks for reading. We liked our balcony on the "hump" for a couple of reasons. First, the balcony was large and deep, with plenty of room for a lounger. No one could look into our balcony, on the contrary, being on the bump, we could see into the nearby balconies not on the bump. Being so deep you can be in the sun, and also have shade if you need it. Finally, these are the only balconies on the ship where you could look straight down into the water.

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

3 hours ago, Frenchys29406 said:

Your review of Mardi Gras is making me want to book the ship!

Thanks for following along. Book it!

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

3 hours ago, wardwhitty said:

Do you know if you can get the full dining room menu in Cucina and Chibang ?

Not the full menu, but some of the items on that day's MDR menu. Lobster is offered on the first Cruise Elegant night.

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

3 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

A couple questions/comments now that I'm caught up!

Is it just me or do the tables/chairs in the main dining rooms on these newer ships look very cheap. I am getting like cafeteria vibes. I used to think the main dining rooms always looked very elegant! Maybe this is by design to make them less appealing and drive more traffic to the for-pay venues???

Is the LimeLight Lounge really as small as it appears in Patti's photos? It looks tiny - other than the Trivia and PG comedy shows you mentioned, what else is this space used for?

I am digging those fun plates at Rudy's SeaGrill! I have always been a MDR gal (late seating FTW!), but not cause I don't enjoy trying other venues. On the contrary, we have occasionally eaten at the steakhouse and did the Chef's Table on our last cruise and loved it! But now seeing your detailed experiences at the Teppanyaki and SeaGrill, I'm thinking once I finally get on MG or one of her sister ships, I won't be dining at the MDR much at all!

Can't wait to read about (and see) the rest of your journey!

I agree with you, the dining room furniture did look a little chintzy. The Limelight Lounge does seem a bit smaller than Limelight lounges on other ships. The only other thing the Lounge is used for besides trivia and the PG comedy shows, is for Karaoke a few evenings on the cruise.

ymncruise · May 23, 2022

The furnishings remind me of a newer Hampton Inn. It looks like a fun ship to try. I haven’t sailed on carnival since the 90s, but I’d like to try them again.

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

4 minutes ago, ymncruise said:

The furnishings remind me of a newer Hampton Inn. It looks like a fun ship to try. I haven’t sailed on carnival since the 90s, but I’d like to try them again.

The Mardi Gras would be a great ship for you to try!

Jamman54 · May 23, 2022

Day # 4 (April 26th) - San Juan, PR (7am - 4pm).

We were up at 5:30am to watch our sail into San Juan, Puerto Rico as well as this morning’s sunrise. Here is the view from our balcony looking forward….