Our “Never Say Never” Mardi Gras Cruise – Live (Hopefully) May 27 - June 3

[SRQbeachgirl]

Well hello, Mr. Sea Turtle! 

 

 

Every time we have visited Mahogany Bay I've seen sea turtles from our balcony. Mr. SRQ, however...hasn't. It goes like this...

 

Me: Hey, there's a sea turtle down there!

 

*Mr. SRQ runs outside...just as the turtle dives.*

 

Him: Where? I don't see it.

 

Me: You just missed it. Wait a couple of minutes  and it'll come back up.

 

*He waits all of 15 seconds and gives up, then goes back inside*

 

Me: There it is again!

 

*He runs back outside*

 

Him: WHERE?!?

 

Me: You just missed him again.

 

Him: Forget it. I'm going back in the air conditioning.

 

Every. Single. Time. 🤣

 

 

[SRQbeachgirl]

It was a towel animal attack on the MG Lido Deck today! I'm thinking there must be a Georgia fan in the Fun Squad! 😂

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by SRQbeachgirl

[SRQbeachgirl]

Mahogany Bay is our favorite "beach day" stop. It's hard to beat a beach cabana, especially when the included hammock is so darn comfy. That might be my leg hanging off the side in the first photo below. I think this was right before I fell asleep. Mr. SRQ eventually had to wake me up--something about snoring and scaring off the wildlife. I have no idea what he's talking about, though, since obviously I don't snore. Duh. 🙄😉

 

 

 

And a couple of early morning shots as we docked.

 

 

[bar1068]

Hi...I'd like to squeeze in a question if I may. We just got off the Celebration this past Sunday, and now have a cruise booked on the Mardi Gras. We went twice to Chibang on Celebration, and very much enjoyed it. We even went....now get this...to Chibang on the second "elegant night"....you know...the one where they serve the...um....lobster. After ordering our dinners, our server asked if we'd like to have the lobster, the one they were serving in the MDR and we said sure!! He brought that...and just about every other item on the menu!! Thought that was very odd, but we enjoyed all of their offerings.

 

All that said, my wife read..."somewhere" that now on Mardi Gras, your first visit to Chibang is still no charge, but any subsequent visits there'd be sort of a cover charge...8 dollars I recall her saying. Can you verify that? Thanks.

[SRQbeachgirl]

1 hour ago, bar1068 said:

Hi...I'd like to squeeze in a question if I may. We just got off the Celebration this past Sunday, and now have a cruise booked on the Mardi Gras. We went twice to Chibang on Celebration, and very much enjoyed it. We even went....now get this...to Chibang on the second "elegant night"....you know...the one where they serve the...um....lobster. After ordering our dinners, our server asked if we'd like to have the lobster, the one they were serving in the MDR and we said sure!! He brought that...and just about every other item on the menu!! Thought that was very odd, but we enjoyed all of their offerings.

 

All that said, my wife read..."somewhere" that now on Mardi Gras, your first visit to Chibang is still no charge, but any subsequent visits there'd be sort of a cover charge...8 dollars I recall her saying. Can you verify that? Thanks.

 

Your wife is correct (and I know she will enjoy hearing "you were right, dear"). 🤣 It is free the first time and $8 per person for the second visit. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Apparently it rained early this morning. Like, seriously rained. With lots of lightning and thunder. Mr. SRQ and I slept right through it. We woke up to a drenched balcony with standing water. Fortunately it drained fairly quickly and I was able to start my morning like any good Sea Day should be started.

 

We had reservations for Bolt at 10:30, but they've pushed all the appointments back to give the ride time to dry out. I mean, I know it's called Bolt and is supposed to be an electrifying ride, but we really don't want to take that literally, do we? ⚡️

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by SRQbeachgirl

[SRQbeachgirl]

The line for Bingo cards is from Grand Central all the way into the Palm Restaurant. I guess everyone loves the chance to win a free cruise. I'm only here because we won a free bingo package in Deal or No Deal last night (along with $50 cash and $30 casino credit--not bad).

 

[efuzz]

16 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

It was a towel animal attack on the MG Lido Deck today! I'm thinking there must be a Georgia fan in the Fun Squad! 😂

 

 

 

 

Love it! Go Dawgs! And loving your review! We were on MG April 2022 for our nephew's Spring break and had a great time but are thinking of booking again next February to do our favorite themed cruise - Non-Spring Break Empty Nester's Adventure!

[SRQbeachgirl]

3 hours ago, efuzz said:

Love it! Go Dawgs! And loving your review! We were on MG April 2022 for our nephew's Spring break and had a great time but are thinking of booking again next February to do our favorite themed cruise - Non-Spring Break Empty Nester's Adventure!

 

That is my kind of themed cruise! 

[SRQbeachgirl]

I'm enjoying a very relaxing (aka "lazy") last sea day morning courtesy of Java Blue and the deep blue sea. And Mr. SRQ, since he made the coffee run.

 

 

Running into a lot of seaweed this morning.

 

 

We're also being bombarded with disembarking instructions. We've gotten no fewer than four letters, a flyer, and just heard an announcement. QUIT REMINDING ME!!! 🙄☹️

[ciship]

22 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

The line for Bingo cards is from Grand Central all the way into the Palm Restaurant. I guess everyone loves the chance to win a free cruise. I'm only here because we won a free bingo package in Deal or No Deal last night (along with $50 cash and $30 casino credit--not bad).

 

May I ask how you win at Deal or No Deal?  Did you have to sign up to play in the show?

[disneyfan551]

Looove the reviews!!

[SRQbeachgirl]

1 hour ago, ciship said:

May I ask how you win at Deal or No Deal?  Did you have to sign up to play in the show?

 

There are two potential ways to play/win. You buy game cards that each have a bar code and number on them. A number is randomly selected and the person who bought that card goes onstage to be the contestant. For everyone else, while the contestant opens briefcases the audience members open the briefcases on their cards. If the dollar amount for a particular briefcase on your card matches the dollar amount of the briefcase the contestant opens, then you have a match. For two matches you get a $25 Bingo card package. For three you get $30 Casino credit. Four is $50 cash. The prizes go up the more matches you get.

[SRQbeachgirl]

Did I mention we're having a lazy day today? My view this afternoon hasn't changed much from this morning, except I've replaced the coffee with a chocolate chunk cookie the size of my head. 

 

 

Now lest you think my butt has been planted so long in this chair that it's growing roots here, I'll add in my defense that Mr. SRQ and I did go forage for sustenance (Shaq's) and played bingo. We didn't win, so our losing streak is still intact.

 

The shade and breeze on our balcony is just too enticing to stay away long, though. The water is so smooth today and the temperature is perfect in the shade. I'm currently watching flying fish and I even saw a shark swimming at the surface a few minutes ago! This is my happy place and I'm going to enjoy every minute I can until they throw me off the ship tomorrow. 

 

 

 

 

 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Our last dinner of the cruise was at Bonsai Teppanyaki tonight, where we celebrated our anniversary (AGAIN!). 😉🤪 

 

 

 

The food was good, but it felt much more rushed than it did last time we had dinner here. The food delivery was disjointed with our entrees being ready before we had been served all the appetizers. If this was our only experience here, it would likely be our last. Hopefully it was just an off night and isn't representative of the new normal. 

 

And y'all, I am officially "desserted" out. Seriously, I'm gonna be in a sugar coma for the next month. I ate everything in the dessert bento box except the grass ice cream. Okay yeah, I know it's actually called "matcha," but it tastes like grass to me. Grass is for cows and goats and I'm not either one of those.

 

 

After dinner I went to the casino to spend my $30 casino credit from Deal or No Deal. I was down to my very last spin when the Rich Little Piggies squealed and gave me 17 free spins, so I walked away with $56. I'll take it!

 

Now I'm back on the balcony enjoying the last couple of hours, and watching the planet Venus shine over the lights of the south Florida coastline.

 

 

I know soon Mr. SRQ is going to tell me it's time to pack, but I figure I can hold him off till about 11pm. He's gonna do most of the work anyway--and we both already know it. 😏😉

[kelkel2]

Safe travels!!

[SRQbeachgirl]

Getting off the ship this morning was a breeze...for people with passports. Thank goodness we have passports! 😎 From the time we stepped off the ship till we pulled out of the parking garage was about 10 minutes.

 

It looked like about 80% of everyone on our cruise had birth certificates and that line was truly AWFUL! For anyone getting on the MG today, you should probably expect a long wait in the terminal before you can board. 

 

Once we got on the road I called home and found out our air conditioner went out yesterday. Now y'all, our AC went out last time we cruised the MG, so I'm starting to think there's a connection. Our home warranty company has been called, but it's gonna be a least Monday before we hear from anyone, which means we will be sweltering in the south Florida heat. 🥵

 

Awesome. 😖

 

Nothin' like coming back to reality. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Kedi]

This was not one of my better cruises.  Goodbye Carnival.

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, Kedi said:

This was not one of my better cruises.  Goodbye Carnival.

If you're going to make a statement like that, it helps if you explain why you feel like that.

[SRQbeachgirl]

3 hours ago, Kedi said:

This was not one of my better cruises.  Goodbye Carnival.

 

You were on our sailing? What did you experience that made it so disappointing? 

 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Well, we made it home. And ya'll, it's hot. We've got every fan in the house blowing at full speed, but it still basically feels like I'm standing on the dock in Cozumel. 

 

So, final thoughts.

 

The ship felt much more crowded this time, but it was sold out so we expected that going in. Places to sit around the open decks were hard to come by, especially in the shade, so we didn't spend much time in Serenity or the other pool areas. They were pretty much overrun most of the time. We didn't really mind this because we intended to spend a lot of time on our balcony, and we did. 

 

This may very well have been our last cruise during the May - August months, at least on Carnival. Just too many kids, teenagers, and large groups.

 

Food was really good, with Fahrenheit 555 being our favorite meal. We also really enjoyed Chi-Bang and would be willing to pay $8 for a second visit. Once again we did not eat in the MDR at all. There are just too many other good options on the MG.

 

We were disappointed (okay, I was disappointed - Mr. SRQ not so much) that we didn't get to ride Bolt. After our reservation was canceled because of rain and residual moisture in the brake system we didn't get another opportunity. 

 

When we sailed MG last year there were significant staff shortages that were obvious all over the ship. They seem to have that issue resolved and it was noticeably better this time.

 

Overall, we got what we wanted out of this cruise. Lots of time to relax on an oversized and shady balcony. Good food. And I GOT TO SWIM WITH DOLPHIN!!!!!! Yeah, it's gonna take a while to come down from that. Mr. SRQ is going to happily tell everyone that I was giddier than he's ever seen me, and trust me, after 34 years that man has seen a lot! 😆 

 

Thanks to everyone for coming along for the ride!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[luvcruzing]

Thank you for the review.  It was fun following along.  Glad you made it home safely and hope your a/c gets fixed pronto.

[VIFP1987]

I very much enjoyed your review! Thanks for taking the time to write it! 

[pe4all]

Great, fair review.  After sailing on Horizon I have decided MG will not be my cup of tea.  Will stick with "smaller" ships.  Good luck with your a/c.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Great review!  Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

 

 

Kim