bornin49

We were on the Mardi Gras 04 feb 2023 suite 11506 aft with a huge balcony with a hot tub.

Thank you for a great informative view, we will be sailing on the M G Feb 4,2023, loved all your photos of the different areas of the ship, thanks for taking the time to do this review.

On 11/9/2022 at 9:49 AM, pirate4me2 said:

Pre-Cruise Hotel Info:

 

On one of our land vacations to the Keys last year, we stopped in Cape Canaveral as a quick overnight to visit our favorite port to sail away from. We were itching for some yummy food from Fishlips, and we wanted to see our beloved ships in port...including the shiny new Mardi Gras! As is our tradition when in PC, we booked to stay at Raddisson Resort at the Port….we love that awesome pool, and every time we have stayed there it has been nice.

 

WOW……have things changed! The room we were put in was NOT up to standards. It looked like a cheap hotel you’d rent by the hour, if you know what I mean. I really didn’t want to lay down in that bed, for fear of bedbugs (which I checked for by the way!) and when I did it was squeaky, and the linens were scratchy. I refused to bring my suitcase in the room, for fear of creepy crawlies getting in it. The carpet was frayed and had stains in it, and the bathroom had stains in the toilet and tub.  I heard a few others complaining about the condition of the hotel as well, and even DH, who can sleep in a hammock between a tree for all he cares, said it was run-down and nothing like it used to be. The pool was still beautifully kept up, but they really need to invest some money into the rooms.

 

So, with that said, when I booked this cruise I did not even consider staying at Raddisson pre-cruise like in the past. I looked around online, and settled on trying out Home2 Suites by Hilton, which I THINK is kinda close to Raddisson. The address says it is at 9004 Astronaut Blvd, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. We shall see! I didn’t see a Park & Cruise package like Raddisson has (but then again, I was not sober when I booked….I discovered Absinthe and drank ½ a bottle of it as I was researching….word to the wise, absinthe is NOT your friend if you drink that much of it) so I very well may have overlooked it on their site. Oh well, I am not heartbroken about parking at the port….I actually like parking at Port Canaveral, it is easy peasy lemon squeezy, and when I hop off the ship I can just get in the truck and start zooming home!

We stayed there last FEB and found it to be really sketchy, This Feb we are staying at the Hampton Inn,We had always stayed at the Raddison its a shame they let it get like that.

We paid $7,341.58 for a excel aft corner suite for this coming feb. that includes all taxes, port charges, insurance, and prepaid gratuity, we are really looking forward to this cruise. this will be on the carnival Mardi Gras.

On 9/6/2022 at 6:57 AM, jimbo5544 said:

It was not bad, they lay them out by number broken up well.  If you are worried for that, do self assist..

we always take a photo of our luggage , makes it easier for them to find, we also tie something bright to the handle, so much luggage looks the same.

11 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

Hello!

 

I realize that Mardi Gras is still pretty new, and Celebration isn't in service yet, but I have a few questions for those that may have sailed on Mardi Gras in an Excel suite. Hubby and I splurged for a special occasion cruise next March on Celebration and booked one of these, and I was wondering....it says complimentary room service is a benefit...does that include the items that you normally have to pay for as well? Hubby loves to curl up watching a movie sometimes and will get a hankering for a snack, and if that is truly a benefit he is going to be thrilled! Also, in regards to the movies, it says on demand movies are complimentary....does that include the "for fee" ones as well? If so, he is REALLY going to be thrilled. 

TIA for any insight from those who have sailed in the Excel suites! 

Great question, we were wondering the same thing, we booked an excel aft suite for feb,4,2023,looking forward to the answers.

DANG,something else to pack, bacon and mushrooms.

thank you,I appreciate that.

Have you ever been in this suite,and if so so did you like it?

looking at some videos, it gets windy in front of the ship, we booked an aft excel suite, and you would enjoy the balcony more, I believe the presidential suite is about $3000 more.

wow !!! what a review, enjoyed it very much, we are booked on the MG Feb4,2023,A long way off but reading reviews like this make it seem that much closer, my wife and I will be in a aft suite,11506 can hardly wait, now on to the second half of your review.

have a great time, we are booked for 5 Feb 2022,Aft cabin on the Escape,getting excited, time to start packing, fly into Orlando on Friday , get us out of all this Snow,safe travels everyone .

We just received our letter for our feb. 5th cruise on the Escape.

We will be going on the Escape Feb.5th, flight all set , hotel the day before cruise all set, along as ship sails we will be going,this is our third attempt to get our 50th wedding anniversary cruise in.now it is 51years plus 3 months, we are going!!!!

How many of you would be ok with just sailing on a cruise to nowhere with a possible private island stop, I for one would welcome it, for many cruisers its about the islands, we all have our own personal preference, with some of the islands shutting their ports to cruise ships any thing is possible.My wife and I will hopefully be on the February 5,2022 sailing of the NCL Escape,this is our third attempt trying to get our 50th wedding anniversary cruise in, try and stay positive (no pun intended) and make the best out of difficult times, happy cruising everyone. 

61 days until the escape feb5, 2022,we can't wait for our aft balcony .

could you please tell me what a cvs bar code is, thanks.

70 days until we escape on the Escape!!!

We will be sailing on the escape FEB 5 ,2022 our first time on the escape, we look forward to your review, thank you.70 days, and counting.

We will be sailing on the escape FEB 5 ,2022 our first time on the escape, we look forward to your review, thank you.

My DW surprised me with an early Christmas present  on the Norwegian Escape for 5 feb 2022 aft balcony 13908 any information pros or cons would be appreciated photos also welcome 98 days and counting,TY.

high seas might be holding things up a little.

Every cruise we ever went on, and there are many,usually between 130\200 pm-

Can you bring your own coffee maker on board???

My family just returned from a Thanksgiving cruise on the NCL Breakaway and we had a good experience using this service called Valet Anywhere.

 

They met us at the cruise terminal we when arrived and brought back my car when we returned. We had scheduled everything ahead of time so the whole process was quick and painless.

 

We live in NJ and had considered taking the train into NYC (Greeneyedbernie's post above) but for a family of six (wife, kids, & grandparents) it didn't make sense economically and wasn't worth the hassle.

$7 x 7 days parking plus $30 x 6 people for roundtrip train tickets ended up to be $229 to just to get Penn Station, we would have to take a taxi (2 cars for the six of us) to get to the cruise terminal from Penn Station, not to mention having to do the reverse when we returned.

 

After scouring various travel boards (this one included) I found Valet Anywhere and Park Right. Valet Anywhere's rate was $20 a day for 7 days vs $28 a day for Park Right. We chose Valet Anywhere over Park Right because of the convenience of meeting at the cruise terminal.

 

Long story short, we ended up paying $140 for 7 days parking with Valet Anywhere and we didn't have to leave the cruise terminal. It was a great way to end a family vacation.

My wife just booked this service for our 10 day Feb 1st cruise on the Gem, I was glad to see a great review, thank you.