Jamman54

Great choices! 😎

One shot at a time 5 minutes apart. 😎

Thank you so much! Will you be doing one on your Horizon cruise? Loved your Conquest one! 😀

Thanks so much Megan! Patti and I enjoy yours as well, and look forward to your upcoming Liberty review. 😀

Thanks Heather! It's always a pleasure to have you along with us! 😀

Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it! 😎

At least you were happy when you boarded the flight!

It's a Spirit Class thing, that's why they are our favorite class of ships!

Sorry that happened to you, but you have a GREAT attitude. Enjoy the rest of your vacation no matter what you decide to do!

I would have rented a car and drove over to PC. 😒

To tell you the truth Greg, We've sailed out of Jacksonville at least 8 times and I don't remember it being like that. 😀

Thanks for another great live review. You have a beautiful family! Safe travels home, and we are looking forward to following along in two weeks. 😀

We have been on six cruises since the start up, and we have attended every Diamond event, and not once has the Captain been there, which is probably a good thing. Haven't seen one at the Platinum / Diamond VIFP party either.

Have a great cruise Jimbo! Expect a little bit different experience this time now that they are sailing near max capacity. Anxious to hear your take on it since the last time you sailed on her it was reduced capacity. That Havana cabana may be a godsend. 😎

Thanks for following along once again! We did luck out with the car. 😎

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it! 😎

Thanks so much. It was great to have you along for the ride once again! 😎

Absolutely! 😁

Thank you so much! 😁

Looking at the deck plans they are going to have to add a pool and hot tubs to create a "Havana " experience or an Italian equivalent on deck 5 aft to make me want to sail on them, and New York is our home port. 😎

Hey there! Better late than never. 😁 When is your next cruise? 😎

Epilouge – Final Thoughts and Future Plans. The Mardi Gras ….. she’s BIG, ….. she’s Beautiful, ….. she’s Crowded!!! At the end of our first day aboard her, we were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. As always, on embarkation day everyone gravitates to the Lido Deck and the Marketplace, The Red Frog Tiki Bar was almost impossible to get near, and we had to wait 40 minutes to get a table at Pig & Anchor. I’m happy to say that by the next morning everyone had found their groove, and the masses were more dispersed. We envy those who sailed on this beautiful ship when they sailed below capacity. It had to be simply wonderful. During our first week on board, we were amongst 5,800+ passengers. That’s 109% capacity based on double occupancy. The second week was a bit better with “only” 5,400+ passengers, or 102% of capacity based on double occupancy. So let’s cut to the chase. Would we sail on the Mardi Gras or her sisters again? Absolutely, in fact we are doing a B2B on the Celebration next April. But we would never book during peak times when the numbers are sure to break 6,000. I know that some of you have no choice, and I understand, because when our boys were growing up, and Patti being a teacher, we were locked into peak times. We sympathize. So, if you are someone who doesn’t like crowds, or waiting in line, this ship isn’t for you. Patti and I are not fans of the above either, who is, but we have learned over our many cruises how to maneuver around these obstacles. So our biggest piece of advice is to pack your patience. Lines for the comedy shows start forming an hour before show time, and if you get in the end of a long line, you still may not get in. Look at it this way, you’ll be in the front of the line for the next show! Lines for the Mardi Gras Theater would start forming a half hour before the doors were even opened. When Patti and I wanted to see a show at Center Stage, in order to get a good seat low and in front, we would arrive an hour before show time, have some drinks, and people watch. Some nights we would spend our whole evening there. The thing that really blew my mind was this. On the afternoon of the first sea day, they were having the Build-a-Bear in the Punchliner Comedy Club. The line to get into that was insanely long, and there weren’t even that many children on board! I think you get the picture. The Mardi Gras has a multitude of things to do, places to eat, and bars to drink at. One week is simply not enough time to even scratch the surface. We were on for two weeks and we didn’t even come close to sampling it all. We never ate dinner or had the Sea Day Brunch in the MDR. In fact, the only time we were in the MDR was for the two Diamond Luncheons. We never ate at Bonsai Sushi, Emeril’s, Seafood Shack, or tried Street Eats. Chibang was a one and done for us. Bonsai Teppanyaki, Cucina del Capitano, Rudi’s Sea Grill, and the Steakhouse were all excellent, the latter three we experienced two times. We had some service issues one night at Cucina, and one night at Rudi’s, but we chalked it up to being short staffed. Hopefully, that will be rectified soon. Now for the bars. There are so many of them that getting a seat at them wasn’t that big of an issue, and at worst you would have to wait a few minutes before seats would open up. When I looked back at the bars I didn’t have a drink at, I was astounded. Next time I will make a point of hitting them all. Believe it or not, I didn’t have a drink at the Havana Bar, Casino Bar, Brass Magnolia, Fortune Teller, Piano Bar, Bar Della Rosa, and The Watering Hole. What was I thinking? As for the shows, we enjoyed most everything we saw. I’m not going to list them here as we mentioned them during the review. The only thing I want to mention is that we never made it to any comedy shows. Patti, being hearing impaired, needs to be able to sit fairly close in order to be able to read lips, and there was no way we were going to stand an hour in line waiting to get in. We really liked our extended "hump" balcony. Yes, the cabin did seem narrower, and the bathroom smaller, but was plenty big for us. There was plenty of storage space, and plugs and USB ports were plentiful. The balcony was nice and deep and had a lounger. Also, these are the only balconies on the ship that allow you to look straight down to the water. As for the ports of call, we’ve been to all of them many times. We are basically cabana, all-inclusives, and walk around the port area people now, and that is exactly what we did. My mind has gone blank, so if you have any questions at all we’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to post it. We have six cruises booked in the next 12 months. On August 28th we will be boarding the Carnival Legend in Baltimore for B2B cruises to Bermuda and New England / Canada. In January we will be doing a S2S on two ships that we haven’t yet been on. First we will be boarding the Carnival Freedom in Port Canaveral to the Eastern Caribbean, and then we will be boarding the Carnival Spirit in Miami to the Southern Caribbean. Then, as I mentioned above, next April we will be doing a B2B on the Carnival Celebration. Will any of you be sailing with us? If not, we’ll be bringing the cruise to you! Before I end this I have to thank my wife Patti. I couldn’t do these adventures, or these reviews, without her. She is my best friend, my rock, and a heck of a photographer! Speaking of photography, the photos you see on these reviews are only a small portion of all the photos Patti takes during our cruises. If you would like to see the whole package, there is a link in my signature for our Cruise and Vacation albums. Feel free to check them out if you are so inclined. So until next time, may you have blue skies and calm seas!!!

Thanks for reading Stacy!

You're so right! 😁

We'll warm her up for you! 😁