Who sailed the Carnival Mardi Gras?

[caravellov]

The Mardi Gras was my second cruise back in 1984. The first was Carnivale in 1983. Any remember the Male Nightgown Competition?

[AlpineJag]

My first cruise was on it. I think I was 7 at the time so it would have been 1991. I remember watching a movie in a theater on it and a small indoor pool on one of the bottom levels. My brother and I were in some kids camp. We went out of Port Canaveral.

[MadManOfBethesda]

June 1983.

 

Our cabin and bathroom were "normal," but our friends had one of those bathrooms with the shower head in the center of the ceiling which got everything soaked when turned on.

 

The Mardi Gras was my first Carnival cruise, but my 2nd overall. First cruise was on Commodore Cruise Line's M.S. Caribe.

[luv2gocruzin]

Hubby and I sailed on her in December 1989.

We were dating at that time.

It was our first cruise, and we loved it!

 

I think it was a three night cruise, we flew from NC to FL, and I remember we only paid alittle over $800.00 total for the flights, cruise, port charges and everything for the two of us!!!

 

I have great memories from that cruise......................

[Jay B]

Our first cruise was on the Mardi Gras 1n 1990 on a 4-night cruise from Port Canaveral to Nassau and Freeport. We loved the ship at the time but they sure have improved since then. I remember the food and entertainment being as good then as it is now. We paid as much for that cruise as we would now for a 7-night cruise.

Edited January 19, 2010 by Jay B

[mississauga]

That was my first cruise. I remember the bathroom only has a toilet and shower in it. And the shower was just a shower head on a hose attached to the wall - you'd have to pull a curtain across to stop water going on toilet (which never worked - so paper always got wet). Water would leak into the cabin. The sink was in the cabin. I had to go down the hall to a little "room" to dry my hair, there wasn't a plug available in the cabin.

 

 

Mardi Gras was my 2nd and DH's 1st cruise in 1977. He had long hair with curls so had to join all the ladies in that little room down the hall to dry his hair. LOL. That is his greatest memory of his 1st cruise.

 

We loved that cruise. My only regret is that we did not get credit for that cruise and it's not part of our Carnival profile.

[VolzCruiser]

Sailed her back in 86

[snowy owl]

Ok here we go....

Here's a picture of our room back then. These where outside with a porthole window.

[snowy owl]

Here are some pic from the dinning room. Remember the wine stewards? Can't forget the comment dude outside the dinning room. Then driving up to the port there she sits. Oh and the rocking of the ship, even on calm days that ship was moving. :)

[kwbound]

Whatever happened to that ship?

[snowy owl]

check out this link.

http://www.midshipcentury.com/mardigras.shtml

[G'ma]

Were on it in the 1970's.

Inside cabin, no telephones, and tiny bathroom, like a camper shower, where you had to lower toilet seat and close curtain.

We were young and had a great time. Also met some nice people with whom we

met later in Vegas.

 

Fond memories.

Now I will not take anyhing less than balconies after 29 cruises.

Going on the Miracle in March.

 

Do you remember that the "radio" was in the headboard of the bed or in one of the "drawers"? You could pick up music from the closed-circuit broadcast and all PA announcements came through it.

 

And.....the flaming Baked Alaska in the dining room...with the dancing line of waiters, flaming cakes on top of their heads? And, most crew on the ship were from the Caribbean?

 

Live steel band music at the pool all day. Late night "Conga lines".... Toga Parties, free rum punch for those who gathered at a specific place to watch the sunset. Cranky elevators. (Today, if an elevator acts up...somebody wants "compensation"--HA)

 

Here is a really good link to photos of the interior of this old gal:

 

http://www.ssmaritime.com/empcanada2.htm

[pnjkeith]

Yes, Feb 1978

[katiel53]

That was my first cruise. I remember the bathroom only has a toilet and shower in it. And the shower was just a shower head on a hose attached to the wall - you'd have to pull a curtain across to stop water going on toilet (which never worked - so paper always got wet). Water would leak into the cabin. The sink was in the cabin. I had to go down the hall to a little "room" to dry my hair, there wasn't a plug available in the cabin.

 

I think we had to have stayed in the same cabin, lol. Our cruise on Mardi Gras was February 1984. The cabin was sooooooooooooo small. It took forever for the water to drain out of the bathroom. When we went to breakfast we showered first. After breakfast when we came back to the cabin, the bathroom floor had 2 inches of water at least. I bet it took 3 hours for it to dry out.

 

We later sailed the Carnivale and the Festivale as well as many other Carnival ships. Just a week and a half ago we were on Dream. Big differences, lol.

[rudi_mentle]

Wow! July 1986, my honeymoon cruiseship ...

 

Does this bring back memories - flaming Baked Alaska, I'd never seen anyone dance with fire on their head! The commode in the shower stall, the radio in the headboard, and super small rooms - I couldn't turn around without bumping into my wife (but hey, it WAS our honeymoon ;)). Good times.

 

I remember the poolside waiters would have this sing/song chant as they were hawking their drinks - "Strawberry and Pina Colada together - it don't get no better...".

[jsscuba2]

I was on the her first week of june 1972 to celebrate my high school graduation. 7 day cruise with air for $179.

[dkathi]

We sailed her back in Jan of 84. Think it was my second cruise. I remember going down the hall to the make-up room to do the my hair. We had a great time! Kathi

[firefly333]

I might have been. I did 3 cruises back in the 1980s and dont know which ship I was on. Cant get credit lol. Gotta know when and what ship!!!

[vbsnyder]

I did! In early 1987 I had just started dating my future husband, Brian. Brian's best friend had just been discharged from the Air Force. Because Bruce was just getting back into the civilian social life we were always a threesome. So I set out to find him a blind date. As a nurse I had alot of choices. I met another nurse, who also had just started at the hospital, and Denise and Bruce hit it off. Denise and I became best friends too. In July 1987 Denise and I left the guys behind (sort of a bachelorette cruise) and we sailed out of Fort Lauderdale on the Mardi Gras for a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. It was the beginning of MANY long friendships-Bruce married Denise and I married Brian. 10 years later, after the birth of our 4th child, we started cruising again and again and again...and will, until death do us part!

[margeecruiser]

We cruised on one of the first cruises; at least I remember that it was her second year cruising??? We loved it -- I remember the wonderful tablescapes, with crystal, china and silver. I remember the dancing waiters with flaming baked alaska on their heads, too. Our room was so small, if there was 3 people in there, 2 had to be dancing. Bathroom was smaller than any RV bathroom I've ever been in -- shower head was in the ceiling, you had to straddle the toliet. Little sink; you could hardly get both hands in at the same time.

 

I've been hooked ever since!!!!:D

[Abram797]

Gee, I can't believe all the people that have so many memories of the Mardi Gras. In 1986 when we sailed, it was our very first cruise and I remember getting "woozy" going from FLL to the Bahamas. I had forgotten about the bathroom, but you could actually sit on the john and take a shower at the same time. Such memories.

[WestMoCruiser]

It was our first cruise also. We were on the MG in March of 1990. Our cabin was on the Main deck aft. There was a full size bed with a twin bunk above it. We had one of those, now infamous, camper-styled toilet/shower combo. The sink was in the room. We had one porthole high on the wall. We were adjacent to the room with the electric plugs for hair dryers, curling irons, and the like. The walls were lined with counter-tops and the walls were covered with mirrors and tiny mirror-finished mosaic tiles (like a disco ball). As I recall the room also had some sort of fancy lighting fixture in the ceiling.

 

The cabin on the other side of us had 2 sets of bunk beds. It was occupied by four people who had never met before they got on the ship. Carnival would hook you up with other single travelers to share a single room.

 

We were so new to cruising. We were blown away when we boarded and they fed us lunch on the back deck - huge submarine sandwiches that were sliced into individual servings, slaw, salad. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. Our dining room server was Jamaican and was responsible as I recall only for our table of 8 or 10. Most of the pax's were 18-35 years old.

 

We had such a great time. The excursions, as I recall, seemed to all include unlimited open bars. Thank goodness it was only a 4 or 5 day cruise - otherwise I would have needed to go into detox.

 

I got hooked on Carnival and seldom stray.

[MSseawind]

It was my first cruise! I loved that ship!

[SamsonRiser]

I know I'm dating myself, but are they any cruisers out there that ever sailed on the Mardi Gras? We sailed back in 1986 and that seems like centuries ago.

 

Replying to your query. I did when the Ship was called "The Empress of Canada" in 1971 I with my parents sailed her across the Atlantic. It was one of the best times of my life even though I was only six. The ship was the last Ocean Liner built by the Canadian Pacific and I just found out it was the first ship of Carnival Cruise Lines.

[apollobeach]

This was my first cruise - November of 1975. We were in R-104; one of the four queen bed cabins on The Mardi Gras. We sailed to Nassau; San Juan and St. Thomas.........I remember the big "welcome home" sign when we came back to the ship.

 

Recently we sailed on The Carnival Miracle. We met The Master of The Miracle, Capt. Volpe, and during our conversation with this warm and friendly gentleman found that he was Second Officer aboard The Mardi Gras when I sailed her some 34 years previous. What a small world.

 

The Mardi Gras was slightly smaller at 27,970 tons than many ships, but what a beautiful vessel. It would have done Carnival proud to permanently berth her somewhere at The Port of Miami as a reminder of the company's beginnings..

 

I thought it interesting that the crew wore patches that said....The Golden Fleet.......when there was just the one ship.

 

It is a great memory of a really wonderful ship.

 

John

:p