Has anyone visited Mardi Gras as part of a Celebrity cruise?

[MizDemeanor]

Spoke with Grand Poobah Mizter Miz-D and he said interesting itinerary with this cruise. He was disappointed to learn from my research that Mardi Gras proper starts on the day of the night this sailing leaves NO.

 

I told him I thought that was a good thing... That the excitement of the days before the actual getaway on Mardi Gras in NO was a good thing. :cool:

[OnTheJourney]

This cruise does sound very interesting. One of the problems for me, however, would be the fact that the day after the ship leaves NO is Ash Wednesday :o, and so hardly an ideal time to be on a cruise ship for anyone Catholic, like myself, who adheres to fasting and abstinence. Talk about a test of will power! And so, I'm glad I started this thread but I don't believe I'll be going. I think I'd much prefer visiting NO sometime by car trip and spending several days without the crowds and cheaper prices at restaurants. Still, very intriguing trip.

Edited December 19, 2014 by three4rd

[dkjretired]

Spoke with Grand Poobah Mizter Miz-D and he said interesting itinerary with this cruise. He was disappointed to learn from my research that Mardi Gras proper starts on the day of the night this sailing leaves NO.

 

I told him I thought that was a good thing... That the excitement of the days before the actual getaway on Mardi Gras in NO was a good thing. :cool:

 

There is plenty going on before Fat Tuesday, you will not be bored.

[Gonzo70]

Spoke with Grand Poobah Mizter Miz-D and he said interesting itinerary with this cruise. He was disappointed to learn from my research that Mardi Gras proper starts on the day of the night this sailing leaves NO.

 

I told him I thought that was a good thing... That the excitement of the days before the actual getaway on Mardi Gras in NO was a good thing. :cool:

 

As someone who lived in New Orleans and has attended Mardis Gras seven times, the actual day of Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the end of the celebrations; things wind down about noon that day. Much of the action occurs during the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. There are large parades every evening starting quite a few days before Fat Tuesday and during the afternoons as well the Saturday and Sunday before. My personal favorite parade was Endymion which is the Saturday evening before Fat Tuesday. There are also great parades that Sunday (Bacchus) and Monday (Orpheus). The highlight of Fat Tuesday is Zulu which is bright and early that day (8:00am).

 

Here is a link to the 2015 parade schedule; as you can see the final parades are the morning of Fat Tuesday; nothing after that, tons going on during the preceding days: http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html

[baldercash]

We just returned from a 5 day stay in NOLA mid November and the place is better then it has ever been.

Bourbon Street has been "cleaned up" a bit and is much nicer then even last year when we sailed out on a RCI trans Atlantic cruise. There are new stores and restaurants on Ramparts on the north end of the quarter which was the start of the no go zone in the past.

Bourbon is still a total tourist sight seeing area but Frenchmen's street at the far end of the Quarter is booming with real music venues and a totally different vibe. The French Market has been cleaned up with boutique eating stalls.

 

I recently read that there are 70% more restaurants then pre Katrina and that 100,000 people in the under 35 age group have moved in and internet and telecom start ups are flourishing. This change we noticed and we walked through areas that had been no go zones even before Katrina.

The River Walk is now a Outlet Mall and they are opening a new park and walk along the river which stretches for miles.

If you ride the street car past the Universities to the curve the dinning venues out there are good and reasonable. Margaritas in beer steins for $4.00 and shrimp and grits for two cost about $12.00.

 

Seems fat Tuesday will be Feb 28 2017 so the docking will hit the the prime days as it sails Feb 20th and is in NOLA 26 TO 28TH.

I will look at this venue now as booking accommodation at the height of Mardi Gras is easily double off season pricing.

 

Looks like X has selected a very desirable venue.

Edited December 19, 2014 by baldercash

[ischeer]

As someone who lived in New Orleans and has attended Mardis Gras seven times, the actual day of Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the end of the celebrations; things wind down about noon that day. Much of the action occurs during the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. There are large parades every evening starting quite a few days before Fat Tuesday and during the afternoons as well the Saturday and Sunday before. My personal favorite parade was Endymion which is the Saturday evening before Fat Tuesday. There are also great parades that Sunday (Bacchus) and Monday (Orpheus). The highlight of Fat Tuesday is Zulu which is bright and early that day (8:00am).

 

Here is a link to the 2015 parade schedule; as you can see the final parades are the morning of Fat Tuesday; nothing after that, tons going on during the preceding days: http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html

 

Gonzo70:

 

On behalf of all of us who have already booked, thanks for this info. Much appreciated, and gives us an idea of what to expect and plan for. Now, if were only 2017 already.

 

Ira

[MizDemeanor]

As someone who lived in New Orleans and has attended Mardis Gras seven times, the actual day of Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the end of the celebrations; things wind down about noon that day. Much of the action occurs during the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. There are large parades every evening starting quite a few days before Fat Tuesday and during the afternoons as well the Saturday and Sunday before. My personal favorite parade was Endymion which is the Saturday evening before Fat Tuesday. There are also great parades that Sunday (Bacchus) and Monday (Orpheus). The highlight of Fat Tuesday is Zulu which is bright and early that day (8:00am).

 

Here is a link to the 2015 parade schedule; as you can see the final parades are the morning of Fat Tuesday; nothing after that, tons going on during the preceding days: http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html

 

Your detailed information is so appreciated. Thank you very, very much!!!

[catch-a-ray]

Gonzo70:

 

On behalf of all of us who have already booked, thanks for this info. Much appreciated, and gives us an idea of what to expect and plan for. Now, if were only 2017 already.

 

Ira

 

Yes a big thank you for all the information already posted about NO and this upcoming cruise. We just got off the phone with Celebrity and have booked this cruise as well. :)

[Mapleleaf5]

Thanks Orator. Just asked because Celebrity is not doing that port at all this season so now just checked for next season (15/16) and I see Equinox is going there (just Equinox?). Guess I should have checked first but happy to try a new port (for us) on this cruise:)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

We went on the Celebrity Eclipse – Western Caribbean Feb 2011 and port stop was Costa Maya. Was just after they build the new port.

 

Joanne

[fninsn]

We are with a group of 5 couples who booked this cruise and everyone is very excited. Mardi Gras is definitely on my bucket list and doing it via a Celebrity Cruise makes it that much better.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted information and tips.

 

This is going to be an awesome cruise :)

 

Linda

[Christine Frances]

More than two years from sailing and all Suites, Aqua and Concierge cabins are sold out:eek:

[DragonOfTheSeas]

More than two years from sailing and all Suites, Aqua and Concierge cabins are sold out:eek:

 

OV cabins are now sold out, too. If you want this cruise you will need to jump on it. also, it gets more expensive every couple of weeks.

 

This shows that something different wlll sell well and make cruisers and the company happy. :D

[dadroy]

I am sure you have all heard the expression BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!

 

Here it is again, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! Have done 2 cruises on RCL in 2004 and 2005 where we we in NOLA for Mardi Gras. We went in Friday afternoon and left Wed. 2AM. Great time and way cheaper than renting a room for the experience. On average, a decent room in the French Quarter goes for $400 per night, so the cruise is worth the fare just for the experience.

 

First of all you will probably dock at the Julia street dock which is actually within easy walking distance of the French Quarter. There is also a street car stop right at the end of the dock which will take you to the Casino (Harrah's I think) which is on Canal street, one of the main streets for seeing the parades. Fare was a couple bucks each way.

 

The French Quarter will be packed at night so if you are going there, be careful with pick pockets and people grabbing your jewelry and disappearing into the crowd. Don't get me wrong, the city is a great place, but when you are elbow to elbow it is easy to have the riff raff take advantage. Police are on most street corners, 3 or 4 four usually so it is safe from robbery or something like that, but quick hitting petty thievery is helped by the crowds.

 

There is not as much nudity as there was in the past but you will still see women (mostly) walking around bare chested and their bodies painted to look like tuxedos or other things. if you are offended by this type of thing, don't look, its not like everyone is doing it.

 

BIG warning is bathrooms. They are few and far between and not the most hygienic. Think of several hundred people using the facility with no clean ups. Women take supplies, the bars and restaurants are very busy and replacing paper products is not high on the list. When I was there in 2005, one bar I frequented, and I mean FREQUENTED made you show a receipt from their bar to use the facilities. There were also people who had porta potties set up an would charge you to use it. The nicer restaurants will have nicer facilities but they are packed and I am not sure they let non spenders use them.

 

Research the parades and look for places that provide some bleachers to watch the parades. You can sort of see them from ground level but not as well as from the bleachers. The people on the floats will be throwing beads. You can catch them as souveniers but keep your head on a swivel. Most of the throwers throw a few strands of beads but I got hit in the head with a bag of about 50 of them. Hurt like heck, had to frequent that bar from above to make my head feel better.

 

Things shut down at midnight. They clear Bourbon street, close it down and clean the streets. Take shoes you do not mind throwing away. Not a lot of people use the trash cans and people who do not want to pay for a bathroom just snuggle against a wall. Your shoes will get gross by the time the day is done. DO NOT pick things up off the ground, really bad down there.

 

Be careful with the alcohol. The drinks are in general very strong. For some good views find one of the two story bars and spend time on the second floor balconies. I was never charged for this, just buy a drink to fit in. Great view when on high. For an idea of what to expect, check out some of the webcams during this years Mardi Gras which will be this Sunday and Monday nights.

 

For a special time take a look for parade packages. This is just one of many http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/avenue-gallery.html but it includes all food, all drinks and access to bleachers for parade viewing. Well worth the money.

 

Right on the pier is the Riverwalk which is a mix of shops, bead gallery and some fast food restaurants on the Cajun food mix. Fun to browse and in the courtyard they had live music which was fun. The WWII museum is also close. Have not been there but have read mixed reviews of it. But those in the age bracket who remember it, it could be fun.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Not a native and surely no expert on the city but I loved my two times cruising there.

[HokiePoq]

Have a great time, those of you lucky to be going on this!

It will probably be too crowded to do this, but one of my favorite things is jazz at Preservation Hall in the quarter. "Hall" is an overstatement as there is very limited capacity and we had to stand up. Very glad to have experienced it, though.

Loved our swamp tour in January, kind of out of town. It was a warm day and the gators did come out of hibernation to lay in the sun. Hope you'll be so lucky.

I, too, loved Delmonico, out on the streetcar line. Cars were very crowded when we were there at New Year's one year. For a casual place locals go and we liked, try Mother's. It was worth standing in the line out in the street.

Glad to hear of this special occasion cruise and hope there will be more of them. On our just completed Infinity cruise, a man told us about going to Carnival in Rio on Princess like this.

Do follow caution as the crowd may attract pickpockets, etc.

[az_tchr]

The ship docks right on the waterfront. There is a trolley stop about 50 yards north of where you exit the port building. Forty cents if you are a senior. $3 for all day pass if you are younger. You need no excursions as traffic will be impossible. Simply check out the trolley routes that can get you to almost everywhere. Also buy or go the the library and get a guidebook on NOLA. Lots of good ideas.

[marieps]

We are wait listed on this cruise as it is my TA's hope that several agencies block-booked rooms which will eventually go back into inventory. That being said, this is a very expensive cruise, even more so when considering much of the entertainment (dining and libation) will take place ashore at extra cost while in NOLA.

We just hope we get the chance to consider it. Have fun all lucky enough to grab accomadations.