Beagle's Party on the Mardi!!! (Review w/Pics)

[Beagleluv6107]

We made a reservation for Bolt on the Hub App but assumed it would be closed because of the wind.

 

We went to get Sushi at 12:30. I could not finish my order and they brought me a box. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got done eating, we went to Guest Services.  They confirmed that Yes, Bolt was closed due to high winds. Here’s another funny Platinum Story… There were 6 people in the regular line so we walked to the Platinum section. All 6 people were helped and sent on their way before we had a chance to ask our question. The rest of the squad laughed from a distance.  They are not platinum, so they got a big kick out of that. There’s those "Platinum Perks" for ya!!!! 

[Beagleluv6107]

We spent the rest of the day hanging on the Lido. We did watch some pool games that were fun but nothing as good as the old days.

 

 

 

 

This would be our second elegant night. I wanted to have a nice quiet drink somewhere and maybe snap a few pictures, but I chose the Center Stage Bar. I realized that was a bad idea when loud Banjo music started playing, we went back to our old standby… the Fortune Teller Bar.

 

They finally had crab cakes on the menu for dinner.

 

 

 

 

I was overjoyed... so much so that I ordered 2. The crab cake came with apple “slaw”, and it was fantastic.

 

I also had the teriyaki salmon that was excellent and I think that is Bitter n Blanc

 

 

 

DH had soup, filet, and shrimp.

 

 

 

 

We also did a shot and toasted to a great cruise. The shot guy came by every night, and we finally did it. Whew, between that shot and all the food, I was starting to get sleepy.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

We changed clothes and met everyone at the Fortune Teller.

 

 

 

I ordered this fancy drink. It tasted like perfume. I had one taste and gave it away.

 

 

 

 

I started to feel horrible and told DH I had to go lay down. As I was walking past Emeril's, I saw a bunch of people dressed up like they were about to have a Mardi Gras parade. I didn’t think much about it at the time.  Well it turns out the parade was for the King and Queen of the cruise… And that just happened to be a couple from the TV Show 90 Day Fiancé – Brandon and Julia. Dang, I missed them. I’m the only one in the squad that watched the show. Oh well. Maybe I’d see them again somewhere.  

 

DH and I had plans, just the two of us, to watch the Cowboys/Saints game at Guys.

I told him I’d be there by 8:30pm. I rested from 8 to 8:30 and felt just fine. Whew. I think it was the extra crab cake and the flowery drink. Thank goodness, I bounced back!

 

We had a blast with the bartender McCann. He was a Saints fan and not very happy with the outcome of the game.

 

 

He did take a picture with us which I thought was so sweet. After the game, we sat in the Brass Magnolia watching the band until 12:15 and it was Pizza Time!!!

 

 

 

 

Up Next – Oh NO!!! It’s Our Last Day on the Ship

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Beagleluv6107 said:

 

 I think that is Bitter n Blanc

 

Looks like Grand Marnier Souffle.  Bitter n Blanc is two toned in color.

[CookieShip]

A 90 day sighting? :o

Did you see them again? Were they filming? 

 

Loved that you got the pictures of your ship alongside Pride. We were on Legend last week and someone was telling my brother how big the Mardi Gras was, so now I have a good comparison picture for him.

 

I believe your hubby had escargot that one night with the veal. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by CookieShip

[Beagleluv6107]

On 12/29/2021 at 4:39 PM, SNJCruisers said:

Looks like Grand Marnier Souffle.  Bitter n Blanc is two toned in color.

 

Yes, that's it. Thank You!

[Beagleluv6107]

On 12/29/2021 at 6:27 PM, CookieShip said:

A 90 day sighting? 😮

Did you see them again? Were they filming? 

 

Loved that you got the pictures of your ship alongside Pride. We were on Legend last week and someone was telling my brother how big the Mardi Gras was, so now I have a good comparison picture for him.

 

I believe your hubby had escargot that one night with the veal. 

 

I did see the 90 Day couple but I don't think they were filming. Someone said it was posted on social media as to why they were on the ship but I don't fb so I'm not sure. 

 

Oh yes, that was Escargot. Thank you!

[Beagleluv6107]

Oh so sorry for the delay folks! Where was I...  Oh yes, our last day. 😩

 

Day 8 - Sea Day - Our Last Day

 

 

 

I was up and ready to roll at 7:40am. It was the last day, and I was in pretty good spirits but also dreading our departure.

 

 

 

I vowed there would be no “good time having” after 9pm tonight and certainly no midnight pizza. We had an early flight and needed to be off the ship first, so I needed to keep my “wits” about me. Remember this for later…

 

We went to Sea Day Brunch and I tried the Pancetta Scramble and Chocolate Cake.

 

 

 

 

DH had steak, eggs, corned beef, fries, hash browns and bacon!

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

After breakfast we just kinda wandered around. We tried to sit on the Lido but it was very windy. I sat in a lounger to block the wind and get some sun but that got boring. We were definitely not going to ride Bolt today. 😥

 

 

Remember the king and queen of the cruise from the TV Show? I walked right by the parents Betty and Ron. Oh yes, I’m a stalker… I took a pic.

 

 

 

Eventually, we made our way back down to the area by the infinity pool. A random pic along the way. 

 

For lunch we went around the corner to the Guys Pig and Anchor buffet line. Well, it was so windy my mac and cheese started to slide off the plate. I had to run back to my seat before I lost it all. I don’t know if it’s windy all the time or just this time of the year. It was frustrating.

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

After a while it was time to move on and we ended up at The Tides Bar.

 

 

I went to get DH and I our last Burger. I got 2 "straight up" no bun or fries. Delicious!

 

 

They don’t have Captain Morgan on the ship, but they had something called Kraken. I tried that with ginger ale. Very Good! DH got tired of beer and had a Funship.

 

 

 

 Here are today’s Street Eats.

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 A word of caution… the only cold beer on this whole ship is at Guys. If you order a beer on the Lido, be prepared for it to be warm. I had to go get a cup of ice to choke this one down.

 

 

I went back to the room around 4:30 and it was cleaned up for us.

I love you too Ganda!

 

 

 

 

Before long, it was time for one last dinner and one last picture from our table.

Oh that view!!!! 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 

 

 

DH had the cobb salad, fried shrimp, frog legs, and pork chop for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

I had the steak ale & cheddar soup, the Penne Mariscos and CMC.  

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

After dinner we killed time until we could go see our beloved Backyard Band one last time. The band was good, and we even had the Sixers game on the TV.

 

 

 

It was about 8:30 and we were all having a great time. I think I said to myself… this is fine as long as I’m in bed at 9:30, we are good!  Ok, you know what’s coming… 9:30 came and went, 10:30 came and went......... then the band played Purple Rain again!!!! ❤️  

 

 

Then 11PM came and went and BAM!!!!  Every one of us was standing in the pizza line and it was almost midnight. I can’t believe I did it again.  Well, yes I can. But I cannot believe everyone else did it. I guess after waiting 2 years, it’s really painful knowing it’s almost over.

 

 

Up Next – Debarkation and Final Thoughts.

[rmh661983]

Can't wait to see your final thoughts. I loved your review of your cruise and pictures of the ports. We are going on this same itinerary in June 2022. Still trying to decide what to do in a couple of the ports.

[ninjacat123]

9 hours ago, rmh661983 said:

Can't wait to see your final thoughts. I loved your review of your cruise and pictures of the ports. We are going on this same itinerary in June 2022. Still trying to decide what to do in a couple of the ports.

 

Here is my mini review of The Krazy Lobster.  Great place in Costa Maya! Have a wonderful cruise!

[Beagleluv6107]

19 hours ago, rmh661983 said:

Can't wait to see your final thoughts. I loved your review of your cruise and pictures of the ports. We are going on this same itinerary in June 2022. Still trying to decide what to do in a couple of the ports.

Hey rmh661983,

Thank you so much for reading along. Your gonna love the Mardi Gras! Have a great time in June!!! 😎

[Beagleluv6107]

9 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

 

Here is my mini review of The Krazy Lobster.  Great place in Costa Maya! Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Hey Ninjacat123,

Thanks for the heads up on the Krazy Lobster. If I ever get back to Costa Maya, I'm going to go! 

😎

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 9 – Debarkation

 

 

 

 

The alarm went off at 5:30 and I felt pretty darn good. That’s a shocker. AND here’s the real kicker. We hadn’t packed a thing. The cabin looked like day 1. So, we popped up and got our act together. DH did the packing of the suitcases, and I ran around finding all the crap I stuffed into all the nooks and crannies. We grabbed a quick bite from the buffet, and it occurred to me it was the first food from the buffet we had all week long!!

 

 

When it was finally daylight, I took a few quick pics off the balcony.

 

 

 

We met the squad at 7:15am in the hallway and headed for the YTD section of the Palm Restaurant on Deck 7.  We were led off the ship at 8am and my main man Carlos from the transport company was calling me. I loved Carlos in that moment.

 

I finally spied the real couple from 90 Day Fiancé, Brandon and Julia. It only took me the whole cruise but, there they were... standing right in front of me.

 

 

We were in the van at 8:15. This was by far, the fastest debarkation we have ever had! We were at the airport in plenty of time BUT… we saw a huge security line. If not for TSA Pre-check, we would have missed our flight. We got lucky. We were practically the first on the plane but then we had a mechanical issue and sat for almost an hour.

 

Here are our souvenirs 

 

 

 

Regrets... I had a few…

 

Bolt – I never got to ride Bolt. I recommend that you make a reservation as soon as you get time. We waited until the second to the last day and the weather ruined our chance.

 

Ice Cream – I never once remembered to get some ice cream! I think there might be more than one location on board for the self-serve stuff.

 

Salad at Serenity – Not only do I wish I had gotten a salad at Serenity but, I should have sat and hung out at the pool area and taken a few pictures.

 

Only 1 Big Chicken Trip – I have no one to blame but myself for just 1 chicken sandwich. I think I forgot to mention in my review that I asked for my sandwich without breading and they have grilled chicken right there, no questions asked.

 

Packing Warmer Clothes – I packed shorts, tank tops, and dressy tops like it was July. It was a little chilly in most areas of the ship. 

 

Biggest Regret… not being able to do this more often. LOL

 

Final thoughts…

I loved this ship, and I loved the whole cruise. It was so smooth that I never once felt like the ship was moving. Once we were home and standing still, that was the only time I felt some motion sickness. It took about 2 days to go away.

 

I hope that all of you get to enjoy the Mardi Gras soon. Hopefully, maskless but as I type up this final summary, things are getting worse. I’ve often heard a cruise is what you make of it. I guess that can be said for many things. Our little squad of 7 made this one of the best experiences of my life. I loved every second from the time we left for the airport. Maybe it was the journey, but I believe it was the company!

 

Thank you all for reading along!!!   Happy Cruising!!!

[Jamman54]

Thanks for the great review and pictures! Really looking forward to our B2B on her in April! 😎

[kwokpot]

41 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Thanks for the great review and pictures! Really looking forward to our B2B on her in April! 😎

B2B on the Mardi Gras in April also!

[chicail16]

Thanks - really enjoyed your review and pics!  Glad you had a great time.😃 Great company helps, too! 

[mcgore83]

Enjoyed your review and pics!  Thank you for sharing!

[Jamman54]

4 hours ago, kwokpot said:

B2B on the Mardi Gras in April also!

Our dates are the 23rd & 30th.

[kwokpot]

Just now, Jamman54 said:

Our dates are the 23rd & 30th.

16th & 23rd here. Originally booked only for the 16th. Due to the Easter holidays airfare from either NYC area or Philly were through the roof, I'm mean fares were $600-$700/rt/pp for a three hour flight!!! We added the 23rd and the later return date made fares better. But we are still flying from NYC to Jacksonville and renting a car and driving to the Port. Return flight is Orlando to NYC. Got the fare down to $284/rt/pp!!!

[amyjoy202697]

I love your Mardi Gras ship magnet! Did you get that on board?  I love the ones that are shaped like the ship!  I collect them!