Day 2 onboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is in the books and it was our first sea day as we sailed to our first port of call, Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos. It was also the first “party day” of the cruise with plenty of activities scheduled every minute of the day all around the ship – be sure to check out the Fun Times at the end of this post!
The weather was not the greatest, we had Force 8 winds of 69 km/hr which comes to about 43 mph so the open decks were quite windy but the waves were only around 5 feet making for a windy but still smooth travel day. For a brief time in the afternoon, we sailed through some light rain showers that lasted about an hour, but that certainly didn’t deter the fun, especially up on the Lido deck where it seemed 75% of the ship was hanging out.
Since it was Mother’s Day there were a few activities scheduled to recognize the moms onboard. Up on the buffet, a special Mother’s Day Red Velvet Cake station was set up for the mom’s to enjoy, plus all the ladies got a long-stemmed rose in the evening.
Cruises are meant to be social gatherings and you definitely meet a variety of people from all over the country and from all walks of life. There are times when I think I’m wearing a shirt that says, “Come Talk to Me” because I tend to attract those who like to have interesting conversations.
As I was enjoying a cigar, I was joined by someone educating me on pineapples! Not the upside-down ones you would expect to see on stateroom doors, but the pink kind. I never knew pink pineapples were a thing until this conversation. I learned about how the process of engineering this fruit took several years and how it created a much sweeter kind of pineapple.
Later, I was the sounding board for a couple who had no idea there would be an additional charge for daily gratuities. Of course, this is standard and is disclosed when you book your cruise. Many lines, including Carnival, give you the option to pre-pay gratuities so you won’t have that charge on your final statement. It’s important to research what additional charges you will have beyond your base fare so you can budget appropriately.
While I was enjoying some strawberry and chocolate frozen yogurt (which will account for the majority of my weight gain during this cruise), a family of three came up to me and politely asked, “are you from Wisconsin?” Their son was a little embarrassed, and said “Mom, you have to stop asking people that!” He apologized and said she is trying to find others from their home state. I told them I wasn’t from Wisconsin, but rather a retired gynecologist from Costa Rica.
This particular Mardi Gras cruise is sold out, so it’s a full ship and like Celebration, you don’t feel that it’s full because it’s laid out so there is plenty of space for everyone. The only congested area is the Lido pool area where the majority of people congregate for activities during the day. That area is generally wall-to-wall people dancing, drinking, and more than likely peeing in the pool.
As I walked around the ship, it was hard to point out more than two or three differences in layout between Mardi Gras and Celebration. Besides giving certain bars unique names, the ship is laid out exactly the same – right down to the carpeting. While Celebration pays homage to Carnival’s 50th anniversary with special nods to the line’s past scattered around the ship, Mardi Gras’ areas celebrate New Orleans with the inclusion of Emeril’s Bistro 1396 and the Fortune Teller, a bar with Big Easy-inspired cocktails served with a side of voodoo.
The Miami-themed area on Celebration which was home to the ship’s pizza and deli stations takes on an Italian-inspired look on Mardi Gras with pizza, panini, and a bar serving up Italian cocktails. Both Mardi Gras and Celebration are exact duplicates and I would expect Carnival Jubilee, which will be the third Excel class ship, to be a carbon copy as well.
The evening’s entertainment in Grand Central was a show called “Celestial Strings” which was a mix of classical and pop music set in a magical garden that changes with the seasons thanks to a huge video wall. The show featured incredible visuals, a talented cast of singers and dancers, and a live string trio.
In yesterday’s report, I mentioned that I’m on a special last-minute casino rate for this cruise, which means I better play to keep those offers coming! Since it was a sea day, the casino never closed and the die-hards were playing slots and table games throughout the day. I popped in after the show to see how far I could stretch that $50 I started with on Saturday. I ended up walking out with $275 in my bank after playing for about 90 minutes, so not bad!
My measly $50 certainly cannot compare to guest Freda who has achieved “Elite” players club status and wanted to let everyone who passes her cabin know that “here is where the ballers are staying!” Freda, good luck!
For dinner, I booked Bonsai Teppanyaki, which turned out to be one the best restaurants I ate at on Carnival Celebration, so I wanted to see if it was equivalent to Mardi Gras.
Like a traditional Teppanyaki, your meal is prepared in front of you by the chef who provides plenty of entertainment as each course is cooked on the flat top grill. The restaurant has three Teppanyaki tables that accommodate between 10 and 12 people each. There are three seatings per evening, and dining here will set you back $38 per person + 18% gratuity. Since space is limited, if you want to dine here, it’s best to make a reservation either before you cruise or as soon as you’re onboard via the Carnival HUB app.
The meal started off with Spicy Tuna On the Rocks:
Next up, asparagus wrapped pork belly and a tempura green bean:
The next course was the typical miso soup and salad, which was followed by the fried rice and main Teppanyak course:
I ordered filet and chicken which was served along with vegetables. We had someone with a shellfish allergy at our table, so the shrimp that would normally be served as an appetizer course, was served with the main meal so the grill would not be contaminated by the shellfish.
Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more food coming, along came a bento box full of desserts that made for a perfect ending to a delicious meal.
As expected, dinner was fantastic. Over the course of the two-hour dinner experience, I had a great chat with an older couple from Arkansas. This is their 25th cruise on Carnival and they recently retired and plan on traveling more. The husband told me the story of how both him and his wife scrimped and saved their entire lives to be able to afford travel and there were many times they “hoped the check wouldn’t bounce” because times were tough.
He went on to tell me that a relative recently died and it wasn’t until he passed away that they found out he bought WalMart stock when it first went public and over the decades through stock splits and huge increases in value, they and two others in the family split a couple million dollars of stock.
They’re now enjoying life and not having to worry about bouncing checks!
Right now the ship is docked in Grand Turk and it’s been a hot minute since I was last here as all my cruises since the restart have been Western Caribbean, so I plan on heading out for a bit to check out the area.
Tonight we set sail for Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic where this will be the beach stop for many passengers. I’ll be heading out early, not to enjoy the beach, but to travel inland to visit our company’s Dominican-based team of programmers and hope I make it back to the ship in time!
Fun Times for Day 1:
The Fun Times for May 14, 2023 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.