It’s Sunday onboard the Mardi Gras and on this second day of this 7-day Western Caribbean cruise, we’re spending the day at sea as we head towards our first port of call, Cozumel, Mexico. Since it’s a sea day, many decided to sleep in, go to Sea Day Brunch, and not rush the morning. This meant that, for the most part, plenty of deck chairs and loungers were available around the ship’s pools and remarkably up on the adults-only Serenity deck. Many get up early, scope out their preferred spot for the day, and camp out claiming their spot a day in the sun. However, by lunchtime, coveted spots in these areas were filled with sun worshipers.
I spent a good part of the day doing absolutely nothing. For most of the morning, I grabbed a chair on deck 17 overlooking the lido pool and participated in one of my favorite activities – people-watching. And I was not disappointed. I got an eyeful of bathing suits that had a very, very disproportionate fabric-to-flesh ratio; counted a handful of people who pretty much were going to hit their max of 15 alcoholic drinks before noon; and grossed myself out looking at an overcrowded hot tub.
Yeah, I think hot tubs are disgusting. But I digress.
For those not doing people-watching, plenty of activities were scheduled throughout the day.
The morning started with, “Diamonds For Breakfast” at Effy, where guests can be coerced into buying jewelry onboard using that creative “tax and duty-free” sales pitch. To get into the holiday spirit, there was a “Holiday Craft Creativity at Sea” event where you could unleash your artistic talents to create some festive crafts. The morning wrapped up with a “Trivia: Slogans” session at The Brass Magnolia, offering a fun and challenging way for trivia buffs to test their knowledge and enjoy some good-natured competition.
The afternoon kicked off with “Synchronized Swimming” at the Lido pool, where guests can either participate in or watch two teams do their worst to be the best Esther Williams. Beer lovers could join in on a “ParchedPig Brewery Tour” for a behind-the-scenes look at the ship’s craft brewery. This is followed by “Trivia: Superheroes,” another trivia event where guests can showcase their knowledge about their favorite comic book heroes.
Before the evening entertainment The “Captain’s Welcome Toast” offered a chance for the cruise director to introduce the ship’s senior officers and have their picture taken with the captain. This is followed by the enchanting “M-Theory” performance at the Mardi Gras Theater, which billed itself as an “evening of magical entertainment” while Celestrial Strings was performed in the ship’s main showroom in the atrium of the ship. If all that wasn’t enough, the day ended with the “White Hot Night Party” where you dress in white and party under the stars on the Lido deck.
Speaking of the evening. It was the first of two elegant nights onboard and many were dressed in their finest cocktail dresses and tuxes, while some were in well-worn t-shirts and flip-flops. But you do you. The dress code isn’t enforced and is more of a guide for those who want to be fancy or those who don’t care. Since it was an elegant night there were various photo ops setup where the ship’s photographers were taking individual, family, and group photos of all the dapper dressers.
I met up with my fellow travelers to see Celestrial Strings in what I still call the absolute worst showroom ever conceived on land or at sea. The multi-tiered Center Stage lounge takes up decks 6, 7, and 8 and is where the majority of the ship’s musical production shows take place in the evening. Unless you are on deck 6 sitting directly in front of the stage, every other seat is the worst seat in the house. You’re either starting at the back of someone’s head or a pole or if you do manage to have an unobstructed view, you probably won’t be able to see much of what’s happening on stage.
While the concept of having a large performance venue in the middle of the ship that can accommodate a large audience, the execution and the sight lines of the venue are horrible.
I’ve seen the show several times already and it’s one of the better productions. The three-story LED backdrop displays stunning visuals throughout the show while cast members perform a variety of songs ranging from If I Ruled the World to Roxanne, all while being accompanied by three violinists.
During the show, we noticed that the ship seemed to be a little off-kilter and as we made our way to dinner, I said, “we are listing to the port side.” Whipping out my phone and placing it on a flat surface, confirmed we were listing one degree. It wasn’t until later in the night that we found out that while we were inside watching the show, the ship ran into a very brief microburst that hit us with a few wind gusts of 78 miles per hour along with several minutes of heavy rain. With a list to the port side, some water managed to come indoors from the starboard side. Whatever we went through was not noticeable for any of us who were indoors at the time and the Mardi Gras took what was thrown at her with grace.
When it came time for dinner, we headed over to the ship’s Chinese-Mexican specialty restaurant, Chibang. Like Cucina del Capitano, Chibang on Mardi Gras and Celebration (and presumably the Jubilee when she makes her debut in a few days) is free for your first visit but is $8 per person for subsequent visits. There are two different menus – one featuring Chinese dishes and one featuring Mexican ones.
Portions are on the small side, so if you’re hungry, order some extra nibbles.
We checked in on the app just as we left the show and we were given a 10-20 minute estimated wait time, which turned out to be at the lower end.
For appetizers, we tried the Chicken Spring Rolls which were pretty much on par with any frozen spring roll you can find at your neighborhood supermarket, and heat them up in your toaster oven. Actually, the spring rolls that are occasionally available from the prepared foods section at your local discount grocer – Aldi, are better than these.
Next to my side of broccoli that had THREE, yes THREE tiny pieces of broccoli, the pot stickers clock in as the smallest dish of the night. Two pot stickers, no more than 1.5″ in length were presented on a plate which made them seem completely lost. The few sprigs of lettuce used as a garnish were larger. Nothing special here at all.
One of the main courses, Beef and Broccoli, was on par with what you would get at Panda Express. Although at the Panda, the portion would be double the size. The beef was a little bit on the tough side, but the sauce was flavorful. Average at best.
Another main course, the Pork Lomito was interesting. While very flavorful, there was one very tender piece of delicious pork that melted in your mouth and two other pieces that were dry and tough.
All in all, the food was average at best and some things were not served hot – in fact, that side of broccoli I mentioned earlier was stone cold. Service was good and fast with our server warning us before we ordered that the “kitchen may just send everything out at once.” Which I have experienced at Chibang on Carnival Celebration before. Entree and appetizers all arrived at the same time. Not sure why this is a thing, but tonight courses were spaced out appropriately.
Day 3 will see us in port at Cozumel, Mexico, so stay tuned and thanks for following along.
Fun Times for Day 2:
The Fun Times for December 10, 2023 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.