I am on the 12/11/2021 sailing. For reference, this is my 55th overall cruise and 17th on Carnival. First impressions of the experience:
The food has been great. Big Chicken really met and exceeded all the hype. And great fries as well. Also had some very good meals at Chibang and Le Cucina del Capitano. Those are still complimentary.
While Center Stage in Grand Central is a cool concept, it seems that Carnival is still trying to figure out how to best use this space. Last night they had the Celestial Strings show. That is a show that I have enjoyed in the main theater on other ships. It just doesn't translate very well to the smaller stage. And maybe some of it is due to the pandemic. I am thinking they could have been planning to use a lot more of the floor space and just can't right now. The Big Top show on Sunday night was perhaps the worst show I have ever seen on a ship. It was penned as a "circus" show but was just a lot of melancholy songs with brooding performers walking around on stage. It really needed some acrobatics, dance or other things between the songs.
The casino is well designed. Finally there is a ship where the smoking section is organically separated from the non-smoking section. The casino has been packed this cruise. I believe there are a lot of Ultra cruisers.
For a ship as large as this, I was very surprised how small the main theater is. It holds less than 1000 people and has only one level. If you want to see a show, get there at least 30 minutes before showtime.
The placement of venues is very different so takes a bit to get used to. Guy's Burger is now on deck 17 and structured like a regular restaurant with "indoor* seating. Pizza is on Deck 8. It is possibly also in Lido but haven't fully explored the buffet.
I love the new bar concepts. Brass Magnolia is my favorite. It really has a New Orleans feel to it. Great place for a classic cocktail or a Sazerac. Alchemy is also still on this ship. Smartly they added a lot more seating.
Haven't gone to any comedy but they are using two venues. Both Limelight and Punchlines will have comedy.
Today we docked in Costa Maya and we are staying on the ship. Good day to explore more of the ship.
More feedback from my current sailing (12/11/2021):
The bathrooms, at least the improvement to the showers, is a game changer for Carnival. It is great to have a glass door instead of that flimsy shower curtain. And the design is such that the door opens partly into the shower itself so it doesn't take up too much room when you open it. It has the regular storage with a couple of shelves. The same old "blue" shower gel and shampoo. No conditioner. The shower gel always reminds me of the kind they had at the YMCA showers.
Tried Pig & Anchor last night for dinner. It is complimentary but not the same menu I had when we ate there on Horizon in 2018. They used to have lots of starters such as brisket nachos. Those are not on the complimentary menu. You have a couple of choices. You can pick a platter with up to three smoked meats (pulled pork, sausage, brisket, ribs and chicken). And then up to three sides such as pickled veggies, Cole slaw, Mac and cheese, green beans or baked beans. I think these are most of the items on the sea day/embarkation day buffet they have Your other option was the special of the day. Wednesday's was a half chicken. I don't remember the others but I think one was a pork chop. There were also upcharge items such as smoked prime rib. And they had the Steakhouse selections available as an upcharge as well. I picked ribs, pulled pork and brisket and all were very good. The green beans were also great, served with some crunchy pieces of pork.
They had a very nice "Tis The Season" holiday show at Center Stage last night. The FUN staff handed out Santa hats The violin trio had an amazing set of holiday songs. Then the Playlist Production cast sang holiday favorites for about 30 minutes. Then they had an ugly sweater competition which was fun. I entered but didn't win. :-)
There is Deal or No Deal for those that like to play. I heard the CD say last night was he only night they would have it. I don't see it listed for any other nights so sounds like he is correct.
We went to the M Theory magic show in the main theater. I had seen these tricks before but Josh (the magician) did a few of them in different ways which had me guessing.
There was a Tiki party on Deck 16 last night. They did a few line dances and had some fun with a few couples. Tonight is the 80"s Glow Party.
We're in Roatan (Mahogany Bay) today. We were going to take a stroll to the beach and maybe find an interesting bar. Unfortunately, the weather looks like it will be cloudy and drizzly so probably staying onboard. No worries since we have more food venues to try. Will be going to Street Eats to see what they have. Also, rumor has it there is a Shawarma station in ludo that I want to try. Also one for special hot dogs. I did try the pizza last night (Deck 8) and it was some of the best Carnival pizza I have had. I still think Princess has the best pizza at sea.
Additional impressions from the current sailing. . . . .
Really great 80's Rock and Glow Party on Wednesday night. Mike Pack really got everyone involved. Several guests dressed up. Best costume I saw was a gentleman dressed as Tom Cruise from Risky Business. White shirt, briefs and white socks. An easy costume to bring since it is all normal clothing.
Ate again last night at Cucina El Capitano. This time we had an outside table which was a nice change. Highly recommend the Farfalle El Pistachio. Similar to a carbonara with extra crunch from the pistachio plus some brininess from capers. The short rib was also excellent again.
This afternoon they had a Backyard Bash at Pig & Anchor/Summer Landing (deck 8 aft) which featured some country line dancing, a fun game and an excellent performance of Devil Went Down to Georgia featuring one of the violinists. The ship has more shows and parties than any other ship across all brands I have been on.
This ship doesn't really have what I would label as a party or house band. I heard from some other guests that there was another band onboard for past sailings but their contract must have been up and they left without being replaced. They do have Backyard Beats which mainly plays pop and contemporary. Other music is a solo guitarist Travis (who is also the musical director) who usually plays at Fortune Teller, the piano player (haven't ventured in there yet) and the Latin band in Havana Bar. Both the piano bar and comedy club have been reaching capacity when I have passed by. They don't allow standing room so get there early if you like thoze venues. They have been featuring both comedians for a late night set in the main theater so it gives others a chance to see them if you were not able to get in the venue.
Tonight is all Mardi Gras themed. Earlier this morning they picked out the king and queen for both parades. And tonight there is a jazz band playing New Orleans music plus the Voodoo Moon at Center Stage I saw them setting it up and we should see some aerialists.
Dinner tonight will be at Bonsai for some sushi and such!!
We found out today the Platinum/Diamond party will be on Friday. Time and location TBD. I saw a long line at the Flamingo restaurant at noon today and I think that was the Diamond lunch.
Final thoughts and tidbits from the 12/11/2021 sailing:
Had an easy debarkation this morning. Platinum guests were able to wait in the Mardi Gras theater starting at 8AM. After some included coffee and breakfast sandwiches at JavaBlue, we went to the theater. By 8:05 our luggage tag 3 was called. Off to immigration and baggage claim. They separated you into two lines depending on whether you had a passport or only birth certificate. People with passports had facial recognition kiosks. If you had birth certificates you had to speak to an officer. After clearing that process, you claimed your luggage. We were in our car by headed out of the garage by 8:40. Back home two hours later.
Diamond guests were able to wait in the Piano Bar. Other guests were able to wait in your cabin (until 8:30) or any public area.
For our last dinner on Friday we went to Emeril's. This is an a la carte quick service. You order at the counter, get a number and then sit at a table. Then the food is brought to you. We tried the gumbo, jambalaya, fried boudin (sausage balls) and fried oysters. The gumbo and jambalaya were really good and filling. So much andouille and shrimp in the jambalaya!! And he gumbo was rich and savory with a bit of heat. The oysters were not my favorite since they were gritty.
After dinner we went to Movies Under the Stars where they were showing Free Guy. Very fun movie and great weather. They pass out soft blankets to anyone who wants one. I recommend also bringing a towel to use as a pillow.
Some helpful hints:
If you have Any Time Dining, don't forget that on the night when the MDR has included lobster, it is also available at Chibang, Cucina and Pig & Anchor. The wait time for the MDR was over an hour on Sunday, but much less at the other restaurants.
Don't forget that they have drink stations at other places than Lido. Deck 6 mid next to JavaBlue has water, ice and included coffee. Deck 8 Aft next to Pig & Anchor has water, ice, included coffee and included iced tea and lemonade. They also have soda machines for a charge (by the ounce) or included with Cheers.
Big Chicken met and exceeded the hype. Terrific sandwiches for lunch and breakfast as well as the best fries I have ever had on a cruise ship.
My favorite breakfast spot was JavaBlue. Some great breakfast sandwiches. Our favorites were the sausage and egg on English muffin and the ham, egg and swiss on multigrain. Lots of other great choices. And they have more at lunch which I didn't have a chance to try. Also some included muffins, danish and croissants. They have other pastries for a charge such as donuts and fancy cupcakes.
There are so many varied food options, we never ate in the MDR all week except for Sea Day Brunch on Sunday. Definitely try ChiBang and Cucina while they are still included.
We will definitely sail Mardi Gras again. Not sure if we will be able to fit it in until 2023 since 2022 already has 14+ cruises booked. I hope you all enjoy your sailing. If there are any questions you have, I will do my best to answer them.
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