A Return to Cruising on the Carnival Mardi Gras (first in a series)

After almost two years, Cindy and I were finally able to set foot on a cruise ship and take some much-needed time off.  With COVID-19 running rampant since early 2020, cruising came to a screeching halt until just recently. Neither of us realized just how much we missed cruising until we boarded the ship and hung out with our friends. As I've done before, I will make this a day-to-day series of our time on the Carnival Mardi Gras, as part of the "Big Sexy Flashback Voyage" (BSFV) IV. Clicking that link above will give you a good background on the whole "Big Sexy" thing.

As a quick reminder to my faithful readers, and for those of you who are new to my world, I like to include many links, which will appear blue in the text. Clicking on these links will open a new window, so you won't lose your place here. Clicking on a photo will open a new window as well, and display a larger format version of it. Go ahead, and try it on the photo below.

Carnival Mardi Gras

photo from Wikipedia.com

We were originally booked on the transatlantic ("TA") voyage of the Mardi Gras from Southampton, UK to New York late last year but construction delays caused not only the TA but the first several revenue sailings to be canceled. In fact, the Mardi Gras didn't begin actual revenue sailings until the summer of 2021. With our TA canceled, the one silver lining was it allowed us to book the original BSFV IV on the Breeze in 2020.....which got canceled due to COVID-19. Gee, imagine that...

With two canceled cruises, Cindy and I wondered if this one would actually get to sail. Throughout all of the chaos that fleetwide cancellations caused, Carnival was very generous in granting future sail credits for canceled bookings. Combined with our deposits that kept getting rolled from one booking to another, we ended up with a minimal final balance to pay and a hefty amount of onboard credit (OBC). As I mentioned before, having a Carnival Personal Vacation Planner (PVP) made things immensely easy for us. One phone call to Josh and he fixed everything for us. One.phone.call. For those that still book on their own, I urge you to consider using either a PVP or a travel agent. It costs ZERO to use a PVP, they do a lot of legwork for you and you don't have to wait on hold forever with customer service.

This cruise would be departing from Port Canaveral, near Orlando. We've cruised from Miami and Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), so this would be the third Florida port for us. We would also add a new destination that neither Cindy nor I have been to. Let's take a look at the itinerary, shall we?

Saturday, 11/6: Embarkation, Port Canaveral

Sunday, 11/7: Fun day at sea

Monday, 11/8: Fun day at sea

Tuesday, 11/9: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Wednesday, 11/10: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Thursday, 11/11: Fun day at sea

Friday, 11/12: Nassau, Bahamas

Saturday, 11/13: Debarkation, Port Canaveral

Amber Cove would be a new port for Cindy and me and both of us were curious what it would have to offer. We made the decision to wait to book any excursions until after we boarded the ship in order to use our OBC. This would save us paying out of pocket. Nassau replaced Grand Turk, which was originally scheduled, but COVID restrictions kept Grand Turk closed to cruise ships until just before we sailed. Up to this cruise, I've never experienced a port day as the last day in a cruise. We've always had at least one sea day, so this would be a different routine for us.

Josh set up a Friday night meet and greet like he did for BSFV III. We had so much fun with the last one that we wanted to make sure we arrived in time. We decided to fly in Thursday night, giving us all day Friday to explore the area and attend the meet and greet. We looked at day passes to Disney, Universal Studios, Everglades tours, and.....dare I hope.....Kennedy Space Center. Ultimately, and much to my pleasure, we decided to give Kennedy Space Center a try. Oh, yes yes yes!

If you've followed my ramblings at all, you'll know just how big an aviation and space nerd I am....as in lifelong. I wrote about my love of manned spaceflight previously, which you can find here. Please feel free to take a look. We spent much of that Friday touring KSC, and I think it deserves its own post, which will be published right after this one, and then I'll go full throttle ahead with the actual cruise. Sound good?

Part of the protocols required by the CDC for Carnival to start cruising again included the vast majority of guests (and all staff) to be fully vaccinated. Another requirement was a negative COVID test within 48 hours of sailing. That meant we could get tested Thursday, Friday, or early Saturday, provided we had our test results prior to boarding. Yes, you read that correctly. No one would be allowed to board the ship unless they could provide proof of vaccination and proof of a negative COVID test. Cindy and I made an appointment at a local CVS for a rapid antigen test on Thursday morning a few hours before heading to the airport. Thankfully it was a quick procedure and we got our results about 90 minutes later.

We booked a mid-afternoon flight and opted to leave for the airport early enough to allow time for a leisurely late lunch or early dinner. Our arrival into Orlando would be way after normal dinner time so we just split the difference. As it worked out, the shuttle bus picked us up from our parking spot as soon as we parked and we were off to the terminal. A short line at security and our next decision was where to eat. 

Pappasitos didn't look too busy and we got seated promptly. We had a shuttle van booked to take us from Orlando to our hotel, about a 40-minute drive away, and another shuttle booked for our return to Orlando from the cruise terminal when we got back. Neither of us would be doing any driving for the next 8 days. Yes, you do know where this is going.

Let's start with a watermelon margarita...

followed by a big plate of nachos

Aaahhhhh......that hit the spot nicely. We made the short walk to our gate and after just a short wait boarding commenced. Even checking in exactly at the 24-hour mark, we were in the B boarding group but managed to find a good window seat. This is usually when we really start getting into "cruise mode." We are on the aircraft and our next stop will be in Florida. 

Mandatory seat-selfie!

Pushback accomplished, we taxied out to 31L and made a smooth departure from Hobby. Orlando, here we come!

Lovin' the scimitar winglets on the 737-800

Making good time

Almost all of the flight was bumpy, and the captain kept the fasten seat belts sign lit throughout the flight. In fact, the flight attendants apologized for not being able to serve soft drinks, but it didn't bother Cindy or me. We could go a couple of hours without a drink or a snack, especially after that big plate of nachos and that yummy margarita.

We got into MCO a few minutes early, arriving on 35R. Once at the gate, we made our way into baggage claim, grabbed our bags, and called for our shuttle van. Yes, we had to call for the van, as it was considered a "late-night pickup" after 9 pm. As the van pulled up, we noticed two familiar faces: "Larry and Mary," fellow BSFV cruisers. We'd be sharing the van ride with them to the hotel in Cape Canaveral. Yay!

Heading to the hotel

It was nice to catch up with our friends on the drive to the hotel. With such a large group, we qualified for a good group rate, and had a block of rooms reserved for us at the Radisson Resort at the Port. Several of the group had already arrived earlier in the evening and were hanging out at the pool. Wow, this is a nice place! We chatted briefly with Josh, then called it a day. Big day tomorrow, with lots to do. 

So, there you have it. The lead-up to our cruise. My next blog will cover our Friday before the cruise at Kennedy Space Center and our meet and greet.

Have you ever cruised with a large group? 

All feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated. I'd love to read your comments below.

Until next time.....

carpe cerevisi