twangster

I haven't really spent much time showing off the waterpark and water slides so let's go there now. Splash bucket. Minigolf. Up the stairs for great views and water slides. Something you probably haven't noticed on this cruise is... exhaust smoke. Running on LNG Mardi Gras burns very clean and while there is some minor exhaust, it's noticeably cleaner compared to other cruise ships. Carnival Corporation deserves a lot of praise for bringing this clean technology to it's brands. Running near 20 knots here on a sea day it becomes very apparent just how clean this ship runs.

I wanted to get some photos around the outside of the ship while at sea on a sunny day. We'll start with aft views.

Bar Della Rosa. Bar Della Rosa became my morning latte spot. Shore Excursions: Welcome to the circus! This appeared to be a new act in a rehearsal. They were blocking out some moves... a show biz term for putting the event together and planning the choreography. Back on the bridge... err, I mean my balcony. This is what the view looks like when walking around inside the cabin.

Day Six - Sea Day Up early to capture the ship in night mode absent of guests. I hadn't noticed the infinity pool for Loft 19 before. It's right above the Serenity Bar. The elusive funnel is big and hard to frame.

Down to Summer Landing for a porter or two. Pub music courtesy Travis which I really enjoyed. The blue lighting is really hard to photograph though. I've been meaning to try some Paninis so that became my dinner for the night. Nice alternative to pizza. Late night I was having some minor success with the night sky. There are stars up there even if the moon was ruining what could have been a spectacular photo. Looking up at the bridge. Looking forward.

I felt like a light snack and Street Eats came to mind. The Puebla Chicken Fries. Walking around the ship I noticed Teppanyaki was ready for dinner. There are three stations within the Teppanyaki venue. Bonsai Teppanyaki Menu: Bonsai Teppanyaki.pdf Next door is Bonsai Sushi with a wall of windows to the sea (or this case Roatan). Bonsai Sushi Menu: Bonsai Sushi.pdf

After a dip in a cool pool followed by a frozen lemonade I was starting to feel human again. Balcony view looking right. Balcony view looking left. Crew doing touch up painting around the bridge. I'm enjoying this balcony and the magnificent view forward.

It's been several years since I've been to Mahogany Bay and it looks as beautiful as ever. The beach area within walking distance from the ship. Finally off the ship. There is a chair lift for a fee but I prefer to walk off a tiny amount of what the buffet has done to my waistline. Need to show a ship card for entry. It really doesn't look like much has changed since my last visit. The real reason I got off the ship today. Great photo opportunity. Plus it's always nice to dip your toes in the sand and the ocean. It's always comforting when you can see the ship from the island. It felt like it was a bazillion degrees and having to wear a mask outdoors didn't help so I headed back. There is a nature walk as an alternative to the main path. Early a letter left in my cabin informed us they would be washing down the balconies today. Here the dividers are open between balconies.

Invasion of the towel animals... It's true... bacon shortage on the buffet. However Shaq's Biscuit & Egg can be ordered with bacon.

Day Five - Roatan Up early to see if the moon was out of the way or in a better position as we approached Roatan. The moon was behind the ship but still ruining the night sky. Looking up at the bridge above my balcony: Then it got cloudy for a bit. I have a cruise in a couple weeks in the general area and I'm hoping for a new moon or close to it.

I put the cameras away for awhile and enjoyed some jazz at the Brass Magnolia then a buffet dinner. Various things going on around the ship. Lot's to check out but there are other threads that go into great detail about that so I'm going to keep my focus on the ship. I'm rather enjoying the ship and sometimes you just need to put the cameras down and experience it with your eyes. Casual night. After dark I tried some night star photography but that nearly full moon was a pain in the lens. The stars are there between breaks in the clouds but with the moon illuminating the sky it made it nearly impossible to capture the stars. Our progress:

New to me on a ship... beverage dispensers at the drink stations have touchless sensors. Just place your cup then your fingers near the sensors and it dispenses. It's proving difficult to capture the funnel without some super wide tricks.

Bolt! At $15 for 25 seconds this isn't something I'm going to do very often but I had to try it at least once. It was pretty fun. Okay it was a lot of fun. I kept the throttle pegged at full the whole time and let her rip. However at this price point it will be a while before I do it again. I just wish for this kind of money you would get another ride... or more. They don't let you take anything with you including cameras so no video of my ride but after my turn I captured some other guests on their rides and clipped various rides together from different viewpoints so you can get an idea of what to expect.

I did not have any plans for Costa Maya today. I usually head to the little town close by and find some place along the beach to hang out but with the requirement to wear masks outdoors in Mexico and since I have a number of stops here in the coming months I wanted to enjoy this new ship while I could. I spent a few hours in the morning updating this thread and checking out more areas of the ship. I had another reason to stay on board and I was holding off from any adult beverage while I waited. First some lunch... And then...

Day Four - Costa Maya I tried my luck with some star gazing photography but we had quite a bit of cloud cover overnight and a sea mist in the air so nothing worth posting here. Maybe another night. Time lapse of our arrival. Given the time difference we are arriving in the predawn hours ship time.

Not going to lie... not a fan of these straws on board. Literally 30 second later. The drink was great. Getting slapped in the face with a wet noodle as I tried to drink it... not so much. Bring your own straws. According to my phone, I had late night pizza. Our progress:

Mardi Gras has a lot going on in terms of entertainment. It's hard to do it all during one cruise so another cruise may be in order. There so much going on in different areas it's hard to capture it all. Jeff Taveggia Cigar and some shots. Patrick Duffy in the Piano Bar. Later a really good Prince cover and great rendition of Purple Rain. Family Feud in the main theater. Late night Mega Party on the pool deck.

For the rest of the day I put the cameras down and since it was raining I went with it and jumped in a pool. I may have taken an afternoon nap because I'm on a cruise and can do that. Once evening rolled around I was wandering around the ship and found myself in Grand Central. Unsure what I felt like for dinner I opened the app and looked at the food section to see what's open. I decide I'd try Cucina del Capitano since the wait time was under 10 minutes so I checked in using the app. I figured it might be a few minutes so I went over to the Grandview Bar and ordered a gin & tonic. Before they could make me a drink my phone notified me my table was ready. I tapped On my way! and off I went. No wait at the host/hostess stand and I was promptly seated. Some bread to start. I had looked at the menu earlier and decided on the Rucola, Cracked Farro Salad to start. Then I had the Spaghetti Carbonara with Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower on the side. For dessert it was the Lemon Frozen Torte. This was a very good meal and it was included in the cruise fare. Service was spot on and timing was perfect. I ordered the Cherry Pie Pinot Noir and they asked if I'd like a refill when my first glass of wine was nearly gone. Overall it was a great experience from using the app to check in through to the end of the dinner. Cucina del Capitano Menu Cucina del Capitano.pdf Cucina Wine List Cucina wine list.pdf

It seemed like everytime I made a move towards getting off the ship it started raining again. At least I had company. I have several more visits to Cozumel over the next couple of months so I wasn't overly disappointed with staying on the ship.

Guest Services.

Heroes Tribute Lounge. Heroes Menu: Heroes.pdf

Summer Landing. Pig & Anchor serves complimentary breakfast each morning. The aft elevator bank has its own route into Summer Landing. As Homer would say... Mmmm. Beer. Full details on the entire brewery process on board: Parched Pig Menu: Parched Pig.pdf

Picture self service kiosks. A car on a ship. Yep. Pizza 24 hours. Paninis. Panini Menu: Pizza Menu:

Checking on my balcony to see how our arrival was going... In anticipation of getting off I grabbed a bite to eat. Blue Iguana for breakfast. Custom ordered burrito. Just as I was getting ready to head off the ship... yikes! Pouring rain. Some more exploration around the ship while the rain cloud passes. Center stage with the shades drawn. Production crew busy grabbing more marketing content. Out to Summer Landing still wet from the rain but not actually raining. Looks like another rain cloud heading our way. Time for a spicy bloody mary at the Havana Bar. Yum.

Limelight Lounge