Bars on the Mardi Gras....Best for Old Fashion

[Mr.Bill]

Our go to drink is the classic old fashion.....we've had good and bad on carnival cruises, best was on Horizon at the Pig BB Q.....didn't want the smoked Old Fashion, just the classic with Woodford Reserve.   Whats the best bar on Mardi gras for a great Old Fashion .?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Mr.Bill Woodford Reserve is a classic. My husband loves to drink that on special occasions. Unfortunately, I have not cruised on Mardi Gras yet, but I do have a running idea of which bars are worth ordering from. Mardi Gras has so many bars but something about the bars I will recommend to you tells me that they will make a mean Old Fashioned. First I would try the French Quarter. This bar has so much elegance and class, the guests who stop here for a drink are looking for excellence! There are some super cool specialty drinks offered at the French Quarter and one of them even contains real gold, Golden Galaxy. I secondly would recommend the Alchemy Bar for skilled bartenders and any special drink that you could imagine. Thirdly, I wouldn't skip out on the Havana Bar. I'm not sure how the Old Fashioned would be, but it's one of the bars onboard you don't want to miss; the ambiance is superb. 

[FJB]

One of the keys to a great Old Fashioned is a large single ice ball or cube. Bars that make one with the small cubes should be banned till they learn how to make one.  The World Class Bar on the Celebrity Solstice class ships know how to make an Old Fashioned. 

[Mr.Bill]

12 hours ago, FJB said:

One of the keys to a great Old Fashioned is a large single ice ball or cube. Bars that make one with the small cubes should be banned till they learn how to make one.  The World Class Bar on the Celebrity Solstice class ships know how to make an Old Fashioned. 

The bartender on Horizon at the BBQ place made the classic. Hand ground, Woodford Reserve Double Oak, Angostura bitters and one ice.....superb !!!

[3Sisters]

@Mr.Bill You can't go wrong with an Old Fashioned! Do you usually get the drink package for this or do you pay per drink? You should try the Fortune Teller bar. This isn't typically my order of choice so I haven't enjoyed one in a while. When will you be cruising on Mardi Gras? 

[Mr.Bill]

Just got off Mardi Gras...highly recommend the Brass Magnolia Bar for the original Old Fashioned.......they make a good Hurricane too !!!!!!!!!

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Mr.Bill Thanks for letting us know! How was your cruise? Mardi Gras is such a lovely ship. I would imagine you had a grand time onboard! 

[Mr.Bill]

On 8/15/2023 at 7:58 AM, Cruising Caribbean said:

@Mr.Bill Thanks for letting us know! How was your cruise? Mardi Gras is such a lovely ship. I would imagine you had a grand time onboard! 

Had a great time on Mardi Gras.....I guess there is the problem on TOO BIG.....enormous mobs, but seemed to handle ok...just too many folks for us. Food was also good, Emril's a go to along with the Shaq Chicken, Lido was the LIdo...minimal entrees, just so/so. Steakhouse was fab...Chef even came around and asked about our meal. We did the TepanYake  (sp?)...very poor, lobster tough overcooked, shimp even worse....Won't be back.  Welcome back party has the usual Diamond/Platinum guests along with the same number of "crash the party" moochers....mob scene.  Overall, we prefer the smaller ships, but now we've done both Mardi and Celebration...so that box checked.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Mr.Bill I'm laughing at the "enormous mobs" part. I would imagine the buffet got super crowded during the peak dining hours. Did you experience long lines in the Lido area? I'm glad you ventured out and enjoyed all of the yummy options onboard. You can't go wrong with Shaq chicken! I experience the same thing with the lobster being so tough. I think the lobster is overcooked and then sits under a heating lamp for too long. It just turns so tough it's not even worth ordering. 

I didn't realize you could enter without some sort of evidence that you are a Diamond/Platinum guest. At least you enjoyed your time. I agree about the smaller ships. It's far too crowded when the ships become oversaturated with guests. I'm assuming you wouldn't cruise again onboard Mardi Gras?

[Mr.Bill]

1 hour ago, Cruising Caribbean said:

@Mr.Bill I'm laughing at the "enormous mobs" part. I would imagine the buffet got super crowded during the peak dining hours. Did you experience long lines in the Lido area? I'm glad you ventured out and enjoyed all of the yummy options onboard. You can't go wrong with Shaq chicken! I experience the same thing with the lobster being so tough. I think the lobster is overcooked and then sits under a heating lamp for too long. It just turns so tough it's not even worth ordering. 

I didn't realize you could enter without some sort of evidence that you are a Diamond/Platinum guest. At least you enjoyed your time. I agree about the smaller ships. It's far too crowded when the ships become oversaturated with guests. I'm assuming you wouldn't cruise again onboard Mardi Gras?

WE're doing Celebration to round out the checked boxes. Probably go with Vista class ( horizon, Vista) on next bookings or dare I say venture out to other cruise lines. Disappointed in unruly cruisers, and actual shoving match between two people trying to get into the Diamond/Plat return party? All for cheap Chardonnay and Fruity Rum drinks. WE grew up with carnival....just seems to be a lost control element here. Open cursing, rude people, mobs of teens running crazy. Whew......

[brianbumgar]

Ask for Ravi at the Brass Magnolia! He makes the best old fashioned by far on the ship!

[3Sisters]

@brianbumgar I'm glad you pointed this out. All bartenders are not the same, some are just much better than others. This is true in regard to ability, technique, and service. 

@Mr.Bill I'm impressed you are staying so loyal to CCL and remaining adventurous to explore the newer, larger ships. Someone onboard my last cruise told me, "Carnival is the Walmart of cruising." I agree that the customer base isn't always the best, but I wouldn't consider it bad either. Cruising isn't cheap, although it is more available to all. I prefer cruising this way, with a variety of options. I dislike the impatient guests. I have no problem waiting but it's upsetting to see guests get obnoxious and cut lines all for a cheap drink. That's when the smaller/more intimate ships really shine, in the department of fewer "mobs" and a potentially better crowd.

[Mr.Bill]

Some good points 3 SIS.....I wondered if going from a different port would bring a different crowd type. WE made the mistake years ago by booking a cruise that happened to be Spring Break....( not enough space to tell the whole story OMG).  I guess a crowd is a crowd, so the smaller ships might be a bit better.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Mr.Bill Different ports totally attract different crowds! I would never recommend a Spring Break crowd unless you wanted a party scene. Smaller ships are absolutely better at filtering out the rowdy crowd. I even think the bartenders make better drinks on the smaller ships because they are less busy and, hence less stressed! Do you agree?