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New Orleans is a blast during Mardi Gras, but a lot of restaurants are fully booked or closed, many businesses in general close or get extremely packed, especially anything on a parade route. So if you're planning on going to certain restaurants or see certain attractions, it may be difficult. Credit / debit card systems have a tendency to go down during Mardi Gras. ATMs will run out of cash. Cell service is usually very hit-and-miss. Wear comfortable clothing that can get dirty. Plan on throwing away or burning your shoes after Mardi Gras is over. Account for the fact that during Mardi Gras the weather can be cool and wet. The weekend before Mardi Gras all the action is on this route, but Lundi and Mardi Gras most of the action is downtown. Uptown parades (the ones on St. Charles) are the ones with the big elaborate floats that throw all the beads, downtown parades (usually start in the Marigny but go through parts of the French Quarter, Treme and Bywater) are The date of Mardi Gras varies from year to year because it's based on the Easter lunar calendar. But the term "Mardi Gras" is also used by both locals and visitors to refer to the last 12 days of Carnival, during which there are many parades of large floats. Despite what you might have heard, Mardi Gras actually is a family-friendly event. Image courtesy of Mills Baker via Flickr. 2. Carnival Veterans Go Long, Not Hard. Given that Mardi Gras is the culmination of a month-long party, any skillful local will avoid drinking the whole keg in a single night. We will be in New Orleans February 25-March 1. We will get to see the following parades: Druids. Nyx. Babylon. Chaos. Muses. Are the grandstands worth it? Do you have a good view? Do you feel "included" in the parade? I agree, first weekend (February 21-23) parades might be a good plan. Certainly people of all ages go to Mardi Gras, but you sound conflicted. If you're not all in, the hassle of the big weekend crowds might not be worth it. The first weekend parades are still nice. Freret has a lot of great bands. Mardi Gras isn't the time to hold back and throw on jeans and a t-shirt. It might even be time to go on a shopping spree. Have fun with it. Where to stay during Mardi Gras. If it's your first Mardi Gras, you're likely going to want to be in the middle of all the action — as you should be. The weekend before Mardi Gras all the action is on this route, but Lundi and Mardi Gras most of the action is downtown. Uptown parades (the ones on St. Charles) are the ones with the big elaborate floats that throw all the beads, downtown parades (usually start in the Marigny but go through parts of the French Quarter, Treme and Bywater) are According to the History Channel, Mardi Gras first came to the United States “when the French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville camped about 60 miles downriver from the future site of New Orleans. Knowing it was Fat Tuesday back in France, Iberville named the spot Point du Mardi Gras and held a small gala. That being said, the Mardi Gras is absolutely massive and there is something to keep your attention almost 24 hours a day. The balcony cabins are much narrower than they are on older ships from the minute you open the cabin door to the balcony itself, but if you haven't sailed Carnival before you will not notice it. We did a spa balcony on the Mardi Gras and I wouldn’t do it again (at least on this ship). Like the other poster said, there is no sea view from the thermal suites. It was generally full and we went back when the ship was running at half capacity. The Mardi Gras is 40% larger, and has more dining options if you like options. It also has a more upscale look/feel to it. The rooms on Mardi Gras are nice,looking, but the Magic's rooms are a bit bigger. If you want the latest and greatest, Mardi Gras is the way to go. If you want tried and true, Magic is a safe bet. Will be on the Carnival Mardi Gras soon and wanted to see if the Loft 19 Cabana is worth the price. It’s a 7-day cruise and costs $2,000 to cover the whole time. I did confirm the ship is fully booked so my family (5 people) was debating if is worth the price to have a separate place to gather. Thank you all in advance! If you're gonna go solo, then stay at a hostel. I've had several good experiences with India House, and it's on the trolley line. Also, I highly recommend going the weekend before the "real" weekend. Much less crowded, and still 95% of the Mardi Gras experience with much shorter lines everywhere. Sailed with a spa 9 balcony on Mardi Gras, and I wouldn’t again. The actual suite isn’t nearly as nice as I would have expected. No outside views kinda ruined it, but the private elevator down to a main level was super nice as elevators tended to be crowded. As for Mardi Gras World, seeing the floats being made is actually pretty interesting. Last time we went was several years ago, when we had relatives visiting, and getting to see the float builders and artists working was great. Some parts of Mardi Gras world are silly, but if the builders/artists are there, it is nice to see them in action. NOLA Mardi Gras is great and worth at least experiencing once, but ultimately, the city of New Orleans itself is the real Gem of Mardi Gras. Reply reply MyFace_UrAss_LetsGo I’ve not done a Cloud 9 room on Mardi Gras, as that’s really not our thing. But you will probably feel less motion on deck 5. In general, the lower you are and the closer you are to midship, the less motion you feel. We were on deck 11 aft in December and it was rocking pretty good the entire week. We were disappointed with the spa in Mardi Gras. Felt very trapped in a tiny room with no windows and all the heat bed were saved by chair hogs the entire cruise. Way too many empty treatment rooms, and that space could of been used to make the jacuzzi and sauna area more normal size.
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