Oct 29

Oct 29 Day Seven - Nassau, Bahamas (Fahrenheit 555)

This is our last day aboard Mardi Gras, at least on this sailing. As I am sitting across from Piazza Panini, enjoying my morning coffee while working on this blog, Celebrity Apex docks off the starboard side of our ship in clear view. We are docked in Nassau, Bahamas, this morning.

Celebrity Apex docks next to Mardi Gras in Nassau

Rickee and I decided to try the biscuits at Shaq’s Big Chicken this morning. She had a plain biscuit with honey butter and I had the Chicken & Biscuit which is smeared with honey butter and the fried chicken breast is dipped in a honey glaze. It was very good, and filling. The biscuits here are made fresh daily and they are baked at the Big Chicken restaurant, not in the ship’s main galley.

The Breakfast Chicken & Biscuit at Shaq’s Big Chicken

When we returned to our stateroom, Calvert and Made (maw-day), Calvert’s assistant, were just finishing up our stateroom. Calvert has been with Carnival for 25 years and his enthusiasm for his job is evident every time we enter our spotless stateroom. Calvert is typical of the crew on Mardi Gras, all of whom seem to love their job and are happy to be back at work.

For lunch today, I decided to try the Shwarma at Lido Marketplace. I heard about this new station from John Heald when he joined us for dinner a few nights ago. Pillars of chicken and beef Shwarma are spinning on the vertical rotisseries in plain sight. After the meat is sliced off, it is placed into a pita bread pocket and filled with a variety of condiments that you can choose. I chose tomatoes, purple onions, hummus and the yogurt sauce.

The Shwarma has been seasoned with traditional middle eastern spices and is very flavorful. I really enjoyed it and would definitely visit this station again. There is also a new hot dog station right next to the Shwarma station serving a variety of sausages.

We spent some time this afternoon packing for the trip home. Yuck. It is the worst part of any cruise. For dinner this evening, our Carnival hosts have invited us to a group dinner at Fahrenheit 555, Carnival’s signature upscale steakhouse. We have dined at Fahrenheit 555 on every Carnival ship since it was introduced, and it is always a special treat.

I ordered the Pork Belly starter along with the Caesar Salad. The pork belly was a sizeable chunk of tender meat served in a very rich, dark gravy, perhaps a little too rich. It is good, but very heavy for a starter. The Caesar Salad here is one of the best you will find anywhere. Long spears of Romaine lettuce are coated in a tangy Caesar dressing then topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and croutons. It is a traditional rendition, and is one of my all-time favorites.

Rickee ordered the Baked Onion Soup which she says she would definitely order again. The soup was served super hot and filled with onions in a rich broth and topped with a melted cheese-covered crouton.

For our main courses, Rickee ordered the Australian Waygu Beef. The menu does not indicate the cut of beef, only that it is Australian Waygu, which is known for being extremely tender and flavorful. I ordered the 18oz Spice-Rubbed Rib Eye steak.

Okay, let’s talk about the beef. Rickee’s Waygu was extremely tender, but lacked the flavor that I would expect from Waygu beef. The heavy marbling of fat typically found in Waygu beef could not be seen, nor tasted. I am still not sure what cut of beef this was as it was served as three thick slices, perhaps cut from a strip steak? My Rib Eye, on the other hand, was easily recognizable and had a nice thick cap, which is the best cut of meat on the cow, in my opinion. The steak was perfectly cooked Medium, as ordered, was tender and very good. However, I did not detect the “spice rub” indicated on the menu. Rickee’s steak, too, was perfectly cooked. In my opinion, the Rib Eye is the better choice of the two.

For side items, Rickee had the mashed potatoes with wasabi, which were creamy and very good, but could have benefited from more wasabi. I had a side of onion rings, which were as good as I have had anywhere.

For dessert, our host ordered Art on the Table, a special dessert creation where chefs “paint” a dessert on a large board at the table. No two creations are the same and it is entertaining to watch and tasted delicious!

Fahrenheit 555 remains one of the best steakhouses at sea and one of the best dining experiences on Carnival ships. At $38 per person, it is a real bargain and something that everyone should try at least once per cruise.

Tomorrow, we will disembark Mardi Gras and head back to Dallas to get ready for our next adventure. This was our ninth sailing on Carnival (my tenth) [Spirit, Triumph, Victory, Victory, Vista, Breeze, Destiny, Panorama, Paradise]. All of our Carnival cruises have exceeded our expectations and delivered great value. Watch for our full, in-depth review of Carnival Mardi Gras on our YouTube channel coming soon!