I took my first cruise in 1985 just as cruising was starting to take off. It was on the Mardi Gras which was the very first “FunShip” and it really did live up to its name as much fun was had onboard. It was built in 1961, formerly called the Empress of Canada but purchased by the Carnival Corp in 1972 and the name was changed to the Mardi Gras. It was a Western Caribbean sailing so lots of great ports and long days in the sun which was good because the cabin was, lets just say, interesting. It had 4 bunk beds (2 upper and 2 lower) and the bathroom sink was outside the washroom (so inside the main cabin area which was strange for brushing your teeth in front of your cabin mates !) Had a wonderful day climbing up Dunns River Falls when we were in Jamaica and the day we were in Grand Cayman, made our way to their special post office called “Hell” (I have an official document now that says I’ve been to Hell and back !)
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