New Orleans, Louisiana.

This winter, we envisioned a two-month Arizona escape preceded by a cozy January in North Carolina. A cross-country road trip was the planned journey, cleverly split by a Caribbean cruise departing from New Orleans. Mardi Gras slipped our minds, as Easter’s late arrival (March 31st) threw us off.

As our plan unfolded, we realized we’d be in “The Big Easy” just a couple of weeks before Ash Wednesday! Our cruise, departing February 4th and returning February 11th, offered a perfect window. So, we landed in New Orleans on February 1st, eager for a taste of the legendary Mardi Gras before setting sail.

On Friday, we got a taste of New Orleans floats. Before the weekend was over, we would learn that our hotel was at the end of one of the major parade routes and that floats are stored off-season in large lots only a few blocks from downtown. Our first glimpse of the parties to come was a procession of floats being transported to their storage location.

Stepping out into the cool night, we were met with the vibrant energy of our first Mardi Gras parade. Phones glowed, capturing the illuminated floats, while outstretched hands hoped to snag the expected beads and other treasures tossed their way.

The spectacle wasn’t confined to floats; young dancers from local schools, their ages spanning childhood to adulthood, twirled and leaped along the parade route, entrancing the crowds with their vibrant routines.

We stood at the parade’s tail end, where it trisected at the busy intersection. Floats glided straight ahead, bands and dancers split left and right, and their school bus transports waited patiently on the intersecting street, ready to whisk them away.

We pondered the ease of capturing those well-known Mardi Gras beads, wondering if snatching them would be a dance of triumph or defeat. To our surprise, the ladies in our group emerged as champions, their necks overflowing with those sparkly souvenirs. The generosity went beyond beads, with some groups even tossing colorful bags to carry the loot – a subtle nudge to help maintain the city’s pristine state after the revelry subsided.

The parade concluded, but the magic lingered. Three tricked-out trikes, glowing with LED lighting, parked near our hotel. Cell phone camera in hand, I became an instant paparazzi, even convincing a rider to pose with her dazzling chariot. Talk about rolling in style!

Saturday dawned, not with sunshine, but with a grumpy sprinkle of rain. Undeterred, we peeked out our hotel window to see the Mardi Gras party beginning anew. Umbrella? Nope. Poncho? Nada. But hey, the show must go on (and get a little soggy)! So, we bundled up in what we had and joined the damp (but determined) revelers below.

I actually felt sorry for the dance troop girls. Dressed in their parade finery, some like this group had ponchos, but not all groups did. The rain and cold did their best to dampen the spirits of the revelers, but they soldiered on. Sure, they might have been a little damp, but they proved that even Mother Nature can’t extinguish the Mardi Gras spirit.

Thanks to reader Ray Laskowitz. He educated me in a pair of comments in the Comments section of this blog about how the parades pay bands for their participation and how that funds their music programs. More details are in the comments under Ray’s name.

As the final floats rolled by, the crowd thinned, reluctantly surrendering to the strengthening rain. Unfortunately, the downpour intensified, forcing later parades to be canceled. While the weather wasn’t ideal, the spirit of Mardi Gras remained undimmed. The vibrant energy helped make the experience unforgettable despite the weather.

That evening we enjoyed dinner at the hotel so we wouldn’t have to go out in the weather. I captured many more images of Mardi Gras magic and posted them on my Flickr site here. Take a few minutes to check out the gallery in 2K HD.

Sunshine washed away the rain, leaving a warm Sunday morning in its wake. Lunch awaited us on the Norwegian Breakaway, followed by a 4:00 PM departure for our Caribbean escape. More adventures await, but those will have to wait for another tale.

John Steiner