25th Anniversery Extravaganza Cruise! Live from the Royal- Southern Med. 6/25/16

Tracie,

Enjoying your post. Congrats on your anniversary.

Beef medallions??

Can't wait till you and G get back out there. Brenda from California

Thank you Brenda! It may be an abbreviated winter (see below).

Still hanging on your every word, Tracie, so stay wordy. Just the way I like it!

June 28, 2016

They, along with a few others of you (eg, Pescado Amarillo (PA), Vicki and Bernie, Pia, Pam), are my cruising heroes. I want to be just like y'all someday!

"Our" spot may be open to be claimed the second half of the winter. :eek: I think we're going to branch out a bit and try something different after the holidays.

Escargot?

Lobster and jumbo prawns , beef short ribs and beef Wellington

TBGCS!!!

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Sea Day!!!!!!

 

Hi Friends-

 

So here is the current situation... It is well after midnight- and I just can't sleep. I am not sure if it was the pot of tea at 6 pm, the nap, or the amazing, yet huge dinner. There is no settling right now- so I have been up to the Concierge Lounge- and camped there for a bit, but the elves came into clean and I left them to work in peace. So I drifted down to the IC for another pot of tea- this time herbal ginger twist- and this is reason #98,673 that I am a loyal Princess cruiser. When I left the room, I took my cruise card and iPad, but no coffee card. When I requested a pot of tea, I handed over my cruise card and mentioned that I had forgotten my coffee card. No charge. I love that the crew trusts their passengers. This is a classic example of why I always tip the staff at the IC at the end of the cruise. They have consistently taken care of me (and others). So here I am, tucked into my corner seat in the way back of the IC writing the details of the evening.

 

And now for my mini review of the Ultimate Balcony Dining... The event actually began Sunday afternoon when Desmond came to our cabin to ascertain our preferences. I really don't eat seafood so he suggested a veggie quiche in lieu of the crab quiche. Check. I also selected the steak and my husband selected the lobster. Desmond took Bradley's cocktail order and was off.

 

Fast forward to Monday evening, our selected time was 7:00 pm. Jackson and Roby arrived at 7:05 to begin setting up the table. Fortunately, the weather gods were smiling on us- in spite of a very strong head wind, the aft portion of our balcony was calm and gale-force-free. Our table was set with linens and a lovely little vase of red roses. Next, we waited for the photographer. This was a bit of a wait- and when she got there, she was a bit discombobulated. The battery in her camera was not charged. She had to change out SD cards mid shoot. I think in hindsight, we would have skipped the whole photography ordeal.

 

Once the photographer departed, we were seated for dinner. We started with deluxe canapés. I really enjoyed the salami and cheese- but left the majority to Bradley. Next, we received our quiches as an appetizer. The quiches were portioned well and in and of themselves were delicious. I do have to note the garnish that was served with this dish. There were julienned peppers in a mustard vinaigrette. Both Bradley and I loved this. I could have eaten a big old dish of the garnish.

 

Next our salad arrived. We had endive and mixed greens with candied walnuts, pears (I gave mine to Bradley), and goat cheese. The salads were brought sans dressing, a detail that I am very grateful for. There is nothing ickier that soggy, dressing soaked salad. I eat such a tiny bit of dressing (and have been known to skip it), that I really prefer to add my own. The salad was a wonderful combination- but was huge. I mean really, really huge. Think "family of four" huge. I tend to fill up on salad anyways- and this meal was no exception.

 

Our main came and was cooked perfectly. I like as raw a hunk of beef as I can talk the chef into making. And my steak was rare. Really, really rare. Yay!!! Perfect! Here is the rub- they brought me not one, but two 8 oz filets. Two man sized steaks. There is nothing in my eating repertoire that will allow me to eat a pound of red meat. I can work my through 6 oz. on a good day- which is exactly what I did. The steak, the béarnaise, the garnish (veggies with tiny little potatoes) were super yummy. My compliments to the chef, because lord knows, it can be a challenge to get a very rare steak on a Princess cruise- and this was perfectly prepared.

 

We ended with a lovely dessert that was comprised of a quartet of mousse- chocolate, espresso, vanilla, and hazelnut (?) sandwiched between two layers of dark chocolate and garnished with fresh raspberries. We made it through a quarter of the dessert before crying uncle. I am not sure if this was one of the Norman Love concoctions, but I do have a tip for many of the NL desserts- deconstruct before you eat! They are great, but a tad unwieldy to get on a spoon.

 

So here is the bottom line: It was an amazing meal with spotless service- but I think it is once and done for us. We were so conservative on our food consumption during the day, and we still could not eat a percentage of the food that was brought to our cabin. I fear we are becoming food wimps as we get a bit older.

 

And now I am listening to a really, really loud interactive pianist noise pollute the entire Atrium. It is 1:13am and I am wondering when the pain will end. This is one form of entertainment I just do not enjoy. Also not a fan of some of the audience participation-- the only person who should sing a John Legend song with a mic is John Legend. I applaud the courage, but am a bit curious how much liquid courage facilitated the process. What I know is that I cannot outlast this guy and cannot tolerate him much longer- so I will probably head up to the cabin soon.

 

Plus, I fear that I am way over-sharing.

 

Too wordy???

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

Tracie;

Sounds like a great day onboard and a great dining experience to top it off.....:):):)

Bob

i'm hardly on the boards anymore but thought i'd check it out tonight.

i'm so glad i did! i've been eyeballing a few of these 7 dayers and i'm happy to be following along with you!

happy anniversary tracie and he who should not be named. i look forward to the rest of your adventure. and its never oversharing! i feel i am right there with you drinking tea and eating.

OMGosh, Tracie, if you see John and Linda again, please tell them that Phil and Laureen say Hi.....we sat with them at the first MTP party and enjoyed running into them the rest of the cruise!! Glad to hear you are having a great time!!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

 

Sea Day!!!!!!

 

 

 

We ended with a lovely dessert that was comprised of a quartet of mousse- chocolate, espresso, vanilla, and hazelnut (?) sandwiched between two layers of dark chocolate and garnished with fresh raspberries. We made it through a quarter of the dessert before crying uncle. I am not sure if this was one of the Norman Love concoctions, but I do have a tip for many of the NL desserts- deconstruct before you eat! They are great, but a tad unwieldy to get on a spoon.

 

 

 

So here is the bottom line: It was an amazing meal with spotless service- but I think it is once and done for us. We were so conservative on our food consumption during the day, and we still could not eat a percentage of the food that was brought to our cabin. I fear we are becoming food wimps as we get a bit older.

 

 

 

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

So far that UBD has been a once and done for us because it was so perfect. We were on one of the Mexico cruises just after the violence in Mazatlan caused Princess to drop the port and overnight in Cabo. The food and service was as tasty and impeccable as yours. We had perfect weather and the Sapphire slowly rotated clockwise at anchor with Los Arcos coming into view from our Dolphin deck mini-suite balcony before sunset and ending up with dessert looking a the lights of Cabo in the dark.

Thanks so much for sharing you Anniversary with all of us! And thanks for the great tip about contact lenses. What area of Gibraltar did you find them. Do you just go into any optical shop?? I just got my new prescription yesterday and we stop at Gibraltar each week on out two week cruise in August, so definitely plan to take prescription with!!

Happy Anniversary to the both of you! Enjoying your experiences at sea once again. :D

HI Friends-

Continuing Tuesday, June 28...

Wondering where I went? I bet you think I have the suspense thing down pat! So, most of you were correct! The answer was Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle! I have been trying to write another poem or haiku or limerick- but I am so behind in posting at this point, I may just have to leave it for another day...

We did go to our late seating and I had a salad and the ever-wonderful TBGCS as my main. Bradley had the salmon souffle or pate or something like that and the scallops. We both had the trio of little desserts that included a raspberry panna cotta, a chocolate gelato, and an apple crisp. I ate two of the three and Bradley had all of them.

We were pretty tired at the conclusion of dinner and returned to the room. Bradley fell right asleep, and I did a little better- but not much. I knew that we had a very early start, so I laid in bed and admonished myself for not sleeping--- make no sense. I know.

I will post more in a bit!

Tracie-Lynn

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Marseille, France

And our 25th Wedding Anniversary!!!

We woke at 6:30 am with the help of the handy-dandy wake-up feature on the phone. The ship was set to dock at 8:00 am and we wanted to disembark as quickly as possible. We settled into Sabatini's (the first of two times) and split an order of Eggs Benedict (yes, again with the Canadian Bacon) and our special coffee. I am so glad that I married a man who tolerates, and even participates, in my fussy coffee habit.

As soon as we were done eating, the announcement was made, and we disembarked right away. We may have been the first passengers off the boat... In truth, there were no lines and no one else appeared to be desperately trying to run away from the ship! Just us. Once we exited the terminal, we found a smallish bank of taxis. We climbed into the first cab and took it to the train station. That was our designated pick-up spot for our rental car. We were able to rent a tiny little Fiat 500 for 95 Euros for the full day from SixT (pronounced six-ty- I think).

We headed out to see the Pont du Gard which was about an hour and half away from Marseille. It is the site of a very old Roman aqueduct. The property is huge and it seems as if many people head out there to picnic on the river and spend the day walking the paths. We only walked across the aqueduct and then moved onto our next stop.

St Remy is a smallish town in Provence. They have many, many lovely little shops and street after street of open-air markets. We wandered for quite some time- and only purchased a Roquefort quiche (don't do it- not yummy--- and kind of a weird dingy gray, too. No bueno.) and The. Best. Sammich. EVER! We shared a prosciutto sandwich on this amazing French bread. It was so delicious, and honestly, I would not have changed a single thing about it- unlike the yucky quiche. After our time in St. Remy, we began our long ride back to Marseille to return the car and return us to the ship. Just as a word of warning, you have to be super vigilant to find the car rental return at the train station. The location is only identified by little, teeny tiny orange signs. Once we figured out the system, it was no problem. The car was returned and we headed up to "Floor 0" which is the train station, proper- then out to the taxi stands.

Prior to returning the car, as we stopped to fill 'er up with gas, I was cleaning out the car and I felt a weird dragging on my foot. I was wearing a pair of almost brand new Mizuno running shoes. I have been wearing Mizuno almost exclusively for the better part of two decades- because of their structure and the very wide toe-box. They have always been the work horses of running shoes- and I seriously would typically never consider another brand. When I looked down at the shoe- the heavy rubber sole had separated from the mesh part of the shoe. How weird is that? And it is not "fixable". And we walk a lot on vacation (between 8 miles and 15 miles a day- no exaggeration), so sneakers are a must. AND- I only brought one pair of sneakers- the rest of my shoes are thongs, and ballet flats, and wedges, and flip flops-- none suitable for heavy walking... Knowing we still had 5 days left to our vacation- including 3 days in Rome- I was panicked. And mad. So more later- on the resolution, but needless to say- I was not a happy camper with my fwap fwap shoe (that is the sound it makes when I walk).

Back to the day...

Our cab driver did not speak English, and our French is dismal. So my husband pre-made all of these little placards, just for this purpose. Even with the the name of the ship, the location of the terminal, the berth number (#4), and the GPS coordinates (!), he still had a bit of trouble understanding what we wanted. Finally, he figured it out- and we were off. I loved his expression when he saw the rather grand Royal. He really did light up like a two-year old on Christmas- speaking excitedly in French with lots of hand gestures and smiling. We smiled back, remembering the first time we saw a Princess cruise ship up close and personal. It is a watershed moment. Such pretty ships- and so much bigger than you can ever imagine.

We showered and readied for the Super Tuscan dinner. Between the time we returned to ship, and actually left for the dinner- I ran into my friend, Olga. She is pretty new to Princess, and was struggling with the whole dining thing. Knowing that we would be otherwise occupied, I gave her our table for two in the Allegro dining room (keeping my fingers crossed they would honour our wishes for Olga to use our table in our absence).

I will write more about the Super Tuscan in my next post.

Anyone hungry???

Tracie-Lynn

June 29, 2016

Super Tuscan Dinner

Hi Friends-

Me again...

The Super Tuscan (or Super Toooooooscan- as they say) was located in Sabatini's. We requested and were seated at a table for two. There were to be 5 courses, with a wine pairing for each course. However, I don't drink, so I just stuck with my San Pellegrino- and played along. For those who like to sit, eat, and leave- this is not the meal for you. Each course was not only paired with a specific wine, but also a lengthy discourse on the merits of the the wine, the region, the preparation, etc. Therefore, each course took over 30 minutes- making this truly an event. Our first course was a starter of two spreads- one was made from fava beans and garlic, the other from roasted eggplant. We both loved the fava bean spread; the eggplant spread was good, but not a standout. The breads were rolls and a loaf of amazing bread that is prepared without salt. This only highlighted the flavour of the fava beans.

Next, we were served pasta pockets filled with potato over a bed of oxtail ragu. This was exceptionally good, with the only complaint being- not enough. I could have eaten several times the three pasta pocket served. This was paired with light white wine that was not from the Tuscan region, but was from Generoso's (the maitre'd) hometown.

Next, we were served a panko crusted tuna over a salad of Mediterranean vegetables. I have not ever eaten seafood, but something in me has recently reset, and I have been trying a lot of foods that I would not have ever eaten in the past. (My mother always claimed I was a "super taster"- which is a person who is very affected by strong flavours in foods- almost rendering a sense of unbearable tolerance to many pungent foods. This has rendered me a somewhat picky eater. I eat most meats, many vegetables, most fruits and grains, but could not tolerate seafood or cabbage/broccoli/ cauliflower. The upside of being a super taster is that I can often identify every ingredient in a recipe by taste. So when someones says, "This is great, but what is that flavour?" I will pipe up with lemongrass and saffron.) On this cruise, I have eaten an entire lobster tail- and prior to this dinner, I decided I would eat whatever was put in front of me. Period. I might not finish it, but I would at least try it. So back to the tuna, I tried it. I actually really liked it. It was not too "fishy" tasting- and it had the same consistency as a rare steak (which I love).

A porcini risotto was served next. It was garnished with a butter laced with truffles and a delicious parmesan crisp. It was very cream and textured nicely. I could have eaten lots more of it- as, like the pasta pockets, this could have been the meal, in and of itself. As the meal progressed, the wines were becoming a bit heavier or leggier. Not being a wine drinker, if I misuse any terminology- just chuckle silently to yourself...

The main was a prosciutto-wrapped veal on a bed of beans and vegetables. While the flavour was delightful, the meat was a bit tough in texture- which is a bit unusual for veal. Not sure what happened there- by this time we were at a 10 for fullness and we did the unthinkable...

...We tapped out before dessert. The dessert was to be a sponge cake that was filled with candied fruits and served with gelato. But we couldn't. Just could not. So we excused ourselves to go and put on our super stretchy jammies and exhale. So I am not really sure how this story ended- and if any others have done the Super Tuscan please, fill in the blanks about the wine and the dessert... but that is all I got.

We ended our special anniversary by sleeping like two beached whales. That's what 25 years of marriage with get you... Fat and happy. The end!

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

Sounds like a wonderful 2 or 3 days!

Happy Anniversary!

Tracie, Have not heard about the Super Tuscan dinner. I assume it is different from the Winemaker's a Dinner. What is the cost?

Tracie, Have not heard about the Super Tuscan dinner. I assume it is different from the Winemaker's a Dinner. What is the cost?

She seems to be describing what was called the Super Tuscan Wine Tasting when we attended it one afternoon on the Royal Princess.

It had wines priced like at the Maître d's Wine Club ($25) but the ST had the small hot food she described with each wine pairing instead of cold gourmet hors d'oeuvres. Wine prices at that time ranged from $28 to $230 (Solaia) for the tastes served & it cost the same $40 as the Winemakers Dinner.

Maybe it's now called the Super Tuscan Dinner but reading about how little Tracie eats, maybe it was a "dinner" to her? ;)

I've only gone to the ST once during my 3 cruises on the Royal & Regal but have gone to the WMD on each of those cruises because we prefer it for the same price as the ST.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Genoa, Italy.

Hi Friends-

Wow! What a difference a day makes! I think we are finally on Eu time and have adjusted our internal clocks.

We programmed a 6:30 am wake-up call- and I'll be gosh-darned- it works! The phone rings every two minutes until you answer it. Nag. Nag. Nag.

We popped up around 7 am- got dressed and organized- though we were still pretty unsure about what we would do for the day. We started by heading down to Sabatini's for breakfast. We both ordered the Belgian waffles and bacon- along with our fussy coffee. I had some orange juice and Bradley had a mimosa. Service is stellar- and I really like the fact that the waitstaff will ask you if you want a fast or leisurely breakfast. Nice touch.

After breakfast, we headed off the ship. It was only supposed to get to 76 degrees today, so I wore a sweat jacket and a pair of skinny jeans. Big mistake. It was probably 76 at 8 am when we got off of the ship. We had decided to stay in Genoa for the day- and forgo taking a train and a ferry to Portofino. I think we will save that for a land tour-- also we were hindered by our mission... We need to find me some proper footwear (remember the sneaker tragedy of the previous post????). I was wearing a pair of Tory Burch Millers (ladies- you might know these) which are no way appropriate for heavy wear and tear- but super cute!!!!) Most of the stores were closed, so we just walked around looking for a potential shopping spot. This is what we found: a hiking store with Northface items, and right around the corner- a Foot Locker! We waited the 15 minutes for the Foot Locker to open and viola! I am the proud owner of a pair of neon blue and green size 39 Nike sneaker. They are obnoxiously bright and look HUGE-MONGOUS on my feet (I am only 5'3"- and have size 7.5 feet). But they work and they are pretty comfy (I would say an 8.75 on the sneaker comfy scale)- and did not totally break the bank- But truth be told, it would not have mattered what they cost- I had to have them. It was a non-negotiable. I thanked my husband by walking almost 14 miles in them- all over Genoa. Every problem should be solved for under a hundred Euro. Oh! and now he can always find me in a crowd!!!

After "Sneaker-gate 2016", we set off to explore the city. So far, Genoa has been our favorite port. There are a few touristy areas, but for the most part- this is a city that does an amazing job of mixing its residents and tourists. Typically, you cannot always tell the two apart- well, the residents have their dogs- that is a pretty big give-away. Once I had the correct footwear, we started climbing up the hills. Warning- Genoa is very hilly and you need to mitigate your energy to address that. We walked up hill for a quite a while- and you know what you get at the top? A city! That is over the city. It was so cool to look down over the railings and see an entirely different city right under you. Also, we found Genoa to be very reasonable- a latte is about 1 Euro- and not a Starbucks in sight! Bonus!!! We shopped and ate. Ate and shopped. We found a very nice shirt for my husband- much nicer than my sneakers.

We also saw a nice place for lunch- way at the top- but we were not hungry at that time. So we walked all the way down to sea level- only to decide to walk all the way to the top to eat lunch in that place. There was a severe shortage of table by the time we returned, but a lovely Dutch couple offered to share with us. Bradley had a little pizza with parma ham that had the best sauce known to man. I had a grilled wrap with braciola and mozzarella. Both were delicious. The Dutch couple left and were replaced by a couple from the cruise ship. When they asked what tour we were on (they were Cream 7)- we told them we were just doing our own thing... They asked us if we were afraid- Hardly- we felt that Genoa was a very friendly city- and yes- you can get mugged or pick-pocketed anywhere. We know that is a risk we take.

Somewhere on our up and down, up and down, we passed a funicular. For those of you don't know- I have a bizarre fascination with funiculars. This was one time, we did not ride it- as it did not look like it was operating. It about killed me. I just love me a funicular... I always like to say that I am putting the "fun" in funicular. Yep. I really do say that. You may now call me Dorky McDorkerson.

Around 2 pm, we decided to pack it in and return to the ship. It seemed like a much longer trip to return. Of course, it was about 80 million degrees hotter- but still. We finally made it back to the ship- and back to the room- and into the cold shower- and then I decided to sit on the bed and catch up on the blog... and woke up 2 hours later, having written nothing. I slept. Hard.

Around 4 pm- we dressed and I attempted to tame my hair lumps- as I fell asleep with wet hair. It is formal night and we are still not participating. Bradley decided he wanted to eat at the Ocean Terrace- so he ordered the Seafood Tower- for two- and ate all of it, save for 1 piece of lobster and 1 piece of brown bread. Stick a fork in him- he was done, as he did not nap.

I returned to the room to get my iPad- only to venture out to the International Cafe- tucked in my little corner seat. I drank a "Why Bother??" special- (decaf, non-fat, sugar free iced latte--why bother?) and started to catch up on the blog. When I returned to the room an hour and half later, poor Bradley was near comatose. I helped him to bed and ordered a bit of room service for me: BBQ chicken soup and a green salad. Oh! and the Norman Love mousse bomb dessert-thingy. I love that room service arrives very, very hot or cold- whichever is appropriate.

...And now I am completely caught up- and ready to eat my dessert. Tomorrow is Florence and Pisa by way of Livorno- then we disembark for Rome. Sadly, our cruise is coming to an end. I am starting to think about the evil P word (packing) and feeling the anxiety of having all of the stuff go back into the bags from whence it came. Oh boo hoo! Poor me! I had to go on an amazing vacation in Europe. Call me a Waaaahhhhhh-mbulance!

Enough!

More tomorrow!

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

Next, we were served a panko crusted tuna over a salad of Mediterranean vegetables. I have not ever eaten seafood, but something in me has recently reset, and I have been trying a lot of foods that I would not have ever eaten in the past. (My mother always claimed I was a "super taster"- which is a person who is very affected by strong flavours in foods- almost rendering a sense of unbearable tolerance to many pungent foods. This has rendered me a somewhat picky eater. I eat most meats, many vegetables, most fruits and grains, but could not tolerate seafood or cabbage/broccoli/ cauliflower. The upside of being a super taster is that I can often identify every ingredient in a recipe by taste. So when someones says, "This is great, but what is that flavour?" I will pipe up with lemongrass and saffron.)

Egads Tracie! I am a super taster also! I was able to confirm the test using a test strip. Too funny! I also can taste every ingredient and when people say "you can't taste the coffee flavor in this", I definitely can.

Enjoying your reports!

Love your posts, congratulations on the anniversary. My husband is a marathon runner, loves his ASICS gel Kayanos and would be very upset if a pair fell apart as your shoe did. Glad you were able to find replacement shoes!

Glad that you were able to find an acceptable pair of sneakers. :)

I had the sole of a comfortable pair of lightweight hiking boots completely come off during a South America cruise & was unable to find a replacement. With a considerable amount of walking on trails, using my running shoes wasn't a great option.

Great updates! Thanks for posting! :)

Thanks again!

oh the Super Tuscan Dinner sounds amazing.

What is the price?

We were fortunate to be invited by senior officers to a trial of the super Tuscan Dinner back in February. We were a large table of 12 of mostly officers and a few family members of officers. It was amazing! I am glad to see they kept some of the same menu items.

It is similar to the Wine Tasting but a full dinner and it is held in Sabatinis at night and the entire place is reserved for the dinner.

I wrote briefly about it in my blog http://vickieandbernietravel.blogspot.ca/2016/02/at-sea-february-6-2016.html

Hope to do it again in October.