Sea Dog

I like taking one for the team. My pain is your gain. Hopefully I’ve encouraged people to try something different. It’s easy to get in one’s comfort zone. I know I could be happy just drinking my bourbon on the rocks. I really enjoyed trying some of the cocktails I’ve never had before. Great thing about the DDP, if there’s something you don’t like just ask for something different.

I’d call it beautiful. I wish I had hair.😉

Sane thing happened to me. Not used to having all those cocktails and frozen drinks. They go right through me. That’s why I never felt drunk all week. Plus the bartenders don’t don’t do heavy pours.

I called it that because it did not taste like a cookie at all. It was more gooey like a brownie. They may call it a cookie but the consistency and taste was more like a brownie. Either way you call it, it was fantastic.

Wow Graham thank you. That means so much to me. Unfortunately it wasn’t live but if you thought it was then I achieved the goal of my “as if live” to feel like it was live.

Great reporting Bob! What brands of Bourbon are on board? Any top shelf stuff?

Happy Anniversary wished to you today and cheers to you for many more.

I was all depressed after finishing up my review and thought "what do I do now"? When BAM! I see you have a live review! YES!!!!! I'm excited as I know it's been long overdue for you. I will live vicariously through you and Lisa for the next week anxiously awaiting every post, every picture, every cocktail you drink. I know this is going to be a fantastic. You and John were the inspiration for me to even do reviews. You are a legend. Have a great week and Bon Voyage. Cheers to you and Lisa my friend!

I'm going to probably take this one off and focus on just having a good time even though I enjoy very much the writing, and taking pictures of my reviews. I think my wife will enjoy having a dinner partner who she can talk to and is not busy making food notes and taking pictures of food. I probably will post pics and what I'm doing periodically on Dan's thread and be available for anyone's question. Hoping to do a big group thread on the Bella Cruise coming this March.

I forgot about that and Denkinger name is still mud in St. Louie.

I've already lost seven. Got a ways to go still.

Thanks John, I think you will love CP150 as much as we did. Hibachi is good but you can do that on land any time. As far as my pics I guess it's not so much talent as it is 40 years being a professional photographer/videographer. Thanks again for your support. It means a lot to me,

We hung out in the cool water pool on the second level of the Solarium in front of the bar. You walk down into it. It was very nice and you did not feel hot. Just laying on a daybed or lounger in the Solarium gets too hot.

You know me well. With about 50 we may need two or three. If someone wanted to front the cash I'm sure we could all split our portion and use paypal to put in our part. Thank you so much George. Thank you Bob. I tried hard to give it that "Live" feel even though it was a "As If" As you could tell I need to organize, write and edit and it's easier to do it after I get home. I wrote a lot of on the ship but organized my thoughts better at home and put it in the proper order. I think I will always prefer Bourbon Old Fashioned's to Rum or Tequila Old Fashioned's but it fun to try different stuff. I did not try all the different Collins drinks in the Schooner Bar. The Pierre Collins was good as well as the Rye-n-Rol. Lavender Daiquiri was also very good. And a good Brandy Alexander is always a good nightcap.

Food Conclusion The food was outstanding, rich and plenty of it. By the end of the cruise Linda and I were popping Imodium AD pills like they were candy. You can’t go on a diet for 7 months losing 60 pounds by eating healthy small portions and then transition to huge gastronomical feasts and not expect your body to rebel. I gained 12 pounds on this sailing. I am confident I will lose it again. Do I recommend the UDP? I think it depends on the ship. On big Oasis class ships with lot's of restaurants it can be a very good value. Also, if the price is good by all means book it. If the price goes down you can always cancel and rebook. Would I book it again? Probably but I am going to wait awhile. It is so much food, almost too much. I don't see how some people can eat at several restaurants per night. Some will have snacks at one and a main dinner at another. Hats off to them. I couldn't do it. I left every meal completely satisfied and full. I've never eaten so good in 7 straight days in my life. It was a joy but I'll be glad to get back to smaller portions and my Keto diet for some time. On our next cruise in a couple of weeks we are changing it up and just eating in the MDR and possibly the Windjammer. We did reserve the Chef's table for our anniversary. We love the Chef's table. Until then it's back to elliptical and salads. We are now Emerald thanks to the double points promotion. Until next time I’ll dream of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony running through my head and imagining me on the top deck of my Symphony gazing off into the stars. Peace be with you. I'll be around to answer your questions.

That's a hard one. I would say because I have a sweet tooth that Campfire Brownie was to die for and only because I have had the World before which is my all time favorite dessert. the Campfire Brownie was unique and quite different than most desserts I have had except for the World. For Cocktails, The New Old Fashioned in the Schooner Bar was very good. I was extremely pleased with the taste.

Debarkation As The Key holders we got to have a special debarkation breakfast in the MDR and could leave at our leisure. A good steak and eggs breakfast complete with a small filet. We took our time eating as we knew our flight was not until 2PM. Once we finished we bypassed all the lines and went straight to the sign for "The Key" disembarkation and was in the terminal in less than two minutes. Our luggage was in a special area reserved for the key up front. We snagged a porter (which I highly recommend) as they will load up all your luggage and lead you directly to the taxis. Total time disembark was about 5 minutes.

CODA Part Deux This is what I live for. We sat out on the balcony one last time to soak in that sound of the waves being carved away from the ship.

It was great week at the Schooner bar with my bartender friend Donald who took real good care of me. It always helps to tip a buck or two for every drink. You would be amazed what a difference in service it does make. Final. Whistle Pig on the rocks Then Donald brought out the big boys. The Macallan Terra which I had the night before and was covered in my drink package. And the Macallan Enigma which was over my limit but only cost me about $7. This bottle of Enigma usually sells for $499. The difference between the two: Macallan Terra: Only first fill Sherry casks were used here, especially “seasoned” for Macallan with Sherry that comes from wood suppliers Tevasa and Vasyma in Jerez de la Frontera. 43.8% ABV. Macallan Enigma presents whisky that only was matured in seasoned first-fill Sherry butts of the Tevasa Cooperage, bottled at 44.9% ABV. The McCallan Enigma was so good. I'm not a real good scotch drinker and I'm learning but this was really nice. Very smooth. I loved the sherry overtones in the taste. On my way back to cabin and one last stroll through Central Park. A stop at the Trellis Bar for a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned to sip on the balcony one last night before having to face reality. We would be leaving in the morning.

I think it is easy to get lost but they do have maps which will help plus a lit of signage. I was amazed how much the grilled Filet over open flame added to the taste. Seriously considering booking the Beach Club again. Or maybe we all go in on a floating Cabana??? Truffle Fries. Parmesan truffle fries are a simple recipe that combines white truffle oil, parmesan cheese, and French fries. White truffle oil is a neutral oil, like canola, or safflower oil, that has been infused with white truffle peelings. In fact, you will usually see a small white truffle shaving at the bottom of the oil.

Movement 9: Encore, Back to CP 150 Yes for those wondering, Central Park 150 is our favorite restaurant. We loved everything about it. The decor and elegant feel, the food and the service. This is fine dining to me. We requested our wonderful Tharsini again and were happy that she was our server and I got seated in a better chair than the velvet balloon chair I sat in earlier in the week. Once I taste something I like I tend to get it again. So I had to have another Cucumber Martini. And again, the Braised Short Rib. Still amazing. So very tender , marinated and then cooked 4-5 hours. To be different I decided to not get the Filet and get the Veal Medallions. These were very good. Beautiful flavor and tender. Also the Lobster Thermidor. Two small lobster tails in a cream sauce which was a little bland . Could be because it was a lighter cream sauce . I love the heavier cheesy cream sauces. I was hoping for more flavor. And again because it was so good the Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart with a Raspberry Sorbet perfect with a glass of Hennessy Cognac. I really wanted to get a glass of the Louie XIII but decided to be a good boy and be responsible. Maybe another time. The only downer was the restaurant was being used as a day car center for 2 different babies who wanted fuss and cry. I’m sure the parents could get a side order of Gerber’s with their tenderloin for two. Sorry not bashing babies, I get it. I was just hoping for a little more of a quiet evening. Like I said this is our favorite restaurant. If I had to rank all the restaurants we went to this week I would rank them like this. 1) Central Park 150 The total package 2) Close tie between Chops and Jamie's. Linda felt Chops at Number 2 3) Wonderland Great gastronomical experience 4) Playmakers Incredible burgers and oh that Camp Fire Brownie. 5) Izumi Great Sushi but I can get great sushi in my home town as well. 6) Hooked I would have ranked it higher but the Lobster Mac-n-Cheese was a huge downer. 7) Hibachi only because it's about the show not the food. I'm stuffed. Do I have room for a couple last night cocktails? You bet.

Day 7: A Perfect Day at Coco Beach Club You know you are going to have a perfect day when you wake out and go out on your balcony on the ship to this. Our destination for today. Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. I soon realized we were going to have another guest with us, Mariner of the Seas. It always amazing to watch a ship dock. Here's the video. Note: Parts are sped up for time. It was a little funny watching the crew throw the lines to the dock workers. At least twice one guy failed to throw the monkey fist heaving line to the dock worker getting an earful from the rest of the crew. Looked like an episode of Below Deck. We headed down to gangway to start our perfect day. Having been here before we decided to take advantage of the courtesy shuttles to the island instead of the long walk of the pier. As we exited the gangway we saw a courtesy cart and jumped on. Just so happened the other couple on it was going to the beach club also so the driver took us all the way over to the beach club not stopping at all. How nice that was? The Coco Cay Beach Club is an exclusive part of the island. For a fee it has an infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean. We purchased it because we got a decent price and felt like it was like having an excursion. A pool attendant is always near to take your drink order. There is also complimentary dining. There are nice loungers and daybeds available and for another added cost you can purchase a private over the water cabana with complete concierge service. Being one of the first people to arrive we snagged a beach bed to relax on. My view. Life is good. Life is now "REAL GOOD" ! After a few hours time for lunch. Appetizers included Ceviche spicy with bass . Cilantro.lime, corn, red onions and jalapeño and shrimp. Also Hummus chickpeas, garlic and lemon with pita bread. Baba Ghanoush Spread with eggplant, garlic and tahini and Tzatziki Greek Yogurt Then a beautifully cooked Filet Mignon, served medium rare. The steak was marinated for over night and cooked on open flame which they can’t do on the ship. *This is what our server said. This tasted incredible and had that wonderful charbroiled taste. The full Bahamian Lobster was seasoned with sea salt, and olive oil, it came with truffle fries, grilled vegetables with garlic and had a saffron aioli butter dipping sauce. This tasted wonderful. Dessert was a caramel and chocolate brownie. Nice and gooey inside, Still not as good as the campfire brownie but very good none the less. Overall the food was outstanding. One of my favorite meals all week. I did do some walking around the island to see how crowded the other spots were. The Oasis Lagoon was packed. Some other areas were not as crowded. Some people don’t think the Beach Club is worth all the money you pay extra when most of the island is complimentary. While that is true, I don’t have a problem if the price is right to have an exclusive area that is not as crowded and have a wonderful lunch. The pool alone was a great spot. Will I book it again? Absolutely if it’s a good price. It truly was a perfect day for Linda and I.

Sorry I am not sure what you are referring to? Tarp??

I remember that quite well. Especially after my eyes burning from all the champagne shot in my eye in the locker room. 😉

I imagine this response was meant for a different thread??????