nz1

Day 9: After a much-needed sleep-in, we had missed breakfast! So that called for some “morning bites” in Michael’s Club. There’s a decently sized menu - and I assume the food comes from the Elite breakfast at Tuscan as we ordered with the waiter but he disappeared somewhere else for a bit before reappearing with our treats. We selected the almond croissant, berries, cinnamon walnut roll, and carrot muffin. Aside from the cinnamon roll being a bit dry, it was a nice and light (late) start to the sea day 😊

Yeah I was quite surprised! Probably something that should be stated on the menu so you know what you’re in for 😂

Day 8: Bonus round to dinner - here’s the toasted brioche custard with honey gelee and plum sorbet. My partner definitely won the dessert round as apparently this was really nice.

Day 8: After a wonderful day in port and a beautiful sailaway from the helipad as we left Pago Pago, American Samoa, we were looking forward to another relaxing dinner in Luminae. Amuse bouche which was light and refreshing (cheese, watermelon, balsamic). Next I chose the pear and radicchio salad which came with pancetta, kale, hazelnuts, and figs. Delicious and lots of flavours. For my main, I went with the MDR option of prime rib (partly because it seems like many people on Cruise Critic seem to be are obsessed with prime rib and if it’s available or not!). To be honest I didn’t really enjoy this when comparing it to other beef I’ve had onboard. Now dessert was where the real show was…! I couldn’t resist trying the chocolate sphere! Flaming zambuca was poured over it: So this was quite exciting but had I known zambuca was the liqueur being used I would’ve chosen something else as the aniseed flavour overpowered the other flavours in the dessert. But it was fun! We capped off the dinner with some decaf coffee before retiring early to bed after an exhausting but fulfilling day. ☺️

I really wouldn’t worry! Both times we’ve been to the buffet for dinner the selection has been plentiful with many different stations including vegetarian and vegan stations. On our last visit there was only one station closed and one section of another part of the buffet closed - so it was more like 80% open! I think there’s a bit of misinformation and doom-mongering about on these boards, unfortunately, but please don’t stress! I’ll try get some photos if/when we’re back up there 😊

Day 7: I was particularly excited for dinner in Luminae because of a particular dessert item as you’ll see shortly! Starting with the fresh fruit amuse bouche (the standard one had shrimp I think). Followed by the smoked potato soup with chorizo, garlic, and thyme. I would’ve been pretty happy to double (or triple!) this and have it as a main. Delicious. For my main I chose the grilled pork chop with potato confit, turnips, and riesling sauce. The pork was a tad dry but the flavours were nice. My partner chose the Daniel Boulud option of Moroccan chicken tagine with saffron cous cous, turnip, cauliflower, preserved lemons and olive. There was almost too much chicken served in this dish - leg, thigh, and breast. You could even see the saffron strands in the cous cous. Now for dessert! I didn’t even need time to consider - I chose the dark chocolate soufflé with coffee gelato. Oh so good - the light and soft yet rich soufflé was incredible. I’m sort of craving it as I write this post! My partner had the refreshing macaron with yuzu cremeux and passion fruit sorbet. Apparently this was good but there was some food envy about for my soufflé 😂 Yet another wonderful dining experience at Luminae - and you can’t complain about the view when you have a window seat 😍

Day 7: After an early start and walking many many steps in Apia, Samoa, a room service burger with a side of mashed potato was in order! Just as delish as the other day 🤤 Certainly satisfied my appetite until dinner!

Definitely give it a go! 😄

Day 6: Third time’s the charm! So back to Luminae for the third time on Day 6. Starting with the amuse bouche of fresh fruits. (I think the main one today was a fish option but as we don’t eat any fish or seafood, the fruit turned up). Light and refreshing. I’m mildly obsessed with these warm rolls with rock salt 🤤 I chose the Caesar Salad as my starter again. Delicious as always. For the main, I had the grilled beef sirloin with roasted cauliflower purée, caramelised onion, and beer infused jus. This was so nicely balanced and I loved the decorative way it was plated like filling the onion shells with the jus. To finish, I chose the chocolate caramel custard with cocoa nib coulis and pretzel icecream. I was expecting something quite different than what arrived but what a pleasant surprise! Best dessert of the cruise so far! And one of the best I’ve ever had on a ship - sensational. I am craving another one as I write this! So so good and well worth the 10000 calories 😂

Interesting how it varies between ships! I’d prefer a self-selection - particularly to avoid trying to finish an entire tray (or two)!

Day 6: We returned to Luminae a few hours later for lunch. We both had the Cobb Salad though I had mine without avocado. It was really nice though probably a tad too much blue cheese for my tastes. The real standout for lunch was dessert. I had the olive oil cremeux pudding with strawberry, orange, and lavender crumble. Incredible. All the flavours had their chance to shine - and such a unique dessert to enjoy while enjoying watching the sea go by.

Day 6: One of my favourite type of days - sea days! Starting off with a visit to Luminae for breakfast. When the apple turnovers came by how could I say no. It’s fruit after all. Followed by more fruit! The caramelised apple and cinnamon crepes. These were so good but I think I would’ve been happy with just one! The pieces of strawberry, orange, and grapefruit were nice accompaniments too. My partner had the eggs benedict which looked great, too. A fantastic start to the day!

Definitely! They always seem to be available in a jar on top of the sweet treats cabinet! 😄 Glad you enjoyed the short ribs too!

Day 5: We headed to Luminae for dinner and it was fantastic. Starting with some warm sesame seed lavosh and the amuse bouche of the day which was a little pillow of pastry with goats cheese. A lovely way to start the meal. Followed by the classic Caesar Salad from the MDR menu. So simple but so tasty. The main was the citrus and chilli braised short ribs with picked chillies and steamed rice buns. This was excellent - the beef fell off the bones and the citrus flavour really came through in a rather delicate way. The steamed buns were like clouds and just right. My partner had the vegetable udon stir fry with coconut green curry, lime, and peanuts. This was also excellent. By this time I was sure I couldn’t fit any dessert. But somehow, I found the strength, and had the bittersweet chocolate tart with praline cream and blackcurrant. This was oh so good - the rich chocolate so perfectly balanced with the blackcurrant sorbet. Would definitely have this again. My partner went for the Daniel Boulud signature dessert (raspberry pistachio vacherin with vanilla cream and berries). It looked impressive! And the perfect finish - an earl grey tea. I’m partial to a lovely tea service and the Schönwald teapot was stunning. And with that, we rolled off to the show! A lovely dining experience at Luminae, once again 😊

Glad you’re enjoying the review! Oh those lemon tarts are very good too! ☺️

The mashed potato was definitely fresh! No charge for the burger - was just the standard option via the room service system on the TV. The fries were pretty crisp too! 😄

Day 5: Afternoon tea at Cafe Al Bacio. An americano with a sumptuous coconut macaroon 😍

Day 5: Light lunch at the Spa Cafe after the morning in Suva, Fiji. I had the pesto pasta salad with a carrot juice. The croutons were especially delicious soaked in olive oil then baked I think!

As a side note for those interested in the OVC dinner service situation, like lunch time there was great variety and plenty of tempting savoury and sweet options on offer. Though, one of the island stations was not being used, and a small strip of one of the long stations was also clear. But despite this, there was still great choice and no crowding around the open stations.

Day 4: Aside from burgers 🍔 my favourite food of all time is potato 🥔. Basically in any form but mashed takes the #1 spot. So when seeking a relaxed dinner from the OVC, I couldn’t help but trying the mashed potato (again) as well as the stuffed potato! The carrots and pork stew were really just the garnish for the main event that was the potato 😂 Such a lovely view dining al fresco as we sailed around Viti Levu, Fiji.

Day 4: A lazy day called for some room service for lunch… and one of my main food groups is… 🍔 so how could I resist?! The cheese burger was oh so juicy and every bit as delicious as it looks in the photos! The salad accompaniments were fresh and the mini coleslaw was great - as were the fries.

She is so lovely and clearly very skilled. I heard her mention to another passenger that on the last cruise she was running Blu and that they often cycle around the specialty restaurants.

I haven’t caught the name of the maître d’ but the “host” is Tarun and we’ve been very well looked after by Kavi and Eva 😊

Definitely! It’s everyday between 3:30pm and 4:30pm 😊

Day 3: We had saved some room for afternoon tea so tried that in Michael’s Club. Soon after sitting down, two trays of various savoury and sweet delights were placed on the table, along with the wonderful Tea Forte teas - Earl Grey and African Solstice. A lovely selection and pleasant way to spend some time on a sea day ☺️