CGTNORMANDIE

On 6/2/2023 at 7:13 AM, shipgeeks said:

Bread pudding, on RC or HAL, with chocolate or vanilla sauce, depending on the bread.

How about a bread pudding made with fresh peaches soaked in peach brandy…with a creme anglais?  A well made tapioca pudding, grape nut pudding, lemon curd meringue all good.  

Having crossed the Atlantic 8 times I can say there is a vast difference between the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic.  The North Atlantic can be vicious.  Once upon a time I was on the QE2 in a hurricane with head winds in excess of 100 mph.  Most Azamara ships and many others are repositioning from Florida and the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in the Spring…mostly in March and April.  Those sailings can be a bit more dicey but not usually as they sail the southern Atlantic into the Mediterranean.  The western route is sailed in the Fall…the southern Atlantic from the Mediterranean to Florida and the Caribbean…mostly in October and November.  This is also usually calm although ships sometimes have to reroute as they avoid occasional hurricanes although this is usually rare.

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I do not want to debate this but if Sorrento’s was so bad why is it always mobbed no matter what time it is .A guy who posts on CC ridiculed me for saying that Sorrento’s is great.On my last cruise I saw him with a tray of the pizza and eating all of it.

Len, the French have a saying “each person to his own taste”.  I’m not saying Sorrento’s is bad…it’s just not what I think is great.  Hey…people line up for Dominos Pizza…go figure…that has to be the worst.  Do you really think Sorrento’s ranks up there with New York pizza?  New York is the epicenter for great pizza.

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

Certainly not better than Sorrento’s on select RCI ships.

LOL LOL LOL…Sorrento’s is not even in the same league with my pizza or the custom room service pies made in the evening onboard MSC.  Those pies are better than the pies served in the Cafe…and miles above Sorrento’s.  I buy my pizza dough from a local grocery store that makes a special pizza dough.  My sauce is made with hand squeezed San Marzano tomatoes and sautéed with minced onions and garlic along with my secret spice blend.  Hand grated mozzarella and a small amount of Asiago comes next.  Then the pie is topped with sliced mushrooms slightly sautéed in butter, thinly sliced onions and chunks of special fennel Italian sausage from the same grocer who makes the dough.  Lay out some basil leaves and pop it in the oven.  Now you know “the rest of the story”.😉

5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Homemade pizza is not as good as cruise ship pizza but it can be very good.

Nonsense…my homemade pizza can stand up against any cruise ship pizza and that includes MSC.  I learned to make pizza when I was onboard the Italian Line Leonardo DaVinci…in 1976 and that was the best pizza I’ve ever had at sea.  

18 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi CGT, I don't know that brand but if you like them they must be good😀

Hi Lois, Yes the Brighams brand is local and it stands with the best.  I love their peppermint stick, pistachio and DW favorite coffee fudge!😃

Hmmmm…how about a hot fudge sundae on Brighams pistachio ice cream with a mountain of whipped cream and a fat cherry on top.  

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

We have some really great ice cream parlors in my part of NY but they tend to be quite costly like $7.50 for a scoop.

And we’ll worth it for homemade hand crafted high quality ice cream.  High butterfat content cream is expensive as are high quality ingredients.  

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I worked in a diner type restaurant making sodas and sundaes when I was 16.It was a weekend job. I cannot recall what my salary was.

In 1966 the minimum wage was $1.65 per hour…LOL.  We also got tips that were accumulated and split each week…usually about $5-$10 per week…working about 20-25 hours per week part time.

37 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I cannot recall ever having a banana split with chocolate syrup.

Yes…I worked at Friendly’s Ice Cream when I was 16 years old.  We used to make banana splits with chocolate syrup unless the customer requested hot fudge.  We were not the only ice cream purveyors that employed that trick.  The syrup was cheaper.

Just now, lenquixote66 said:

I know that there are some excellent ice cream parlors in your part of the US .My cousins who live in Cambridge love their ice cream.

The best was Steve’s Ice Cream.  They made it in the window with old fashioned ice cream churners.  There used to be lines a block long.  

25 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

My wife and I had apple pie and vanilla ice cream at Jahn’s on 86 St.on our first date in 1965.

When I was a kid we used to vacation on Cape Cod.  There was a clam shack that had great fried seafood and homemade ice cream.  One of my favorites was apple pie ice cream.  It tasted just like apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  

25 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never heard of that combination.

Believe me…it was incredible!

One of my all-time favorites was chocolate cinnamon raisin.  Sadly the shop that made it is long gone.  

21 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I love Banana Splits.My 5th.birthday party was held on Brighton Beach,All the kids who attended had Good Humor hot fudge sundaes.

The problem with banana splits…a lot of places use chocolate syrup instead of hot fudge.  The best splits have pineapple topping, strawberry topping, hot fudge and whipped cream with a cherry.  

15 hours ago, Harters said:

I had the first natives this morning, with my breakfast yoghurt. I presume that, this early, they were grown under glass. They werent at all tasty. Juicy but no flavour.

Cheer up…you should be seeing the real berries shortly.  I’ve been looking out for the Florida strawberries.  They should be arriving soon.  All the berries I’ve seen are Cali or Mexican…look good but no flavor.  

What a joy to see those classic Chandris X menus from the beloved Victoria.  Imagine Caviar, Baron of Lamb, Beef Wellington and roast duck…all on the same menu!  I had an entire collection of Victoria menus from her original owners…Incres Line.  She had all Italian service in those days.  Chandris acquired her later.  Victoria was a classic and much loved ship.  She used to call at Boston on occasion and I would drive over to Commonwealth Pier to see her.  

On 5/25/2023 at 7:24 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

 

I found having Ice Cream in a restaurant we like in Halifax to be more creamy and flavorful. Didn't catch the brand name. But definitely different.

Nothing like farm fresh ice cream. We have several farm stands in our area and more in Western Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.  All of them are unfailingly good.  

7 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

We like to use the fruit of the month. Waiting for Strawberries so to make a Syrup to make Strawberry Shakes w Strawberry Ice Cream.

We usually see native strawberries in June.  I remember going to pick them in June when I was a kid.  The native Massachusetts strawberries were superb…much better than the Cali berries the stores sell.  Then came the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in July and August.  We would pick quarts of blueberries when they came in abundance in late July.  I also remember picking wild strawberries in June.  They were the best…so sweet and so few that I would eat them as fast as I could pick them…lol.  

5 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

"A pic is worth 1000 words"

 

Thank you Nuts…that explains it all.

20 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We typically take the unlimited dining package- if you are having a problem with the website, just call and all of the rates and information will be provided.  We really enjoy dining at the specialty restaurants nightly- service excellent and we rotate restaurants depending upon our itinerary.  As soon as you board, go to one of the kiosks for dining and make your daily reservations.  They will help you with specifics.  I believe the first night is booked for you, but you are free to make changes based on time and availability.

Thank you…it’s starting to make sense now.  I did find the 3-4-5 dining packages but they did not disclose the price.  Can you buy these once onboard?  

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

The dining packages they offer are for a set number of specialty dining meals - usually from three up to the number of days on the cruise. You will find them in your account under "Plan My Cruise".

Thanks…I’ll check it out.

1 hour ago, WestLakeGirl said:

Could you have been looking at beverage packages?  
 

There used to be an Elevate package but it has been discontinued

I thought that they were beverage packages.  There is still a lot of dated misinformation when you Google the question.  

6 minutes ago, Octavias said:

Additionally, there are two restaurants specific to the kind of cabin you might book.  Laminae for Retreat guests (booked in a suite) and Blu for Aqua-class .  

Believe me I’m familiar with Luninae and Blu.  The website seems to be unclear with regards to dining packages.  

Just now, BklynBoy8 said:

 

Forgot Rum Raisin.

 

Had it last September on the QM2 for dessert and very disappointed. Not sure if homemade or commercial. Disappointed really.

 

Peppermint Stick was Howard Johnson.

We have Brighams…comes in quart size.  Their pistachio, peppermint stick, frozen pudding and others are really outstanding.