Southern Gems Cruise Review

[OzAbroad]

For those interested in our experiences on Marina in South America and the Pacific.

 

I think this link should work:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=114367

[LHT28]

I enjoyed your review

Very well written

 

Lyn

[findacruise]

Thanks for an enjoyable, balanced review. Makes me miss the Marina!

[Tansy Mews]

For those interested in our experiences on Marina in South America and the Pacific.

 

I think this link should work:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=114367

Great review! We enjoyed the cruise too. I posted something about activities on that trip but not such a detailed one as you.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1772101

[Mura]

Loved your review. My only quibble has to do with Red Ginger's rating, but our cruise on Marina was more than a year ago and things change.

 

I will just say that based on prior reviews we had expected to like Red Ginger the best, and we were not impressed. We had a nice meal, just not a spectacular meal. Our friends who joined us for that dinner agreed. (Then again, we're not big Asian Fusion fans which could certainly have affected our reactions.)

 

OTOH we just loved Jacques ...

 

But these things are always personal.

 

Delighted to hear the teenagers enjoyed the trip as well!

 

Mura

[potterhill]

We have dined in Jacques 3 times and were underwhelmed. I love French food and was surprised. Especially the last time, when I ordered the much ballyhooed pork. Not as good as when I make a generic supermarket roast at home.

 

We have enjoyed Red Ginger a lot, but our last meal there was awful. We were dining with one of the lecturers and had told them how great it was. We were not served tea until prompted. Not offered chopsticks until requested and then no explanation was given. No finger towels. It was the last night of the cruise but I have to say I was shocked by the level of service.

 

We leave in 5 weeks for Nautica and I think we will be just fine with only the two specialty dining rooms, although on a longer cruise the variety is nice.

 

What a great opportunity for your children to go on such a cruise!

 

Mo

[OzAbroad]

Great review! We enjoyed the cruise too. I posted something about activities on that trip but not such a detailed one as you.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1772101

 

Hi I read your post with pleasure and it brought so much of the Easter Island experience back to mind vividly. I had high expectations for Easter Island and am delighted to say it was one of those fortuitous and rare moments when high expectations are actually met. Of course some of the roads on the Island were something else.....

[traveler916]

I will just say that based on prior reviews we had expected to like Red Ginger the best, and we were not impressed. We had a nice meal, just not a spectacular meal. Our friends who joined us for that dinner agreed. (Then again, we're not big Asian Fusion fans which could certainly have affected our reactions.)

 

OTOH we just loved Jacques ...

 

Mura

 

Mura - On our first cruise, we went to Red Ginger - Jody absolutely loved it - the food and the presentation. I had the lobster pad thai and an appetizer or two and didn't really think it was that great.

 

On our 2nd cruise, we went back, and I decided to simply order a bunch of appentizers...the toger prawns especially...yum :)

 

we'll have to try it again with you on our upcoming cruise!!

[Mura]

Mura - On our first cruise, we went to Red Ginger - Jody absolutely loved it - the food and the presentation. I had the lobster pad thai and an appetizer or two and didn't really think it was that great. On our 2nd cruise, we went back, and I decided to simply order a bunch of appentizers...the toger prawns especially...yum :)

 

we'll have to try it again with you on our upcoming cruise!!

 

 

Done! While we didn't give R.G. a second chance on our first Marina cruise, that doesn't mean we won't give it a second chance ... or even a third. We have two Marina cruises coming up, after all!

 

I DID like that when I asked them to hotten up the dish, they did. It still wasn't blazing, but I wasn't expecting that it would be.

 

My sister's favorite technique ever since she was young (which was a long time ago) was just to order appetizers. Scandia Restaurant in Beverly Hills, of sainted memory, took a hint from her and created an appetizer "tower" which was VERY popular.

 

So we'll see you there!

 

Mura

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[lewes]

Thank you for your review. My wife and I will be sailing on the Marina for the first time in October and we are excited to read other peoples thoughts and feelings of this ship.

[traveler916]

Done! While we didn't give R.G. a second chance on our first Marina cruise, that doesn't mean we won't give it a second chance ... or even a third. We have two Marina cruises coming up, after all!

 

I DID like that when I asked them to hotten up the dish, they did. It still wasn't blazing, but I wasn't expecting that it would be.

 

My sister's favorite technique ever since she was young (which was a long time ago) was just to order appetizers. Scandia Restaurant in Beverly Hills, of sainted memory, took a hint from her and created an appetizer "tower" which was VERY popular.

 

So we'll see you there!

 

Mura

 

That's right - i forgot - we are actually on both of your upcoming cruises. November and May.

 

I forgot to mention that in addition to those wonderful prawns at R.G. (I like that!!), the chicken satay is awesome.

 

And I am absolutely sure they will make anything as spicy as you want!!

 

When we were on Marina in November, the matre d; at R.G. also spent some time at the Terrace Cafe during the day, so we got a chance to chat with her. Now, I wouldn't say that our service at R.G. was any better because we knew her, but somehow I know that if there were any service issues at all, we would get a receptive ear....

 

So let's try it a few times :)

[Mura]

We should have plenty of time for more than once!

 

It's hard for the waiters to know just how spicy people really want their food. When I say I want it very spicy, I'm being accurate. But often people are not.

 

The owner of our favorite NY Chinatown Szechuan restaurant when I first was in NYC (it's long gone now) told us that customers often asked for the food to be "hot", but when it came to the table they'd complain that it was TOO hot.

 

That one dinner we had at R.G. could have been hotter for my taste, but it was hot enough that I couldn't complain.

 

Mura