Inspiration 3-Night Review with American Table

[Wanna_Cruize]

Hubby & I just got back from our 3 night Valentine's weekend cruise on Inspiration. I took a portable scanner with me and was able to scan in the new menus, so I'll post those as I go.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Well, finally our Valentine’s Weekend cruise is here! This is the second cruise my husband and I have taken since we started our weight loss program with Optifast. He has finished the transition from a full liquid fast to regular food, and is in the Maintenance phase. I have begun to re-introduce food, but am still drinking 3-4 shakes a day. DH has lost approximately 75 pounds, and I have lost 60 so far. It has worked out great for us, and we are so much healthier and happier now. Luckily for us, there are great option for eating while cruising, and it is possible to not gain weight while cruising, we proved that to ourselves back in November. So, here we go again!

 

Also, a warning at the beginning, we are early-to-bed people, because we are used to getting up pretty early for work. We don’t generally do the shows, or close down the piano bar, although we do like to go listen to Karaoke if we’re still up and about. So, if you’re looking for a review of those items, sadly you’ll be disappointed here.

 

 

Friday - Embarkation Day

Work was crazy this week, and we also had some family visiting. The net result of all that was here it was, Friday morning, and we hadn’t even packed yet!! So, we’re rushing around, putting stuff in our suitcases, grabbing out two bottles of wine to take with us, assorted other stuff, grab our packet of cruise docs and passports, and head off to the ship. We are lucky that it only takes us a little over an hour to drive to the port.

 

We got there about about 11:00, and checked in at the Captain’s Lounge for our Priority Boarding. Then, we wandered over to where the lines are, and sat down. There are a couple of wedding parties there, and a few other couples. There were a few stragglers still coming off the ship, and no one boarding yet. We waited, and waited, and realized that something was different this time. We’ve never had to wait that long to board in Long Beach. No one was saying anything, the natives around us were getting restless, and no boarding was taking place. A girl behind us was getting mad, because she paid extra money for early boarding (FTTF I guess) and that her guaranteed boarding time was between 11:30 and 12:00. Hmmm, never heard anything before about a guaranteed boarding time, color me skeptical. I overhead some of the employees say that they haven’t yet gotten the ‘All Clear’, so I guess that’s the hold up.

 

They finally allowed us to board at approximately 12:30. Off we go, onto the ship, and into our cabin. We got a porthole cabin on Empress Deck this time, way up at the front. We like this cabin’s location because it is just a quick walk up the stairs to the Spa (and the larger showers there). However, we do miss being so close to the Serenity Deck in the back, like our last cabin was. Oh, well, I do love being able to drop off our stuff as soon as we got on board. In our cabin was the first change we noticed since our Thanksgiving cruise on Inspiration - a new luggage mat on the bed. Gone was the ugly, brown vinyl mat. Now, there’s a cheerful one that says,

“LUGGAGE MAT

IS MY NAME,

PROTECTING THE COMFY

BED IS MY GAME”.

 

Very nice. We unpack our carry-ons, and then leave to explore the ship a bit. We discovered the Laundromat on the Empress Deck, pretty much right outside our room. I snapped some pictures, and made plans to use the irons in there later for hubby’s dress shirts.

[Wanna_Cruize]

We walked up a deck to find our dining room, and check out the new menus hanging there. I had told DH about the dining changes, so I was excited to see the new menu first-hand. I snapped a couple of pics with my phone. I did see that the tropical fruit and cheese plates were both back on the desert menu. I thought the choices looked great, and was very excited for dinner later that night.

 

We then went up to the Lido, and there were still very few people about. I guess because of the delayed boarding? Anyway, there was NO one at the Mongolian Wok, so that made our lunch decision very easy. A load of veggies and some chicken, and I was very happy. We decided to walk up to the Spa and look around, DH said that he forgot to weigh himself that morning and wanted to get a starting point to see how he did on this cruise, so off we went. There was no one in the gym at all, which was a little strange. We picked up the fitness schedule, so we knew when the classes were (just in case), and then went back to our cabin. Since our luggage was there, we unpacked everything and got settled in. Our steward came by to introduce himself, and see if we needed anything. Nope, we’re great, we’re on a cruise! Later, a woman who introduced herself as a Floor Manager came by to ask if everything was ok also. We’ve never had that happen before.

 

It was 4:30, almost time for the muster drill, so we headed up to the our Muster Station A - Paris Lounge. There was absolutely NO ONE there, which was very strange. The drill is supposed to happen at 4:45. A few people wandered in, but no announcements or anything. Finally, a little after 5:00 the Captain comes on and gives his spiel about safety. I told my husband that I thought that in the past the captain would talk in the middle part of the drill. Then the Assistant Cruise Director came on, said we would have the drill soon, and that the staff should report to their stations. Then she came on a little bit later and finally said that everyone should head to their muster stations. By the time they did the official announcement of the procedure, demonstrated how to put on the life vests, and then herded everyone up to the lifeboats, it was already about 5:45. As we hurried down the stairs to change for dinner, I saw a few people still boarding! Very strange.

[Wanna_Cruize]

OK, I can see that my scans of the Fun Times are too large, so I'll have to take the jpg files and try and create a multi-page pdf and post that. This means the scans of the menus might be too large also. I'll see what I can do about it with the equipment I have access to right now.

 

The menu above was a picture from my phone. I have much higher quality scans, we'll see if CC will accept them or not.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Wanna_Cruize

[Wanna_Cruize]

We got to our table about 6:05. We were seated at a 10-top, round table. There was only one other couple there, who had already ordered! This was a very strange day for sure. Our waiter, Jose from the Philippines introduced himself and took our bottle of wine we brought to be opened and chilled. Around this time, one other couple arrived, but almost immediately left, and I heard someone saying to them something about Anytime Dining. I guess perhaps they wanted a table for two instead of the large table. Oh well.

 

Our waiter returned and explained how the new menu worked. I ordered the Shrimp Cocktail as a starter, and the Los Angeles Ports O’Call offering, Miso Salmon, with a side of Corn Succotash. DH ordered the Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, and Herb Roasted Chicken with a side of Sauteed Beans. The food was very good, and the presentation was nice. The portions seem generally about the same, and I really like being able to pick and choose the side that comes with my meal. It makes it a lot easier to pick something out that fits with my general eating plan. You also have the ability to order any of the following sauces with the grill items: Chimichurri, BBQ Sauce, Bearnaise, Peppercorn, Roasted Garlic & Tomato Tapenade.

 

We chatted a bit with our neighbors. They apologized for starting before us, but they were starving, and had to eat. No worries. He had the Flat Iron Steak cooked medium, which he said came out a little overdone. She had the Mahi Mahi Fillet, which she said was excellent. This was their first time on Carnival, they had cruised other lines before.

 

After a bit, another couple came and were seated at our table. It was about 7:00 by this time, so I don’t know if they were just really late, or moved from another table, or what. They were somewhat shy, so we didn’t communicate too much, and they were on the opposite side of the table. They went ahead and ordered, while we were finishing our dinner. The calamari appetizer that they shared looked pretty yummy.

 

When desert time came for the first couple, Jose said that they were offering a special for Valentine’s Day, a heart-shaped Chocolate Delight. We had seen the desert menu posted earlier, so we were a little confused. When they brought it our for them, the wife said it was pretty good, but really dense, almost like a chocolate bar. They got up and said good night. When Jose came to take our dessert order, we asked if we could just have a WCMC and Sugar-Free ice cream. We split that, and said bye to the other couple, and left. We’ll see who shows up at the table on Saturday. Before we left, our waiter Jose told us that the Seaday Brunch was the next morning, from 8:30 until 1:00. Since we have the platinum coupons for a free beverage, we told him we’d be sure to go and ask to sit at his station.

 

Note: Yep, scans too large. Off to see about making a public Google Docs page for them.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Here the link to the public GoogleDocs folder for the Inspiration 3-Night American Table Menu for Night 1:

 

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZemFJVVgxUzAzQXM/

 

There are two parts for the main menu because it was so large, and one each for the Kids Menu and the Desert Menu for each night

[Wanna_Cruize]

DH went back to the room, and saw that the Fun Times for the next day had been delivered. The was a spa special listed that DH decided to do, and went up to the Spa to book it. I went to go and see if anything was happening for the Karaoke, but the lounge was deserted. DH returned from the spa and we went back to the Mardi Gras dining room to try and scan the menu with the portable scanner I had brought. We had noticed the stack of menus behind the hostess stand, so DH went up and asked if he could see one, and brought it out to me at the doorway. We scooted around the corner to Rhapsody in Blue, and sat at a table. I took the VuPoint Magic Wand scanner I had brought with me and scanned the menu in two swipes, since it is so large. It’s printed on an 11”x17” paper, so its too wide to get in one swipe. Success, but I need a better plan for tomorrow. I’m determined to get scans of all the menus for this trip, so I can post them. The desert menu had been taken out of the display case, so I wasn’t able to get it, but I did have a picture that I had taken earlier in the day.

 

I returned my scanning equipment to the cabin, and met DH in the casino, where we proceeded to make our usual donations. I started out with Let It Ride, and as is typical, win some, lose some. The real winner in the casino, when I play, is usually the dealers. I put out a dollar bet for the dealer on every hand, and in Let It Ride, I put it on the 3 Card Poker space. I figure, why not make them have some ‘skin’ in the game. They really appreciate it, and the boss usually notices after a while. I generally play only at the low limit tables, because I’m generally a pretty frugal person. I know that I don’t get a lot of casino points, but I did get a certificate in the mail that I used for this cruise, which gave me a slightly lower cabin rate, and $25 in Fun Chips to play with. Not the free cruise that I hear others get on this board, but still a little something. All in all, I played for a couple of hours, and ended up down $45 from where I started. I figure at least that much ended up in the dealer’s till, so everyone is happy. We decided to call it a night, and head to our nice, comfy Carnival bed. We realized that we had not used an elevator at all that entire day. Let’s see if we can continue that.

 

Here's a link to the scans for the Room Service Menu, and other room stuff:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZMjJJY2FXbHFUeGc

[Branman]

Thanks for posting the new dessert menu. From the looks of this, they added more options which was the major complaint of earlier cruises. This proves that this is a work in progress and that Carnival is listening to feedback.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Saturday - Seaday

This was backwards for us, in the past the first day was always Ensenada, with a Seaday on Sunday. We had set the alarm for 6:30, so DH would be able to do his usual walk around the deck before heading to his Spa appointment at 8:00. I had thought about going to the 7:00 stretch class, but couldn’t get myself going fast enough. After all, I’m on vacation. I got dressed packed up my scanning gear, and headed up to the Lido to grab some coffee.

 

It was about 7:30 by this time, so I decided to go and see if the menus were posted outside the dining rooms. First I tried the Carnevale Dining room, because I thought there would be less traffic through there, but no menus were posted, so I went off to the Mardi Gras dining room on Deck 8 Midship. When I got there, the dining room wasn’t open yet, but the menus were posted there, underneath plexiglas sliders. I put my netbook on the display case holding the model of the ship, put the scanning wand into the auto-feed dock and plugged it in the USB port for power. First, I grabbed the kids menu and fed it into the slot - success! next went the cocktail menu and the desert menu. All were 1/3 size sheets, so they went in easily. Now to the large menu. There was no choice, I pulled it out of the case, folded it in half, and zipped it through on each side. I tried to take the crease out of it as best I could, and put it back in the case. Next was the wine list, also had to fold that one. I apologize, Carnival, but the people want what they want. The want to see the full menus, even if they are subject to change.

 

After my clandestine scanning was done, I headed back up to the Lido deck to reward myself with a specialty coffee that I made myself. We bring small bottles of Torani Sugar-Free Syrups, this time Vanilla, Chocolate and Caramel. I found a small table inside where I proceeded to review, label and categorize all the scanning I’ve done so far. Because I only got pictures of the kids menu and desert menu on the first night, I’ll have to see if the put the out again in the morning of debarkation, to see if I can scan them. Otherwise, the photos will have to do.

 

Here's a link to the scans of the Coffee Bar menu along with other bar menus:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZYjNRblRERkJmVDg

[Wanna_Cruize]

Thanks for posting the new dessert menu. From the looks of this, they added more options which was the major complaint of earlier cruises. This proves that this is a work in progress and that Carnival is listening to feedback.

 

I agree, specifically I was pleased to see the fruit plate and cheese plate explicitly included. Bearing in mind that our cruise was only 3 nights, with the addition of a Banana-White Chocolate Bread Pudding on one of those nights, I have high hopes that the Creme Brûlée might make a reappearance, at least on the longer cruises.

 

Yea, I know, the Banana-White Chocolate Bread Pudding, while somewhat similar to the Bitter & Blanc, is not the same, but perhaps consider it a refresh of an older menu item?

[Wanna_Cruize]

It was finally time to meet DH and go to brunch. We met up at the cabin, got cleaned up, and headed to the Seaday Brunch. After some discussions with the girls at the front, identifying which Jose we were looking for, we got seated at a small booth in the back at his station. I had brought my scanning system in a bag, so I quickly set it up on the bench, and zipped the Seaday Brunch menu through. We had never been to one before and it was lovely. There were quite a few things on there that I wanted to try, but had to settle for just a few. If I had it to do over again, I might try going right at 8:30 for breakfast, and then again at 1:00 for lunch.

 

Jose brought a lovely basket of pastries to the table, and i startled by husband by thanking Jose, but asking him to take it away. It was just too tempting to have at the table. There appeared to be croissants, some nut bread, a lemon loaf slice, etc. We ordered mimosas with our free coupons, and perused the menu. I started with the Flamin’ Tomatoes Soup, which was beautifully presented and had a little spicy kick to it. DH had the Filet Mignon and Eggs, which he said was wonderful. I had the Hen Alla Diavola - a spicy Cornish Hen, roasted with some veggies and lots of spice. It was all really good. We saw the french toast covered in Fruit Loops at one table, and the Frosted Flakes at another. Both looked sinful. There were some great desserts also, but we decided to skip it for now. I had told my hubby about my scanning adventures earlier, and as we were leaving he saw the creased menus hanging on the wall and started cracking up.

 

Here's the link to the Seaday Brunch Menu:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZVFNQZGhOekZfSWc

[Wanna_Cruize]

Next, our daily trip to the Serenity Deck. The put in new doors leading to the Serenity Deck from the back of the Candelight Lounge on Deck 9. They are frosted glass with the Serenity logo, and clearly say Guests 21 and Over 21. They look very nice, and the now have the same signage at the bottom of the stairs on both sides leading down from the Lido. I guess they signs are working well, since I never noticed any kids accidentally wandering in, which as happened before. I did some more work on the scans, and this review, DH had some food logs to complete. I know it sounds obsessive to some, our preoccupation with food, but we definitely don’t want to gain all the weight back that we spent some much time (and money) to lose. Serenity was pretty full by this time, with lots of talking and groups socializing. It’s always interesting to see and hear what’s going on. At one point, there had to have been about 15-20 people in one of the hot tubs, it seemed like everyone in there had someone sitting in their lap.

 

About 2:00 or so we needed something to eat, so we packed up our stuff and went up a deck to the Lido. DH got some Jerk Chicken and a salad, and I grabbed a salad too just as they were closing up the stations. There was a constant stream of people at the Swirl station. They completely wiped out the ice cream, and we saw the guy bringing in at least 8 more cartons to put into it.

 

I'm attaching some photos of the new Serenity Deck signage.

[Wanna_Cruize]

We went back to the cabin to relax a bit and watched a bit of TV. DH took a small snooze and before we knew it, wit was time to dress for dinner. Cruise Elegant night. We always get dressed up, because we love eating in the dining room - it just makes the cruise more special. We got there right at 6, and were the first ones to our table. After we had gotten the wine we brought opened, and our order taken, the first couple from yesterday showed up. We also had another young couple come, who said they were sleeping and missed the first night’s dinner. Finally the other couple from the first night showed up, so we had 8 of the 10 spots filled this night. Much better for our waiter than the first night.

 

I ordered the Charred Romaine Heart from the appetizer side, the Ceviche the Port O’Call appetizer, Maine Lobster Tail and a side of Ratatouille. The romaine heart was very interesting, and pretty tasty. I never had ceviche before, and I liked it. I like vinegar and lemon, so it was right up my alley. Of course the lobster tail was good, it was served on a bed of rice, which I left on the plate. The ratatouille was also delicious, lots of squash in a zesty red sauce. DH got the Mushroom Cream Soup, Caesar Salad, Lobster Tail and Prime Rib dinners, and a baked potato. He said it was all very good. He really likes the new menu also. For desert, DH got the Coconut Lime Cake (No Sugar Added) and I got the Passion Fruit Flan. Both were very yummy.

 

Here's the link to the American Table Menu for night 2:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZaFg5VnoyUUNTeDg

 

After dinner we went off to the casino for our nightly donation. I used my Fun Chips at the $6 Blackjack table. Since it is the Fun Pairs table, they let you make the $5 bet on Blackjack, and $1 on the Fun Pairs. Each hand costs me $7 because I always put a $1 bet for the dealer also. The girl dealing, from Czechoslovakia, said, “You’ve been on this ship before, right?” She apparently remembered me from my Thanksgiving trip. We chatted for quite a bit. It’s her last cruise on Inspiration. She’s going home for 7 months and is then going to Splendor. She’s never been on a big ship before. I was telling her a bit about it, including how pink it is. The pit boss kept coming by & checking on us, wanting to buy me a drink. Finally, I acquiesced to a Diet Coke, as I was still feeling the bottle of wine we had at dinner. I just can’t drink like we used to, since we had gone on our weight loss program. It was very nice of him to offer, anyway. I guess it’s just to show appreciation for our tips to the dealers. Carnival certainly isn’t getting rich off my low-limit bets. More ups and downs, I got lucky quite a few times on the Fun Pairs bet, with the suited pairs paying $25, so when I got back to the point where I was only down about $25 from where I started, I cashed out and said goodnight.

 

Our bed was turned down by our wonderful steward, with our nightly towel guest, this time a swan. He had also left our Platinum gifts, the new tote bags. They are very nice. We had traded the ones we got in Thanksgiving for some leftover Tervis Tumblers, so we were glad to get these finally. They should come in handy for trips to the pool, etc. We were able to make it another day without using the elevators at all, so that’s good news for my waistline.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Sunday - Ensenada

DH got up about 7 for his normal routine of walking around the deck, and we agreed to meet for breakfast on the Lido. I got going about 8, as we were finishing the docking process. I got in the omelet line, and DH came up at just the right time to order one with me. They’ve added a few items to the omelet bar; spinach, mozzarella cheese, and apparently jalapeños, which I discovered when I made my usual order of “everything except mushrooms”. Some of our own specialty coffee, some fruit, and we were ready to go…out to the serenity deck to relax. I apologize if we are too boring for everyone, but we just enjoy being on the ship.

 

The Serenity Deck was absolutely deserted this morning. I think there was one person in the hot tub, and two more snoozing on the loungers. A few random seagulls here and there, looking for a snack. DH did some more writing (he’s a low-tech guy, so it’s pens and notebooks for him). I did some writing on my laptop, working in my review of the prior day. After a bit, we got into the Starboard hot tub. We did find out officially that the hot tub on the port side is set to be hotter than the one on the starboard side. Good to know for future trips. It was so peaceful to sit there, just chilling. After we were sufficiently boiled, we got out and returned to the table & chair area to do some more writing.

 

As we’re sitting here on the Serenity Deck, I heard some water splashing and looked over to see the empty hot tub on the port side overflowing! We called over to the towel guy and alerted him. He came running, and got on the phone with someone to stop the refilling process. Apparently it’s controlled by some control board elsewhere.

 

About 12:30, we went to go grab some lunch. Since the line for the Mongolian Wok wasn’t too bad, more veggies & meat was calling my name. I’ve always liked getting that on the ship, and the fact that it’s probably the healthiest option for lunch, since I skip the noodles all together, doesn’t hurt. Today, instead of the usual Chicken, Beef and Shrimp, the seafood option was Clams & Muscles. After lunch, we headed off to the Mardi Gras to go some more clandestine scanning.

 

The drapes were closed going into the dining room, to it was pretty easy to set up my netbook & scanner, whisk the menu out of the plexiglass and scan it quickly. So sorry Carnival for putting another crease in another menu, but since it’s so large, I really don’t have a choice. I also got the kids & desert menus scanned, and we were on our way back to the room.

[Wanna_Cruize]

By now it was almost 2:00 so we got dressed and headed off to walk around Ensenada. DH has lost so much weight that some of his silver rings are too big, and he doesn’t have any small enough to fit on his pinkies anymore. He had found a shop he liked on our last trip and wanted to go back, so we turned left out of the port, went down a street or two, and then headed one block inland to Ave Lopez Mateos. The end of the street closest to the port is undergoing a lot of new construction and renovation. It’s really getting quite nice, and feels very safe to walk around. We found the shop we wanted, and found some great bargains. DH bought 4 silver rings for $100 cash, and we also got some assorted leather goods, really nice stuff. We headed back to the port, made our stop at Happy Pharmacy on Blvd Lazaro Cardenas to get some antibiotics ($10 for 60 capsules of Amoxocillin) and our shopping adventure was complete.

 

Here's a link to the Ensenada Shopping Map they gave us:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZS2ZxVUZJNDZEZ1U

 

We got back to the ship about 3:00, and went back to the cabin to change and see if we could get more time in the hot tub before dinner. It was much busier at this time, lots of people in the hot tubs, so different from this morning. Lots of people with lots of drinks in them, so it’s no problem with the staff apparently. Of course, they only serve in plastic glasses outside. Some people even have their buckets of beer perched on the side of the hot tub.

 

After a while, we decided to go back to the cabin and pack up some stuff ahead of time. We packed all our suitcases, and left most of the room in our original carry ones for the liquor we had to pick up the next morning.

[Wanna_Cruize]

By then it was time to go to dinner for our last supper :-( We had the full table there, which was nice. Lots of great selections tonight, almost too many selections. DH ended up getting the Tortilla Soup with Braised Chicken from the Ports O’Call menu, a Caesar Salad, and the Rosemary Lamb Shank. I got the Roasted Broccoli Salad, and the Seared Tilapia. We also split the vegetarian option of the Ratatouille Lasagna. It was all great, really tasty. DH absolutely loved the lamb shank, it was so tender and juicy. A couple of the people got the street tacos, and said they were good. Another popular option was the Shrimp, Noodle & Vegetable bowl. For desert, there was a wonderful Chocolate Panna Cotta, which was the No Sugar Added option. Another great selection was the Banana-White Chocolate Bread Pudding with cocoanut sherbet. It was excellent! A great ending to some great meals at the American Table.

 

Link to American Table Menu scans for Day 3:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZWktFYXdnY0x0bjA

 

After we said a fond farewell to everyone, we headed off to the casino for one last go-round. Still no great luck, so I didn’t last too long. I made sure to site for a few hands at Elicia’s table, and told her to have a great vacation and perhaps we’d see her on Splendor one day. We returned to the cabin, packed up a few last items, and put our luggage outside before tucking ourselves in bed for the night. We were successful in avoiding the elevators once again, a first for us on a cruise.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Monday - Debarkation Day

I woke up really early, about 5:30 am and scooted up to the dining room to scan the menus out for today, since they were the same menus they had posted for us on our departure day. Then, just some relaxing time in the cabin, until about 7:30 when we took the rest of our stuff and vacated the cabin.

 

We went to the Rock & Roll lounge to get the liquor we had purchased. I was surprised at the amount of alcohol that was there that had been confiscated by the ship, either when originally boarding or trying to come back from Ensenada. It seemed like there was more on those tables than in boxes from the ship store! We took our bottles, removed them from the box, and put them in our padded bags that we had used to bring the wine on board, and put it in our wheeled bag, much easier to carry around.

 

Then, it was back up to Lido for our last omelets of the trip, and some coffee. It was really foggy & chilly this morning, so the weather was as dreary as we felt. About 8:45 we decided to go to the Paris Lounge to wait for the Platinum/Diamond priority disembark, as that was where we were told to wait for someone to escort us to the gangway when the luggage was released. Disembarkation for the Self Assist was still going on and seemed to be going pretty slowly.

 

Here's the debarkation papers along with other miscellaneous info they had given us in the cabin:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZNUU4RkNjVzY0Vzg

 

 

It was a little after 9:30 when the CD announced that the luggage had been cleared by customs, and zones 1-5 could now disembark! Well, I guess they forgot about sending someone to the Paris Lounge first, but oh well, we headed for the stairs. Luckily we were able to just go down 1 flight and merge into the line, which was still pretty sparse. Customs was pretty standard, but we did notice that they agent had a nice pile of fruit going that he had confiscated from earlier guests. We grabbed a porter, got our bags, retrieved our car and were on our way home by about 10:00 am.

[Wanna_Cruize]

OK, missed some stuff so here are the other links:

 

American Table Cocktail Menu & Wine List:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZUGV3VmNSTjU1MFU

(Those items didn't change. I discovered that when I folded and scanned the wine menu, a bottle or two got missed at the margins in the middle, so I did a manual scan of the middle of the page, labeled as IS_MX_3N_WL_mid.JPG)

 

Fun Times - Day 1:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZYmJRYmxmNkI4VVk

 

Fun Times - Day 2:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZWFJpNFh0ekhRc0U

 

Fun Times - Day 3:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZTXZGZDdqMGhJYTQ

 

Fun Activities - Excursion Brochure & Price List:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B2QqUJZl-o3ZQlR4eV9fZHY2SUU

[cali-croozer]

Thanks for all the info.......we are going to be on that cruise in a few weeks. I was wondering how the dining room is shared between the anytime diners and regular seating. Just thinking about how they handle the the "entertainment" before/during dessert (we have late dining). Thanx again. :)

[joeyancho]

The new menus for this cruise can be found on the zydeco cruiser website, along with the corresponding food porn. Looks yummy.

[Wanna_Cruize]

Thanks for all the info.......we are going to be on that cruise in a few weeks. I was wondering how the dining room is shared between the anytime diners and regular seating. Just thinking about how they handle the the "entertainment" before/during dessert (we have late dining). Thanx again. :)

 

On Inspiration the Anytime Dining lined up on the left side of the Mardi Gras Dining room, and the Asigned time lined up on the right side of the entrance. The Carnivale Dining Room aft was just for Assigned Time dining on our last cruise in November.

[Wanna_Cruize]

The new menus for this cruise can be found on the zydeco cruiser website, along with the corresponding food porn. Looks yummy.

 

Zydeco doesn't have all the menus, the kids menu also changed the middle section every day.

[tinydncer06]

Thanks for this review! I'm going to be on this cruise this weekend! I will keep an eye out for the creased menus ;)

[mj]

Thanks for posting the new dessert menu. From the looks of this, they added more options which was the major complaint of earlier cruises. This proves that this is a work in progress and that Carnival is listening to feedback.

 

Agree. Also glad to see that the cheese plate is still there.

 

Also, to the OP. Thanks for posting your review and the new menus.

Edited February 18, 2014 by mj

[SadieN]

We also were on this cruise. We traveled with a group of 12 and overall thought the food was very good. I was pleasantly surprised.

We arrived around 1:30 and were in our cabin by 1:45 (Platinum), the friends we drove down with went thru the regular line and were in their cabin by 2pm.

 

Hits--

 

--The Ahi Tuna was a big hit with those who had it. The tuna was served with the same noodles as the old duck appetizer. Next time I think I'll order four of those for a main.:D

--mashed potatoes

--succotash

--roasted Veggies in a pie shell

--all the fish dishes - sea bass, tilipia, salmon

 

--Many liked the Calamari.

--lamb shank

--brisket

--flatbread

--choc panna cotta

--banana bread pudding

--WCMC (with the fruit plate)

 

misses and almosts--

 

--The new duck pot stickers were ok.

--Green salad with house dressing, too lightly dressed

--Apple Pie- I like apple pie with a bit of liquid in them. Served individually

 

odd--

Still serving ribs on the CE night.

Saw a waiter at breakfast that we had last year. She said that the ribs looked good and they were going to be served HOT this year. (Last year the ribs were out-of-the-icebox cold, not just cooled down cold.)

 

 

Since we had 12 many of the sides and several of the appetizers came family style, bowls of salads and veggies were set to serve 6. The bowls were very heavy to pass around.

 

****

Lido food

 

The lunch menus were the same as our previous cruises with the grill, rotissierie and Wok outside. We were dissappointed that the pizza station still had the old pizza but it did have breadsticks.

 

The late night buffet was hot dogs, fries and go-withs.

Edited February 18, 2014 by SadieN