PurdueChefAmber Posted July 13, 2015 #26 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) H, you sure know how to write a great review! I love your pirate outfit! Edited July 13, 2015 by PurdueChefAmber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #27 Share Posted July 13, 2015 MDR SOUPS AND APPS CONTINUED Green bean and roma tomatoes Vine ripe beefsteak tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella Asparagus vichyssoise (that's as far as my spoon went) New England crab cake Arugula, mint and vegetable salad (It's so cliché for a vegetarian to order salad, so mom hardly ever does. She loved the two salads she ordered in the MDR, though) Corn chowder Maryland To be continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #28 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) MDR SOUPS AND APPS CONTINUED Saving the best for last: Mango cream Before I move on to MDR entrees, a few words about our wait staff. Our head waiter was Adina. She seemed sweet, worked extremely hard (as everyone on our "big boat" did), and was quick and efficient. She didn't interact with me as much as the head waiters (shout out to Art and Everton!) on the Freedom and Sensation though. She had two assistants helping her. One brought me bread, so I liked him a lot. I think mommy must have offended the other one with her smell or screaming, because he didn't seem to like us very much. Hardly a high five to be seen in the MDR (which is to say the staff wasn't as friendly as we've grown accustomed to), but we still enjoyed ourselves very much. One of my favorite parts of the MDR is SHHHHOW TIME!!! And man did Ken, our maître d', know how to put on a heck of a show. He had a wonderful voice (almost a great as mommy's) and sang each night before the waiters danced. Here's our wait staff singing us goodbye (while thinking, "don't let the gangway hit ya where the good lord..."). And here I am dancing with my new bff. Up next, MDR entrees! Edited July 13, 2015 by ProfCruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #29 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I was on this sailing as well. It will be interesting to see another perspective of it. My son loved Camp Carnival. I have to admit that I thought the Dr. Seuss stuff may be a bit hokey, but Carnival did a great job with implementing it. This was my third time on the Pride, but first since the upgrades. It was a great cruise. I really don't know if there is such a thing as a bad one. We had some amazing weather. How old is your son? I wonder if I played with him at camp? How fun to have someone following along who was on the same trip. I'm eager to hear your take on everything, too! Glad to hear you had a great time. [spoiler alert], we did too! In case I didn't get to give you one in person, virtual high five!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #30 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I have eagerly been waiting for this for quite sometime! I ca't wait to see all of the details and fun things and amazing things (and not-so-amazing things), because Baltimore is the closest port to where I live and would like to see if it reaches your standards. I'll provide more detail later, but we LOVED sailing out of Baltimore. Easiest ever!!! Time to plan yourself a cruise out of there (and take me with you!). :D Thanks so much for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #31 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I was really hoping to talk my extended family into this cruise since the port is 30-40 minutes from our house. But no go. We are flying to Galveston in October for the Freedom. But we are doing the other stops than you did. Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We will be doing lots of beach days. We have 4 kids, 9, 7, 5, and 2. Our youngest is a month older than you. So what did you prefer? Freedom trip or Pride? I thought the stops on the pride seemed exciting but my brother and sister in law, not so much. In terms of the overall convenience of the port, I'd go with Baltimore any day. It was awesome to drive there and was the most efficient port we've ever sailed out of (seriously, so, so easy). In terms of kid's activities, I'd go with the Freedom, hands down. They have Camp Ocean (which is MUCH nicer than Camp Carnival on the Pride), the Dr. Seuss Bookville, and a playground. I had a blast on both ships, though -- can't go wrong with either one. Have fun!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #32 Share Posted July 13, 2015 MDR ENTREES As a vegetarian, mom’s entrée choices were limited to the Indian vegetarian or the evening’s featured vegetarian selection. Her strategy was to go with the vegetarian selection unless it didn’t appeal to her, in which case she’d go with the Indian vegetarian, which has always been outstanding (if you like Indian, you’ll LOVE it or you can call me a liar. Seriously, you’d call a sweet little 2 year-old names? You’re a monster). After dad’s unfortunate experience with the “award winning” fish dish on the Sensation, he decided to stay away from anything with more than 2 ingredients. That served him well and he didn’t have to spit anything out in his napkin. Me? Well I’m also a vegetarian, but one with a more sophisticated palate than mommy, so I was limited to the cheese pizza, PB&J, and tofu. I’ll start there, with the tofu steak, because I know you endured all those desserts in anticipation of finally getting to feast your eyes on: Indian vegetarian Grilled flat iron steak from USDA choice beef (dad's orange sherbet) Southern fried chicken Chili rellenos (Mom's 1 for 3 with this. She loved it on the Sensation, but didn't like it on the Freedom or Pride. Was VERY small, with almost no filling and too spicy HOT on the Pride) To be continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #33 Share Posted July 13, 2015 MDR ENTREES CONTINUED Barbecued St. Louis style pork spare ribs Baked herb polenta (mom loved this) Penne siciliana (I tried this too. After scraping all the veggies off, it was very good) Cinnamon, pumpkin, squash, yam and cheddar cheese pie (This used to be mommy's favorite, but, after making dad order an extra one for her, she was disappointed. Bland on the Pride.) Zucchini and eggplant parmigiana Grilled jumbo tiger shrimps To be continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #34 Share Posted July 13, 2015 MDR ENTREES CONTINUED Tender roasted prime rib of American beef au jus (dad was pleasantly surprised -- said it was a pretty good cut of meat, no too fatty and he really liked the creamed spinach) And my two favorites: And Don't calculate your WW's points just yet, there's more! Up next, Lido Buffet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #35 Share Posted July 13, 2015 THE LIDO BUFFET: IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK IF YOU THINK IT'S REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BAD. There was cheese and soft serve ice cream. That's all you really need to know. Caribbean day French day This strawberry soft serve helped mom survive the infamous poisoning incident. "If it bleeds, it leads," so I'm going to keep referencing the infamous poisoning incident to keep my review on page 1. Rest assured, I'll eventually get to the story or you'll see it this Friday night on Dateline NBC (Episode: Poisoning on the high seas). Up next, Pizza Pirate, Blue Iguana Cantina, Deli, and Guy's Burgers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #36 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Pizza Pirate With a location almost directly above our stateroom (all the way at the back of the Lido dining area), we ate here quite a bit. This was also one of dad’s “safe” foods – when the roast on the buffet turned green and furry and started chasing him, daddy ran to the Pizza Pirate, because that dude had a sword. And good pizza. We tried 3 of the 5 varieties (margherita, quattro formaggi, and prosciutto) and liked them all. They prepare the pies to order, which means they are really fresh, but also means there is usually a wait (and a long one at peak times). But good things shall come, and so on. Here's the prosciutto (topped with arugula): Here's the margherita: Here's the quattro formaggi: H approved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 13, 2015 Author #37 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Blue Iguana Cantina Mom loved the breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana Cantina so much she made a collage of them to use as her screen saver (see below), wrote a song about them to the tune of “Big Butts,” and gave up “bitter and blanc” night in the MDR and almost her life for one (infamous poisoning incident…keep reading or tune in Friday night). Daddy also really liked the breakfast burritos (which played a part in the infamous poisoning incident…stay tuned). Me? I preferred the arepas and had them everyday for breakfast. They are fried sweet corn pancake thingies filled with cheese. Mom loves these too, although she didn’t think the arepas on the Pride were as tasty as those on the Freedom (not as sweet and a little soggy on the Pride). Daddy tried a lunch burrito and thought it was “okay.” Not as good as the breakfast ones. Mom has to give Carnival props for having a habanero salsa that was too spicy for daddy. Nothing has ever been too spicy for daddy. After defeating many spicy food challenges, he was taken down by a “fun ship.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djyellowsub Posted July 13, 2015 #38 Share Posted July 13, 2015 It's official. You have completely taken over Jack Sparrow's first place spot as my favorite pirate ever! You and your mom and dad are one cute family. We are going on the Pride in October and always enjoy your reviews. Thanks for the picture of your dad ordering multiple desserts in the MDR. That give us confirmation that it's ok to do that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantthinkofanythingfun Posted July 13, 2015 #39 Share Posted July 13, 2015 How old is your son? I wonder if I played with him at camp? How fun to have someone following along who was on the same trip. I'm eager to hear your take on everything, too! Glad to hear you had a great time. [spoiler alert], we did too! In case I didn't get to give you one in person, virtual high five!!! :D He's five. He recognized your photo from camp, but I don't think his eyewitness testimony would hold up in a court of law. I have attached a photo of him trying to conduct a mutiny on the ship. He enjoyed everything except for the nearly one hour muster drill that went into sail away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senoj84 Posted July 14, 2015 #40 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Everything looks SOOO GOOD! Can't wait. Nice pictures:). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 14, 2015 Author #41 Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) Deli They make a mean grilled cheese (I threw some fries on there whenever I missed home -- let's see if anyone can guess where I'm from) and mommy really enjoyed this tomato, mozzarella, arugula sandwich: The best thing about the deli? It was never crowded. Wait was rarely more than a minute or two and everything was made fresh, to order. Guy's Burgers' Secret Menu I ordered a veggie burger at Guy's (takes about 10 minutes to cook) which didn't appear on the posted menu (score!). But I pushed it too far when I asked for it "animal style." The server seemed very confused, "An animal style veggie burger?" So I just had him throw some cheese on it and I headed over to the deli and ordered a reuben with no corned beef or sauerkraut. I slapped the two together and had an animal style veggie burger. Then I headed over to the soft serve machines and mixed some chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla together in a glass with some milk and BAM, neapolitan shake. Best of my two favorite burger joints combined! Try it -- you'll thank me. Dad liked Guy's a lot. He ordered several different on-menu items (boring) and took advantage of the extensive toppings bar. Here's the "animal style" veggie burger Edited July 14, 2015 by ProfCruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 14, 2015 Author #42 Share Posted July 14, 2015 He's five. He recognized your photo from camp, but I don't think his eyewitness testimony would hold up in a court of law. I have attached a photo of him trying to conduct a mutiny on the ship. He enjoyed everything except for the nearly one hour muster drill that went into sail away. [ATTACH]355980[/ATTACH] I'm kind of hurt that my mom thinks your son is the cutest pirate she's ever seen. Plus he's got a giant fruity drink. Mom loves him more than she loves me. Re: muster drill -- stay tuned, we think we cracked it (or at least made it slightly less painful)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantthinkofanythingfun Posted July 14, 2015 #43 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I'm kind of hurt that my mom thinks your son is the cutest pirate she's ever seen. Plus he's got a giant fruity drink. Mom loves him more than she loves me. Re: muster drill -- stay tuned, we think we cracked it (or at least made it slightly less painful)! That's just because she didn't have to change his diapers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oncruisecontrol Posted July 14, 2015 #44 Share Posted July 14, 2015 DeliThey make a mean grilled cheese (I threw some fries on there whenever I missed home -- let's see if anyone can guess where I'm from) and mommy really enjoyed this tomato, mozzarella, arugula sandwich: [/size][/size] Pittsburgh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyawayca Posted July 14, 2015 #45 Share Posted July 14, 2015 How adorable you and your family are! Loving the review! Can't wait to read more. Thanks for taking the time! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyMouse Posted July 14, 2015 #46 Share Posted July 14, 2015 H, please don't tell the very nice people over on the Royal Caribbean boards, but you are my favorite reviewer, EVER! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godspoetry Posted July 14, 2015 #47 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yessss! I had given up all hope that Guy's had a veggie burger. This made me soo happy! :D I'm not quite a vegetarian because I occasionally eat seafood but I really wanted to try all the fun toppings and was so sad I couldn't from everything I was able to find out on the forums etc. What did mom think of it? Was it homemade or like a frozen boca burger type thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 14, 2015 Author #48 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Room Service Here are the new room service menus on the Pride. Mommy was DEVASTATED they removed her mushroom sandwich and threw a huge tantrum and refused to order her favorite two desserts out of protest. I was like, “I understand you’re feeling disappointed, but you shouldn’t give a mushroom that kind of power,” and proceeded to order 2 each of these (because you know as soon as she saw them, she’d forget all about her convictions and want MINE): Chocolate cake (best ever!) New York cheesecake (This looked and tasted different than it has in the past. It used to be cut in a square with a strawberry sauce. The new version looked and tasted more like authentic NY cheesecake. Very good.) I only ordered room service twice because, well, I had a daddy to run up and get me whatever I wanted from the Lido to eat on my balcony (I knew there had to be a reason I brought him along). I didn’t care for any of the new “pay” items on the menu (except for the cheese pizza, but, hello, you can get that at like 20 other places for free) and mom and dad couldn’t imagine paying for anything they offered, except for maybe the sushi (which is something they intended to pay extra to try at Bonsai Sushi anyway). It will be interesting to see what happens with the menu going forward. Has anyone out there tried any of the pay items? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 14, 2015 Author #49 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Pittsburgh? Yes, yinz! Virtual ship-on-a-stick for you! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfCruise Posted July 14, 2015 Author #50 Share Posted July 14, 2015 H, please don't tell the very nice people over on the Royal Caribbean boards, but you are my favorite reviewer, EVER! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk I wondered why you came in here in a hat and dark glasses. You'll be happy to know I'm going on my first RCCL "big boat" early next year. Thanks for reading! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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