Caribbean Princess-11/13/16-11/19-16: "Full Moon, Sunsets, Fine Wine and Relaxation!"

[JimmyVWine]

Day 2 (continued)

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the ship with me taking some more photos, followed by some time on our Balcony finishing up that bottle of WesMar Pinot Noir that we had opened the day before.

 

The Wake

 



 

Walkway to Skywalkers

 



 

Seating at Skywalkers

 



 

View From Skywalkers

 

 

I think that I had mentioned before, (and if I didn’t, I am doing so now), that on all the nights that we did not dine in Specialty Restaurants, we made reservations for the Coral Dining Room at 7:30, which is the time that the dining room ostensible transitions from “Traditional” to “Anytime”. On this day, I called at very close to 8:00 a.m. when the DINE line opens. The phone was answered in one ring, and in about 20 seconds I was good to go. So with a table reserved, we decided to see if we could eek out some more Super Moon viewing. The moon would rise later this day, and as a result, there weren’t any twilight shots to be had. But the time the moon appeared, the sky was dark. So even though this was theoretically closer to the perigee of the moon, (as the science guys were quick to tell us was the technical reason for the “super-ness” of the moon,), the photo opportunities were actually better the night before. Again, I had to “stop down” my camera many, many levels to prevent the brightness of the moon from overcoming the ability of my camera. A serious neutral density filter would have helped, but I don’t own one.

 

Here is the best I could capture. You don’t realize how much the ship is moving, even on a calm day, until you are trying to capture a bucket list photo without a tripod!

 

 

 

With the camera equipment secured for the night, it was time to head out to dinner, which will be discussed in a following post.

 

To be continued…….

[JimmyVWine]

I just noticed that my MUTS photo didn't appear. So let's try again:

 

[BM64]

Enjoying your review and photos. We had a great time on the CP this past summer.

[easyboy]

That was a very nice Super Moon shot. You really practiced what you preached in a previous thread before that event.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Great review! Thanks so much for a wonderful read!

 

 

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[Tyskie]

I'm hanging on waiting for the next excerpt [emoji847]

 

 

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[eagletwo]

Yep, on the edge waiting for the next installment. 2 days and 18 hours until we sail.

[cindsue]

You sure have the knack of storytelling! Enjoying this so very much!

 

 

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[Bimmer09]

Day 2 (continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Trident Grill was about 70 paces forward (and across), and that is where I went. But let’s get the order straight. I went first and told my wife that I would scout out the offerings at the Grill. With any luck (or consistency), there would be Knockwurst, Bratwurst and Sauerkraut. And fries. I stated that if I was successful in my mission, I would bring back food for both of us. So I trekked over to Neptune’s Reef and Pool, found the pool, didn’t find the “Reef”, and found both of my target food items cooked and ready for the plucking. The line was about 8-10 people deep and moved fast enough. I loaded up one plate with a Knockwurst, Sauerkraut and fries, and another with a Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and fries. When I returned to our loungers, I offered my wife her pick of the two and she looked at me and said: “You want both of those, don’t you!” I protested, (but not too much), and told her that I certainly didn’t need two orders of fries! So she headed in to the Horizon Court to get herself a slightly more sensible plate of food and then returned to nibble on my/her fries. The wursts were every bit as good as I recalled. Yes, I am an unabashed foodie, but let’s not forget that being a true foodie means appreciating and enjoying all forms of food, from a humble food trucks to the Pressed Duck at La Tour d’Argent. This is certainly more akin to the former, and I love it!

 

 

Jimmy, like you I am partial to Michelin Star restaurants but the highlighted dish above I never miss when sailing Princess...

 

From ship to ship it is consistently good and just what the Doctor ordered when you are running on empty and sitting outdoors in the sun. I "pair" mine with a cold Guinness. The photo above, taken in Ketchikan, also includes a couple of Crab Cakes from a recipe by Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau. For Brits like me on board there is Heinz Malt Vinegar and HP Steak sauce for dipping the "chips" in.

 

Coupled with the Pub Lunches these are culinary treats which may be unique to Princess.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris

[MisterMet]

Jimmy, like you I am partial to Michelin Star restaurants but the highlighted dish above I never miss when sailing Princess...

 

 

 

 

 

From ship to ship it is consistently good and just what the Doctor ordered when you are running on empty and sitting outdoors in the sun. I "pair" mine with a cold Guinness. The photo above, taken in Ketchikan, also includes a couple of Crab Cakes from a recipe by Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau. For Brits like me on board there is Heinz Malt Vinegar and HP Steak sauce for dipping the "chips" in.

 

 

 

Coupled with the Pub Lunches these are culinary treats which may be unique to Princess.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Norris

 

I wondered when Norris would find Jimmy's great review!

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 1, 2016 by MisterMet

[MisterMet]

Day 2 (continued)

 

 

 

The results of Round 2 looked like this…….

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

And finally, Round 3 bought us these:

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the time the chefs did a good job of concealing what they were making until the big “reveal”. But the poodle was pretty obvious from the outset.

 

 

 

After this event ended, we decided to head up to the Lido Deck to see if we could find a couple of deck chairs. With visions of Chair Hogs circling my brain, I thought that this would be futile, but it was always worth a try. And this time I opted to do something that I rarely do. I took my camera equipment with me. I usually find that even though I think that I am taking enough photos to bore even the most ardent cruise lover, when I get home I conclude that I didn’t take enough. So I brought my camera with me pretty much everywhere I went on this Sea Day to try to capture some shots of the ship that I usually neglect to memorialize.

 

 

 

To be continued…..

 

 

My favorites are the first and last

 

 

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Edited December 1, 2016 by MisterMet

[JimmyVWine]

Day 2 (continued)

 

As 7:30 drew near, I pulled our bottle of wine out of the fridge and grabbed our wine glasses, hustling so as not to be late for our first reservation. From the pounding that Anytime Dining takes on this Board, I was expecting to arrive to a mob scene with hair pulling, shouting, and folks trying to pin each other using all sorts of Ultimate Fighting holds. But I was prepared to skirt right on by, head held high, self-righteously proclaiming that I had a “rez-air-vay-see-own”. Not to be. We approached the entry to the Coral Dining Room only to find an empty foyer with a gleefully happy young woman ready to abide our seating preference. “Two? To share or alone?” she asked in a perfectly accented tone. I replied that we had made a reservation, so she asked me to step inside as she announced to Emil that “this party has a reservation.” As I moved to the podium I spied the cabinet used to hold the buzzers used for people waiting for tables to open up. It looks something like this, only bigger. Probably three or four of these:

 

I was immediately struck by the fact that all of the Tasers were in their holsters, not a one having been disseminated to an anxious and disappointed prospective diner. I was also struck by the fact that as we were shown to our table, the restaurant was more or less empty. Anyone could have been seated anywhere they wished. And this proved to be the case all four nights that we dined in the Coral Dining Room at 7:30. I sat more or less facing the entry, or at least so far as I could see people arrive and be seated. I never witnessed anyone wait for a table. It was always “walk right up and be seated”. So, to the extent that Anytime Dining was a cluster at 5:30 or 6:00 or 6:30, I cannot attest. But I can tell you with a high degree of confidence that if it ever was, showing up to the Coral Dining Room between 7:30 and 8:30 would have assured you of no wait. Is this the true essence of “Anytime” dining? I suppose not. But is Anytime Dining a sentence to gustatory Purgatory? Absolutely not. There is a workaround. And I should note that we have used this workaround on virtually every cruise to the same end. My hands have never clutched dining room Taser, at least not on a Princess ship.

 

Again, luck fell upon us as Emil led us to a table overseen by Remus and Denys. Though that sounds like an act that one would catch in the Princess Theater, it was actually the names of our Waiter and Assistant waiter for the evening, and as it turned out, for all of our subsequent dinner in the Coral Dining Room. I am the first to admit that this whole idea of a “great waiter” or a “great cabin steward” on a cruise ship is largely lost on me. The services provided by these staff members, while important, is not so complex and diverse that there should be wide variance in their efficiency. And while this continues to be my experience with respect to cabin stewards, Remus and Denys proved me a fool when it comes to Anytime Dining table service. These two were terrific waiters, but more importantly, terrific people. My wife is not shy about making new friends and learning way too much about people whom she will likely never see again, (and reciprocating with personal information of her own), and by the end of the first night we knew that we had established a unique (to us) rapport with our service team.

 

The first hint of greatness came from their curiosity of our wine. (Even if you feign interest in my oenological obsession I will like you.) Remus lifted our bottle of 2010 Sea Smoke “Ten” Pinot Noir from the table and asked me to tell him a bit about the bottle.

 

 

Careful dude. This could turn into an hour long soliloquy. But I politely obliged with a brief recounting of how this producer hails from the Santa Barbara wine region, so prominently featured in the movie “Sideways”, which Remus admitted to have seeing. He also remarked about how much he enjoyed Santa Barbara as a port stop and had been there many time. Denys then inquired about the designation “Ten”. I revealed that this bottling is a composition of all ten Pinot Noir Clones grown on the estate. The wine is sort of an All-Star team of all the various grapes produced on site. Not done yet, Denys pressed on and asked “What is a clone?” Well, outside of the Star Wars context, that can be difficult to explain. (Well, even inside the Star Wars context that can be hard to explain.) I tried my best to be educational without being condescending and droned on about how Pinot Noir grapes come from many different original sources and have been crossbred over the years resulting in a variety of what winemakers refer to as “clones”. They are all Pinot Noir grapes through and through, but there are subtle differences and winemakers all have their particular favorites for what they bring to a wine. The have uninteresting names such as Dijon 113, 115, 459, 667, 777, 09, 16, Pommard 5, 2A, and Mt. Eden Selection. (I didn’t tell Denys this. That would have killed him. I am only telling you this.) With Pinot Noir, some clones can have a distinct grapefruit undertone. While you might not want an entire bottle of such a clone, it can add greatly to the finished blend. Some clones are jammy with ripe raspberry or cherry flavors. Again, too much of that can make the wine taste like candy. The art of winemaking is working in the lab and finding just the right combination. And this wine professes to be Sea Smoke’s best effort of the winemaker to combine all of the various clones into a balanced wine. (To the extent that anyone is a glutton for more, here is a nice article written by "The Prince of Pinot Noir", a/k/a "Rusty" http://www.princeofpinot.com/winery/318/ ). Denys nodded with either newfound knowledge or feigned indifference. Either way, it kicked off a series of dinners where they asked about and learned about each of our wines. And this was just one example of how our serendipitous meeting of Remus and Denys benefitted our cruise immensely.

 

To be continued…..

[JimmyVWine]

Day 2 (continued)

 

In all that wine excitement, I almost forgot to mention that it was Formal Night. So everyone wants to know…what should I wear? What can I wear? Well, I am here to tell you that there were tuxedos everywhere. But everyone was on a waiter. Seriously. Or, almost seriously. I think I counted two or three men in tuxedos. Far fewer than the number of men wearing khakis and a short sleeved Polo shirt. And one guy was seated wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. A great look on Bruce Springsteen while on stage, but no so much at Formal Night. Still, that is what he wore and he was shown to a table. All in all, I would say that this was by far the least Formal of Formal Nights I have ever seen. For those pining for the good old days…it’s over. I was a bit sad to see it for myself, but yes, it is over.

 

OK. So what did we order? As best as I can recollect, our table consumed:

 

Onion Soup

Thai Beef Salad

Beef Medallions

Gnocchi

Chocolate Hazelnut Bar

 

The Onion Soup was as good as I remembered. It appears to be of the Beef Stock variety, and I prefer mine made with Chicken Stock. (Before we break out into fights between “Team Beef” and “Team Chicken”, both are accepted ways to make the dish. Can’t we all get along?) Despite the darkness of the broth, I gobbled up every last bit other than what my wife tasted. And as I mentioned oh, so many pages ago, I have largely avoided “cruise ship beef”, the result of too many disappointing meals. But my beef was so good at the embarkation lunch that I decided to double down on some cow. Now it must be noted that the Beef Medallions were a specific menu option and not from the “Always Available” side. This may disappoint many, but it is what it is. My wife’s Gnocchi was better than OK, but didn’t rise to the level of Italian precision that we had experienced at Sabatini’s the night before. And the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar is simply the single best food item that Princess produces at the moment. It comes, with love, from Norman Love.

 

After dinner it was time to decide on a plan for entertainment. This was the second “Rock and Roll Cruise”, and the second cruise overseen by Cruise Director Micca Reitano. I suspect that this is not a coincidence. The evening entertainment was chock full of full-on rock entertainment and we set out to explore.

 

To be continued....

Edited December 1, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[JimmyVWine]

Day 2 (continued)

 

First, we hit up the “80’s Flashback Party” at Club Fusion. This reflects the era of my musical awakening. While I lived through almost all of the 60’s, it was the 70’s that turned me on and tuned me in. So this was fun. When that set ended, we made our way to the Explorer’s Lounge to try to catch the “Yes or No” game. The place was packed, and the best that we could do was grab a sofa right outside the bar area in the hallway. We could hear everything just fine, but got no visuals. It was a rollicking good time with a couple of winners, but mostly losers. (In the game show sense, not the everyday life sense. Well, I suppose that they could have been losers in everyday life, but I don’t know any of them well enough to tell.)

 

After that ended, the Lounge emptied out allowing us to grab seats for what I really wanted to experience, and that was the “Hard Rock Power Trio Tribute”. This is one a line item in the Patter that I had never seen before, and I soon found out why. True to the name, the band was a lead, bass and drums that pulled no punches. Sorry all you haters, but “White Room”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Purple Haze” and “Hey Joe”, ain’t elevator music. It was a fairly short set, and from the outset it appeared that these three guys were improvising and making up their routine as they went along. But in a good way. And as the set went on, it became apparent to me, (or at least a good guess), that these guys had been asked to throw together a Hard Rock set as part of the Rock and Roll cruise theme and had little time to rehearse or prepare. And that is exactly what happened. The three musicians were performers from the ship’s orchestra (as opposed to an “act” booked specifically for the cruise.) So whereas they can usually be found backing up other acts and strumming chords and brushing symbols to, well, OK, I’ll say it…elevator music, this was their time to shine and quite literally let their hair down. My wife commented to me that she thought she recognized the drummer, but earlier in the evening he was sporting a “man bun”. Behind his full drum set, the hair was down and flowing. The lead guitar was a master, and the bassists was the ships Musical Director. Three guys jamming, having fun, and providing the antithesis of what people might think of as a cruise ship lounge act.

 

Toward the end of the set I spied CD Micca standing behind the bar jamming away. When the show ended, I made a point of approaching him to tell him that it was apparent to me that this act was put together last minute, and that I greatly appreciated the performance as well as the courage of both the band and of Micca himself in taking this risk. And I concluded by telling him that this band needs many more opportunities to shine. (It was to be their one and only “Hard Rock Trio” performance of our cruise.) He thanked me for the positive comments and confirmed that indeed this was a “last minute” gig. And so here is a lesson for all of you who don’t think that Cruise Directors matter. They do. They can pull off stuff like this that can greatly impact the entertainment level of the cruise. This was but one example, but there will be another forthcoming where Micca’s “on-the-fly” decisions and entertainment management made a big difference in the entertainment value of the cruise.

 

Tomorrow was to be an earlier day, so after rockin’ it out until 11:00, we decided to call it a night. As a daily recap, here is a highlight of some of the day’s entertainment. Unless I think it important, I won’t display the venue. But if you want to know, just ask:

 

9:00 Zumba in Club Fusion

10:00 Table Tennis Tournament

10:00 MUTS-Finding Dory

10:15 Fruit Carving Demonstration

10:30 Trivia

11:00 Mardi Gras Mask Making

11:15 Pianist KJ (I told you that I wasn’t going to spell that name again) in the Piazza

1:00 Ballroom Dance Class: Cha-Cha

1:00 Art Auction

1:15 Bean Bag Toss Contest (a/k/a “Corn Hole)

2:00 Are You Smarter Than A Crew Member Game Show

3:00 MUTS Jurassic World

3:00 Wine Tasting

3:00 Afternoon Tea

3:30 Steel Drum Class

4:00 KJ in the Piazza

4:00 Trivia

5:00 The Elogy Duo in the Piazza

5:15 MUTS Bon Jovi

7:00; 8:30 and 10:00 Theater Show-Broadway Ballroom

7:30 Ballroom Dancing Music with Maridor Duo in Explorer’s Lounge

8:15 Rock and Roll Romance Party with the band Evolution in Club Fusion

8:15 Name That Tune Challenge

8:15 MUTS Monday Night Football

8:45 Derek Floyd in Crooners

9:00 Rockin’ Big Band Hits with the Princess Orchestra in Explorers

9:00 70’s Flashback Party

9:30 Ballroom Dancing

9:45 Yes or No Game

10:00 The Voice of the Ocean in Club Fusion

10:00 DJ in Skywalkers

10:15 Hard Rock Trio

11:00 Rock Out with Evolution in Club Fusion

[XBGuy]

 

“Two? To share or alone?” she asked in a perfectly accented tone.

 

A "perfectly accented tone?" I don't know why that tickles me, but it does. What if her tone was "imperfectly" accented, or perfectly "unaccented?" Now that I think of it, if either was the case, I'm sure you would have reported it accurately.

 

 

I am the first to admit that this whole idea of a “great waiter” or a “great cabin steward” on a cruise ship is largely lost on me.

 

The fact of the matter is that the average waiter or the average room steward on any cruise is, well, average. I am inclined to agree that a very large percentage of Cruise Critic reports about great waiters or great room stewards are hyperbolic. However, statistically speaking there are individuals in the far reaches of the bell-shaped curve who are exceptional. Now, continuing along that line, it is totally reasonable to assume that there are just as many exceptionally bad as there are exceptionally good. I am sure there are. The good news that I can report is that my experiences with exceptionally good have been more memorable than my experiences with the exceptionally bad.

 

Denys then inquired about the designation “Ten”. I revealed that this bottling is a composition of all ten Pinot Noir Clones grown on the estate.

 

That is very cool information. Thanks.

 

“What is a clone?” Well, outside of the Star Wars context, that can be difficult to explain. (Well, even inside the Star Wars context that can be hard to explain.)

 

I've always thought that the "clone" nomenclature in discussing differences within a grape variety was poor. I've always thought that "clones" were genetically identical organisms. How can it also describe differences?

 

I know I'm fighting a losing battle here. ;)

 

 

Another terrific report, Jimmy.

[shredie]

Wow! :eek: A good review of the Caribbean Princess! It's almost as if she isn't the worst ship in the fleet! (LOL.) ;) Thanks for bringing back some great memories for me.

[JimmyVWine]

Day 3 (Tuesday, November 15) (Roatan, Honduras)

 

I apologize in advance , but there are no (outdoor) photos to show you from this day. You know the old expression… “like you read about!”? As in, “It was raining like you read about!” Well, you are reading it here, so it really was raining like you read about. We awoke to a dreary day and a quick peek outside our Balcony confirmed that it was indeed raining. Not heavily, but steadily. Our ship was to dock in Roatan around 10:00 and we had reservations through a private excursion company for “Zip Lining And Beach Break” beginning at 11:00. Figuring that this would easily take us through lunch, we decided to skip our usual routine of pastries at the IC and instead grab a cup of fresh brewed coffee there and carry it up to the Horizon Court for a more robust breakfast/brunch. While up top, it looked to us as if the sun was thinking about peeking through. So just maybe this day would be salvaged after all. But the forecast was not good and we were pessimistic about what was to come. Nevertheless, with camera gear stowed in our cabin along with our fins and masks that we thought we would use that day, we walked off the ship at 10:45 and headed down the gangway, along the brick walkway toward the faux village, and just as we entered the “village” the heavens opened up. I mean, this was tropical rain like you read about. Slickers on and attitudes adjusted, we walked through the village out to where the bus and taxi station is. My wife took shelter there while I continued the trek outside of the confines of the village, past the guard station, and down to the area where the non-cruise line vendors are forced to park and wait. I went by myself so that I could: a) find our tour operator; and b) confirm that we would actually be zip lining in torrential rain. With the first objective met, our guide gave us a “Ya mon! We go. By da time da bus gets to da zip lines, dis might be ovah.” Undaunted and reassured, (a bit) I trudged back to where my wife was waiting, walking like the Bishop in Caddyshack.

 

 

I can’t use my own photos, so I’ll improvise.

 

I told her that we were indeed heading out to the zip line park, but that when we got there, I would negotiate with the vendor and try to convert our “Zip Line and Beach Break” to a “Zip Line and Go Back To the Ship” at the lower advertised rate. Indeed, throughout the 30-40 minute drive out to the park, the rain did in fact subside to the point of stopping. However, I was a bit concerned about the fact that the ride took 40 minutes largely because much of the road had become barely passable from spot flooding, wash outs and pot holes. The two-way street was a one lane road for much of the time and cars and vans were forced to take turns passing through washed out areas. I wondered if it might be possible for us to face the dilemma of not being able to get back to the ship if the rain started up again and the road got any worse. Oh well. Nothing to be done.

 

 

Arthur, our trusty driver, proved to be a trusty weatherman as well. When we arrived at the South Shore Zip Line Park it had stopped raining.

 

 

But we were still pretty wet. No matter. We had used this vendor before and knew that we would be in for a good time. A funny story, really. Well, kind of funny. I had originally planned this day as only a Beach Break and not a Zip Line and Beach Break. Part of my commitment to having this vacation be more relaxing and not a typical go-go-go adventure that I (and my daughter) usually insist on. But a few weeks before the trip, I asked my wife about her thoughts about my “final” plans and she weighed in that she definitely wanted to go back to the same place we had been before to go zip lining. So I made those arrangements and it is a good thing I did. Had this been a Beach Break only day, it would have been a wash out. But her insistence that this day include zip lining saved us from a wasted day.

 

The zip lining was great. This is the real deal. Not some minor league stuff found right by the ship. Unfortunately, no usable photos are in my possession, but this is representative.

 

 

You are in and above the rainforest canopy. The lines are long, one running almost a quarter of a mile. Everyone on our trip loved it and I am glad that I did it a second time.

 

I was successful in getting the “beach” portion of our trip taken off the reservation, as was everyone else who intended to go to the beach that day. We were wet and dirty and ready for the trip back to the ship. Fortunately, the rain held out until we were about 10 minutes from the ship. But then the skies opened up again. Perfect. Just in time for us to walk through Faux-bourg again. However, on the way back, the driver was allowed to take us all the way to the bus depot, so at least we were dropped off by a covered canopy.

 

We walked through the village determined to add to our Christmas ornament collection which consists of mementos from all of our adventures. We limited ourselves to the “Made In Roatan” area of the village, hoping against hope that we were not being misled. One of the vendors there sells magnets, ornaments and wall decorations made from sheet metal from old cars.

 

The name of the outfit is “Rusty Fish”

 



 

and their wares look like this:

 

 

We bought an iguana and he is now hanging on our Christmas tree. With that mission accomplished, it was time to get back on the ship, clean up and get a late lunch.

 

To be continued……..

[Acosmo]

Really enjoying your great review and humorous writing style. We were on the cruise before you in a mini-suite (E726), our bath looked exactly the same. :eek: We loved CD Micca, he was everywhere, so energetic and friendly.

 

We took advantage of ATD on both formal nights. The first night was the Island Dining at approx. 7, we asked for a table for 2 and were seated immediately, no reservations made ahead of time. All the tables around us were traditional diners. The traditional diners at the table where we were seated hadn't shown up that evening.

 

The 2nd formal night we tried the Coral, no reservations and we arrived at 7, asked for a table for 2 and were given a buzzer. We waited about 20 minutes before being seated.

 

Both formal nights the majority of pax were nicely dressed. There was a large table behind us where all the men wore tuxes, but mainly the men were wearing jackets, dress shirts, slacks.

 

There was a mention that this is one of the oldest Princess ships. We only noticed upgrades needed in the bath, and those green sofas are due to be replaced.

 

Sorry to interrupt your review, I'm looking forward to the rest!

[JimmyVWine]

Really enjoying your great review and humorous writing style. We were on the cruise before you in a mini-suite (E726), our bath looked exactly the same. :eek:

There is no getting around the fact that the bathrooms need an overhaul from stem to stern. But as noted, the water pressure was great and the toilets evacuated everything that they were supposed to. So there are still points for functionality.

 

We loved CD Micca, he was everywhere, so energetic and friendly.

I agree, and would look forward to sailing with him again.

 

 

Both formal nights the majority of pax were nicely dressed. There was a large table behind us where all the men wore tuxes, but mainly the men were wearing jackets, dress shirts, slacks.

Odd how things can vary so much. Maybe because yours was a longer cruise?? We only had one formal night, so maybe people didn't feel as invested in packing formal wear. I know I wasn't. Still, I was one of the few men in the dining room wearing a coat and tie.

 

and those green sofas are due to be replaced.

Yes, I should have mentioned that. That awful green upholstery is need of updating in terms of style, comfort and wear.

 

Sorry to interrupt your review, I'm looking forward to the rest!

No apologies needed! That is what this is all about. :)

[JimmyVWine]

Day 3 (continued)

 

Despite the fact that we looked like bilge rats, we dropped our slickers, towels and travel bag off at our cabin, ran combs and brushes through our wet hair, and headed to the Horizon Court to grab some lunch before it go too late. We found the buffet to be perfectly acceptable. You aren’t going to find award winning food there, but you won’t go hungry either. Then it was downstairs for some espresso, and then back to the cabin to clean up.

 

The rain was beginning to let up, but not enough to sit out on our balcony, so we sat on our sofa and popped a bottle of 2012 MacPhail “Mardikian” Pinot Noir, each having a glass or two.

 

 

This is a limited production estate vineyard bottling from MacPhail Wines. Jim MacPhail is a master Pinot producer, who, along with “His Girl Friday”, a/k/a his wife Kerry, embody everything I love about small, family run wineries. However, when the family run business tried out a partnership with a larger conglomerate, things changed, and long story short, the MacPhails no longer make and bottle wines under their own label. The name carries on, but the folks who gave it the name are no longer associated with the winery. Sort of like what happened at Sanford. In any event, if you want to secure some of Jim and Kerry’s wines, they now operate under the name “Tongue Dancer”. Seek it out.

 

Boring afternoon, all in all, but that is part and parcel of the “relaxation” mode of this trip. But soon enough, it was time again for our 7:30 dinner reservation. Tonight was “Italian Night”. Truth be told, this is one of my least favorite theme dinner nights. The ship already has terrific Italian food at Sabatini’s and nothing (well, almost nothing) on the MDR menu can compare. (And for those keeping score, the dinner theme carried through up at the Horizon Court with a “Trattoria Dinner Buffet.”) I checked out the MDR menu ahead of time to decide which bottle of wine to take with us for dinner. I opted for the 2008 Maybach “Materium” Cabernet.

 

 

My strategy is often to offset a mediocre meal with a stunning wine. That way, we can focus on the wine and let the meal pass by without complaint. And that is what the strategy was here. This is a “big gun” wine from a small Napa winery owned by descendants of the Maybach automotive legacy. They approach hand-crafting wine the way their ancestors approached hand-crafting cars, utilizing the talents of Thomas Rivers Brown as their winemaker. TRB, along with Mike Smith, are the two hottest names in winemaking right now, with TRB winning “Winemaker of the Year” in 2010 from Food and Wine Magazine.

 

When we approached Emil at the podium, I asked if it might be possible to be seated with Remus and Denys again, and Emil said that he would see what he could do. With the wave of his hand, we were seated at the table next to the one we had had the night before. We were greeted warmly and it appeared genuine that the two of them were as happy to see the two of us as the reverse. Denys looked at the wine label and noted that “Maybach is a car”, to which I replied, “Yes, and the family now makes wine, which is a lot cheaper than the car.” He smiled and told me that he would be back soon with a decanter and a screened funnel.

 

While we perused the menu, my wife asked of Remus if there was anything in particular that he would recommend. She, like me, is not over the moon with the Italian Night menu, so she thought some inside knowledge might help. In my summary of last night’s meal, I commented that I thought that the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar dessert was the single best thing that Princess is producing right now. Well Remus used almost those same words when describing the Eggplant “Melanzane alla Parmigiana” appetizer. I had never tried that on a Princess ship, so he sold me, and it was indeed the best thing we ate that night. In fact, if I had to do it over again, I would order something else as a starter and ask for a double (or triple) order of the Melanzane as my Main Course. In the end we wound up with the following:

 

Melanzane alla Parmigiano

Caesar Salad

Chicken Saltimboca

Veal Marsala

Crème Brule

Love Boat Dream

 

With only a bit of humility, I will say that my Saltimboca and Marsala dishes blow these away, but I always appreciate a night away from the kitchen, so I have no complaints here. The Crème Brule was excellent. I have found this to be a risky proposition on a cruise ship, and more often than not I am served vanilla flavored scrambled eggs. Bleh! But it my wife who rolled the dice this time, as I played it safe with the Love Boat Dream. However I did insist on a taste of hers to see if the kitchen had gotten the dish right, and boy, had they. There was one other evening in which we ordered this dessert and they were two for two, adding to my ultimate conclusion that Caribbean Princess had upped its game since last year.

 

With dinner concluded, it was time to seek out some entertainment.

 

To be continued…….

[JimmyVWine]

Day 3 (continued)

 

The Patter told us that at 9:45 in the Explorers Lounge there would be the “Majority Rules” game. I can’t tell you what draws me to that game, but it is something. I always enjoy it, and we made a beeline for Explorers so that we would not be left on a sofa in the hallway as we were the night before. When we arrived, the Maridor Duo was performing and singing ballroom dance tunes, and a fair number of people swept gracefully across the dance floor, showing off what they had learned at their local Arthur Murray Studio. And quite a few more tripped around the floor in a form of demonstration as to why they should have their money refunded from said Studio. In either event, I admire their bravery. We caught the last half hour of this set and then it was time for people to pile in and team up for a cutthroat game of “Majority Rules”. My wife and I teamed up with another Northeast couple and we had a grand time deciding things such as: Who is the best Star Wars Character; and What is the first image that comes to your mind when you think of “Baywatch”. We performed admirably, netting a third place finish, but only the first place team was awarded a useless price. When it ended, we headed up to Skywalkers for a bit. At first the music was to our liking, but then it started to turn a bit more “current”. This should please those who think that Princess caters only to old fogies, but for us, it was a bit more than we needed at the moment, so we called it a night as we would have a very early day the next morning.

 

Here is a sampling of the day’s activities and movies. This was a port day, so there are fewer to report:

 

10:00-Zumba

11:30-Trivia

2:00-Trivia

2:30-Taboo Challenge

3:00-Happy Hour BOGO (for $1) in Club Fusion

4:00-Tea

5:00-DJ at Neptune’s Pool (weather permitting. Not sure if it permitted)

5:30-MUTS Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert: “Light My Fire”

6:15 and 9:00-KJ in the Piazza

7:00-Gift of Gab Game Show

7:00; 8:30 and 10:00-Theater Show: Comedian Tom Briscoe

7:15 and 8:15-Evening Grooves with Dennis Smith in the Wheelhouse

7:30, 9:00 abd 10:15 Ballroom Dancing with the Maridor Duo

7:45-Martini Demonstration in the Piazza

8:00-Roots of Soul with the Band Evolution in Club Fusion

8:00 and 10:15-MUTS The Man Who Knew Infinity

9:00-Derek Floyd in Crooners

9:15-Motown Showdown with Evolution in Club Fusion

9:15-Acrobatics and Juggling with Gravity in the Piazza

9:45-Majority Rules Game

10:00-Motown Tunes in Skywalkers

10:30-Motown Karaoke in Club Fusion

11:00-Happy Hour BOGO ($1) in Skywalkers

11:00-Late Night Party with DJ in Skywalkers

11:15-Soul Unleashed with Evolution in Club Fusion

[XBGuy]

 

Denys looked at the wine label and noted that “Maybach is a car”, to which I replied, “Yes, and the family now makes wine, which is a lot cheaper than the car.”

 

 

OK, sure. One bottle of Maybach Materium is cheaper than a Maybach-Mercedes. However, I wonder which is more expensive per pound? If the wine is still cheaper, I'll bet it's not by much. ;)

[JimmyVWine]

OK, sure. One bottle of Maybach Materium is cheaper than a Maybach-Mercedes. However, I wonder which is more expensive per pound? If the wine is still cheaper, I'll bet it's not by much. ;)

 

At release price, the wine is probably cheaper per pound.

At current auction price, that might flip around. :D

[lax19]

Thanks for the clarification on the Bouncy House. I would have been mistakenly waiting for Apple Pie Service at this location.

Edited December 3, 2016 by lax19

[dchip]

Love reading a review that actually makes me laugh out loud. You never fail to entertain! And I will never look at one of the signs again without thinking of your take on them.

 

Thanks for all the very interesting wine info. We are in between the Napa Valley and Livermore. Lots of delicious wines to enjoy.

 

Cheers, Denise