Notes from Armonia Miami-Havana Jan 2019

[Epos Man]

8 minutes ago, Dear_Maria said:

Hi Beamafar,

 

Can I ask a question (sorry if it is a silly one) I noticed on some of the menus the is a little star next to certain items (from the above menu the burger, the chops and the salmon)

 

Does this mean those items cost extra?

 

It's just advising you of ating raw fish cooked meat eggs etc its food advisory notice that must be put on the menus

[Beamafar]

Silly is only when someone has a question and won't ask it!

 

The star is next to items that you may request to be cooked rare;  there's a note on the bottom of the menus pertaining to the star containing a warning about eating raw or undercooked food.  If you look at the photo in post #71 you can see the Public Health Advisory beneath the daily special items.

[Dear_Maria]

Thanks everyone!

 

That makes sense 🙂

[Informatics Nurse]

Hi Bea! Thank you for the great information. I'm getting on ship on the 18th this month. I wanted to ask if you saw free lobster in the MDR offered? I haven't heard that anyone has received this and it was advertised. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/countdown-begins-to-msc-armonias-first-cruise-from-miami-to-cuba-300729576.html

[Beamafar]

5 minutes ago, Informatics Nurse said:

Hi Bea! Thank you for the great information. I'm getting on ship on the 18th this month. I wanted to ask if you saw free lobster in the MDR offered? I haven't heard that anyone has received this and it was advertised. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/countdown-begins-to-msc-armonias-first-cruise-from-miami-to-cuba-300729576.html

 

I was going to address this at some stage ... there was no free lobster offered!  It was always on as 'Featured Selections' for an extra charge, though! 

 

I meant to question this on the ship - especially as it had been advertised in places such as in your link, but also on the MSC website - but I never got 'round to it.  I wouldn't mind, but the Director of Hotel Services was especially interested in any issues/suggestions we had due to us being regular MSC cruisers and really wanted our feedback.  I just never thought of this at the time he asked.

 

TBH, neither of us eat lobster so it wasn't at the forefront of our minds.

[Informatics Nurse]

18 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

I was going to address this at some stage ... there was no free lobster offered!  It was always on as 'Featured Selections' for an extra charge, though! 

 

I meant to question this on the ship - especially as it had been advertised in places such as in your link, but also on the MSC website - but I never got 'round to it.  I wouldn't mind, but the Director of Hotel Services was especially interested in any issues/suggestions we had due to us being regular MSC cruisers and really wanted our feedback.  I just never thought of this at the time he asked.

 

TBH, neither of us eat lobster so it wasn't at the forefront of our minds.

Thank you for the feedback. I will bring this up at the mix and mingle for my voyage. I wish they had better marketing from the social media perspective for this ship. I think they have put everything into the Seaside and the lack of info for the Armonia is frustrating, if you're an uber planner. Thank you for all the great info. 

[razzzbere]

Hi Beamafar,

 

Enjoying your review!  We are 2 families that will be on the Armonia to Cuba Dec. '19.  I hope Captain Scala is still on the Armonia, he was great on the Divina!  

I have to tell you that I like my cheesesteaks w/out cheese and I'm a Patriots fan!  LOL  I'm from Mass and my husband is from PHilly...i'm sure the US people on here will understand!

Again, thank you for your review!

[Beamafar]

So ... I left off at lunch on Grand Cayman day. I'll now share the dinner menu here:

 

Sorry for the poor quality (again!)  Another  photo of the menu behind glass!

 

 

 

 

This could have done with some gravy - but the mushroom sauce that should have accompanied it was a no-no for me!

 

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Edited February 10, 2019 by Beamafar

[SeaTheW0rld]

22 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

I was going to address this at some stage ... there was no free lobster offered!  It was always on as 'Featured Selections' for an extra charge, though! 

 

I meant to question this on the ship - especially as it had been advertised in places such as in your link, but also on the MSC website - but I never got 'round to it.  I wouldn't mind, but the Director of Hotel Services was especially interested in any issues/suggestions we had due to us being regular MSC cruisers and really wanted our feedback.  I just never thought of this at the time he asked.

 

TBH, neither of us eat lobster so it wasn't at the forefront of our minds.

 

Did they have free lobster in the past? 

[Beamafar]

18 minutes ago, SeaTheW0rld said:

 

Did they have free lobster in the past? 

 

No ... just before Armonia began sailing from Miami, MSC made a few changes, including adding the new speciality restaurant, Surf & Turf.  They then sent out press releases, such as the link to one that Informatics Nurse has posted, stating that:

 

"In the main dining room, guests will be able to enjoy cold-water lobster to create their own surf ‘n turf at no additional cost. While dining on these elevated offerings, Aurea Experience guests will also have the option to dine al fresco, with a reserved outdoor area, featuring the open water as the backdrop."

 

This has not been the case.

 

Here's a page from the MSC website (before it disappeared):

 

Cruise From Miami To Cuba with MSC Armonia | MSC Cruises.pdf

Edited February 10, 2019 by Beamafar

[Beamafar]

That night was White night and, as we'd rested up that afternoon, we decided to make a night of it as we hadn't up 'til then. It was time to indulge:









Before I started on that lot, we were sitting in the (empty!) Armonia lounge, when who should stroll through only Robert (Hotel Director) and Captain Scala! I snatched the chance to thank the captain and also to get a photo with him as well as to apologise for not copping him earlier that day!

We headed to Bar del Duomo (where I enjoyed the fore-pictured cocktails) before we went up to the pool deck for the White party (which was fantastic!).

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[Beamafar]

The next day's POC was Cozumel.   We had booked a taxi with ToursPlaza (https://www.toursplaza.com) and arranged to meet the driver at Senor Frog's.  It's very easy to find.  You most likely will dock at Punta Langosta pier which is downtown.  When you leave the ship, you have to take an elevator up to the second floor of the mall that's located at the pier, walk thru', then down to ground level - believe me, this is easy;  if we could find our way, you'll do it with your eyes closed! 

Anyway, I was very impressed with the service.  We paid a deposit online through PayPal and paid the balance to the driver on completion.   When booking we let them know what we wanted to see.  Their website gives you some ideas.  We went to a local market where there are dedicated eateries that serve Philippine and Balinese cuisine which are very popular with the crew from the cruise ships, then we went to San Gervasio Mayan ruins.  Be aware that, after you pay the admission here, which gives you access to the stores and restrooms, you then have to pay another fee to actually access the ruins area.  As it was raining fairly heavily (and we were a bit peeved at the sneaky double charge) we decided not to pay the extra.  Had the weather been more favourable, we may have decided differently.

 

We visited the western (?) side of the island - which is a conservation area with no residences or electricity - where we stopped at one of the bars on the beach for a drink.  I had a Marguerita that had me buzzing for the afternoon LOL.  We finished at a particular store, Los Cincos Soles that I wanted to visit.  It was a really nice place which I highly recommend a visit to;  it was only about 6 blocks walk back to the ship.  It was meant to be a 3 hour tour but it took just about 4 hours and we were only charged for the 3 hours.

 

On our return in the afternoon, we were famished and I ended up having 2 hamburgers (I really like the burgers on MSC, but that was a huge amount for me to eat - and that's without garnishes as I don't use sauces) which impacted on dinner later that evening (more on that following).
 

[Beamafar]

Here are photos of the grill area in th buffet which give an idea of what's on offer:











These 'juices' (flavoured water, more like) seemed to be available all day (they're usually only available at breakfast time)

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[Beamafar]

We had decided to have our Black Card complimentary meal for 2 that evening in Surf & Turf as this was Italian night and I didn't care for the menu (yet another one behind glass!):



Here's the Surf & Turf menu:



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[Beamafar]

Now ... the seas were very rough when leaving Cozumel. I really didn't want to go to dinner as I wasn't hungry (due to pigging out on burgers), but we wouldn't be dining in the MDR the following night as we were going to the Tropicana club and the night after would be the last night, which we wouldn't miss in the MDR, so this was our last chance to try out the speciality restaurant. And so, we went!

Well ... I'm not sure if it was the rough seas, the lack of hunger or the previous night's over-indulgence (remember the cocktails, folks?), but I couldn't face the food I'd ordered which was the pork belly:



... and the rib-eye (just look at the size of it! Thankfully I didn't order sides with it):



DH had the crab cake:



... with filet mignon to follow, (which he thoroughly enjoyed) with a side of Parmesan truffle fries (you could order 2 sides):



For dessert, I ordered cheescake:



... and DH had the Mexican chocolate cake:





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[Beamafar]

I really struggled to eat the pork belly (I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this is a dish - it's nothing but fat ... and I'm talking generally, not just here.  It was the only appetiser I could consider, which is why I chose it) ... and, when that enormous steak arrived, my system just screamed "NO".

 

I tried, in vain, to eat even a small amount, but I couldn't.  The waiter saw me struggling and asked if everything was OK.  Then the hostess came over;  I explained that I thought the rough seas was having an effect (I did feel ever so slightly queasy - if, I was, in fact, a little seasick, it was only the second time ever, despite experiencing even rougher conditions before which hadn't affected me.  The first time we were in YC in a cabin at the very front and the sea conditions were horrendous!)  Anyway, she offered to send the steak to the cabin, along with our desserts and we took her up on that.

 

The next morning, I was ravenous and enjoyed the steak for breakfast (in 2 goes, 1 early morning, then again, late morning - though I still didn't finish it!).  This wasn't a problem for me as I often only eat half the steak I cook for myself at home and so am used to eating it cold the next day.  I've come to enjoy it that way, too!  We polished off the desserts after lunch that day instead of having dessert in the MDR.

 

I forgot to say that we both ordered our steaks medium cooked and that's how they were served.  👍 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Beamafar

[LaCal]

Thanks for showing the Surf n Turf menu 

 

I have my whole meal planned out already 🤣

 

Start with Fried Calamari and French onion soup 

 

Then have the Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail 😃

Edited February 10, 2019 by LaCal

[Beamafar]

Sorry about the poor quality of the photo - between the ship rocking and the way I was feeling, it's a bit blurred.  I usually check the photos in case of this (I can hardly go back and take another one LOL, so I do try to ensure that they're legible) but I just wasn't myself at the time!

 

Anyway ... I'm glad you could make it out.  🙂

 

Bytheway LaCal ... are you planning on going to the MDR for your appetisers - 'cos they're not on the Surf & Turf menu?

Edited February 10, 2019 by Beamafar

[SeaTheW0rld]

@Beamafar I don't "get" pork belly, either.  That's the part of bacon that used to be considered waste. 

[Beamafar]

Yeah ... 'til Michelin-star chefs started using it (like they do with all the cheap cuts - then charge big money for what they 'do' with it! 🙄)

[spamwhiches]

5 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

No ... just before Armonia began sailing from Miami, MSC made a few changes, including adding the new speciality restaurant, Surf & Turf.  They then sent out press releases, such as the link to one that Informatics Nurse has posted, stating that:

 

"In the main dining room, guests will be able to enjoy cold-water lobster to create their own surf ‘n turf at no additional cost. While dining on these elevated offerings, Aurea Experience guests will also have the option to dine al fresco, with a reserved outdoor area, featuring the open water as the backdrop."

 

This has not been the case.

 

Here's a page from the MSC website (before it disappeared):

 

Cruise From Miami To Cuba with MSC Armonia | MSC Cruises.pdf

We sailed January 28th - Feb. 4th . If my memory serves me, on the third night, the main dining room offered a dish called "fishermans plate" or some similar name. It had  1 large Shrimp, 1 piece of fish, and 1/2 of a lobster tail. this was included on the menu and there was no "upcharge"

[Beamafar]

Yes ... I posted a photo of the menu for night 3 which does have 'fisherman's plate' on it.  You'd still have to order the NY strip from the 'Classic Favorites' list to have surf n' turf.    I don't think this is quite what was envisaged at the time of the press release.

[spamwhiches]

9 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Yes ... I posted a photo of the menu for night 3 which does have 'fisherman's plate' on it.  You'd still have to order the NY strip from the 'Classic Favorites' list to have surf n' turf.    I don't think this is quite what was envisaged at the time of the press release.

I agree 100%, not what I envisioned either based on the press release. I  just wanted to clarify that there was a meal with lobster without the up charge.  1/2 lobster tail approx 2 -3 ozs.  no drawn butter.  We were not that thrilled about the overall dining experience. We ordered a Scallop main course  ( both of us) one evening and it came with a measly one and 1/2 scallops and little sauce on the noodles. I'm sure they are trying to curb food waste but really 1 1/2 scallops for a main course looks pretty Chintzy.  Loved almost everything else about the cruise though. 

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, spamwhiches said:

I agree 100%, not what I envisioned either based on the press release. I  just wanted to clarify that there was a meal with lobster without the up charge.  1/2 lobster tail approx 2 -3 ozs.  no drawn butter. 

 

TBH, I didn't notice it on the menu ... I saw the word 'fisherman's';  I didn't read any further as I assumed the following word was 'pie' LOL (I'm not a seafood fan).  So I'm glad you brought it up here as it'll give others a heads-up on it.

 

I have to say we loved the cruise, too, despite not engaging in any of the activities or spending much time in the bars/lounges or going to the shows (all things we usually do). 

[LaCal]

12 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Sorry about the poor quality of the photo - between the ship rocking and the way I was feeling, it's a bit blurred.  I usually check the photos in case of this (I can hardly go back and take another one LOL, so I do try to ensure that they're legible) but I just wasn't myself at the time!

 

Anyway ... I'm glad you could make it out.  🙂

 

Bytheway LaCal ... are you planning on going to the MDR for your appetisers - 'cos they're not on the Surf & Turf menu?

Damn I though both of those menus were from the Surf n Turf 🙈