Kmom NEEDS LOTS OF HELP PLEASE - Pre-Planning Pre-Review Preview Mardi Gras August 7, 2021 - Join me if you dare

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I love Brussels Sprouts and especially the modern charred delicious way they usually do it restaurants wise. But I am still on the fence about Rudi’s. I guess we’ll do it. I need to look at it too!

 

Cheryl has tried SEVERAL times to get me to try them... "here, these are great - you won't even taste the brussels sprouts". It's like the ball getting pulled away as Charlie Brown goes to kick it... I always fall for it. Though NEXT TIME I won't... yep.... no way.. 95% certain... well, maybe

(I always regret it)

 

Tom

[SonoranDevil]

Looking forward to hearing about your awesome adventures as well!  

[ddavis5us]

I've spoken up on the roll call, so I might as well do wo here.  We have Steakhouse for 2 nights and Rudi's for one for the 1st week of a back to back and 2 Steakhouses on the 2nd for 8/7 and 8/13.   Figure we can book Rudi's if we like it on the 1st cruise for the 2nd.   Was sorry that I didn't put in a reservation for Chiang on the one day that it showed up. My aim over a B2b for 8/7 and 8/13 is not to eat in the main dining room at all.  Unless I see smoked duck on the menu.  I have been know to order 4 portions of it as I love it.  My wife and I also, on many occasions, have been know to order 3 - 5 appetizers/soups/salads and no entree in the MD room..  They have always been more than accomodating when we have asked to do that.

[KmomChicago]

5 minutes ago, ddavis5us said:

I've spoken up on the roll call, so I might as well do wo here.  We have Steakhouse for 2 nights and Rudi's for one for the 1st week of a back to back and 2 Steakhouses on the 2nd for 8/7 and 8/13.   Figure we can book Rudi's if we like it on the 1st cruise for the 2nd.   Was sorry that I didn't put in a reservation for Chiang on the one day that it showed up. My aim over a B2b for 8/7 and 8/13 is not to eat in the main dining room at all.  Unless I see smoked duck on the menu.  I have been know to order 4 portions of it as I love it.  My wife and I also, on many occasions, have been know to order 3 - 5 appetizers/soups/salads and no entree in the MD room..  They have always been more than accomodating when we have asked to do that.

Thanks for speaking up here. Good to hear about the non-entree strategy working fine. Chibang didn’t work that one day anyway. I tried repeatedly that day and it wouldn’t complete the booking. We’ll have to keep watching and/or book when we board. Maybe on the Hub app.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Smashburger brussels sprouts are fantastic.  The only way to enjoy brussels sprouts is to eat FRESH brussels sprouts.  They're like peas.  Canned and frozen is BLEH, but fresh can be amazing.

[Joe817]

13 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Smashburger brussels sprouts are fantastic.  The only way to enjoy brussels sprouts is to eat FRESH brussels sprouts.  They're like peas.  Canned and frozen is BLEH, but fresh can be amazing.

No, No. They are like miniature cabbages or lettuces'. One chomp and they are gone. Especially good with lots of butter & a little bit of garlic. Good with beef. But what doesn't go good with beef?  

[IntrepidFromDC]

41 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Smashburger brussels sprouts are fantastic.  The only way to enjoy brussels sprouts is to eat FRESH brussels sprouts.  They're like peas.  Canned and frozen is BLEH, but fresh can be amazing.

 

25 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

No, No. They are like miniature cabbages or lettuces'. One chomp and they are gone. Especially good with lots of butter & a little bit of garlic. Good with beef. But what doesn't go good with beef?  

You are correct, sir.  What I really meant was not that they are "like peas", but rather that like peas, I only enjoy them when they're fresh.  Agreed on butter and garlic with brussels sprouts.  Smashburger gives them a little sear and MMMMMmmmMMM!

 

Carnival chefs, are you paying attention??

Edited July 12, 2021 by IntrepidFromDC

[amcankid]

1 hour ago, Joe817 said:

No, No. They are like miniature cabbages or lettuces'. One chomp and they are gone. Especially good with lots of butter & a little bit of garlic. Good with beef. But what doesn't go good with beef?  

My sister. A vegetarian since 1967

Other than that, gotta agree with you

[kelkel2]

6 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

 

You are correct, sir.  What I really meant was not that they are "like peas", but rather that like peas, I only enjoy them when they're fresh.  Agreed on butter and garlic with brussels sprouts.  Smashburger gives them a little sear and MMMMMmmmMMM!

 

Carnival chefs, are you paying attention??

Mmm try them with a little balsamic, brown sugar and bacon! That’s the best way to eat them! 

[KmomChicago]

Okay everyone has me Jonesing now not only for the cruise but also for some Brussels Sprouts! My husband says they are best accompanied by plain yellow mustard. I've tried it and it's okay but with the right olive oil and char foundation I don't think it's needed. 

[KmomChicago]

KMOM DINNER PLAN UPDATE (A real rambler)

 

All right folks. I think I have a good plan here for the dinners onboard ship. One of our problems with a nice sit down affair, is that we are impatient to get to the evening entertainment onboard ship.

 

We really love the shows nightly. We like tribute bands, magicians, any kind of song-and-dance (i.e. Playlist Productions),  certainly the comedians, Love and Marriage show, any of that ludicrous Hasbro games silliness. I see Family Feud, that looks fine for us.  In fact, while I would not complain about Carnival Sensation (bless her heart), which was a great time overall (review link in signature), one thing that stuck in our craw a bit was the overreliance on BINGO of all things as the evening entertainment. I believe there was one night of that 4-night cruise that the only main lounge event was Bingo. And it was half of the entertainment on one or two additional nights, before or after a staged show. 

 

Anyway on ships like Oasis of the Seas, we heavily prioritized our evening schedule around the excellent entertainment. There was a lot going on and frankly, that stuff is much more special and unique to us than ANY FOOD. Which is not to say we don't like a good meal, because we do.

 

So here is my tentative dinner plan for our 7 night cruise

 

MUST DO DINNER SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS:

Steak House

Cucina del Capitano

Bonsai Sushi

Chibang!

 

We booked night one at the Steak House, right at 5:30, the earliest time.  Once onboard I will try to book the other 3 on the Hub app, unless of course they become available sooner on the planner. 

This leaves us 3 nights uncommitted to consider the MDR, Lido Buffet, and perhaps walk ups like Big Chicken and Seafood Shack. I do want a lobster roll, I admit it. Now you might point out, those 4 venues are all open for lunch/brunch and I do not disagree, so lunch/breakfast post coming shortly.

[KmomChicago]

Breakfast / Lunch post (Blather warning)

 

These two meals can be the very best and yet, hardest to plan for, given how much goes on during the daytime on a massive, brand-new cruise ship. My 55th birthday is August 12, which will be a Fun Day at Sea, y'all.  And by gosh, we are all going to have nonstop FUN, by royal decree of Queen Kmom. In fact, while I'm at it, that goes for all of you here on the thread, and everyone on the ship, crew included. I find out anybody starts trouble on my birthday, . . . well, let's not even consider that possibility. 

 

Furthermore, should the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast occur on that day (or any day - word is it might not be happening), guess where the birthday girl is gonna start her day? THAT'S RIGHT. I dig me some Seuss and some character dining and like a fool I skipped it on my two prior Carnival cruises.

 

So anyway we get 7 lunches and 7 breakfasts, max. We usually use SeaDay brunch as a breakfast and have joked about returning for same day lunch, but never made it.

 

Breakfast:

 

2 Seaday Brunch

1 Seuss once (or substitute with a 3rd Seaday Brunch)

1 MDR (Disembarkation day?)

1 BlueIguana (Cozumel or Costa Maya day - just walking around port)

1 Lido Marketplace (Mahogany Bay day - going to the Daniel Johnson Monkey/Sloth Sanctuary)

1 Emeril's (Cozumel or Costa Maya day - just walking around port)

 

Lunch:

1 Emeril's (Sea Day)

1 Guy's Burger Joint

1 BlueIguana

1 Guy's Pig and Anchor BBQ

1 Street Eats

1 SeaDay brunch (i.e. if we do something else for breakfast one day)

1 Lido Marketplace

 

Snacks to supplement throughout:  Lido Marketplace is ALWAYS an option, even after a paid dinner, if we want. Street Eats looks like a place you check out frequently and grab a morsel. Pizzeria del Capitano and Piazza Panini are excluded only due to the overabundance of choice, and could EASILY knock out another option above. Is Swirls a snack? A dessert? A meal? You be the judge. Even though they are mentioned above, Guy's Burger, BlueIguana, Big Chicken, could also come into play at grab and go times to be determined later.  I can't plan for everything. It's a vacation!

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

10 hours ago, ddavis5us said:

...My aim over a B2b for 8/7 and 8/13 is not to eat in the main dining room at all.  Unless I see smoked duck on the menu. ...

 

Do you recall the "Pepper Seared Supreme of Young Long Island Duckling"? That was literally at the top (well, right there with Prime Rib) of my must eat list. Truly delectable!!

 

Tom

 

 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

...

 

We really love the shows nightly. We like tribute bands, ...

 

The Filipino ("Music") bands were our favorites - amazing, could have been the alcohol too... Music Boardwalk, Music Motion, Music Network, Music Manila, etc!! I don't think any of those are still around are they?

 

 

 

 

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

KMOM DINNER PLAN UPDATE (A real rambler)

...

We booked night one at the Steak House, right at 5:30, the earliest time.   

...

 

We'll be right on your heels at 6 pm - shout out (well, not too loud - LOL) !

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

12 hours ago, SonoranDevil said:

Looking forward to hearing about your awesome adventures as well!  

 

Thanks Sonoran. Please feel free to join in on the advice, perspectives, and general chit chat in the meantime. We are definitely excited about this cruise that we really felt had a fairly low chance of sailing when booked.

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

Mmm try them with a little balsamic, brown sugar and bacon! That’s the best way to eat them! 

This is how Kuro, a Japanese restaurant at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, NJ makes their Crispy Brussel Sprouts.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

This is how Kuro, a Japanese restaurant at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, NJ makes their Crispy Brussel Sprouts.

 

 

I guess that's supposed to be food...

 

I would eat it in a fix (before turning my attention to BUGS)! lol

 

Believe it or not, I do eat many things - especially once you factor out cilantro and cauliflower too!

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

17 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

This is how Kuro, a Japanese restaurant at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, NJ makes their Crispy Brussel Sprouts.

 

yeah that looks better to me than a lot of meat based dishes.

[TrqoisWtrs]

18 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Yeah I love that stuff in the buffet though. I realize it's some kind of amped up Kool-aid or Tang or something but. . . YUMMMM>

Yes, the guava mixture?  when we cruise, we get a cup or two for our mini frig and enjoy it with vodka later...with a gummy whale tail garnish...mmmm😄🍹

[TrqoisWtrs]

5 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Is Swirls a snack? A dessert? A meal?

Yes, Swirls is excellent for breakfast!  With a Bloody Mary.  Or Bloody Maria. Or Mimosa.  😀  Good lord, July 31st can't get here soon enough lol.  

[ScottsSweetie]

7 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

The Filipino ("Music") bands were our favorites - amazing, could have been the alcohol too... Music Boardwalk, Music Motion, Music Network, Music Manila, etc!! I don't think any of those are still around are they?

 

 

 

 

Tom

Sadly, we haven't seen one of these bands in quite a few cruises. Blood Power was our favorite!

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, cruisin*tigger said:

Yes, the guava mixture?  when we cruise, we get a cup or two for our mini frig and enjoy it with vodka later...with a gummy whale tail garnish...mmmm😄🍹

 

My kind of cruise hack fo sho.

[KmomChicago]

Chef's Table is now available for reservations, but it's not for us. I appreciate that Carnival provides options to match a broad range of budgets, that it is not only possible but fairly easy to cruise without any add-on expenses beyond prepaid gratuities, and that luxuries and elevated experiences are available if desired. 

 

Even as my income and demand for comfort has increased with age, I still find that I prefer to travel more frequently rather than with more fanciness and that "good enough" really is, simply, good enough for me. I can't wrap my  head around buying more or better stuff (or even wanting that stuff) simply because other people like it or have a different "good enough" threshold than I do.

 

Still I have always enjoyed the rave reviews I read about the Chef's Table. I have never seen anyone complain about it after the fact or say it wasn't worth the $$.

[KmomChicago]

A word about alcohol here.  Like a lot of people I know, I have gone through phases of my life where I took in entirely too much of the stuff.  So much that when I found myself pregnant for the first and only time at age 38, I walked away from it, immediately and absolutely. For the next ten years or so.  There's a little more to the story, as there often is in these situations, but we're already bordering on TMI so that's all I'll say about it. 

 

I mindfully decided a handful of years ago, to determine if I could control myself, and found that I can. A martini making class on Adventure of the Seas reminded me of the consequences of exceeding my max limit of 2 per day, which will be strictly followed on this cruise. The allocation does not roll over but expires every 24 hours if unused, which it often is.

 

So between some new bars on this ship, my propensity to grab a bargain by purchasing whatever is the featured (discounted) drink of the day, and having never tried passenger favorites like the Alchemy bar, I'm open to suggestions. I liked Tigger's hack about the buffet juice with your own hooch in the cabin but don't want to buy a whole bottle.

Edited July 14, 2021 by KmomChicago