Review of our 1/14-1/28 Riviera cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, rbtan said:

Keith saw broken glass in the water at the "resort". Not a  nice stop.

Correct- that place sucked. But (then again), for the most part, the Dominican Republic is a “poster child” for third world. What a contrast to the last minute addition of Tortola. An overnight in the BVIs would’ve been my preference.

[ORV]

11 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Agreed! The Jacque Pepin “standards” on the GDR menu are there solely to address the desires of “less adventurous” eaters. 

 

Well, I wouldn't put it in those terms. There are times when you're just tired of "rich" food and want something simple. Or perhaps you've had a bit of a stomach bug, or are adjusting to change in food. More than one reason to order plain food. 

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We never order things on a ship or in a restaurant that we can make (or get) at home.  Love rotisserie chicken, but would have to be desperate to order it on board.  Similarly, the much touted Wagyu burgers on Oceania aren't as good as what I grill at home, so it was one and done despite the great reviews here.  I'm sure you can find at least one disappointing menu item on even the luxury cruise ships – there's no reason to let it ruin your cruise, just don't order it!

I'm guessing you didn't try the Jacques chicken in the GDR? I didn't for years, then tried it once and was pleasantly surprised. Desperate is a little extreme. But we all do what works for us. 

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Food is very subjective

 Not everyone will like the same dishes 

Just try what appeals to your tastes

 

 

 

Have to agree with Lyn here. You know what they say about opinions. Although I do agree about the Wagyu burgers. Then again, I live in beef country, and the steaks we get at our local store and cook on the grill are generally better than anything I've had in Polo. I usually don't order steak in any restaurant(land included) and could be why I usually rank PG 4th on my list of Specialties. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 minutes ago, ORV said:

 

Well, I wouldn't put it in those terms. There are times when you're just tired of "rich" food and want something simple. Or perhaps you've had a bit of a stomach bug, or are adjusting to change in food. More than one reason to order plain food. 

I'm guessing you didn't try the Jacques chicken in the GDR? I didn't for years, then tried it once and was pleasantly surprised. Desperate is a little extreme. But we all do what works for us. 

Have to agree with Lyn here. You know what they say about opinions. Although I do agree about the Wagyu burgers. Then again, I live in beef country, and the steaks we get at our local store and cook on the grill are generally better than anything I've had in Polo. I usually don't order steak in any restaurant(land included) and could be why I usually rank PG 4th on my list of Specialties. 

Don’t get me started in trying to find TriTip east of the Rockies.

[Jayne E]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Correct- that place sucked. But (then again), for the most part, the Dominican Republic is a “poster child” for third world. What a contrast to the last minute addition of Tortola. An overnight in the BVIs would’ve been my preference.

Dominican Republic was included in Caribbean itineraries and St. Martin removed starting with 2020 season.  Having been to DR, I emailed several O departments with disappointment in an “upper end” line porting in DR at a dock owned by Carnival. 
Of course, no response. 

[MEFIowa]

48 minutes ago, ORV said:

 

...Then again, I live in beef country, and the steaks we get at our local store and cook on the grill are generally better than anything I've had in Polo. I usually don't order steak in any restaurant (land included) and could be why I usually rank PG 4th on my list of Specialties. 

Though being from a State of corn-fed beef that is also "next to" Omaha Steaks, I found the 32-oz Porterhouse steak at the Polo Grill to be quite delicious and quite the presentation. (And my wife couldn't believe I ate all the beef.) 

[MEFIowa]

1 minute ago, Jayne E said:

Dominican Republic was included in Caribbean itineraries and St. Martin removed starting with 2020 season.  Having been to DR, I emailed several O departments with disappointment in an “upper end” line porting in DR at a dock owned by Carnival.

Just curious, ever been to Santo Tomas, Guatemala? Quite the industrial port with the cranes working all the time just off the stern. Someone on board told me his 90+ year old father, a Merchant Marine WW II vet, loved it. Everyone else I talked to, not so much.

[rbtan]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

You could have sent it back & asked  for something else 🤔

 

Ask for the sauce on the side  or just a small amount of sauce

 

On a luxury line we tried   everything seemed to be smothered in sauce or gravy  YUCK

 probably to cover up the poor quality of the food

 

It was decent enough not to send back. As to the Chicken. Thee was a rest. in Boston called Hammersly Bistro. People came from near & far to have their Rotisserie chicken. Nothing like it on the planet! To bad he retire a few years back.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Just curious, ever been to Santo Tomas, Guatemala? Quite the industrial port with the cranes working all the time just off the stern. Someone on board told me his 90+ year old father, a Merchant Marine WW II vet, loved it. Everyone else I talked to, not so much.

Plenty of US working ports to choose from. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

53 minutes ago, rbtan said:

It was decent enough not to send back. As to the Chicken. Thee was a rest. in Boston called Hammersly Bistro. People came from near & far to have their Rotisserie chicken. Nothing like it on the planet! To bad he retire a few years back.

Was that the roast chicken recipe with more garlic stuffed under the skin that you can imagine?  I had that in 2004 – it was wonderful!  😁

[ORV]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Though being from a State of corn-fed beef that is also "next to" Omaha Steaks, I found the 32-oz Porterhouse steak at the Polo Grill to be quite delicious and quite the presentation. (And my wife couldn't believe I ate all the beef.) 

I've just never wanted to eat two pounds of steak. I'm good in the 8-12 ounce range. I've had the Filet in there various times and it ranged from ok to really good. I got a ribeye once that was pretty much gristle. Since then I've pretty much gone for the filet when we're in PG. By the time I've had an app and sides I'm pretty full. We generally skip dessert there. Having been there many times I've pretty much had all of the desserts and save my sweets for something else during the day. I usually gain about a pound a day on Oceania. That's with walking everyday and taking stairs. Anytime I can pass some extra sweets I do, but that's not real often. 

[ORV]

18 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Was that the roast chicken recipe with more garlic stuffed under the skin that you can imagine?  I had that in 2004 – it was wonderful!  😁

There's a restaurant in Tulsa called RedRock Canyon Grill that has fantastic roast chicken. 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Was that the roast chicken recipe with more garlic stuffed under the skin that you can imagine?  I had that in 2004 – it was wonderful!  😁

The French  for simple foods in a way like no other  Chicken  and Duck being some standouts.    Lapin and Pigon being others ....    The underlying premise is get a good product and don't screw it up   Don't   hide it with spice... A good roast and herb rub  is tough to beat ......simple can be better  

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Plenty of US working ports to choose from. 

A word....   feed back from a WW II  sailor that he  loved it....   one needs to consider just what he loved..... and it was not the  cuisine and museum folks.     Things , shall I say more stimulating and personal.....   

Longopo in Subic Bay  may have had that "charm"  and the same stimulating interactions I suspect    The mere mention of that oasis brings back vivid memories which are best never shared................... Im'  Barnacle Bill. the sailor...I just got paid and wanna  get..........    ) but hey this is a family site)

[MEFIowa]

10 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

... Longopo in Subic Bay  may have had that "charm"  and the same stimulating interactions I suspect    The mere mention of that oasis brings back vivid memories which are best never shared...................

Though I suspect few have experienced the "charm" of Subic Bay so much as those of us who were there in 1991 immediately before, during, and after the Mt. Pinatubo volcano explosion... I left when the creaky old USS Midway (God bless her leaking hull!) took out thousands of us evacuees. It was as if a place like Clark AB and Subic NS utterly ceased to exist as they once had. But I still also have my old Nipa Hut wood drinking container from Angeles City.

 

[The son of the Vet told me his dad loved watching the cranes move containers. The noise and movement just reminded him of his Merchant Marine days. As Freud might've said, "Sometimes an industrial port and its cranes are just that, an industrial port with cranes.]

[rbtan]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Was that the roast chicken recipe with more garlic stuffed under the skin that you can imagine?  I had that in 2004 – it was wonderful!  😁

Not sure. Gordon had a "Salamander" to "quick" roast the chicken. There would be a pan to catch all the juices. He would marinate the chiken breast in those juices with all his ingredients. The Garlic was roasted cloves on the dish. You'd eat those & they were wonderful. "Hammersley Bistro" was in the south end of Boston. I know he had a cook book that was popular in the area. Chefs in Boston would come there to eat. That really says something. You'd always see him in his kitchen wearing his Red Sox cap. It was French Provence cooking at it's finest.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

A word....   feed back from a WW II  sailor that he  loved it....   one needs to consider just what he loved..... and it was not the  cuisine and museum folks.     Things , shall I say more stimulating and personal.....   

Longopo in Subic Bay  may have had that "charm"  and the same stimulating interactions I suspect    The mere mention of that oasis brings back vivid memories which are best never shared................... Im'  Barnacle Bill. the sailor...I just got paid and wanna  get..........    ) but hey this is a family site)

Though not a Navy guy, I spent some time in Subic Bay before it became a resort area.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, ORV said:

There's a restaurant in Tulsa called RedRock Canyon Grill that has fantastic roast chicken. 

As my eight year old granddaughter always says: “Chicken? Again?”

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Though not a Navy guy, I spent some time in Subic Bay before it became a resort area.

I wont ever admit actually being there in the 60"s ..... I knew a guy who knew a guy. who told me !!!!!!      It was the last resort so to speak ...... they say

 

  However, the volcano  destroying the area in years later , it  seemed biblical and reminiscent of Sodom and Gomora's    demise........  

[Cape Hernlopen]

Dear Fellow Cruisers:

Santo Tomas is an industrial/working port area that is difficult  (and dangerous) to walk around.  The exit is gated with a guard and it is best to take a sanctioned tour.  There is a warehouse with a small craft market (good cup of local coffee at the stand) only open during port visits.  There is nothing to see or do in the town.  There are two ruin sites to visit that are 1-3 hours away by car depending on the traffic.  The roads are in poor condition and very crowded.  It is an experience!

Joel Barry

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, Cape Hernlopen said:

Santo Tomas is an industrial/working port area ... It is an experience!

Wife and I so thankful we did a Go With Gus excursion to Livingston & up the Rio Dulce to see various Mayan villages. Their small boat right at the bow of Riviera waiting for us at the pier. As we're all next to the small Guatemalan Navy Base there. Quite the experience. And quite the exposure to poverty in C. America. Did buy a very bright Gallo beer t-shirt from the craft market. (Santo Tomas is essentially a part of Puerto Barrios. Heard from a couple passengers who did a driving tour of the area. A few others did a driving excursion to the Castille de San Felipe de Lara that is also on the Rio Dulce.)

[AlexCherie]

On 2/4/2022 at 12:15 PM, basor said:

...duck and watermelon salad, sea bass and lamb in Red Ginger ...

 

All three of these are mind-bending experiences.

Also, even if you've never enjoyed hot tea like me ... take a sip of the Orchid Vanilla tea and the a bite of the Bounty Cake. It will leave you mumbling for an hour. It's like combining your favorite claret with a bite of great beef.

[rbtan]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:30 PM, MEFIowa said:

Though being from a State of corn-fed beef that is also "next to" Omaha Steaks, I found the 32-oz Porterhouse steak at the Polo Grill to be quite delicious and quite the presentation. (And my wife couldn't believe I ate all the beef.) 

So now she says "Where's the beef"? This was Keith's gag, not mine. He said it originated as a TV ad well before I came from Singapore.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, rbtan said:

... "Where's the beef"? This was Keith's gag, not mine. He said it originated as a TV ad well before I came from Singapore.

Wendy’s TV commercial in the mid ‘80s

[rbtan]

20 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Wendy’s TV commercial in the mid ‘80s

Yes!

[DENIE]

Thanks for this post rbtan!  Looking forward to all the wonderful food.  I'll be sure to read you review as well!  We will be on the Riviera in June 2022 (Opulent Mediterranean!).

Edited February 15, 2022 by DENIE