Semi Live Review of Drinks and Cocktails on Millennium 4/14

[Moochi]

5 hours ago, dgoz said:

Can you please tell me what vodkas they carry at the martini bar?

Will check out the martini bar tomorrow. It has the disco thing going on right now🤣

[capecodmercury]

52 minutes ago, miched said:

One word of advice.   Don’t tap your card on the bar.   The BTs don’t like it.   They know you are there and will get to you when it is you turn.  If you tap the card they will basically try to ignore you.  It is disrespectful.  
 

I found that patients pays off.   Treat them as you would want to be treated.   They will give you better service if you respect them.  I don’t think anyone will die if they had to wait a few minutes for a drink.   Is it any slower that a land based bar?    I will survive the extra few minutes without one.  

 

On the other hand I cannot tolerate those that try to butt in ahead of everyone else.  If they try to get served before someone else I will speak up and say who is next.  If the BT  mistakingly tries to serve me before someone else that I know was before me I will let them know.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🧋🍸🍻🍻🍹🍺🍷

 

To add to this, if you find a BT or anyone other crew member who really goes above and beyond to serve you, take a few minutes to stop by guest services and let them know you want to commend a crew member.  There is a quick form you can fill out and, in talking to crew, they really appreciate the recognition and it goes in their file and helps when they want to change jobs or get a promotion. 

 

Oh, and always remember, even if you have pre paid gratuities,  a small cash tip to the bartenders is very appreciated and they remember who is treating them right.

[Maddie38]

10 hours ago, miched said:

One BT told me that the best deal on board was the Classic package.   He said that 90% of the drinks that passengers order are in the Classic Pack.   Unless you ask for a premium liquor the drink  will be made with well spirits.   Almost every drink at the pool is classic   All of the drinks in the theater are classic and etc    The only place you get a premium Martini is at the Martini bar unless you ask for a premium liquor.  

I'm quite surprised by this - we had the premium package last cruise because DH liked the whiskey selection better. His family who was cruising with us did not get the premium. They always had to sign for the extra few dollars in order to get the same wine as us and even my favorite - baileys and coffee after dinner. I tried not to give them my told you so face 😈

[39august]

The wines are better in the premium package and of course, Bailey's. Other than that, i believe that bartender is correct. They make the cocktails with well liquor unless you specify your premium liquor when you order

[miched]

1 hour ago, Maddie38 said:

I'm quite surprised by this - we had the premium package last cruise because DH liked the whiskey selection better. His family who was cruising with us did not get the premium. They always had to sign for the extra few dollars in order to get the same wine as us and even my favorite - baileys and coffee after dinner. I tried not to give them my told you so face 😈

90% refers to the drinks they serve overall.  It doesn’t mean that every person does that.   If you order a spirit that is on the premium list you will get it, same as the wine.  If you order a Manhattan and don’t specify what brand you will get a well spirit.  Even though you may have the Premium Pack they will serve from the well..  The same with bottled water.   If you ask for a bottle of water you will get the water from  the classic unless you ask for what is in the premium.  
 

if you order a Cosmo you will get the one that is served during the Happy Hour.   It is made with well spirits and in the smaller glass.   The only place that serves the premium Cosmo is the Martini Bar.  You could get a premium style Cosmo at the other bars but you have to specify how you want it made and they may not have those ingredients. .  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🍻🍷🥤🥂🍸🧋🍹🍺

[Moochi]

Day 2 AM report. The ship is docked at key west today. 
 

I had an Apple spritz with breakfast at Luminae. It didn’t come with the slice orange but the drink was very tasty. X has a great selection of bubbles. 
 

we got a rum tasting at the Hemingway rum company, the distillery makes papa’s Pilar rum. It was a fun tour and the rum was quite good.

 

we stopped at sloppy joes next door for a drink before headed back to the ship. I ordered a Hemingway daiquiri and was pretty sure got a mojito instead. It was a great mojito, just a bit sweeter than my preference. OP ordered a dark n stormy. Oh boy that drink was strong! (OP: But well made and super tasty!)

 

[mhoffrob]

The bartenders are probaly right about hte classic package from their point of view - but they don't see how it affects wine ordering in the Dining Room.  At any rate - everybody knows how and what they drink and can make their own choices.

[Ripheus]

Early PM report: Moochi and I shared a few drinks at the Sunset Bar. The Bella Cera was just as tasty today, even though they were out of the 23yo rum. Moochi had the Sunset Pina Colada again. I also had another Pina Colada too. Very frozen, very alcoholic. We finally got back to our room at the very late time of 130pm. Surprise, surprise....our butler brought us another bottle of Perrier-Joulet and a small decanter of Patron Reposado! What a perfect tequila to accompany a few bottles of Corona. 

[Moochi]

4 hours ago, miched said:

90% refers to the drinks they serve overall.  It doesn’t mean that every person does that.   If you order a spirit that is on the premium list you will get it, same as the wine.  If you order a Manhattan and don’t specify what brand you will get a well spirit.  Even though you may have the Premium Pack they will serve from the well..  The same with bottled water.   If you ask for a bottle of water you will get the water from  the classic unless you ask for what is in the premium.  
 

if you order a Cosmo you will get the one that is served during the Happy Hour.   It is made with well spirits and in the smaller glass.   The only place that serves the premium Cosmo is the Martini Bar.  You could get a premium style Cosmo at the other bars but you have to specify how you want it made and they may not have those ingredients. .  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🍻🍷🥤🥂🍸🧋🍹🍺

We are so excited to finally try out Martini Bar today. It opens in 10 minutes and we will be there waiting for the bartender to start🤣🤣🤣

 

I planned to have an afternoon report before dinner but OP was too excited to talk about his in-room corona with tequila.😅

We had lunch at sushi on 5.  Mr. OP had sake and I had two Asian fusion cocktails. Zen Milk Bath is an adult version of iced matcha latte. I have never had any similar cocktail and enjoyed it very much. The only complaint is that it was not double stained and I had to use my upper lip and front teeth to keep the ice chips out. I then had a Tea Leaf. They drink was, wow, by far my favorite on the cruise. It has clean taste, refreshing, fragrant, floral, low ABV, not too sweet, and very easy to go down. I might go back to sushi 5 just for that drink. 
 

I’m having troubles uploading the pictures. Zen Milk Bath ($12) has sake, vanilla vodka, green tea liquor, and milk. Tea leaf ($15) has sake, citrus vodka, st germain, and green tea. Both are served up in a coupe.

 

 

[sdnich]

I am curious about the Champagne and Tequila (both I love)did your Butler just bring it or did you order? 

[Moochi]

On 4/14/2022 at 5:59 PM, dgoz said:

Can you please tell me what vodkas they carry at the martini bar?

I took a picture but can’t upload it. 
Tito’s, pearl, absolute, white goose

Flavored vodka: absolute raspberry, absolute mandarin, absolute mango, absolute citron, absolute ruby red, absolute vanilla, and a bunch of grey goose that I don’t recognize. An impressive collection there!

[Moochi]

Evening recap for day two.

 

We finally went to Martini Bar. The good: drinks on the menu were solid; the bartenders were constantly interacting with the customers and showing the impressive tricks; the riedel extreme martini glasses were great; the icy bar top was fun. The not so good: everything was shaken and not double strained; they didn’t have my choice of ingredients for a classic martini, gunpowder or botanist gin, dolin dry vermouth, and lemon twist.

 

We were pretty buzzed after sunset bar and martini bar, so decided to only have wine with dinner to give liver a break. We each had only one glass with meal, and shared a glass of port with dessert.
 

Now we are sitting in the cabin enjoying the champagne. Oh the water glass in the cabin is great for champagne, much better than a flute.

[Ripheus]

40 minutes ago, sdnich said:

I am curious about the Champagne and Tequila (both I love)did your Butler just bring it or did you order? 

The champagne was in the room when we arrived yesterday...and much to our (pleasant) surprise was replenished this morning. Our mini fridge is stocked with minis of Tito's, a couple of wine splits, and sodas. We didn't pay extra for a bar setup, but we've definitely taken advantage of it. Neither Moochi nor I are fans of vodka, but we do quite enjoy tequila. We mentioned to our butler that we would very much appreciate tequila instead of vodka, and he went above and beyond to get it for us. Any tequila would have been nice, but the Patron he got is really quite nice. 

[Ripheus]

Moochi and I had a wonderful breakfast at Luminae and gave our livers a brief respite. But it was short lived... 

 

Moochi is really in the mood for a boulevardier, but we can't find any sweet vermouth other than Martini Rossi. As an alternative, we've found that the Retreat Lounge carries both Drambuie and scotch; so we ordered a Rusty Nail. It's a little heavy on the Drambuie and could use a peatier scotch, but I think we're both happy with it. 

[miched]

12 hours ago, Ripheus said:

The champagne was in the room when we arrived yesterday...and much to our (pleasant) surprise was replenished this morning. Our mini fridge is stocked with minis of Tito's, a couple of wine splits, and sodas. We didn't pay extra for a bar setup, but we've definitely taken advantage of it. Neither Moochi nor I are fans of vodka, but we do quite enjoy tequila. We mentioned to our butler that we would very much appreciate tequila instead of vodka, and he went above and beyond to get it for us. Any tequila would have been nice, but the Patron he got is really quite nice. 

If you don’t have the Drinks and More package you may be charged for those small bottles of Titos.   The stuff in the mini  bar isn’t included in a SS.   There are a few items  that may be free but clear it with the butler.   They have offered the beer, soft drinks, and bottled water but the wine splits and small bottles of liquor weren’t included.   There is a mini bar menu near the fridge that list the prices.    The Pringle’s and Kind Bars also have a charge.  
 

The butler seen me carrying a glass of bourbon.  He asked what it was.   Every night there was a glass sitting on the table.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🍺🥂🍸🍷🍻🍹🧋🥤

[Moochi]

1 hour ago, miched said:

If you don’t have the Drinks and More package you may be charged for those small bottles of Titos.   The stuff in the mini  bar isn’t included in a SS.   There are a few items  that may be free but clear it with the butler.   They have offered the beer, soft drinks, and bottled water but the wine splits and small bottles of liquor weren’t included.   There is a mini bar menu near the fridge that list the prices.    The Pringle’s and Kind Bars also have a charge.  
 

The butler seen me carrying a glass of bourbon.  He asked what it was.   Every night there was a glass sitting on the table.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🍺🥂🍸🍷🍻🍹🧋🥤

Thank you! We will check with the butler about the large bottle of champagne. It was nice to have a refill everyday but I would rather walk to the bar if I had to pay for it!

[Moochi]

Your picky cocktail drinker Moochi is back for the retreat sundeck drink review.

 

I ordered a Between the Lines. It looks like a highball riff for Between the Sheets. I like how it specified the ingredients on the menu. What did I get? The tall glass on the left. It looks and tastes nothing about an aged rum and cognac. Way too much lime juice and way too much simple syrup with white rum. A hint of mint was a nice touch.

 

OP ordered a Peuchaud’s Paloma, the glass on the right. Judging from the color, there was very little Peuchauds bitters in it. OP liked the drink a lot and ordered a second. 
 

Both drinks were not bad. However when I order drinks, I really hope to get it exactly what I ordered. Just like when I order a ribeye at a restaurant and get a nice New York strip. Would I eat it? Yes! Would I be happy? Not exactly.

 

What we suspect what’s going on is, for a lot of drinks, the ship doesn’t have half of the ingredients listed on the menu. It’s okay and we understand that. But, the bartenders need to tell us and we either order a different drink or tell them the substitutes. The bartenders don’t say anything and make the drink however they want with whatever ingredients they have on hand, and we get a completely different drink.

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by Moochi

[miched]

31 minutes ago, Moochi said:

Thank you! We will check with the butler about the large bottle of champagne. It was nice to have a refill everyday but I would rather walk to the bar if I had to pay for it!

The bottle of Champaign is included and you should have also received a bottle of wine from you when you registered to prepare your suite by thru the email you should have received before the cruise

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 and drink up 🧋🍻🥤🍺🍸🍷🍹🥂

[as3369]

Great reviews of your cocktails!  

[LGW59]

18 minutes ago, as3369 said:

Great reviews of your cocktails!  

Yes a “refreshing “ change from photos of burgers, pudding and bread. Also love that you include the recipes/ingredients.

Edited April 17, 2022 by LGW59

[ZipGirl]

Best bar on a Celebrity cruise was the World Class bar on S class ships. That's where skilled cocktails were made and it was little trafficked. Became our go to bar. Otherwise, I don't expect great craft cocktails on a cruise ship. It's a little like expecting 5 star cuisine on a cruise ship. When many, many people must be served the quality suffers. But then again, I was happy with almost every call drink I asked for in the premium package. Looking forward to my summit cruise in July. Just wish for it had a World Class Bar. 

[capecodmercury]

28 minutes ago, ZipGirl said:

Best bar on a Celebrity cruise was the World Class bar on S class ships. That's where skilled cocktails were made and it was little trafficked. Became our go to bar. 

 

I can definitely agree on the World Class Bar.  I still am trying to perfect an aged Rum old fashion that matches the Zacapa one they serve.  We loved heading there after the shows for a quiet drink. You could always find a seat and actually have a conversation.   

 

That being said, the Martini Bar was our favorite for a pre dinner cocktail.   Just a lot of fun and the bartenders were always fun. I am enough of an uncouth barbarian not to mind a shaken Martini and I spent many nights working through the gin list.

[Chriskoo]

@Moochi I’m really enjoying your drink reviews! I don’t have discerning taste like you do but I’m working on it, it’s neat seeing the celebrity bars though your lens.

[DevilinaBluDress]

40 minutes ago, capecodmercury said:

 

I can definitely agree on the World Class Bar.  I still am trying to perfect an aged Rum old fashion that matches the Zacapa one they serve.  We loved heading there after the shows for a quiet drink. You could always find a seat and actually have a conversation.   

 

That being said, the Martini Bar was our favorite for a pre dinner cocktail.   Just a lot of fun and the bartenders were always fun. I am enough of an uncouth barbarian not to mind a shaken Martini and I spent many nights working through the gin list.

Here's the recipe for the Zacapa old fashioned, my favorite drink from the WCB

[CruiseDoc79]

On 4/13/2022 at 5:46 PM, Ripheus said:

Free Cosmo and the OG Manhattan at Harbor wood inside our hotel, Hyatt Centric Las Ola's. Both tasty and surprisingly affordable. 

We had the same drinks before our Feb cruise on Apex!