Saint Greg’s Carnival Celebration - Live - November 27-December 4, 2022

[Megan_Strick]

4 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Ever since the hub app got updated last night it’s been alerting me. Even if I were on the ship, that’s 7 hours from now. Even if I were on eastern time that’s 6 hours from now…

I started getting random alerts too and I've been off my cruise since Sept.

[Saint Greg]

26 minutes ago, Megan_Strick said:

I started getting random alerts too and I've been off my cruise since Sept.

 

I just deleted the app. I'll bring it back in a couple months...which will be on a new phone.

[Saint Greg]

Oh I didn't tell you about my mail hold situation. Backstory. My mail hold is so bad. I submit it online and in person to hopefully make sure they get it. This time I only did online. I couldn't do in person because Thanksgiving.

 

I get home and my box is loaded. Jam packed loaded. So I had a feeling they didn't hold my mail at all. Yesterday I went by the post office just to make sure. Because I have seen trips where they held it one day and delivered all the other days. They didn't have anything for me. No mail hold.

[CruisinMama2003]

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Oh I didn't tell you about my mail hold situation. Backstory. My mail hold is so bad. I submit it online and in person to hopefully make sure they get it. This time I only did online. I couldn't do in person because Thanksgiving.

 

I get home and my box is loaded. Jam packed loaded. So I had a feeling they didn't hold my mail at all. Yesterday I went by the post office just to make sure. Because I have seen trips where they held it one day and delivered all the other days. They didn't have anything for me. No mail hold.

 Such a simple thing that they just cant seem to get right! So annoying 🤬

[Saint Greg]

On 12/6/2022 at 1:32 AM, CruizinSusan70 said:

Thanks for the review Greg.  Looking forward to our 5 days on the Celebration in January and then our 14 in September.

So, you lose DeGrom and gain Verlander.  Sounds like an upgrade to me.  But the Phils got Trea Turner, 11 years & 300 million.

Now adding Kodai Senga along with Verlander is helping ease my pain. And the rumor is we’ll go hard after Ohtani next year.

 

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1504830464741228563?s=20&t=RXMUjYWokidZTCpsqFeY_A

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Saint Greg

[ZoeyVictoria]

On 12/8/2022 at 4:48 PM, Saint Greg said:

Oh I didn't tell you about my mail hold situation. Backstory. My mail hold is so bad. I submit it online and in person to hopefully make sure they get it. This time I only did online. I couldn't do in person because Thanksgiving.

 

I get home and my box is loaded. Jam packed loaded. So I had a feeling they didn't hold my mail at all. Yesterday I went by the post office just to make sure. Because I have seen trips where they held it one day and delivered all the other days. They didn't have anything for me. No mail hold.

Literally every time we cruise, we get home to find random mail from one or two days during the supposed hold, but nothing the day the accumulated mail is supposed to be delivered. I leave a post-it note on the outside of our mailbox (one of 38 in a cluster).  The note is always gone, but it happens again the next time.  

[sid_9169]

Looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do... I also deleted the Hub app this morning, since I no longer have any Carnival cruises booked.

[Saint Greg]

Today is finally the breakthrough day! My cough started to go away yesterday..I think partially out of fear because I had the absolute worst sore throat ever yesterday. Last night I went to Wendy’s and put a frosty on that and it had healing powers. Because today the sore throat is gone. The cough is gone. I’m in that stage where my voice sounds weird and I’m sweating more than normal. This is it I think.

 

For anyone who is bored this weekend I’m going to have my newest installment of Saint Greg’s NOLA trips on the New Orleans board. A new hotel for me me…The Jung Hotel on Canal street. And I’ve been craving crabmeat au gratin recently so that will definitely be on the menu Sunday. Other than that it’s Magic in like 8 weeks.

 

 

 

 

[#55worktoplay]

Sucks that you not only got back to cold weather and a nasty viral thing going on. I hope you continue to feel better

 

P.S. Your car dash looks very familiar. 

[bluetardis]

Glad you are on the road to recovery

[Hogladyrider]

@Saint Greg...so glad to hear you are feeling better.

[Saint Greg]

On 11/26/2022 at 9:23 PM, CruizinSusan70 said:

You could do a taste comparison with the cafecito at the Havana Bar on the Celebration.

 

I'm just now seeing this. I didn't do that but I have had cuban coffee at the havana bar on either Vista or Panorama and it's not close to the same. I don't think they do the sugar. And even if they tried I don't think it's the same sugar.

[rtfnl]

Hi St. Greg. We have decided to do the beer tasting on the Celebration. How much was it? Thank you. 

[Saint Greg]

39 minutes ago, rtfnl said:

Hi St. Greg. We have decided to do the beer tasting on the Celebration. How much was it? Thank you. 

It was about $27-28. But with cheers a got a discount where it was like $21.

[rtfnl]

Thank you

[obx_fintoo]

On 11/30/2022 at 10:24 PM, Thenagers said:

I am noticing that you keep coming back to this? I have heard mixed reviews? I’m a southern girl. Is the biscuit not good? I have only heard raves for the chicken. 

 

On 12/1/2022 at 12:04 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

I'll share my experience from January.  The chicken sandwiches were fantastic, right up there with cfila.  The biscuit and honey something at breakfast was really disappointing to me.

 

  Just have to chime in on this discussion.  The bread that is called a biscuit is not.  But, it's ok as bread.  We got to the point where we could enjoy this if we called it chicken and breakfast bread.  😎  It's a mind trick!  

 

Great review as always, Greg!  Thanks for your hard work!  Happy New Year to all!

[Saint Greg]

On 12/28/2022 at 2:53 PM, obx_fintoo said:

 

  Just have to chime in on this discussion.  The bread that is called a biscuit is not.  But, it's ok as bread.  We got to the point where we could enjoy this if we called it chicken and breakfast bread.  😎  It's a mind trick!  

 

Great review as always, Greg!  Thanks for your hard work!  Happy New Year to all!

 

It's definitely different. Sometimes it feels like I'm eating cornbread. It doesn't taste like cornbread. But I guess the texture. It breaks up like cornbread does.

[MarySueSays]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:59 AM, Saint Greg said:

 

I'm just now seeing this. I didn't do that but I have had cuban coffee at the havana bar on either Vista or Panorama and it's not close to the same. I don't think they do the sugar. And even if they tried I don't think it's the same sugar.

The sugar is the same, it's the espresso prep that's the problem. Cafecito is usually made with a moka pot stovetop espresso percolator, and in the Havana Bar they pull a shot from a pressure machine (like they do in that Mermaid Icon place). The espuma is a different texture. 

Source: I drank a bunch of cafecitos in the Havana Bar on Panorama in November, and even more at my titi's place over the decades. The ones at the Havana Bar are good, but not the same. 

[Saint Greg]

48 minutes ago, MarySueSays said:

The sugar is the same, it's the espresso prep that's the problem. Cafecito is usually made with a moka pot stovetop espresso percolator, and in the Havana Bar they pull a shot from a pressure machine (like they do in that Mermaid Icon place). The espuma is a different texture. 

Source: I drank a bunch of cafecitos in the Havana Bar on Panorama in November, and even more at my titi's place over the decades. The ones at the Havana Bar are good, but not the same. 

Demerara sugar. That’s what they use in Little Havana. Wasn’t a fan of the Panorama Cuban coffee the one time I tried it.  Really didn’t taste like it had sugar in it. Or coffee. It was like warm milk. Only tried it once because they open too late for coffee.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Saint Greg

[MarySueSays]

8 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Demerara sugar. That’s what they use in Little Havana. Wasn’t a fan of the Panorama Cuban coffee the one time I tried it.  Really didn’t taste like it had sugar in it. Only tried it once because they open too late for coffee.

 

 

 

Might not have had demera sugar the time you were there. They definitely had it in November on my B2B and Ryan spent a lot of time mixing the espuma con el azucar. 

[Saint Greg]

4 minutes ago, MarySueSays said:

Might not have had demera sugar the time you were there. They definitely had it in November on my B2B and Ryan spent a lot of time mixing the espuma con el azucar. 

It was 2020 when I had the coffee there. Just tasted like warm milk. 

[obx_fintoo]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:23 AM, Saint Greg said:

My next one is in two months on Magic out of Port Canaveral. Not my favorite ship. Not my favorite port. But this cruise was booked two years ago. I booked it for the ports. Actually I was supposed to go this route on Breeze in 2020. Then again in 2021. Both were canceled.

I booked this to replace those. St Kitts and St Maarten will be new ports for me. I believe I have the prepaid highly discounted cheers package on that one as well as a a steak house and cucina at the old prices and 20% off internet from last springs spa sale.  I think i have 700-800 OBC again. 
 

Maria from both of my 2018 Dream cruises and my 2021 Mardi Gras will be on Magic. So that’s cool. My all-time favorite stewart Rafael should still be there. Unfortunately my room is a couple down from his section. I tried to move after New York but his section was booked.

 

 

The Magic needs some love, but they were painting over some of the rust spots when we were on.  The steakhouse was great!  Very attentive staff, quick service and food was delish!  

 

Also, look for Mirela at Alchemy.  She was amazing.  She was actually working the Casino 4 Annex bar on our cruise but it was a rotation, she is normally at Alchemy - which was always packed!

 

Cheers!

[Saint Greg]

10 minutes ago, obx_fintoo said:

The Magic needs some love, but they were painting over some of the rust spots when we were on.  The steakhouse was great!  Very attentive staff, quick service and food was delish!  

 

Also, look for Mirela at Alchemy.  She was amazing.  She was actually working the Casino 4 Annex bar on our cruise but it was a rotation, she is normally at Alchemy - which was always packed!

 

Cheers!

 

Yeah I just had a lot of problems on Magic in both 2019 and this year. A lot of dining problems. Mostly MDR problems. I think the steakhouse has always been good. In September Cucina was over 30 minutes late seating me. I have both booked this time. And I'm not a fan of PC. The airport isn't close. All of the hotels are $400 and up this time. Even the garbage ones. There's nothing I want to do there that's worth me spending 400 on a hotel room. I'm flying in on embarkation day and this will probably be my last PC cruise.

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Saint Greg

[ninjacat123]

Saint Greg, do you post the MDR menus sequentially?  I'm trying to find the current menus for an 8 day cruise.  We are on Magic in January but I figure it would be the same on most ships.  Thanks!!

[Saint Greg]

55 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Saint Greg, do you post the MDR menus sequentially?  I'm trying to find the current menus for an 8 day cruise.  We are on Magic in January but I figure it would be the same on most ships.  Thanks!!

Yeah. At the link below you have a 7 and 14 day celebration MDR menus. As I just finished posting my magic Bermuda cruise on my website, I was pulling menus from this page to post in it. They are the same. What can be different is the order.
 

I think you’ll find the first and last day to be the same. It doesn’t seem to matter what the length of the cruise is, you’ll get the menu with the baked Alaska the last night.

 

The two elegant night menus will be the same but your second elegant night may be a different night. Lobster is now the second elegant night. The big question is when they work that 8th menu in. I can tell you from my 8-day glory cruise the 8th menu was the one that has Michigan pasty as an appetizer. 
 

I have all of the pictures from my 8 day glory in March. I’m going to give you in order an item from the entree menu. They seem to match up with my 7-day celebration menus. And the 8th day is day 8 on the 14 day celebration menus. But it was day 6 because day 7 is elegant and day 8 is the last night so it has to have baked Alaska.

 

1 S&S shrimp

2 Lobster night but now they’ve flipped it so should be filet night

3 Baked Ziti

4 linguini 

5 lasagna

6 seafood newburg (8th menu on the 14 day)

7 2nd elegant should be lobster now

8 penne mariscos

 

Here is where you will find all of the menus.

 

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/celebration-mdr-menus/