Live from The Beyond, March 5th to 12th

[Moochi]

27 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Moochi, just sing out  "Deck 10 please"!

My inner social phobia mutes me in public🤣🤣

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Ripheus said:

 

We saw the OV Bar. It's nice, but we weren't quite ready for a drink at that point. It only took us a few more minutes until we were at the Sunset bar though. I promptly got myself a Pina colada with rum floater and a Mediterranean G&T for DW. The pina colada is always a solid choice. 

 

 

A couple of drink recommendations.  Ask for a “Kracken Colada”.  Another is a Zacapa Old Fashioned.  If you like rum, I think you’ll enjoy those. 
 

[TampaCruiseFamily]

We will be on Beyond in about 3 weeks. I would love to see your show schedule for the week if you can post a pic. 🥰

[Moochi]

Quick post from Craft Social Bar.

 

The Boss Hog caught hubby’s eyes so we checked out the menu. Interesting price there. $30 for a shot of Knob Creek 9? No, thank you.

 

By the way, Don Julio 1942 is $18 over the premium coverage in Eden. It’s a much better deal compared to the whiskey price here. 

 

I got an Oolong Song. To my surprise, it was served warm. It was tasty but too sweet. With all the sweet ingredients already in it, simple syrup wasn’t necessary. 
 

 

 We spotted the Macallan ice press in the background and had to ask which drink is it for, because I love me some big clear big cubes in my Old Fashioneds. As it turns out, they are just decorations for the bar. What a shame! We will be happy to take them!

 

 

 

They have the very cool bottom fill taps. I might force hubby to drink a glass of Heineken aka water plus so I can see how the tap works in real life. 🤣🤣🤣

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Moochi

[STLCRUISIN]

23 hours ago, Ripheus said:

 

Our butler, Simi, is going to be terrific. She's very sharp and unbelievably helpful. We're changing up our tipping strategy this go around, so we have her about half what we're planning on giving her upfront and will disburse the rest over the course of the week. 

 

 

 

You are going to love Simi. She was our butler on the February 19 sailing on Beyond. We met her last October on the Edge when she was a F&B wait staff. Please tell her Dan & Penny said HI. We miss her. 

You're going to enjoy the Retreat and the Beyond!! Everyone treats you very well.

[DaKahuna]

@Moochi Check the World Class Bar.  They use the single large ice cubes there.  Also, the Michael’s Club bartender, Cranston, on Reflection in December 2021 obtained some of them for me and used them in my old fashioned he made for me. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by DaKahuna

[Moochi]

Husband is doing his lazy sea day thing - napping. I will quickly review a few drinks from yesterday before heading to World Class Bar for a pre-dinner drink.

 

After a few drinks here and there yesterday, we finally went to World Class Bar right before the evening show. I ordered a Banana Republic. It has Don Julio reposado, ripe charred banana, and cold brew coffee. It was very delicious. I know rum, banana, and cold brew go very well together because they grow from the same climate, and I often make cocktails with these at home. Now I’ve learned tequila works well here too. Hubby got an Above the Clouds, which is Zacapa XO smoked with applewood. The rum was smoked in a belly decanter to maximize surface area to absorb smoke flavor. What a brilliant idea! I need to start doing that at home. Our smoke chamber was broken during our wedding reception and I didn’t have a chance to buy a new one yet. 
 

 

After the evening show, we went to Eden Bar. I was very excited to try some of their cocktails. From our pre cruise menu study, looks like they cook a lot of their own syrups and shrubs.
 

I ordered an Earth. It was a great drink. The beet shrub really shines through. The flavor reminds me of berries dipped in balsamic vinegar. Husband got a Veldt. It was a beautiful drink, smoked and presented in the little chest, just like on the picture. Flavor wise, I’m not a fan of virdita, so I won’t comment on it.

 

For the second round, I got a Shaman. It has aged rum, Manzanilla, apricot syrup, dry vermouth, and garnished with a sprig of sage and a torched cinnamon stick. I forgot to take a picture of the menu page because at that point I was pretty tipsy! The drink was tasty, I will order it again but not outstanding. Husband saw the Don Julio 1942 bottle and asked about price. It was $18 over what’s included in premium drink package. What a steal! I think he might go back tonight and finish that bottle. 
 

[Loracpin2]

On 3/5/2023 at 2:53 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 We've never stayed at that hotel.  We've stayed almost every time at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port on 17th street, which is a straight shot into the cruise port.  I may have to look into this one although it is much further away from the port.  

 

We also always stay at this.Renaissance. Very convenient to the Port plus we always get excellent customer service. .  .

[Texed]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 Also, the Michael’s Club bartender, Cranston, on Reflection in December 2021 obtained some of them for me and used them in my old fashioned he made for me. 

Cranston to the rescue.  😁

[Moochi]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

@Moochi Check the World Class Bar.  They use the single large ice cubes there.  Also, the Michael’s Club bartender, Cranston, on Reflection in December 2021 obtained some of them for me and used them in my old fashioned he made for me. 

Got the Zacapa Old Fashioned for the evening show. You are right they use big ice cube for the drink. Not clear but good enough. The drink is very delicious. Just right amount of dilution. No wonder it’s a crowd favorite here. 

[miched]

Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Bakers, Bookers,  and Blanton a few years ago were all included in the premium package.    Then they disappeared from the inventory.   Supposedly because of a different supplier.     Knob Creek was used in Whiskey Blu.   When it was replaced by Bulliet it didn’t taste the same and not as good.

Those prices in Craft Social are a little outrageous for those shots.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

We also always stay at this.Renaissance. Very convenient to the Port plus we always get excellent customer service. .  .

 I wish I could say the same.  Post COVID we’ve had issues checking in.  We usually get there early and have been informed our room is not ready.  They take my number but never call.  We usually see others that have been in the lobby getting their keys and then we can go up to the front desk and get ours. 

[Pokeymon]

On 3/4/2023 at 3:27 PM, countess5 said:

It was just called Premium Wine Tasting. Our wine steward in Fine Cut brought it up. I would ask a wine steward when you go to dinner. 
it was held in Tuscan in the afternoon with some outstanding cheeses. 
The wine selection changes but here are the ones we tasted. 

 

 

 

 

 

The pours are nice and there is more given. 
 

Cheers! 

What is the cost of the premium wine tasting?

[Moochi]

1 hour ago, Pokeymon said:

What is the cost of the premium wine tasting?

I think $99pp plus gratuity, or something in that range.

[Moochi]

11 hours ago, miched said:

Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Bakers, Bookers,  and Blanton a few years ago were all included in the premium package.    Then they disappeared from the inventory.   Supposedly because of a different supplier.     Knob Creek was used in Whiskey Blu.   When it was replaced by Bulliet it didn’t taste the same and not as good.

Those prices in Craft Social are a little outrageous for those shots.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

We missed the good old days!

 

I still love the story that my husband told me. When he was in college, about 15 years ago, he bought an entire case of Pappy from the ABC store. Someone special ordered these but never picked them up. Pappy was hard to find in Virginia at the time, but not impossible to buy. I wish he didn’t drink the case, so we would have the money for another cruise! 

[countess5]

1 hour ago, Pokeymon said:

What is the cost of the premium wine tasting?

It was $213 for two people. 
 

Cheers! 

[iTownPrincess]

On 3/5/2023 at 12:54 AM, Moochi said:

We are staying at Renaissance Ft Lauderdale West for the night. It is a 15-20 minutes ride away from the pier or airport, but $150 cheaper than a hotel on Las Olas Blvd. The hotel was recently remodeled, and looks clean and stylish. I like the brass accents in the bedroom, and matte black hardware in the bathroom. I uploaded a picture of the shower. Cute fixture, great bath amenities, and someone did a very nice job installing the tiles on the wall. Best part of the room is, there are power outlets and USB posts everywhere! Very convenient to charge electronics or doing some work. 

 

We sail on the Equinox June 4th and I’ve been having a terrible time choosing a hotel for the night before near the port. The recent reviews are brutal. I think I may follow your lead and book this hotel - maybe a bit of distance from the port is better. We plan to park & sail so I need to check with the hotel to find out if they offer this. I appreciate your post!

[Ripheus]

22 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

On 3/6/2023 at 12:09 PM, Ripheus said:

 

We saw the OV Bar. It's nice, but we weren't quite ready for a drink at that point. It only took us a few more minutes until we were at the Sunset bar though. I promptly got myself a Pina colada with rum floater and a Mediterranean G&T for DW. The pina colada is always a solid choice. 

 

 

Expand  

A couple of drink recommendations.  Ask for a “Kracken Colada”.  Another is a Zacapa Old Fashioned.  If you like rum, I think you’ll enjoy those

I'm an equal opportunity drink connoisseur. I'll definitely try these out. Any particular bar I should try them in? 

[Ripheus]

TL; DR: LGB is good, but skip the steak. 

 

We went to Le Grand Bistro for lunch yesterday. Overall, it was a good meal. We both had the lobster bisque. Not much lobster but tons of flavor. I had mussels; DW had the escargot. They do not skimp on portions. For entrees, DW had the trout. It was tasty, but not quite perfect. I had the steak frites. It was not good. The steak was cooked to the right temperature (medium rare) but it was too mushy. And it seemed like they didn't preseason it at all. So it had no flavor and had the wrong texture. Additionally, it may have been bad meat. After lunch and a beer or two at Craft Social, I started to feel ill. Other than an attempt at going to dinner, I was in the room for the rest of the day. I am eternally grateful to my Dear Wife for being patient with me and am glad too that she was still able to go enjoy herself for the evening while I was indisposed. 

[Moochi]

Finally got to visit Scoops the ice cream place on day 3. It’s a cute and cozy venue. Flavor options are decent. I wish there were separate ice cream and gelato places like on the Millennium so there can be more flavors. I tried hazelnut gelato and cherry brandy ice cream. The hazelnut gelato was delicious. The cherry ice cream was more sherbet than ice cream and the cherries were frozen. Everything there is free of charge.
 

[Natitude61]

1 hour ago, Ripheus said:

TL; DR: LGB is good, but skip the steak. 

 

We went to Le Grand Bistro for lunch yesterday. Overall, it was a good meal. We both had the lobster bisque. Not much lobster but tons of flavor. I had mussels; DW had the escargot. They do not skimp on portions. For entrees, DW had the trout. It was tasty, but not quite perfect. I had the steak frites. It was not good. The steak was cooked to the right temperature (medium rare) but it was too mushy. And it seemed like they didn't preseason it at all. So it had no flavor and had the wrong texture. Additionally, it may have been bad meat. After lunch and a beer or two at Craft Social, I started to feel ill. Other than an attempt at going to dinner, I was in the room for the rest of the day. I am eternally grateful to my Dear Wife for being patient with me and am glad too that she was still able to go enjoy herself for the evening while I was indisposed. 

Ugh…hope you feel better soon. The prime rib on Royal has always had a weird texture also. I wonder if they soups vide some of the meats (for too long) before finishing them on the grill or in the oven.

[Moochi]

1 hour ago, Natitude61 said:

Ugh…hope you feel better soon. The prime rib on Royal has always had a weird texture also. I wonder if they soups vide some of the meats (for too long) before finishing them on the grill or in the oven.

We were wondering the same thing yesterday. It doesn’t make sense to me if they leave the meat in sous vide for too long after it’s cooked. They can store the cooked meat in the fridge, and warm it up quickly in sous vide and then on to the grill. The weird part about that steak is, the color in the center is still very red, but muscle fibers are very broken down. The gray band is thick, almost 1/3 of the steak. It just doesn’t look or taste right to me. I knew not to swallow it but husband just didn’t want to waste food. 

[Ripheus]

1 hour ago, Moochi said:

husband just didn’t want to waste food. 

When it comes to steak at least!

[DaKahuna]

If something does not taste right, I have no qualms about not eating it and asking for something else.  To me food is an important aspect of cruising and just like a drink that does not taste good I am not shy about leaving it and asking for something else. 

[Loracpin2]

21 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 I wish I could say the same.  Post COVID we’ve had issues checking in.  We usually get there early and have been informed our room is not ready.  They take my number but never call.  We usually see others that have been in the lobby getting their keys and then we can go up to the front desk and get ours. 

Possibly my Husband's Lifetime Titanium Elite status might be the reason. He managed to accumulate lots of Marriott points (and United miles) during his pre-retirement career.