Solstice B2B - April 15-29 - Mex Riviera & Pac Coastal

[davekathy]

40 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Lol. Mark says you’re right and I don’t know what I’m talking about. 😂

That's ok, you are having fun and caught up in the moment. 

[DaKahuna]

8 minutes ago, miched said:

That is the hardest part of cruising, preparing for the next meal.   It is so stressful having to get dressed and making it to breakfast before they close    It seems as if you finish one meal  and it is time for another.   Doesn’t give much time to do any drinking.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

I am sorry but there is always time for drinking!  Otherwise you are just doing it wrong. 

[miched]

17 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

I am sorry but there is always time for drinking!  Otherwise you are just doing it wrong. 

 I agree.  I should have written it different.  Thanks for the correction.  😱🤗

 I think the problem was I was enjoying my Sunday HH and not thinking straight and I just got done taking a shower 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited April 23, 2023 by miched

[balisong187]

I'm not much of a photographer but I snagged a couple decent pics of Catalina this morning

 

[balisong187]

And for my fellow Will Ferrell fans out there....

 

[aring75]

Said goodbye to Catalina. Mark and I both really liked this stop. Quaint little town, easy to walk (might rent a golf cart next time), and seems like pretty great weather for most of the year. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

Had dinner at Tuscan Grille again. Posted the menu earlier, but tried a few different things. 
 

Had the antipasti again, but it’s always worth a photo. 
 

 

Went with the filet instead of the ribeye. Last cruise in the Solstice (Aug 2022) the ribeye was about an inch thick. This time is was pretty thin. The filet was a better choice. 
 

 

Asked for the half order of strozzapetti carbonara. Our waiter brought a half order of the lobster rigatoni also. 

 

[aring75]

Had the tiramisu this time. It’s good, but that cookie on the side tastes like a brownie cookie and I could just eat those for dessert and be very happy. 
 

 

[aring75]

Celebrity Today - Day 3 - At Sea

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

Had the Celebrity tote bag waiting for us when we returned from dinner. Didn’t have one last cruise (no big deal, I have multiples and the older ones are quite a bit better). A nice gesture though. 
 

 

 

Spa special. 
 

[balisong187]

We also had Tuscan last night. Great spot by the window looking at the aft wake. Great service too. For me the stars of the show were the desserts, pistachio creme brulee, far better than standard creme brulee in my opinion; the fig gelato was very tasty. If you like fig and gelato, don't hesitate on this one. And the spumoni donuts, Great flavor. We were also blown away by the pork belly appetizer. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good as well. She had the ribeye as well, and like yours it was fairly thin, but had ok flavor. And like you, our waiter brought a half order of the lobster rigatoni. Neither of us were too impressed with that one. I forgot the main dish I ordered but it was just ok also. We'd both be ok with just those desserts any given night though! We normally look forward to formal night (or evening chic or whatever you call it) dinners, but tonight's menu isn't very impressive on paper. Hope it turns out better than we suspect. The next formal night dinner looks much better.

[DaKahuna]

Thanks for posting this.  We will be dining in Tuscan tomorrow night on Millennium and are looking forward to it.

 

 This is just  a personal observation but DE and I both feel the Tiramisu has been ruined in the way it is presented. 

[balisong187]

Alcatraz from our balcony. Can also see Golden Gate Bridge but too far away and hazy to get a good pic with my phone.

[balisong187]

My favorite drink so far, the Elderberry Blush

[Blue Lagoon]

On 4/22/2023 at 8:51 AM, aring75 said:

Flowers delivered at the beginning of the week are still looking pretty nice.
 

Gorgeous!

Was this arrangement sent because of you being a Captains' Club  loyalty member or are you in a suite ?

[aring75]

3 hours ago, Blue Lagoon said:

Gorgeous!

Was this arrangement sent because of you being a Captains' Club  loyalty member or are you in a suite ?

I placed an order ahead of time with Celebrity. This one was called Spring Bouquet (or something like that). The total was $55 and it was delivered on day 2. This is day 10 that we’ve had them and I have only had to throw away one flower so far! They still look great!

[aring75]

Had some slightly elevated seas on our way from Catalina Island to San Francisco. 
 

 

 

 

In my opinion it looked worse than it actually felt on the ship. You could feel some motion, but not too bad. 
 

 

 

They closed the upper decks though. The winds were between 38-49 knots throughout the day. 

[aring75]

Had Murano again last night. We tried to book it for the 1st night discount, but they only had a 9:00pm time slot. When we said “that’s okay, never mind” they offered to give us a different night and still honor the discount. I thought that was pretty great. 
 

 

The chef’s welcome (amuse bouche) was a chilled pear emulsion with crème fraiche and parsley. 
 

 

 

I opted for the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad to start. This is a light, but generous salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, cantaloupe, balsamic drizzle, and Granny Smith apples. I really enjoyed it. 
 

 

 

 

The “surf and turf” combo was so good last time that I had it again. 
 

 

 

This time, instead of garlic mashed potatoes, they had roasted baby fingerling potatoes. I think I like these better. 

[aring75]

For dessert Mark had the pistachio gelato and I opted for the Valhrona chocolate. His was okay. But mine was better. 😁

 

 

 

[aring75]

Woke up this morning in San Francisco. The weather is gorgeous. It’s currently 71 degrees and sunny. 
 

 

 

 

[aring75]

Took a stroll along Pier 39 and the Fisherman’s Wharf area. 
 

 

 

 

 

Lots of fun shops, restaurants, and exhibits along this area. 
 

 

[aring75]

Stopped in for lunch at the Pier Market. Indoors they have seating with a waterfront view. And outside they have tables set up along the walkway with a people watching view. 
 

 

[aring75]

Sorry. Just realized that menu has too much glare and came out blurry. 
 

Here is a link to the website menu if you are curious. 
 

Pier Market San Francisco

[aring75]

They bring warm sourdough rolls to the table to start. Mmmmm.

 

 

We started with the calamari and it was delicious. I have about a 50/50 track record with fried calamari, but this was tender and crispy. Recommend. 
 

[aring75]

Mark ordered a shrimp platter that came with butterflied shrimp, grilled shrimp, and shrimp scampi. 
 

 

 

I had the crab cakes. Everything was really great. (Except the coleslaw needed a little more seasoning.)