**Live** MSC Seascape 9/21-9/28 & 9/28-10/5 Caribbean Cruise

[DaKahuna]

Tonight was Italian night.

 

My DW started with the Tri-Color salad

 

 

Edison started me with Champagne 

 

 

and I had the Minestrone Ginovese

 

 

and them also bring the Fried Seafood for us to share

 

 

For her main course my wife once again went with the chicken.  She’s not the red meat fan that I am.

 

I went for the Lasagna as I heard @Best cat Dad rave about it last cruise.

 

 

Rodin brought me a very good Spanish Rioja  red to go with the lasagna.  I did not think I would like it as it had a smoky overtone when I sniffed it but when I tasted it there was none of the smoke in the taste at all.

 

 

Here’s how vivino ranked it! 

 

 

Very surprising considering the price point.

 

For her dessert my wife chose the Wild berry cobbler 

 

 

and I wimped out with just cappuccino ice cream

 

 

After dinner we went to the casino to see if we could turn some OBC into winnings but the gambling gods are still being unkind to us.  So we cashed out while we still had some funds left to use for tips.  Maybe tomorrow we’ll get lucky as we still have some OBC left still.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

I am in the TSL enjoying the vocals and fantastic guitar skills of the entertainer that @MonsterJoe referred to as magic fingers.

 

We did not have him entertain us last week but am really enjoying his playing and singing tonight.

 

[Best Cat Mom]

26 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Rodin brought me a very good Spanish Rioja

We really liked this one. We had it on Divina last year. 

[DaKahuna]

17 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

We really liked this one. We had it on Divina last year. 

I really like it as well but I think the best wine so far was the Brunello he added as a bonus at the wine tasting.

 

[DaKahuna]

Was introduced to a new espresso martini at the TSL tonight.

 

 

it’s made like a regular espresso martini but he added a half shot of Bailey’s and a half shot of Amaretto.  Delicious

 

[DaKahuna]

12 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Your idea of using a cruise card instead sounds promising. Especially since it will be in hand anyway from getting back on the ship. 

 

To give you an idea, here is a picture of the elevator controls — 

 

 

You can see the circle area on the bottom where the sensor is for the bracelet/card.  There is not a lot of room between the bottom and the railing under the keypad so fat wrist like mine do not do well. 

 

[DaKahuna]

A few of us at the bar talked with Felipe after he finished his set last night.  We started off by complementing him on his performance and his guitar skills.  He then started talking about his guitar and how it was different for a normal guitar - location of the opening and the covered area where he thumps to make the distinctive sound.  He purchased the guitar in Spain.  We discovered that he has been playing The Loft Cafe and last night was his first time in the YC in a couple of cruises.  Unfortunately, I just checked the Daily Program and he’s not due back tonight.  I may have to see if I can talk my DW into going to the Loft Cafe to watch and listen to him. 

 

He did present three of us with a momento ..

 

 

[RichYak]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

To give you an idea, here is a picture of the elevator controls — 

 

Why is there no deck 18?

[morpheusofthesea]

8 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Why is there no deck 18?

He’s standing on deck 18?

[Georgia_Peaches]

@DaKahuna and @Best Cat Mom, a question for the both of you if I may...how did you go about getting the sommelier to bring you different wines throughout the meal?  My experience has been very different in that the sommelier would offer a wine and whatever it was would be the only one offered throughout the meal.  Did you ask for suggestions for each course?  Did you set this tone on the first day?  It seems like your sommelier has been very attentive and I am hoping for the same when we embark in November.   

[cellfree]

@DaKahuna, will Rodin still be on Seascape in November?

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

He’s standing on deck 18?

LOL! That's what I get for posting on CC before finishing my morning coffee. I'll see myself out now.

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

how did you go about getting the sommelier to bring you different wines throughout the meal?

My apologies for "crashing" this post without an invitation. 😄

 

This is exactly how we dine. The sommelier pours different wines by the glass throughout our dinner. Additionally, the somm chooses the menu-reading aperitif and end-of-meal digestif for both of us. On top of all that, our "adult beverage" tastes are different, so an identical choice is rarely applicable.

 

We get this underway with a printed explanation at embarkation, much like the oft-mentioned buter list. We make sure the sommelier,  maître d', and our server team are all in the loop.

Edited Thursday at 02:13 PM by no1talks

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

He’s standing on deck 18?

 

@RichYak That is correct.  I took that picture in the Deck 18 elevator lobby.

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

@DaKahuna and @Best Cat Mom, a question for the both of you if I may...how did you go about getting the sommelier to bring you different wines throughout the meal?  My experience has been very different in that the sommelier would offer a wine and whatever it was would be the only one offered throughout the meal.  Did you ask for suggestions for each course?  Did you set this tone on the first day?  It seems like your sommelier has been very attentive and I am hoping for the same when we embark in November.   

 

 On this cruise I started most meals with a glass of champagne and then discussed what I was having for my starter and main with the sommelier.  I usually just went with the champagne with my starter and then let the sommelier pick what he thought went well with my main course.  I also let him know that even if I was having fish or chicken that my preference was for a red wine.  So yes, I pretty much asked for his suggestion and often just said “surprise me.”  I really have to thank @Best Cat Mom & @Best cat Dad for priming the pump and giving Rodin a heads up about me3 🙂

 

If you get a wine and want to change part way through the meal, just ask the sommelier to bring you something else.  It has been our experience that they’ve stopped by at least once or twice during the meal to make sure everything was going well with the food and the wine. 

 

 

[kelly94942]

30 minutes ago, no1talks said:

We get this underway with a printed explanation at embarkation

 

Am I now crashing your crash of the post?  😀  Can you share any additional details about the "printed explanation"?

[Georgia_Peaches]

28 minutes ago, no1talks said:

We get this underway with a printed explanation at embarkation, much like the oft-mentioned buter list. We make sure the sommelier,  maître d', and our server team are all in the loop.

So you provide a written explanation of how you would like your dinner service to proceed?  Would you mind sharing what this entails?  and how is this received by the staff?  I really like the idea of being seated in the same place with the same staff but have never made our preferences known in advance...we just kinda go with it.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 minute ago, kelly94942 said:

 

Am I now crashing your crash of the post?  😀  Can you share any additional details about the "printed explanation"?

lol...beat me to it!!

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, cellfree said:

@DaKahuna, will Rodin still be on Seascape in November?

I will try to remember and ask him tonight.

 

[no1talks]

41 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So you provide a written explanation of how you would like your dinner service to proceed?  Would you mind sharing what this entails?  and how is this received by the staff?  I really like the idea of being seated in the same place with the same staff but have never made our preferences known in advance...we just kinda go with it.

A single sheet (largish font for ease-of-reading) of dining requests has thus far not been a problem with any YC maître d' we have encountered.

 

We list such items as:

•Stating we will be dining early, so our "eccentricities" do not impact the dining room rush hour.

•Getting same server team.

•Having shrimp cocktail served as a nosh while we read the menu.

•Letting the somm know our different beverage comfort zones.

•Asking the server team to get our food orders to the somm promptly so matching wines can be picked.

•Stipulating that light pours are okay, since there will be multiple drinks during the meal.

•Requesting a sorbet intermezzo of the staff's choice. (Sometimes, we get a surprise sorbet not on the menu.)

•Asking in advance for a special main course if we are onboard for a birthday or such. (We asked for paella one cruise and it was graciously provided.)

 

Basically, it is just one sheet of bullet points that will makes one's dining a more tailored experience. (We always recognize the exemplary attention received with a bit extra in the end-of-cruise envelopes. 😉)

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, kelly94942 said:

 

Am I now crashing your crash of the post?  😀  Can you share any additional details about the "printed explanation"?

Please see my reply to GP. 😁

[Best Cat Mom]

3 hours ago, cellfree said:

will Rodin still be on Seascape in November?

Rodin told us he expects to be on board until February. We asked when we heard that he was mentoring Edison/Anakin (btw, did anyone ever tell Edison that his alias is Anakin? LOL), thinking that he would be moving off and Edison would be the full-time sommelier on Seascape. Either they are thinking they need 2 somms (unlikely) or Edison is headed somewhere else when his training ends.

[Best Cat Mom]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

how did you go about getting the sommelier to bring you different wines throughout the meal?

We start with champagne whilst reading the menus. Rodin would stop by our table before we gave Edgar our orders to see what we were going to have. I don't recall exactly how it came up, but if you're ordering a light seafood dish to start and then a heavy beef dish, I would expect two different wines. I know when Rodin had a red in mind for a main, I usually asked if it would work well with my starter -- a clear indication that two wines would not be rejected by me. Luckily for him, BCD and I did not always order completely different things for the 2 courses. If we had, I have no doubt that Rodin would have gladly brought us 4 different wines over the course of the meal. If you like dessert wines and order the third course, there could be 6 wines. Add the champagne at the start -- and if you both prefer different champagnes, maybe one a rose and one a white -- that could be 8 different pours.

 

Shall we have a challenge to see who gets to 8 first? Ready... go! 😁

[Best Cat Mom]

13 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I think the best wine so far was the Brunello

For us, the best wine was a tie between the last night's Robert Mondavi cab and the Coppola Director's Cut cab at our wine pairing. We'd drink them both again, and again, and again...

[Mommapadraig]

On the lunch  menu today was Legume cereal soup. Have you tried it? I’m so glad I asked. It was barley and legumes and delicious! If you get the sword fish on the same menu ask for more the of the sweet tomato. It was a tomato Jam.