Live from the Westerdam-March 29th

[sail7seas]

Great reports, Marle. Happy you are enjoying yourselves so much.

We were at HMC Friday and it was glorious!

 

[marle7]

I am glad to see your butler was as wonderful as ours. Really makes for a magical experience.

 

Our cabana butler this last cruise, Andri, was also amazing. He went so far beyond what we expected. He actually sat down and helped my 7 year old build "the best sand castle ever" (in my 7 yo's words). He helped him get suited up for snorkle and helped him drag his mat both down and up from the water. Lots of little details he never missed. He took such good care care of us. The kiddo and he were big pals by the end of the day and I think our son will never forget "Mr. Andri" as long as he lives. This combined with the wonderful food and drink (we ordered the chicken, shrimp, and steak all of which were perfection) made this beach day the best beach day we have ever had and Andri was a big part of that. I can not stop complimenting Andri on his service or HAL on HMC. It really is a wonderful and well thought out luxury provided by HAL and, for us, well worth the cost. :)

It truly was magical and well worth the cost as far as I am concerned!

 

Great reports, Marle. Happy you are enjoying yourselves so much.

We were at HMC Friday and it was glorious!

 

we are enjoying very much and yes HMC was glorious. And we get to go there again next week!

 

A full report tomorrow morning, but I think I must be spending too much time in the casino, as the casino host offered to buy me a drink tonight!:D

 

 

[marle7]

There isn't a lot to report on from yesterday. My husband went diving, while I did actually manage to make it to the gym. the gym is adequate, enough of the basics are there to get a decent workout going. Myself and another lady had the place to ourselves, while the crew did their emergency lifeboat drill.

 

After the gym, I wandered off the ship to the stores in the cruise terminal, in search of those elusive cufflinks. They're still elusive as there really wasn't much of anything worth buying.

 

And here is a first for me. The slot machines were actually open while we were in port. I've never seen that before! So I played for half an hour then headed to the aft bar, because well, I'd been working so hard up till now and needed a refreshment.:D

 

I also grabbed a burger from the terrace grill which was pretty darn good I have to say.

 

Hubby arrived back on the ship and we returned to our balcony to relax a bit before getting ready for dinner. The obligatory h'douvres showed up around 5 p.m. Cheese plate, some cold nibbles, and spring rolls, wontons and mini meatballs.:eek:

 

First miss of the dining room tonight. Liver was on the menu, but our waiter didn't think it was very good, so since nothing else appealed to me, I ordered the steak. It unfortunately came rather well done, and I just couldn't eat it. I assured our waiter that it wasn't a problem, and I really wasn't that hungry anyway, but they did bring me another one:D.

 

While I ate some of it to please our waiter, it really wasn't all that good. Cooked better this time, but totally lacking in flavour. Ah well, that just meant for the first time, I had to have dessert, which was a chocolate cake that was incredibly light and airy.

 

After dinner we paid our usual visit to the casino, then retired to the balcony for our nightcap of Baileys.

 

Today is a sea day, and we have no plans although there are several things to do. There is both a slot tournament and a blackjack one, there is a suite lunch at 12:30 and a cocktail party this evening.

 

We are going to play it by ear, maybe just catch up with each other, and see what we feel like doing.:D

 

I'm betting the aft pool will be pretty crowded if the weather is good, so we may not be able to get chairs there. We'll see. In the meantime, I need more coffee.:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like you are going to be bust today.

[Hollyday]

Again, thanks so much for taking the time to do these reports. It makes me even more excited for our cruise in less than 2 weeks on the Westerdam

 

Thanks,

[marle7]

I love sea days! After a nice lazy start this morning, we stopped by the lounge to grab a pastry before heading down to the slot tournament, which took forever! We had to miss the suite lunch since I qualified for the finals and had to be back in the casino for the final round at 1:30. We would have had to leave halfway through the lunch.

 

Instead we headed up to the Lido, where it was pretty easy to find a table. After a bite to eat, we went to the aft pool to see how busy it was, and sure enough, the chair hogs were out in full force. Charlie and the Hal Cats were playing and I suppose if I was given long enough I could find something nice to say about them. Let's just say this. What they are missing in talent, they more than make up for in volume. I'm sorry, there is just no need for a band to play that loudly!

 

We settled for having a drink at the bar and then headed downstairs for the final round in the slot tournament. In this tournament, we played blind. that is, the windows were covered and no one could see the running totals. At the end the winner was revealed. ME!!!!!! I won $500. I've never won a slot tourney before so it was exciting.

 

After hubby lost in the blackjack tourney, we thought we'd try our luck at the pool again. by this time, either everyone was fried to a crisp, or was sleepy, because there were lots of chairs around.

 

We're now back in the suite having pre dinner cocktails. We are going to the Pinnacle Grill tonight and are really looking forward to it.

 

More later.....off to sip a martini on the balcony.:D

[RuthC]

What they are missing in talent, they more than make up for in volume.

Love the line. I may just use it on my next comment card.

I hope you don't mind. ;)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Dear Marle:

 

It is snowing here in Seattle today (not an April Fool's joke). I'm working on the third load of laundry. The dog is sick. There is a pile of bills in front of me. I need to plan dinner.......

 

But somewhere, a glamorous lady named Marle is cruising in the Caribbean in the Penthouse Suite, and generously sharing her experiences with us. I can live vicariously through her and know that the sun is shining and the living is good.:D

 

As my grandmother used to say. "There's no life like the good life":)

 

Bless you.

[marle7]

Love the line. I may just use it on my next comment card.

I hope you don't mind. ;)

Please feel free! :D

 

Dear Marle:

 

It is snowing here in Seattle today (not an April Fool's joke). I'm working on the third load of laundry. The dog is sick. There is a pile of bills in front of me. I need to plan dinner.......

 

But somewhere, a glamorous lady named Marle is cruising in the Caribbean in the Penthouse Suite, and generously sharing her experiences with us. I can live vicariously through her and know that the sun is shining and the living is good.:D

 

As my grandmother used to say. "There's no life like the good life":)

 

Bless you.

thank you.:) we really are having so much fun. We have friends boarding on Sunday so we'll do the suite lunches and things with them, but for now, we are just taking the time out together.

[marle7]

Good morning everyone!

 

We are just coming into Grand Cayman. Last night before we went to sleep, we set the clocks back one hour and they will remain that way until we are headed back to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

The Pinnacle Grill was quite good. Our butler from HMC, Robi was our waiter and did a very nice job.

 

However, everyone has a habit of saying "yummy yummy" when putting food in front of you. It sort of makes my teeth grind. I'm not 12.:) Actually, way back on a Royal Caribbean ship, we had a waiter who literally said it every time he spoke to us, and it's become something of a joke between hubby and I now.

 

The Pinnacle tries hard to get to elegant restaurant service standards, but they aren't quite there yet. Service was certainly smooth, but not as polished as I think they are trying to pull off. We also didn't think terribly highly of the Maitre D'. The food however was pretty "dam" good. I normally would not order a filet mignon in a restaurant, because while tender, they don't usually have a lot of flavour and are best used for dishes that have sauces or something.

The filet I ordered (because I just couldn't eat a huge piece of meat last night) was as tender and flavourful as any I've had anywhere. In fact, it was better than hubby's rib eye.

 

We are only in port until 4 pm today, so we are going to have a leisurely breakfast, then tender over in search of the ever elusive cufflinks. We are supposed to be in the Pinnacle again tonight, but I am waiting to see what the day's menu's are before deciding.

 

It is formal night again tonight.

[marle7]

Somehow, I feel like I'm talking to myself here.:D More detail in the morning, but for now, just know we are rocking and rolling at sea here tonight. For the first time, I feel like we are actually on a ship! The clocks go back another hour tonight.

 

I sincerely hope they put them back one hour each night for the next two nights instead of two hours at once!

[fatcat04]

Any luck on your cuff link hunt? I know exactly what you mean about the filet too. Unless marinated or covered in a sauce they usually prove rather bland and I like my meat with some texture and flavor. I am more a ribeye gal due to all that "yummy yummy" fat. (couldn't resist:p) Glad the Pinnacle did a good job.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the report.

I enjoy the Pinnacle's filets.

[gotmilk]

Somehow, I feel like I'm talking to myself here.:D More detail in the morning, but for now, just know we are rocking and rolling at sea here tonight. For the first time, I feel like we are actually on a ship! The clocks go back another hour tonight.

 

I sincerely hope they put them back one hour each night for the next two nights instead of two hours at once!

 

We will be on the next sailing with you and have enjoyed all of your reports. Sorry I haven't posted earlier to thank you but things have been busy around here. I usually have just enough time to read and run! I am looking forward to getting on board but for now I have got to get it together and get my packing finished. I hope the seas calm down for you, don't mind a little rockin' at night but I like to walk a straight line during the day.:D

See you in a few days!!!!

[sjceresini]

Marle - DH and I (along w/11 family members and 10 friends) will be joining you on the Westerdam on Sunday! I know by then you will be quite tired of your PH and all the outstanding service and food, so we are willing to make the prime sacrifice and switch cabins with you. Rest assured that you will have a balcony in our cabin, however, I believe the Jacuzzi is missing...hmmmm.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your vacation to keep us all updated on the activities on the ship. It's much appreciated, and I look forward to your next posting. Have a blast, and we'll "sea" you Sunday.

PS - "sea" you is as bad as "yummy, yummy"!

[marle7]

So let’s see. Where was I? Oh yes. We were in Grand Cayman yesterday. We had a lovely breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, and then headed into town to search out cufflinks and anything else that might be interesting.

 

 

 

We found a really nice pair of cufflinks in the second store we went into. They are wrought gold with a lovely shell in the middle of them, and at $40.00 were a pretty good deal. Whew, hubby is now set for the rest of our formal nights, of which one was last night.

 

We were back in the Pinnacle Grill for dinner last night. Now, here’s what I mean about trying to be an upscale restaurant but not quite succeeding. We had been in the Pinnacle the night before and had advised everyone of my mushroom allergy. The assistant Executive Chef even came out to speak to me. So, you’d think that would be noted somewhere in our file (that anyone, particularly the Pinnacle Grill manager) should be able to pull up, or should come up every time our room number is entered. Not so.

 

One of the amuse bouches they serve at the beginning of the meal is a mushroom quiche, which they proceeded to serve me again last night. We spoke, (again) to the manager and in theory it shouldn’t happen again. I don’t get upset about too much on board, things happen, but this is a life threatening allergy and is no joke. When we are in the dining room, the head Maitre’d reviews the menu for the next day with me every night so I can be aware of what might have mushrooms in it.

 

Anyway, the staff in the Pinnacle Grill are very good. And the food once again, was wonderful. I am partial now to their filets, and something that restaurants rarely get right, the French onion soup. Usually when ordered in a restaurant, French Onion soup tends to be quite salty, because many places use a powdered base. I strongly suspect they are using homemade stock here because the soup was delicate, and definitely not salty.

 

We were rocking a bit last night. The motion doesn’t bother us, and we felt like we were at sea for the first time.

 

I’m afraid I’m a bad reviewer because we really haven’t visited any of the bars, or seen any of the shows, although we are planning to see Joel Mason tonight.

 

I was up bright and early this morning at 6 a.m, because my body thought it was 8 a.m.We arrived in Cozumel this morning a touch late. There are I think three other ships in port with us. My husband is diving again, so that gave me an opportunity to hit the gym again (I’m trying and failing to keep off the weight I lost before getting onboard. We have decided that this cruise will be named Voyage of the Good Food.

 

When I got back to the room, the head housekeeper was there and there were a couple of guys on the balcony. He asked if I minded that they did some work on there. I indicated that was fine, and all of a sudden, men started pouring into the room. Come on in guys, join the party on the balcony! It was kind of hilarious. How many maitenance men can you fit on the PH balcony?:D

 

We eventually agreed that they would give me an hour to shower and change and then they could all come back in full force and work to their hearts content. Therefore, I’m sitting at the Casino bar, typing this up.

 

I should mention the shower in the suite. It’s very cute, but small. It’s also round and looks like some sort of time capsule. I feel like Woody Allen in Sleeper every time I get in there.

 

And people keep sending us champagne. I think we now have 8 bottles in our fridge. Fortunately, we’ve invited people to sail away on Sunday, so I will have something for them to drink.:D

 

Once hubby comes back, we’ll head into town for a little bit this afternoon. We are in port until 10:00 p.m. so we’ll have time, although we are going to a special Chef’s dinner tonight. I think there are 12 people in total, and the Chef cooks a 5 course dinner in front of us, while the Cellar Master pairs each course with a wine. I’m looking forward to that one.

 

 

And so for now, I will sign off from Cozumel and go in search of (you guessed it) more food.:rolleyes:

[RuthC]

How many maitenance men can you fit on the PH balcony?:D

LOL! On a Vista ship? I'll bet 30. Maybe more. It's a big balcony out there!

 

This is a fun thread to follow. Thanks for posting as you sail along.

[baesue]

So let’s see. Where was I? Oh yes. We were in Grand Cayman yesterday. We had a lovely breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, and then headed into town to search out cufflinks and anything else that might be interesting.

 

 

 

We found a really nice pair of cufflinks in the second store we went into. They are wrought gold with a lovely shell in the middle of them, and at $40.00 were a pretty good deal. Whew, hubby is now set for the rest of our formal nights, of which one was last night.

 

We were back in the Pinnacle Grill for dinner last night. Now, here’s what I mean about trying to be an upscale restaurant but not quite succeeding. We had been in the Pinnacle the night before and had advised everyone of my mushroom allergy. The assistant Executive Chef even came out to speak to me. So, you’d think that would be noted somewhere in our file (that anyone, particularly the Pinnacle Grill manager) should be able to pull up, or should come up every time our room number is entered. Not so.

 

One of the amuse bouches they serve at the beginning of the meal is a mushroom quiche, which they proceeded to serve me again last night. We spoke, (again) to the manager and in theory it shouldn’t happen again. I don’t get upset about too much on board, things happen, but this is a life threatening allergy and is no joke. When we are in the dining room, the head Maitre’d reviews the menu for the next day with me every night so I can be aware of what might have mushrooms in it.

 

Anyway, the staff in the Pinnacle Grill are very good. And the food once again, was wonderful. I am partial now to their filets, and something that restaurants rarely get right, the French onion soup. Usually when ordered in a restaurant, French Onion soup tends to be quite salty, because many places use a powdered base. I strongly suspect they are using homemade stock here because the soup was delicate, and definitely not salty.

 

We were rocking a bit last night. The motion doesn’t bother us, and we felt like we were at sea for the first time.

 

I’m afraid I’m a bad reviewer because we really haven’t visited any of the bars, or seen any of the shows, although we are planning to see Joel Mason tonight.

 

I was up bright and early this morning at 6 a.m, because my body thought it was 8 a.m.We arrived in Cozumel this morning a touch late. There are I think three other ships in port with us. My husband is diving again, so that gave me an opportunity to hit the gym again (I’m trying and failing to keep off the weight I lost before getting onboard. We have decided that this cruise will be named Voyage of the Good Food.

 

When I got back to the room, the head housekeeper was there and there were a couple of guys on the balcony. He asked if I minded that they did some work on there. I indicated that was fine, and all of a sudden, men started pouring into the room. Come on in guys, join the party on the balcony! It was kind of hilarious. How many maitenance men can you fit on the PH balcony?:D

 

We eventually agreed that they would give me an hour to shower and change and then they could all come back in full force and work to their hearts content. Therefore, I’m sitting at the Casino bar, typing this up.

 

I should mention the shower in the suite. It’s very cute, but small. It’s also round and looks like some sort of time capsule. I feel like Woody Allen in Sleeper every time I get in there.

 

And people keep sending us champagne. I think we now have 8 bottles in our fridge. Fortunately, we’ve invited people to sail away on Sunday, so I will have something for them to drink.:D

 

Once hubby comes back, we’ll head into town for a little bit this afternoon. We are in port until 10:00 p.m. so we’ll have time, although we are going to a special Chef’s dinner tonight. I think there are 12 people in total, and the Chef cooks a 5 course dinner in front of us, while the Cellar Master pairs each course with a wine. I’m looking forward to that one.

 

 

And so for now, I will sign off from Cozumel and go in search of (you guessed it) more food.:rolleyes:

 

 

Marlene, baesue here.

 

Thanks for your regular updates. They really put us in the proper frame of mind for a cruise. However I do have one question, will you have room for food next week?

 

baesue (barry & sue)

[marle7]

LOL! On a Vista ship? I'll bet 30. Maybe more. It's a big balcony out there!

 

This is a fun thread to follow. Thanks for posting as you sail along.

Thanks! There were at least 15 at one point!

Marlene, baesue here.

 

Thanks for your regular updates. They really put us in the proper frame of mind for a cruise. However I do have one question, will you have room for food next week?

 

baesue (barry & sue)

 

I am not at all sure, but darn it, I will try.:D

[dandro]

I am thoroughly enjoying the reports! The only downside is that it makes me want to go RIGHT NOW. *BIG sigh*

We won't be staying anywhere near the PH (lucky you!), but I can live vicariously through you.

 

Take care of our Westerdam. We'll see her in 58 days.

[Susie51]

Thank you for your entertaining report. While reading your amusing review, I like to imagine myself there in the PH with you. My mom boards the Westerdam April 12. Is that when you disembark?

[Two@Sea]

Just wanted to thank you for sending us live reports, and entertaining us so delightfully!

 

One more 'sleep' and we will be aboard!

[marle7]

Yesterday, we were in Cozumel, where my husband dived again, so I managed to make it to the gym. Did I mention that? Sometimes I forget where I left off since I type these up offline before posting.

 

Once he was back, we wandered off the ship and into T-shirt hell. I’ve never seen so many T-shirt shops in one place! We picked up more sunscreen and a couple of cover ups for me and some tequila to take home, but that was it.

 

We had an early dinner seating as we were attending the Chef’s Table. It began at 6 p.m. with champagne. The Cellar Master Fernando, and the Executive Chef, Andreas, hosted the event, with Fernando pairing wines with a 5 course meal cooked in front of us by Chef Andreas

 

The courses and wines were as follows

 

Ginger marinated Plump Scallops, enhanced with a spicy orange marmalade and wasabi dressing.

Wine: Chateau Ste. Michelle &Dr. Loosen Eroica Reisling, Washington State

 

Chilled Lime Froth, served with carmelized crab legs

Wine: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

 

Potato Chests with Morels, Filled with a truffle flavoured cognac cream and accompaniec by caviar on the rox

Wine: Nicolas Feuillate Brut, France

Special note. The chef made me a separate dish due to my mushroom allergy which was potato crests filled with a creamed spinach.

Second special note: The caviar was served on top of a shot glass filled with blue ice. We all got clean shot glasses to take home with us.

 

Chef’s Indulging version of Surf and Turf, the famous dish with an asian twist.

Wine: The Gypsy Stellenbosch Grenache, Syrah South Africa

this was a lobster tail with an asian beef stir fry.

 

Variate of Tropical Cheesecakse, Blue Mountain coffee cheesecake, Mango-chili cheesecake and Lime tequila cheesecake, served with a spiced strawberry sabayon.

Wine: Six Grapes Port, Portugal.

 

Chef Andreas is a highly entertaining and informative chef. He spoke well and entertained questions as he was cooking and was a lot of fun. Throughout the cruise, we found Fernando the Cellar Master to be very knowledgable about wines and he has a real passion for them.

 

We also received all the recipes for the courses we were served.

 

Apparently, the Westerdam is currently the only ship that does this event, and it was well worth it for a cost of $127.00 per person. To a maximum of 25 people.

 

We sort of stumbled back to the room after that and went to bed.:D

 

Today we are at sea. We woke up late, nibbled in the Neptune lounge, and received our instructions for our in transit day tomorrow in terms of clearing customs and returning to the ship. It’s rather fun to know we don’t have to pack today and we will still be here tomorrow.

 

The second slot tournament was held today, and although I didn’t win (I came in second in the finals), my husband did! Nice of him to keep it in the family don’t you think?:D

 

We are back in the room, relaxing before dinner tonight. We can order room service for breakfast tomorrow and then we have to be at the lounge at 9:45 where we will be escorted off to customs

[aliaschief]

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. Nice to hear about life in a Penthouse suite.

[marle7]

Thank you for your entertaining report. While reading your amusing review, I like to imagine myself there in the PH with you. My mom boards the Westerdam April 12. Is that when you disembark?

 

 

Yes it is!

Just wanted to thank you for sending us live reports, and entertaining us so delightfully!

 

One more 'sleep' and we will be aboard!

 

See you aboard. We're having nice calm seas and we are at least halfway back to you now!

 

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. Nice to hear about life in a Penthouse suite.

 

You're welcome. I'm having fun doing it.