Posted at 2:03 pm by taryngirl, on October 30, 2023
10/16/23
Day 3
After doing our own little self-led ship tour on Deck 5, we went back to the room to rest for a little bit before it was time to go to Tea Time in the Canal Grande Restaurant. The Tea goes from 3:00-4:00 p.m. I’m not sure if it was on every sea day or not. You have to check the Fun Times to see! It is complimentary and included with your cruise.
We went right at 3:00 p.m. and there was a long line of people already. They led us all to one area in the back of the restaurant and we could sit wherever we wanted. These were the place settings:
They immediately started coming around with tea sized treats! I don’t eat any seafood, but this was the first plate to come by our table:
Macarons:
These were coffee flavored I think?? It was good, but I’m not a coffee fan.
Cucumber sandwiches:
These were my favorite! I did have to wave someone over so I could get one more.
Scones:
Cream for the scones!
These were delicious and the cream was heavenly!
This was some kind of vanilla cake with lemon frosting.
It was actually delicious and my second favorite thing that I had. It was super moist and I loved the filling.
At this point, we were still waiting for our tea! We flagged someone down, and after 15 minutes we were served.
This was some kind of peach crisp:
I didn’t taste it, but Chrissy didn’t love it. It was very dry.
They also served fresh strawberries.
There really was no rhyme or reason to the order that they brought things out. Each waiter was just given a plate to walk around to the tables. A few waiters were in charge of the tea to distribute. In my opinion, they should have done this first to make sure everyone got some! We waited forever and actually had to flag someone down to get the tea. It was a little disorganized, but the crew was very polite and accommodating. There was more served than what is pictured here, but not everything made it over to our table. I think if they would have had certain waiters assigned to certain areas, it would have been better, and everyone would have been taken care of. It was a nice treat for the day though and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
We were still hungry though so we went to get some pizza on Deck 10! These are the choices, and you can get as many slices as you would like. This is complimentary and included in your cruise.
My favorite ended up being the Quattro Formaggi. It was delicious! This pizza location is open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 a.m., so if you need a super late night snack, this is the place to go!
After our snack, we went back to the room to nap and shower before dinner. It was about the time I was getting into the shower, when I was feeling SO FULL. We had eaten so much between tea and the pizza. I was dreading having to go to dinner!
Tonight’s main dining room dinner menu:
Lentil, Pumpkin and Chorizo Soup:
Chrissy ordered that. I didn’t order any appetizer tonight. I still was not super hungry at all.
Casarecce (short twisted pasta tossed in beef Bolognese, white wine, olive oil and parmesan bread crumbs)
Roasted Leg of Lamb (Dijon potatoes, skillet brussel sprouts, au jus)
Our table partner, Dana, ordered this. She liked it! We ended up loving our tablemate who was randomly assigned with us! We hung out after dinner sometimes and had a blast.
Grilled Chicken Breast (garlic & herbs, sauteed vegetables, buttered potatoes)
This was mine and I loved it! It might not look like much, but the flavor was wonderful and it was the perfect serving size.
Zuppa Inglese (cocoa trifle, orange custard). Funny story about this! None of us thought this sounded particularly good at all. The orange custard sounded gross, etc. etc. We told our waiter this and he said he would bring one to us anyway.
We ended up liking it!
Cheesecake (strawberry sauce)
Chrissy ordered this and liked it.
Fresh Tropical Fruit
I ordered the good old fruit! Fresh and good as always.
On this particular night, the Phillies were playing. Chrissy lives in Philly and wanted to catch some of the game. So she headed to the Heroes bar where it was playing. There were a lot of Philly fans on board! This is the hallway just outside of the bar.
The one activity we were looking forward to was Silent Nights, a silent disco! We have so much fun with these!
At a silent disco, everyone is given a pair of headphones. There are 3 music channels you can switch between. So what you are listening to, your friends may not be hearing. Everyone just sings and dances to their own song!
The party went from 9:30 p.m. until midnight! In the past, other silent discos I have gone to have been about an hour. This was nonstop for 2 and a half hours and it was a blast!
Carnival also offers Late Night Snacks on the buffet every night. I haven’t really seen this on any other ship either! Here’s the menu:
After our snack, we went to the Casino for a little it.
Posted at 10:35 am by taryngirl, on October 27, 2023
10/16/23
Day 3
Fun Times for the day:
We had a super late start this day! We decided to go to Sea Day Brunch again since it was an in between time. As a reminder, this was in the Canal Grande Restaurant. I also realllly wanted to try Tea Time at 3:00 p.m.
This time we tried the Skillet-Cake (whipped ricotta, guava preserve, marshmallow, maple butter). This was like a giant, thick pancake! It was good, but I really only ate a few bites because I was so full after eating my omelet.
My veggie omelet, with bacon and brunch potatoes. So good!
When we came out of brunch, we decided to check out Deck 5. I had heard great things about this deck and we hadn’t really had a chance to see it yet.
The first thing we saw was this beautiful bar! This is where they had karaoke every night. It’s also located near the Terraza Suites.
From there we just strolled down Deck 5 on the inside.
On the left here is Pixels Gallery, where you could access all of the photos you had taken around the ship.
This is the Gondola Lounge. Lotsssss of activities happened here throughout the week. Live music, games, trivia, etc.
From there, we went outside because I had heard about some great seating areas on the deck.
There’s also a quick service grill outside on this deck. Sadly I didn’t even get a chance to try it! It’s open on sea days.
We ended up stopping here and I did some work.
Back inside to another bar, Frizzante!
There are also some more upscale shops inside on Deck 5.
Another bar! Amari!
You can also peek down into the Casino from here.
There are a few premium, upcharge restaurants onboard. They are all located right here on Deck 5.
The Piano Bar is also on this deck.
This shopping area reminded me of a shopping mall!
In summary from this part of my day…there is no shortage of seating areas, bars, shopping, or places to eat! This ship is amazing, with so much to do, and the crew is one of the friendliest I have encountered.
I had to break this up into two parts because I have so many pictures and videos!
Posted at 7:32 pm by taryngirl, on October 25, 2023
10/15/23
Day 2
Fun Times for the day:
Today was a day at sea. We slept in and decided to try the Sea Day Brunch in the Canal Grande Restaurant. You can use the app to make a reservation, and then it will alert you when your table is ready. It does tell you how about how long until your table will be ready (10-20 minutes, 20-30 minutes, etc.) and then once it alerts you, you have 10 minutes to get to the restaurant. We made the reservation and then headed that direction. On the way, I took some pics of some shops.
In the Fun Times and on the app, you will see daily specials noted…2 for $30, up to 75% off, watch specials, etc. etc. There are two little stands on Deck 4 forward, one on each side of the ship, where they offer these deals. Each day is something different.
Also on Deck 4 forward, The Carnival Store with branded merchandise:
Deck 4 forward, Cherry on Top (a candy store):
From there we went through the Casino. You cannot walk from 3 forward, to 3 aft. It does not connect. So we went up one level to Deck 4 forward above our stateroom, and walked the length of Deck 4 to the aft. In order to do this, you have to go through the Casino.
The Casino was ALWAYS a happening place when it was open. It was almost impossible to get a machine sometimes! I also want to note that this is a smoking casino. And there was tons of smoke all the time. There is a small nonsmoking casino adjacent to this one if you are sensitive to smoke.
Also along the way, we passed by the Heroes Tribute Bar. This is the place where they showed the Phillies games. There was always a sporting event on the screen!
This hallway is also where the Art Gallery is located. Pieces of art line the walls in this corridor.
At 9:54 a.m., we still had a 10-20 minute wait.
Here you can see the crowd hovering, waiting for their tables.
At 10:15 a.m., our table was ready! Sea Day Brunch in included with the price of your cruise. There are a few upcharge items, including Fresh Pressed Specialty Juices, and a few Emeril’s Bistro Specialties. You can see prices next to those items in the menu.
We were seated at quite possibly the best table in the restaurant! It was right next to the window in the back of the ship. We had a GREAT view! For my beverages, I ordered the orange juice, and hot tea. You can order anything you want off of the menu, and as much as you want.
I also ordered white toast, the vegetable omelet, bacon and brunch potatoes.
This was all SO GOOD!
Chrissy got the eggs benedict, sausage, and hash browns.
She really liked the eggs benedict!
We both also ordered the banana cream pie, and this was AMAZING! It was SO GOOD! I loved the little extras they put on the plate.
This dining room also serves as one of the Main Dining Rooms. If you are assigned Your Time Dining, this is the restaurant where you will be eating. It’s gorgeous on the inside! Here are a few pics:
After brunch, we really wanted to check out some other decks. I really wanted to see the adult only area, Serenity! Serenity is located on Deck 15 aft.
There is tons of seating here, all different types…lounge chairs, couches, tables and chairs, umbrellas, etc.
It was cloudy and slightly cool with a few sprinkles. So not a great day to be sitting out! I completely forgot to come back here once the weather got better later on in the trip.
Next we went down to Deck 12. (Note…there is no Deck 13!)
On this deck you can find outdoor fitness machines, the jogging track, mini golf, The Warehouse (arcade), and the Waterworks (waterslide and water play area).
There are also several loungers on this deck. In the picture below you can see the retractable roof that is over top of the Lido Deck, Deck 10.
The Waterworks is a great area for smaller children. Children who are not potty trained may not go into the regular pools, so this is a good option for them.
The ropes course is just above us here.
Some of the outdoor fitness equipment:
After our little ship tour, I went back to change and head to the fitness center and Chrissy went to a comedy show and then the Casino. A short nap and shower, and then it was time to get ready for dinner. It was Elegant Night and also Masquerade Night!
Tonight’s menu in the main dining room:
I chose the Caesar Salad. It was your basic Caesar.
For my entree I ordered the Filleto Di Manzo (beef tenderloin, string beans, red wine sauce). This was absolutely delicious! Super tender and the taste was amazing.
It was also cooked perfectly medium for me.
For dessert, I had the Fresh Tropical Fruit. Nice and fresh!
During dinner, the wait staff sang a song for us and did some dancing. Chrissy got roped into dancing for THE ENTIRE SONG! Hahahaha! She kept trying to escape but he kept bringing her back. This waiter was not ours, but he was amazing! He was so positive and upbeat the entire time with his tables.
After dinner, we went to The Punchliner Comedy Club in the Limelight Lounge to see Will Marfori. This was R rated for 18+. He was HILARIOUS! He has Cerebral Palsy and was on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
After the comedy show, we just stayed for the club.
Posted at 6:45 pm by taryngirl, on October 24, 2023
10/14/23
Day 1
I was so excited to be asked to attend this FAM cruise on the Carnival Venezia for my travel agency! The Carnival Venezia is new to the Carnival family. It was previously owned by Costa, Carnival’s sister line. The ship is currently sailing from its homeport in NYC. I have so many clients that look for a cruise that sails from NYC so they don’t have to fly to a port prior to the cruise. I’ll be detailing my embarkation day, starting with my transportation to the port.
In researching my transportation options, and thanks to a Facebook group, I was able to find Trans-Bridge Lines. This bus travels roundtrip from the Lehigh Valley International Airport to the Manhattan Pier (which is Pier 88, and exactly where the Venezia is docked).
We arrived at the Lehigh Valley Airport at 8:50 a.m. They ask you to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Our scheduled departure time was 9:25 a.m. The bus arrived at 9:10 a.m.
This was sent to me in the mail for parking purposes:
Roundtrip for an adult was $118.40, and for a senior it’s $64.20! Parking at the airport is free for the first 3 days, then $5 per day thereafter. To me, this was TOTALLY worth it. I did not want to drive into the city, and I did not want to pay to park in the city for 9 days. You can see the time schedule attached as well.
It’s important to note that the cruise line will provide luggage tags during online check in that must be printed out at home and attached to whatever baggage you want the porters to take at the port and get onto the ship for you. These are your checked bags.
When the bus arrived to pick us up, he loaded our luggage, and checked our names off of his list. NOTE! There are other buses that go from this location to other places. So make sure you look at the website closely when you are booking so you are booking the correct bus.
I usually only ever take a checked suitcase along with me on a cruise, besides my backpack. However, for this cruise, I decided to take a 12 pack of soda, a bottle of wine, and my fan, so that all went in a rolling carry-on suitcase! Whatever cruise line you are going on, be sure you check the policies for what beverages you can carry on, etc.
We left the airport at 9:25 a.m., right on time. We were due to arrive at the Manhattan Pier at 12:10 p.m. We did not stop at the Clinton stop for some reason, there was no traffic prior to entering the city at all, and we were in Manhattan by 11:05 a.m.! It rained the entire drive, and it was still raining when we arrived. During my online check in, I selected 12:00-12:30 p.m. time slot for getting onto the ship. I didn’t know what this meant for us when we got to the terminal.
There was a lottttttt of traffic IN the actual city. There was some kind of marathon going on near the piers, and Comic Con was going on at Javits. We arrived at Pier 88 at 11:40 a.m. After our bus pulled into a spot, one of the porters (maybe a head porter if there is such a thing???) got onboard before we got off and proceeded to shout instructions to us. They were already getting the luggage out of the bottom of the bus while he was talking. Basically, any of the pieces of luggage that had the luggage tag attached to them, were automatically put on a cart to go directly to the ship. Anything that didn’t have a tag on it was put in a separate area. He reminded us to make sure we had our boarding pass and identification (passport, driver’s license), and that they were not in any checked luggage. He also mentioned tips, saying that they are separate from the bus driver, and they appreciate tips as well.
Once inside the terminal, it took us about 30 minutes until we were entering the ship. There were so many staff members working, and they were all friendly and helpful. There were different lines for everything…security, check-in desk, boarding, and everyone was great at directing.
The chaos just entering the ship on Deck 3, Piazza San Marco:
Once on the ship, we went directly to the elevators. I was happy to see a “Lunch Express” elevator that went directly to Deck 5 or 10 only. Embarkation day is always crazy. Many people have luggage with them, and cabins are not ready until later in the afternoon, so it feels extra busy and crowded. In this express elevator, they had a staff member controlling it. I don’t recall ever seeing this on any other cruise I have been on, but it was nice!
It took foreverrrrrr for us to find a seat. We walked all over the buffet area. Most people find a table and camp out there until the rooms are ready at 1:30 p.m., even though these signs are on the tables:
There were many good choices on the Italian themed buffet. (Each day would be a different theme.) We didn’t know at this point that there were actually 4 different buffet lines. And we also didn’t know that the lines served different food (2 served one menu, and the other 2 served a different menu). One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that the desserts at the buffet were AMAZING! SO GOOD. And several different choices. It was so crowded, I was not able to get any videos on this day of the buffet! I was lucky to get a pic of this menu!
All of this was very good!
The staterooms were ready at this point, so we went to our muster station first on the way. The muster drill is very different now from pre-Covid times. You just have to go before sailaway and check in, and then watch a short demonstration. He basically taught us how to put on the life jackets, and what sounds to listen for.
We were in stateroom 3207, an Ocean View. We didn’t get to choose our stateroom, it was assigned to us, as we were part of a travel agent group.
This is what the hallway looks like. Luggage that was checked with the porters prior to entering the ship was being delivered. It’s put in the hallway just outside of your stateroom.
Our Sail & Sign cards were in an envelope in the mailbox on our door. These function as the stateroom key, and is the cashless on board program for all money transactions. Anything extra that you purchase on the ship can be charged with this card and go on your shipboard account. This is paid then with the credit card that you put on file during online check in.
Here is a video tour of our stateroom:
Things I LOVED about this cabin!
Location—It was on the same deck as the main dining room and the atrium bar. It was just one deck down from the theater and the casino. It was close to the elevators.On port days and debarkation, we were very close to the exit deck, which ranged from deck 0-3.
Split bathroom—One bathroom had a large sink, a stand up shower and a toilet, while the other had a shower/tub combo and a small sink.
It was spacious! I never felt cramped. The sofa was a good size.
Storage—There were two closets, as well as drawers and lots of shelves within the bathrooms.
We had preordered bottled water and beer. We did this on the app, and it was in our room upon arrival. I ordered two 12 packs of water ($19.90), and a 4 pack of Miller Lite ($24.00). I had looked at pricing ahead of time and this was cheaper than ordering it once onboard from the bar. Since we had a beverage cooler, I liked this option. I like to have bottled water on port days and in the stateroom. Water is available at the buffet and on deck 10 but it’s not bottled.
Each day, you are given a copy of Fun Times, which lists all of the activities going on on the ship for the day. There’s information about dining, shows, music, etc. This is all available on the app as well.
We took a little nap before heading out. We wanted to go up to deck 10, the Lido deck, for the Sail Away Party. On the way, I had to take this pic of the lobby! SO festive for Halloween.
The Sail Away Party was next to the pool area on the deck, however the roof was not open because of the weather. It was raining and cool. We had the privilege of having DJ Cue! He is actually my favorite DJ I’ve ever had on a cruise! He played such a variety and some 90s oldies that I love. We also got to meet the cruise director at this time.
We had late dinner (7:45 p.m.), so we were able to go outside and wait to pass the Statue of Liberty. It was raining, and gloomy and gray. We started moving at 5:20 p.m. and were passing the Statue of Liberty at 5:55 p.m.
We were actually starving around 6:00 p.m. We had such an early start in the morning. We stopped at the deli for a bite to eat. The deli is located by the buffet on deck 10.
My friend Chrissy got the BLT and fries. (She got this almost every day after as well!). They put SO MUCH BACON on these sandwiches! She thoroughly enjoyed this.
I got a hot dog and fries. The hot dog was eh, and I only ate a few bites. But the fries were good!
After our snack, we went back to the room to unpack some more and get ready for dinner. While we were in the cabin, our stateroom attendant, Suazo stopped by to introduce himself and drop off our excursion tickets for later in the week. I asked him for some more hangers and he gladly brought me some.
We went to dinner right on time and were led to our table. There is always a long line on the first night until you know where your table will be located.
Tonight’s menu:
The menu can be accessed with a QR code, or within the app, or you can ask for a paper menu.
Dinner started with some bread. This had cranberrries in it and I didn’t love it.
We met our wait staff…I Made, Edi, and I don’t even know the other one’s name! He was the bread/beverage guy, and he didn’t really have a personality or talk to us. When I Made came to take our order, he told us to give our entire order at once. They take the orders on a phone type device now and it has our picture there. It also shows up in the app under our account as to what we ordered every night for dinner!
I started off with the Mixed Greens (tomato, cucumber, red onions, carrots, balsamic dressing), and it was really good. I figured I better fit in as many vegetables as I could this week!
I also got the Pappa Al Pomodoro (tomato soup with Tuscan bread). This was good! But there was no bread with it??
For my main course, I ordered Pollo Arrosto Con Salsiccia (half-roasted chicken with sausage, herb-sauteed potatoes, broccoli). This was DELICIOUS! It had such good flavor.
For dessert, I ordered the Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake. It was yummy! It’s served HOT!
Chrissy got the Tiramisu (mascarpone, espresso, savoiardi biscuit). She liked this!
I also wanted to note that this ship’s motto is “Fun Italian Style.” And on each menu for dinner, the Italian dishes were noted with an Italian flag next to the dish.
After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard show in the theater. The cruise director was hosting. He told us there were 4,123 passengers on board, and 380 of those were children under the age of 18. We also got a small glimpse of the performers for the week while they put on a little show for us.
That’s a wrap for Day 1! It was a long day, and we were tired.
Posted at 9:30 am by taryngirl, on October 11, 2023
9/12/23
This short trip had been in the works for months. My travel agency owner called an informal meet up to help celebrate the agency’s 10th birthday!
I left my house at 2:30 a.m. to drive to the Philadelphia Airport. I picked up my travel bestie since she lives about 15 minutes from the airport. Our flight was earlyyyyyyyy on Frontier. We met up with another agent who was flying down just for the day.
We landed, got our luggage, ordered an Uber, and went to our resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs. We changed, freshened up in the bathroom of the lobby, gave our luggage to bell services, and headed off to the bus stop for Magic Kingdom. We were inside the gates at 9:30 a.m.! Today was a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party event, which meant the park was going to close to regular guests at 6:00 p.m. Those who purchased the event tickets were permitted to enter at 4:00 p.m., while everyone else had to leave by 6:00 p.m.
I was excited to see everything decorated for fall and halloween!
We didn’t really have a plan at all for the morning and afternoon. We checked wait times and decided to go directly to Haunted Mansion. It had a 20 minute posted wait time. From there we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. That was down for the entire morning until now. It had just reopened and we only had a 5 minute wait.
My travel partner got a return time for Tron. So we went over to Tomorrowland. I had a drink break and went on the People Mover while I waited for her. I also decided spur of the moment to make a lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern, which is in my top 3 meals at Disney! There was plenty availability the day of, which is unusual.
In fact, look at the wait times for the rides at 11:00 a.m.:
I’ve been saying this for years…Not So Scary Halloween Party dates are GREAT days to visit Magic Kingdom as a park day! Enter at park opening, and be finished sometime between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. You should be able to hit a majority of the rides, and have some table service dining options if you did not plan ahead.
It was EMPTY!
Our lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern was at 12:30 p.m.
Liberty Tree Tavern is served family style, all-you-care-to-enjoy. Current pricing is $39 per adult, $21 per child, plus tax and gratuity. All serving sizes shown were for two of us.
We started off the meal with the delicious rolls. These are served warm, and were slightly different than what I remembered from the last time I ate here. These have some kind of butter mixture on top. Regardless, they were soft and delicious!
Next was the Declaration Salad–Mixed greens, Apples, Cranberries, and Cheese tossed with Housemade Dressing
This salad was also different than I remember. It was good though. The dressing had a good flavor and was very light. I’m not a huge fan of cranberries, and these were a non-factor really.
After a short while, the main platter and sides came out.
House-made Macaroni & Cheese
This was very good! I like it so much better than the Stouffer’s that they used to serve!
Seasonal Vegetables (Green Beans! I have never seen them serve a vegetable that wasn’t green beans…) and Mashed Potatoes
These were yummy! We did get more of the potatoes. They really are so creamy and good! I personally like to eat the pot roast with them…
Roasted Turkey, Pot Roast, Oven Roasted Pork, Herb Stuffing
The turkey and pot roast are AMAZING! I don’t know that I even tried the pork because I love the other two so much! We did get more pot roast. The stuffing was okay, but I love the mashed potatoes so much that I don’t waste my time with the stuffing. 🙂
House-made Gravy is also served.
The grand finale course here is the Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake–Vanilla Toffee Cake, Chocolate Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream
This is my favorite dessert in alllllll of the land! The cookie part is warm. IT’S SO DANG GOOD!
We were done eating around 1:30 p.m. We had some plans for the evening non-Disney related, and we still had some time before we had to go back to the resort.
We went to Fantasyland and went on It’s a Small World and Little Mermaid. We walked through the shops on the way out to the bus.
We were back to the resort before 4:00 p.m. I had received a text that our room was ready. So we went to Bell Services to get our luggage. They gave us three options. We could take our luggage and walk to our room. (Saratoga Springs is HUGE so that was a definite no!) We could go to the room and call for our bags. Or they could drive us on a golf cart with our luggage. Of course we opted for the golf cart! I did tip the cast member who drove us, as he carried our bags to the room for us.
We were staying in a 1 bedroom villa. Here’s a little room tour!
I absolutely love this resort. It’s been renovated, and I love the pull down bed in the living room vs. the old sofa beds that were not very comfortable. I also love the full kitchen in the villas. It’s nice to have the option for drinks and snacks.
My friend had scheduled someone to come to the room to give us henna tattoos.
We loved the final products!
After our tattoos, we jumped in an Uber and went to dinner with some friends that live in Windermere. It was a fun night! And we were ready to hit the ground running the next day at Hollywood Studios!
Posted at 9:12 am by taryngirl, on October 4, 2023
6/12/23
We were excited for another day at sea to just relax and eat! There is always discussion about sea days and being able to find a chair by the pool or a table to sit in the shade. My mom doesn’t love being in the sun, so we always found a table on the pool deck for her. We had a late start today and didn’t make it up to the deck until about 10:30 a.m.
I was able to find a chair, but not directly in front of the pool, and this table close by. It was SUPER WINDY today!
We ate at the Windjammer buffet. My daughter’s plate (which is perfection for her!):
My plate (the usual!):
The only thing I did not love was that egg thing. I don’t know why I kept getting it each day expecting a different result…
We honestly just stayed out by the pool allllll day. I did find better seats closer to the pool eventually.
Before we knew it, it was lunch time! The Windjammer was open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Today I was feeling like eating a salad, and of course whatever ethnic dish they were serving. I really was happy with the buffet choices during the entire cruise!
If you have never heard of a Ranger cookie, you are missing out! I don’t even love coconut, but these cookies are AMAZING! So soft and chewy! And it was my daily dessert at lunch time.
And some I stashed for later….
It really was a lazy day! We went back to nap, shower, and get ready for dinner.
Tonight’s menu was “A Taste of Italy.”
Classic Caesar Salad–crisp romaine, garlic croutons, parmesan, creamy caesar dressing
Basic Caesar, but good!
Garden Mixed Salad-fresh lettuce greens, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion served with a house vinaigrette
This was good!
Italian Minestrone-a classic Italian soup with diced mixed vegetables, cannellini beans and cooked macaroni pasta cooked in a savory tomato broth
Crispy Parmesan Arancini-panko breaded and fried arborio rice, portobello mushroom and provolone cheese balls paired with romesco sauce
These were really good!
Chicken Parmesan-breaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, served over al dente spaghetti
This was good!
Lasagna Al Forno-layers of lasagna pasta, beef ragout, mozzarella cheese, marinara and bechamel sauce
I had read really good things about this lasagna, so I knew I had to try it! It was very good. Rich, but good!
My youngest ordered just plain grilled chicken breasts.
She loved these! She is super picky and really eats just plain food. No sauces, no dressings, no dips, no gravy, etc…
I have no idea what this dessert is! It’s not listed on the menu.
Classic Tiramisu-layers of whipped mascarpone cheese, delicate ladyfinders, espresso and a hint of Kahlua liqueur
Lemon Curd Tartlet-sweet lemon curd baked in a butter crust with torched meringue and a chocolate garnish
I love all things lemon! And I thought this was amazing!
Tonight there was some action after dinner. Some music and dancing!
This waiter was feeling it!
After dinner, we did our usually sunset and deck photos.
It was still super windy!
While heading to the evening show, we found this beautiful wall near the Casino! I’m not a great photographer, and my angles are goofy, but you get the gist.
The show tonight was Manuel Zuniga, a comedian and juggler. He was really funny and very talented. We enjoyed the fast paced show!
After the show, we checked out the Centrum. There was a Lip Sync Challenge going on and then a dance party. It was hoppin!
Overall we had an amazing day! We love sea days, and just moving on our own schedule.
Posted at 1:38 pm by taryngirl, on September 27, 2023
6/11/23
I was very excited for our second day in Bermuda! On this day, our plan was to get off the ship and explore the port area. Since we were docked overnight, we were free to come and go as we pleased.
This was the Cruise Compass with activities for the day:
We started with a breakfast in the Main Dining Room on the ship at around 8:30 a.m.
Granola Parfait
Seasonal Fruit Plate
Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon
Express Breakfast
French Toast
French Toast (no berries)–This was mine and delicious! I love french toast!
Buttermilk Pancakes with Banana
The Classic Benedict
Everyone enjoyed their breakfast here. It was a nice change from the busy buffet!
We finished up and were off the ship by 9:30 a.m. Here’s a map located just off the ship in the port area. We were going to walk over to the Clocktower Shopping Mall and do some shopping.
I had to explain what these were to these teens…JUST KIDDING! We couldn’t resist a photo opp though.
Here are some videos from the port area:
Look at our tiny ship!
Here’s a view from the ship into the port:
We were back on the ship by 12:30 p.m. Our plan was to lay by the pool until dinner time. We were lucky and found great seats!
I was realllllly thirsty for something fruity and came up with this concoction…1/2 strawberry, 1/2 mango daiquiri. Several people approached me and asked me what it was so they could order one too!
Little did we know that we had the best seats ever for the Men’s Bellyflop Competition!
This guy was so much fun and participated in everythingggggggg!
We headed back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Tonight’s menu was “A Taste of the USA.”
Buffalo Chicken Dip–creamy dip with shredded grilled chicken, cream cheese and hot pepper sauce, topped with blue cheese crumbles and crispy tortilla chips
I got to taste this and it was very good!
Baked Potato Soup–rich and creamy, served with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and fresh chives
New York Strip Steak–prepared to order with choice of herb butter or green peppercorn sauce, baked potato, sauteed vegetables
This was mine and it was yummy!
Kid’s Menu Chicken Nuggets and Fries
Royal Burger–1/4 pound patty served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried onions, cheddar cheese, secret sauce and a side of fries
Maple and Bourbon Glazed Salmon–buttermilk mashed potatoes, crispy brussel sprouts and a Dijon sauce
Funny story…someone wanted to order the Lobster Mac and Cheese, but our waiter politely said he thought she should order something else. But that he would also bring some for her to try. He wasn’t fond of the dish for some reason, so we liked that he was honest with us!
Lobster Mac and Cheese–decadent lobster and pasta in a rich cheese sauce topped with toasted buttery bread crumbs
I honestly don’t know which dessert this is! Maybe the brownie from the Kid’s Menu??
Warm Apple Crumble–hot apple compote topped with crunchy streusel, vanilla ice cream
This was mine and it was delicious!
Royal Cheesecake–velvety cheesecake garnished with a glazed strawberry
This was my daughter’s and it is her favorite cheesecake ever!
Royal Chocolate Cake–layers of dark chocolate cake and decadent chocolate mousse
Also delicious!
After dinner, we went outside for some photos. (It was Tropical Night btw.)
Sunset!
We made our way to Some Enchanted Evening Lounge for some 90s Music Trivia. It was a blast from the past, and we knew every song!
After trivia, it was off to the Centrum for If You Know It Dance It!
We were feeling like it was time for a snack, so we went up to the Park Cafe which has late night snacks from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. These were the offerings on this particular night:
I opted for some pepperoni pizza!
It hit the spot for sure!
Overall we had a really great day shopping, eating, relaxing, and singing and dancing! Cruise perfection!
Posted at 11:42 am by taryngirl, on September 22, 2023
9/13/23
Part of my trip with my travel agent friends celebrating our agency’s 10th birthday!
I was soooooo excited to find a reservation for Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is the newest restaurant at this theme park, and I couldn’t wait to try it!
Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a western-themed restaurant where you can see the world through the eyes of Andy’s toys. It is SO COOL!
We had a reservation for 2:15 p.m., and when we checked in, they were running about a half hour behind.
Here is the view of them walking us to our table:
The meal here is served family style.
Each table is given the biscuits, all 3 salads, a platter of the smoked meats, and then a choice of 4 of the sides. For desserts you can choose one per guest. Certain beverages also come along with the meal. Alcoholic drinks were extra.
These BBQ sauces are on the table.
The biscuits were yummy! They reminded me of the Red Lobster ones slightly. The sweet pepper jelly was very good.
The salads were:
Rootin’ Tootin Tomato Salad–cucumbers, pickled red onion, white balsamic vinaigrette
Rex’s Romaine and Kale Salad–apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, green goddess dressing
Wheezy’s Watermelon Salad–fresh torn mint
All three of the salads were very good. The kale was my least favorite, but I don’t love cranberries, so the combo was weird to me. They will bring refills of any of these that you would like!
The meats were:
Evil Dr. Smoked Ribs
Buttercup’s Beef Brisket
There’s a Sausage in my Boot-Fire Grilled Pork Sausage
BBQ Chicken
The chicken was very good. I also had the ribs which were good, and a piece of the sausage which was also good! I’m funny about meat, and these were all tasty.
They bring you any extra meats that you would like.
The sides we could choose from were:
Mean Old Potato Salad–homestyle red-skinned potatoes
The Married Spuds–loaded potato barrels
The Claw! Veggie Slaw
Force Field Fried Pickles
Campfire Roasted Vegetables
Slinky Dooooooooooooooog’s Mac & Cheese
Buckin’ Baked Beans
Cowpoke Corn on the Cob
With our group we had a hard time narrowing it down to four. Our waitress explained that we should order four, and then refills could be ANY of the menu items so we could try the others. You didn’t have to get refills for just that one item that you already had. Whew!
My reviews of the sides above:
Corn–eh. Wasn’t my favorite and I probably would not get it again.
Potato Barrels–Surprisingly liked these! Normally I don’t really liked “loaded” anything because it’s just too much. But these were good!
Baked Beans–I had one bite of these. I’m not a bean lover. But these were also good!
Mac & Cheese–This was really good!
I had to try the Potato Salad because I love it! It was okay. Nothing beats my mother-in-law’s though and it didn’t compare!
The Roasted Vegetables were very good and I would get these over the corn next time.
We were all stuffed to the max, but we still had to eat dessert!
Our dessert choices were:
Bo’s Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake
Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie
Goat’s Apple Pie
Gruff’s Peach-Strawberry Pie
Cupcake a la Forky
Somehow we each ordered a different one!
I had the Chocolate Silk Pie and it was DELICIOUS!
I also tasted the Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake and that was also very good.
Here are some pics from inside the restaurant:
I also checked out the bathroom and it was super cute!
Overall I LOVED this dining experience! The restaurant itself was so cute, and the food was very good in my opinion. I will defnitely be back!
Posted at 2:56 pm by taryngirl, on September 5, 2023
6/10/23
If you remember where we had left off with my last post, we had just got back onto the ship around 6:00 p.m. and missed our dinner time. I stopped into the main dining room and checked in with our wait staff trying to find my mom. They said she never showed up and I apologized that we were not going to be there. They said we could come anyway! So we hustled back to the room and showered. My mom showed up there. She had eaten up at the Windjammer buffet.
We were back in the dining room to eat at 6:45 p.m. Tonight’s menu was “A Taste of Mexico.” I was not thrilled when I had looked at the menu earlier in the day, and none of the Mexican dishes stood out to me.
For some reason I have no photos of the appetizers! Maybe because I was starving??
Spaghetti Bolognese:
We LOVED this spaghetti! I know it looks basic, but it was soooooo good!
I honestly have no idea what this next dish is or who even ordered it!
I ordered the BUTTER CHICKEN! Usually on a cruise I request to have Butter Chicken one day and the wait staff accommodates it. It was never ever on the regular menu! I was so happy to see it on the menu multiple times.
This was absolutely delicious and the perfect serving size.
Carne Asada:
Pulled Pork Enchilada:
I don’t recall anything being bad about these last two entrees.
Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie:
This was very good! Warm and gooey, and so tasty!
We finished up dinner and headed out to the deck to take our nightly photos and see what entertainment was coming up.
The SHUSH! Silent Dance Party was on the schedule, and we knew we definitely wanted to go to this! If you aren’t familiar, this is a party where everyone wears headphones while a DJ spins some dance tunes. You can flip between two channels. It’s SO MUCH FUN for the entire family!
After this we were pretty beat, so went back to go to bed.
Posted at 10:32 am by taryngirl, on August 10, 2023
6/10/23
I was so excited for today! I had been in Bermuda one time before on a Royal Caribbean cruise when I was in high school. I remember the beach being AMAZING! We were due to dock at 1:00 p.m. at the Royal Naval Dockyard, and stay docked there overnight with an all aboard time of 12:30 p.m. on 6/11/23.
Upon waking up around 8:00 a.m., and making it to the Windjammer to eat breakfast…IT WAS RAININGGGGGGG. NOOOOOOOO! Our perfect beach day was going to be ruined. I mean it was pouring! They even had special mats on the decks so you wouldn’t slip. We were still sailing into Bermuda and had about 4 hours to go. I had not seen land yet.
This was my breakfast today:
The usual!
We hung around on the deck for a little bit just deciding what to do next. They were announcing the cancellation of several excursions that were booked directly through the cruise ship. Luckily, we didn’t book anything official. Our plan was to just get off the ship and go to the beach via taxi or shuttle bus.
Around 11:00 a.m. we went out onto Deck 4 and LAND HO! You can see how overcast and windy it was! It was also chilly!
We were still going to power onto the beach. The rain had stopped by the time we docked around 12:30 p.m. but it was still cloudy.
We were off the ship at 1:05 p.m. and heading to the taxi/shuttle area.
I had done some research and the cost for the Minibus to Horseshoe Bay was $7.00 per person, per direction. The taxi was $42.00 for 5-7 people. My mom had opted to stay on the ship, so there were 5 of us. One note…for the minibus, you had to wait for it to fill up before it departed. This was not a problem in our case, because everyone was getting off the ship at the same time and they were filling up rather quickly. Another note…the cruise line was offering this as an excursion for $35.00 per person. It included transportation to/from Horseshoe Bay. The same exact thing we were doing. And you had a set return time.
We chose the minibus and it filled up very quickly. Here are a few videos from our drive across the island:
Our driver was nice enough to pull over to the side of the road so we could get a video looking down at Horseshoe Bay. It was BEAUTIFUL!
THAT WATER!
If you take a taxi or minibus, they will drop you off right at the beach. If you take the public transportation which is also available, they will drop you off at the top of the hill and you have to walk down the sidewalk to the beach area.
This is the entrance to the beach. There is no cost to enter the beach, but you can rent chairs and umbrellas at this counter on the right.
Since it was just the three of us and the sun was not shining, I opted for just two chairs. The girls rotated between one chair and laying on a towel. After paying, I was given a receipt. There were workers standing right there at the entrance. I gave my receipt to one of them, the most polite teenage boy. He asked where we wanted to sit. We went about halfway down the beach, and he dragged the chairs for us. (I did tip him.) These boys were hard workers! Besides setting up the chairs, tents and umbrellas, they also took food orders and brought to you right on the beach. They never stopped walking up and down the beach the entire time we were there.
It was super overcast still at this point, but it was not raining! The sand was pink, the water was the most gorgeous color, but it felt a little chilly.
There was no time to waste with photos. The scenery was too good!
The view from my seat:
Around 2:30 p.m. it started to fill up a little bit.
We spent the afternoon napping, relaxing, swimming, and eventually walked down to another little cove area that was back near the entrance.
This was actually an Instagram lover’s dream! There were so many good photo spots around here.
We were trying to time this particular photo because the waves were crashing on the rocks behind and shooting up into the air.
I have been to many, many beaches in my life, and this is definitely in the top 3! It’s just breathtaking. We were sad we only had one day here. I would totally come back to Bermuda to stay for a week!
Around 5:00 p.m., we decided to head back to the ship and get ready for dinner. We knew we would be missing our main dining room seating, and were just planning to hit the buffet.
Here’s the menu for the concession stand:
And the seating area:
There were still several people still on the beach as we were leaving.
This is the taxi/minibus pick up area:
Our plan was to take a taxi back to the ship because we didn’t want to wait for the minibus to fill up. The cost was basically the same. We saw a taxi pull up and approached him. He was very nice but technically wasn’t the first taxi in the line, so he tried to find the man who was next in line and couldn’t. I thought that was very nice! Before we entered the vehicle, he used a dust brush to brush the sand off of our feet and bags. The ride back to the ship took about 20-25 minutes.
I hustled onto the ship and tried to find my mom to let her know our plan for dinner. I went to our dining table thinking she would be there but she wasn’t. Our wait staff said she never showed. Decided to go back to the room to shower and she showed up there. She had gone to the buffet to eat.
Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures 