The World’s Longest Freedom Review: Part 8featured
Hi all! Gonna try to get this one out in one part since it shouldn’t be too long (well, relatively ;)). If anyone has any NYC suggestions (specifically places to eat, things we should definitely see or show suggestions), please send them our way. The only thing we know for sure is that we’re going to see Hair again (Stephanie got us ah-may-zing seats) because Ace Young is starring in it and I’ve been in lust with him since he was on American Idol. I think we’ll be doing three or four days in NYC, so any suggestions on how to fill that time is welcome 🙂
And back onto the review 🙂
So we woke up around 8:30 am on our second day at sea. We were contemplating signing up for the wine tasting that afternoon, but we weren’t too sure. One look out our window showed some ominous looking clouds and our thoughts of spending a blissful day poolside fell to the wayside. We checked that night’s dinner menu on the TV and saw that it was the menu we didn’t care for, so Stephanie called the supper club to make reservations for both the wine tasting and for dinner that evening. The only reservation they had available was for 8:30 pm and it was the last reservation they had. We took it, but we’d honestly never experienced a full supper club before, let alone one that was even remotely busy. So if you have your heart set on dining in the supper club, it’s probably best to make your reservations as soon as possible lest you can’t get in when you want.
Mom and grandma were having room service breakfast, so Stephanie and I headed to the MDR for breakfast to avoid the crowds and inconsistent food up on the Lido deck. We haven’t had breakfast in the MDR for years. I honestly don’t even remember the last ship we were on when we did it. The Liberty, perhaps. Or maybe even as far back as the Pride. Anyways, it was very busy in the dining room (probably because of the less-than-ideal weather), but we had no wait and were quickly seated at a booth.
The breakfast menu in the MDR isn’t terribly extensive, but it does have many (albeit mostly basic) offerings. They have your hot cereals, your cold cereals, your fruits, your omelettes and meats, but they also have things like belgian waffles and eggs benedict. And juices. You can’t get grapefruit juice or pineapple juice on the Lido deck. I started with some apple juice and some coffee, Stephanie started with some orange juice and we both started with a bowl of Cream of Wheat. It was…it was your basic Cream of Wheat.
Stephanie ordered a ham and cheese omelette and thought it was far better than the made-to-order omelettes up on the Lido deck. She ordered hers with a side of bacon and it was served in ample portion and was nice and crispy.
Ham and Cheese Omelette (with a side of bacon)
I ordered the Eggs Benedict with a side of bacon and sausage. I really don’t like canadian bacon, but I didn’t want to give them extra work in the galley so I ordered it as it was, took the canadian bacon off, put the regular bacon on and voila. Eggs Benny a la Nicole. Are these the best Eggs Benedict ever? No. But they were very good. And very filling. I ordered these a few times during the week and never ate more than half.
Eggs Benedict (with a side of bacon and sausage)
After breakfast, the weather was finally starting to clear up, so Stephanie and I went to put our pool gear on and head out to find chairs. And even though the weather had been pretty yucky all morning, you guessed it, every chair was taken by the pool, on the decks that surround the main pool and on the Serenity deck. Stephanie and I found some chairs out of the way near the jumbo screen on deck 10 and we laid out for an hour or two and enjoyed the sun.
I wanted to shower before the wine tasting, so Stephanie and I packed ourselves up and went to head back to the room. Literally, the second we stood up, someone swooped in and grabbed our chairs. Didn’t ask if we were done. Didn’t ask if they could have them. They just grabbed them. Stephanie classified them as chair vultures. They aren’t the ones who hog the chairs, but the ones who swoop around and hover over you at the first sight that you might be getting up. They breathe down your necks while you gather your things and the second your ass is off that chair, they swoop in for the kill…throwing their water bottle or flip flop to mark it as their chair. Chair vultures.
After my shower, I did my hair and Stephanie and I met up with Mom and grandma at the Lido restaurant, where they were having lunch. Another day where the lunch offerings just didn’t appeal to me at all, but knowing I was going to get my wino on, I took a few bites of the red velvet cupcake that Mom grabbed for dessert.
Stephanie and I headed up to the Sun King Steakhouse a few minutes before 1:00 pm to check in. We handed over our S&S cards to pay for the demonstration (a nominal $15, which we find to be well worth it) and were instructed to find a seat. We grabbed a table for two and situated ourselves as the sommelier began pouring the wine samples out. Plates with various small bites on it (citrus segments, a strawberry, a slice of brie with a cracker, some salt, a piece of salmon and a small piece of steak) were placed in front of us to pair with the wines. I don’t do fish and the thought of it even sitting in front of me repulses me, so I kindly asked the server to make me a plate sans the fish, which was no problem.
The event drew around 20 people, with Stephanie and I being, by far, the youngest ones there. For me? I love wine. I’ll take a good glass of riesling or a fume blanc over beer or hard liquor any day of the week (even over my beloved umbrella drinks, but Sunglasses and Wine doesn’t carry the same panache). In fact, when I was a senior in college, I’d go out with a group of friends to this amazing bar every Thursday night (The Gage on S. Michigan Ave. if anyone is ever in Chicago) and more often than not, I’d opt for a few glasses of Gresy Moscato instead of their amazing white grape martinis. Stephanie, though, really isn’t a wine fan. She did this more as a favor to me and to try out the experience than for actual desire to learn about and sample various wines.
Placed in front of us were five (rather generous) sample pours of wines, ranging from light-bodied to full-bodied. We started with a 2007 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc and then moved to a 2007 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, a 2007 Selbach-Oster Riesling, a 2007 Jekel Pinot Noir and ending with a 2006 Wolf Blass Shiraz.
The ships sommelier (I don’t remember his name, but he was rather young and very pleasant) led the seminar, talking us through each wine, telling us about what it was paired with and why, what it goes best with, etc. He even had us try some “bad” pairings to show us what it felt like and tasted like when a wine and a flavor don’t go together well. He told us how to tell the difference between a dry wine and a sweet wine (a dry wine will make you salivate more) and a light and a full-bodied wine (how it feels on your tongue). We were told we could get more of any of the wines should we want some, but I don’t think anyone asked for a second glass on any of them. My favorite, by far, was the riesling, which I thought was just fantastic, but I really enjoyed all of the wines (though that last shiraz was a little heavy for my tastes). Stephanie thought the experience was well-worth the price and was certainly informative and even fun, but she’s still not a big wine fan (particularly the reds…they’re too heavy for her). And while I finished every drop of wine that I had, she was a little more selective, not caring to take more than a sip or two of the reds.
We met up with Mom and grandma after the tasting and we all did some shopping. I was slightly tipsy, but I do remember two things very clearly: one, it was hot as hell outside as we walked back from the Sun King. Really. Insanely hot. Secondly, the shopping on the Freedom was highly disappointing. For a ship with such a large shopping area, the selection of goods is far inferior to that of the Miracle, which has a much smaller shopping area. I was mostly disappointed that there was no World of Good display. I don’t think any of us bought anything in the shops while we were on the cruise. There was just really nothing we wanted.
After a little store browsing, we headed off to the Posh dining room for afternoon tea. The offerings today were a little different, but still relatively the same (the cakes changed, but they still had the same sandwiches and my personal favorite- the strawberries and fresh whipped cream). Since we didn’t care for the offerings up on Lido, this kind of served as Stephanie and my lunch for the day and we took the time to tell Mom and grandma all about our experience at the wine tasting (an experience we’re sure to do again on future cruises).
When tea time was over, Stephanie and I headed back to our room and I crawled straight into bed and took a nap. Between the motion of the boat (which was still an issue for many people, as it really didn’t let up all week) and the wine, I just needed to crash for an hour or two. And since our dinner was so late, we had extra time to play around with.
I woke up around 6:00 pm and checked in with Mom and grandma, who were up on the Lido deck grabbing grandma’s dinner. Stephanie was already ready for dinner for the most part because she and Mom *really* wanted to see the show for that night at 7:00 pm, which was Jamie Frasier (who they dubbed Britain’s answer to Michael Buble). Me? I didn’t care to see it. So Stephanie went to grab seats while I got dressed for dinner and me, Mom and grandma went to go meet her.
The show? It was alright. It was very low-energy. I didn’t think he was all that great. But you know what I discovered later in the week? Jamie Frasier? He was our assistant CD. Did they tell us this in the Capers or at the show? Nope. Did we see Jamie anywhere else on the boat hosting activities during the week? Nope. We saw him later in the week taking in a showing of Ticket to Ride, but that was it. So the assistant CD took a night to take the stage for himself, but didn’t tell the audience he was the assistant CD…and that’s basically all he did that week. Yeah. I’m still a little peeved at how lacksidasical this entertainment staff was.
After the show, we took grandma back to the room and made sure she was settled in and then we headed off to dinner. I’ve got to say…the staff at the Sun King was by far the best staff we’ve ever experienced at any of the supper clubs we’ve dined in across Carnival’s fleet. From the moment we checked in, we were treated like VIPs. Everyone from the host staff to our servers were just amazing. And the Sun King restaurant, itself? Gorgeous. Opulent. Shades of gold everywhere and stunning chandeliers hanging above.
The menus had changed slightly since our last supper club meal and we each took some time to peruse them and make our choices. After we placed our orders, an amuse bouche came out, compliments of the chef. Stephanie was given a small taste of a baked potato soup and Mom and I were given beef tartare. As you can imagine, Mom, who won’t eat any meat that has a hint of pink or any juice on the plate, didn’t touch hers. And me? The one who won’t even touch fish with a 10-foot pole? Yeah. I tried it. And it was DELICIOUS. Mom didn’t know what she was missing. I’d never had beef tartare before (or any tartare, for that matter) and it was this cluster of juxtaposing tastes. It was sweet and salty, soft and firm…just really great.
Baked Potato Soup
Beef Tartare
In between the amuse bouche and the appetizers came a round of bread. The bread in the supper club is dangerous. It’s insanely delicious and if you don’t watch it, you’ll find yourself stuffed before your main course even comes out because the bread basket seems to come around whenever your plate is empty. Stephanie had a foccacia. Mom and I had the brioche. It’s the best bread I’ve ever had in my life. On the table was placed three small ramekins: one with butter, one with a sundried tomato spread and one with an eggplant spread, I believe, to accompany the bread.
Foccacia
Brioche
Mom started with the New England Crab Cake (on red pepper remoulade). I don’t do crab cakes…or seafood for that matter…so I have no idea what crab cakes are supposed to taste like and I didn’t write down what Mom thought of it other than she “really liked it.” So take that for whatever it’s worth. My Mom liked her crab cake.
New England Crab Cake
Stephanie didn’t care for any of the offerings on the starter menu and asked if she could have the cheese plate off the dessert menu as her starter, and our server happily obliged her. And this cheese plate? It was the cheese plate to end all cheese plates. Five HUGE chunks of various cheeses, served with a handful of almonds and some grapes, orange segments and a strawberry. Enough to feed the entire table (literally…we all shared it). Our only collective gripe is that we didn’t receive any information regarding what cheeses we were eating. I don’t even remember if our server told us as the plate was presented. I remember that the blue cheese was particularly good and there was a cheese that resembled a robiola in texture and flavor that we all really enjoyed.
Selection of International Cheeses
I started with (what else) the Beef Carpaccio (sliced raw beef tenderloin with shaved Parmesan cheese, marinated mache lettuce). Yes. She who won’t eat meat or chicken with bones in it…she who won’t touch seafood with a 10-foot pole for any money…eats beef carpaccio. In fact, I eat it every time we go to the supper club. And this one? It didn’t disappoint. A nice drizzling of some good quality EVOO and some fresh pepper and I was in heaven. My only complaint was that the little crisps they usually give on the side? They didn’t give many. And the fig paste that usually comes with it? Not this time. But who needs it when you have soft, flavorful and beautifully marbled beef with some capers and parmesan cheese?
Beef Carpaccio
Mom had the Classic Caesar salad (hearts of romaine lettuce, traditionally prepared) for her salad course, and they prepared it for her tableside to order. Like you’ll find in most steakhouses, they served it whole-leaf instead of chopped and Mom really liked it.
Classic Caesar Salad
Stephanie ordered one of the newer offerings, the Sliced, Sun Ripened Beef Steak Tomatoes (with gorgonzola crumbles) and thought it was a lot of tomato. What she was presented with was a large plate of thickly-sliced tomatoes covered in huge chunks of blue cheese, slivered onions and basil sprigs and lightly dressed with a thick balsamic reduction. Stephanie said it was very fresh and light and she really liked it.
Sliced, Sun Ripened Beef Steak Tomatoes
I ordered the Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms salad (with blue cheese dressing and warm bacon bits). The salad was a bit different than I remembered it, but that was mostly because there was a lot more mushrooms and a lot less bacon than I remembered. I like this salad, but I also love blue cheese and mushrooms. It’s a very heavy, strongly-flavored salad and if you dislike strong flavors (especially mushrooms), this isn’t the salad for you. I couldn’t even get half-way through with it. I thought it was delicious, but the flavors were just *so* heavy.
Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms
Mom really wanted to try the dover sole, but that’s not on the menu anymore so she went with her usual of the Surf and Turf (seared lobster tail and grilled filet mignon) and I believe she had a baked potato as her side. The meal came with ample portions of a lobster tail and a nicely sized-filet, but it’s not presented as nicely as it used to be. Mom thought it was good, but not all that much better than the lobster she had in the MDR. Go figure.
Surf and Turf
Stephanie ordered the Broiled New York Strip Loin Steak (14 oz. of the favorite cut of steak connoisseurs) for her main course with the wild mushroom sauce on the side and a side of creamed spinach with garlic. Now, Stephanie isn’t a steak fan. She rarely eats red meat outside of hamburgers as it is (not for any particular reason other than that she doesn’t care for it). Nearly every time we’ve been to the supper club (except for once or twice), she’s ordered the chicken. Why’d she order the steak? Because she read on Cruise Critic that it came with an entire bulb of roasted garlic on top and if there’s one thing she loves, it’s garlic. For someone who really doesn’t care for steak, Stephanie thought this one was really good and said she’d definitely order it again, which is high marks from her. And her side of spinach? Best spinach I’ve ever tasted. Very creamy, very rich and insanely delicious.
Broiled New York Strip Loin Steak
I ordered (what else) the Broiled Filet Mignon (9 oz. for the true gourmet) with a side of bearnaise sauce and a side of wasabi mashed potatoes. The filet? One of the best I’ve ever had. And I failed to finish it…again. I’ve never once finished a steak (or a dessert for that matter) in the supper club. The wasabi mashed potatoes were every bit as good as they’ve ever been, too, but my complaint from our past visits remain: I hate how they unceremoniously spoon them onto your plate. I’m anal. I hate it when my foods touch. And with the environment of the restaurant, it just seems a little careless.
Broiled Filet Mignon
Bearnaise and Wild Mushroom sauces
Mom and Stephanie both ordered the Chocolate Cake with Bitter Chocolate Pate for dessert (aka the death by chocolate…because if you aren’t in a food coma by the end of your meal, this will surely push you over the edge). Neither came close to finishing and both thought every taster was decadent, but extremely rich.
Chocolate Cake with Bitter Chocolate Pate
Since I had the exact same meal I always have, I switched it up a little and instead of the chocolate dessert, I ordered the Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit. Sweet lord, this was the biggest slice of cheesecake I’ve ever seen. I only got through a few bites before I threw in the towel. The cheesecake had hints of citrus, which I liked because it gave it a fresh, lighter taste, but I didn’t detect any of the hazelnut. Still, though, very good. Definitely something I’d try again.
Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit
After we paid the cheque (gratuity is included in the price of the meal, but we had excellent service and as such, tipped accordingly), we walked around the lobby for a little while because we were SO full. After a short walk, we went back to our rooms. Stephanie changed. I took my contacts out because my eyes felt like they had sand poured in them (we had a problem with dry air all week, which gave me a lot of problems with my contacts) and we watched American Idol in our room.
We decided to head out for a bit after Idol. We went to watch some karaoke (which wasn’t very fun or lively, so we didn’t bother checking it out again for the rest of the week), we played the slots for a bit and listened to the live music in the casino and then we ultimately headed back to the room, where we watched Pleasantville until we both fell asleep.
Today’s Lido lunch menus
Today’s Lido dinner menu
