New York is Thatta Way, Man: Just Another SaUD Miracle Review- May, 2010 (Part 6)featured
Just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful comments you’ve left me here and on Cruise Critic! It really makes all the time I put into this so worth it to know you all enjoy it 🙂
So it was our first day at sea…first full day on the boat…and I woke up at 7:30 in the morning thinking the boat was sinking. I’m a light sleeper, especially when we travel, so I sleep with earplugs in. Stephanie is a very, very heavy sleeper so she sets a bajillion alarms on her iPhone. And see, when I set my alarm clock on my iPhone, I set it to something upbeat and fun. I think my current alarm is the Borderline/Open Your Heart mash up from Glee. But Stephanie? She goes industrial. It’s called Alarm and I kid you not- it legitimately sounds like that alarm that goes off in action movies when the vault is closing and they’re rushing to leave the room before getting caught. So she’s sleeping and I jump out of bed like a bat out of hell because through my earplugs, all I hear is ERRRR ERRRRR ERRRRRRRR ERRRRRRRRR. Note to self: next time we’re sharing a room, set her alarm sound to Harp.
I went back to sleep for another hour and we woke up around 8:30 when Mom came in to make sure we didn’t sleep the entire day. She and grandma ordered room service for breakfast so Stephanie and I got dressed and headed down to the Bacchus dining room for breakfast. It was cloudy and overcast outside so we decided to have a leisurely morning and see how many activities we could get in.
We had requested a table for two and were quickly obliged. Service in the dining room was spotty this morning. They did bring around the pastry basket (which they didn’t do on the Freedom), but I swear my apple juice was 90% syrup. Bleh. I stuck to my coffee, but they were slow on the refills. I’d ordered Cream of Wheat and the Belgian Waffles with strawberries and a side of bacon. The waffle was delish and the bacon was nice and crispy, but the “strawberries” were a small ramekin of strawberry sauce…and they forgot about my Cream of Wheat. I didn’t bother asking for it. Stephanie actually got her Cream of Wheat (which was served with traditional oatmeal toppings of brown sugar and raisins) and she ordered a Ham and Cheese Omelette with a side of sausage. She said her omelette was better than any one she’d ever had up on the lido deck for breakfast.
Belgian Waffle with strawberries and a side of bacon
Cream of Wheat
Ham and Cheese Omelette with a side of sausage
After breakfast, we decided to check out the situation near the adults-only pool and well, here’s a sight you don’t see on every Caribbean cruise…
10:00 am…and an empty pool area. A handful of people were out in the hot tub, but the wind and overcast skies kept people away from the pool. And honestly, it ended up being kind of a blessing because we now had the opportunity to do a few things we normally wouldn’t. I’ve often said we’re creatures of habit (and if you’ve read my previous reviews, you can probably predict our Day at Sea schedules: we wake up, we go to breakfast, we lay out by the pool, we go to lunch, we go back to the room and shower, we walk around the boat or hang out on the promenade deck, we go to tea, we go shopping, we go back to the room and rest, we go to dinner and then we go to a show or we go out to the piano bar, karaoke, etc) and because of this, we often miss out on the fun activities they offer during these days at sea. Last year when we were on the Miracle, it rained one morning and we ended up at trivia and it really opened our eyes to how much there is going on while we’re sitting out at the pool. And then when we were on the Freedom, we realized just how important it is to have a good entertainment staff because there really wasn’t anything to do BUT sit at the pool. They’re in charge of planning all these activities and the lacksidasical entertainment staff of the Freedom really didn’t plan much of anything.
Today, though? Even though the weather was crummy outside, there was SO much to do inside. Seminars and clinics. Arts and crafts. Trivia. Gaming lessons. There was a Getting to Know Your Ship seminar in the Phantom Lounge, and Stephanie and I missed that in favor of breakfast in the dining room (and really, if anyone knows the Miracle, it’s us :P), but how awesome is that?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that offered on any ship I’d ever been on and I think it’s a fantastic idea, especially with the newer ships that have so much more to offer. We did decide to go to the Fun Aboard and Fun Ashore program with Malcolm and on the way, as we were passing by the Fountainhead Cafe to grab some extra Capers, we noticed they had out these mini newspapers put together by the boat staff with domestic and foreign news, entertainment news, sports scores. I don’t know if we had these because the local channels were out (I later learned we had no local channels because they were having big problems with the satellite feed), but we ended up stopping by every morning to grab a copy to read with our breakfasts. It was nice to be able to catch up with my news (and especially nice that they printed every sports score in there), but I was still bitter over missing the NBA conference finals, American Idol and Neil Patrick Harris on Glee.
So first day at sea on our ninth Carnival cruise (and tenth cruise overall)…and for the first time, we actually went to the ports presentation…for ports we’ve been to a bazillion times. But it ended up being a really fun, entertaining talk. Malcolm is hilarious and insanely personable and we quickly realized that any activity he was leading would just be total fun because he’s fun to be around.
After the show, we called Mom’s room. She and grandma were watching a movie but Mom was going to meet me and Stephanie up at Nick and Nora’s for the cooking demonstration. The room quickly filled up, but we had snagged some primo front row seats for the action. And this demo? SO MUCH FUN. We’d done a few of these before and it’s usually hosted by one of the chefs. They talk about making food on the boat, crack a few jokes and demonstrate how they make a few dishes. We were quickly learning that there wasn’t enough fun for this cruise staff- they were always striving to make things MORE fun. The demo was hosted by asst. CD Sparkles and it took the form of a cooking competition- there were four of the onboard chefs there and each one demonstrated a different dish. We got to taste each dish (generous portions of each, too, for a taster) and then at the end, we’d vote on which one we liked the best and that chef would get a Ship on a Stick.
Beyond being informative, there was an interactive element to this that was so much fun to watch and participate in. It really was like we were watching a live cooking competition. And best of all- everything they made was supper club fare and we got to taste it all for free! They demonstrated and served the Mushroom Cappuccino (served as an amuse bouche), Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms salad, Broiled Supreme of Free Range Chicken (served with macaroni and cheese, as it would be in the supper club) and the nomtastic Tiramisu they serve with the chocolate sampler. Everything was fantastically delicious and they even handed out the recipes to everything they made so we can replicate them at home!
Mushroom Cappuccino
Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms
Broiled Supreme of Free Range Chicken
Tiramisu
The sun finally peeked out during the cooking demo, so once it was over, Stephanie and I ran back to the room to get changed, Mom went to get grandma and we all headed out to the aft pool. It was super crowded, but we still had no problem finding two chairs in the sun for me and Stephanie and a table in the shade for Mom and grandma.
It was still windy and the pool water is insanely cold, so I just sat on the edge of the pool for a bit. Two kids tried to come swim in the pool (the aft pool is adults-only) and they were removed by pool security within a few minutes. Snaps for Carnival’s pool security. Seriously. Every time we’ve been on the Miracle, we’ve stayed to the aft pool, every time there have been kids who tried to come swim in the pool and every time they’ve been booted. Kudos, Carnival. Now, if we could just work on kid patrol on the Lido deck late at night…
We stayed out at the pool until around 1:00 pm, when we headed into Horatio’s for lunch. And during prime lunch time on a day at sea, we still had no problem finding an empty table and the lines for food weren’t unbearably long. I wasn’t very hungry so I made myself a salad, but Mom, Stephanie and grandma all headed for the rotisserie, where it was turkey day. Once a week on the Lido deck, they do a full turkey meal for lunch…complete with all the fixings. Stephanie looks forward to this meal every cruise and she said this time, it was good, but it wasn’t great.
After lunch, Mom and grandma went off to walk around the ship and Stephanie and I went back to our room to shower. Tonight was our first elegant evening and two with girls who need to shower, blow dry and flat iron, it requires an early start. I watched TV while Stephanie showered and then took mine. I was SO glad I took my own hair dryer. The ones Carnival provides are pithy- barely any power, limited settings and they take forever to use (especially since you need to hold the button down as you blow dry). I was able to get my hair done pretty quickly and we headed out to explore the ship more.
We were meeting Mom and grandma for tea time at 3:00 pm, so Stephanie and I decided to talk a quick stroll along the promenade. When we don’t have balconies, I find myself heading out to the promenade whenever I can just to enjoy the sound of the waves lapping up on the boat and stare out at the infinite seas.
Mom and grandma had a table saved for us when Stephanie and I got to the Jeeves Lounge, and I was actually surprised that there were many open tables. On our past few cruises on the Miracle, you had to come early to stake out a table because they’d fill up quick.
I thought tea time on the Miracle was greatly improved (with more selections from the pastry cart than I had previously remembered), but it wasn’t quite as good as it had been on the Freedom. Still, it was very relaxing and between the soft music and my chamomile tea, this was the good life.
After tea, Mom and Stephanie headed off to the casino and I took grandma back to her room and ended up falling asleep while we watched some movie on TV. I napped for about an hour before Stephanie came to wake me up to get ready for elegant evening.
Since they did away with the Captain’s Cocktail Party in favor of the Farewell Party on the last night, we didn’t have quite the rush to get ready that we used to have. Still, we wanted to hit the atrium bar for a drink while they were (I believe) $1 off. Mom got grandma ready for her nap and met me and Stephanie at the (very busy) atrium bar. We had a round of pomegranate martinis, which were very strong and kind of tasted like cough medicine. Not the best I’ve ever had, especially for what they charge onboard for them.
Happy hour down, we headed to the Bacchus for dinner. The first thing we noticed was that Orlando was not there tonight (we later found out he had taken ill)…Gedi was flying solo. And let me tell you- you have this young team waiter handling everything by himself on formal night (taking the orders, running the food, serving the food, switching out the silverware, serving the bread and then serving it again, making sure everyone’s drinks were refilled) and not only does he get everything correct, he finds the time to make conversation and be an absolute delight to be around? That’s a special person. Yeah, Gedi is definitely making the dream team.
Mom started with her usual Caesar salad and shrimp cocktail and joined Stephanie and I in ordering the Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms (spinach, Romano cheese and fine herbs). We all agreed they were a bit overdone and dry, but they were still cheesy delicious. I’m telling you all- order these on your next cruise. Ever since they appeared on the menu, every single time we order them, someone at a neighboring table asks us what they are and then asks their server to grab them a plate. Every.single.time. I’m telling you all- try them. They really are fantastic (even when they’re overdone). Stephanie also ordered the Greek Farmer Salad (iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, black olives and feta cheese, tossed with vinaigrette) and she thought it was good, but it seems to shrink in portion size every time she orders it. I ordered the Strawberry Bisque (chilled creamy strawberry soup with fresh mint) as my second starter and like always, it didn’t disappoint. Nice and smooth, creamy and refreshing. And I still love that Carnival pours its chilled soups tableside. It’s a nice touch.
Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms
Greek Farmer Salad
Strawberry Bisque
Main course? For Mom there is no other option. It’s lobster (two of them to be precise). She finishes the first of her Duet of Broiled Maine Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp (yukon gold potato mash, roasted broccoli florets) and right on cue, Gedi appears with her second plate singing “I have more lobster for youuuu.” Can I put him in my pocket?
Duet of Broiled Maine Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp
Stephanie and I both went for the Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef Au Jus (cooked to perfection, baked potato with traditional toppings). Stephanie thought it was “meh” (her words, not mine), but I thought it was pretty good. It came with some onion rings, which were nice…thick and crispy (always a win in my book) and the prime rib, itself, was less fatty than the past few I’d had onboard. It really was quite good. Gedi came around with a tray of au jus, horseradish, sour cream and bacon bits to accompany the dish. Au jus and lots of horseradish for me, please.
Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef Au Jus
In between dinner and dessert, Gedi stopped to sing and dance with the night’s song (I didn’t pay attention…we don’t usually stay for the singing and dancing) and then joked around that it was back to work. Seriously. Promote this man.
Dessert was a plate of lime sherbet for Stephanie and Cherries Jubilee for me and Mom. I had a cheese plate with mine and Stephanie asked Gedi if he could get her a plate of just brie. His response? “It’s no problem. It’s my job to make you happy.” Do I need to say it again? PROMOTE HIM. Cherries Jubilee was delicious. Sometimes, I’ll order a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake and mix in the cherries (sinfully rich and fantastic- try it sometime) but I just wasn’t in the mood for chocolate this time.
Lime Sherbet
Cherries Jubilee
Cheese Plate
Just Brie
After dinner, we headed out to the promenade to watch the sunset for a little bit. It happened to time out pretty perfectly that usually as dinner was letting out, the sun was starting to set, so we’d head out to the promenade for a little while after dinner every night.
We all headed to take grandma to dinner after we saw the sunset. I think it’s kind of nice that even though she prefers to nap while we’re at dinner, we can still sit around a table and have family time while she eats. And they do make it really nice up on the lido deck for dinner. On this night, they didn’t have the lobster, but they had both prime rib and flat iron steaks. Most of what’s offered on the MDR dinner menu shows up on the lido deck for dinner, so if you prefer a more casual, go-at-your-own-pace setting, it’s a nice option.
After grandma ate, we went back to the rooms so Stephanie and I could change out of our dresses and then we all headed down to see the first big production show of the cruise, Generations. By the time we took this cruise, I’d already seen Generations seven times (including the make-up matinee show they did the year before on our Miracle cruise because there was a tech malfunction in the last scene) and it really is one of my favorites. Grandma loved it, Stephanie doesn’t care for it either way and I’m pretty sure Mom loves every show she sees. I still wasn’t feeling the male singer, though. He butchered my favorite part of the show (Hair) and he would make these intense show faces that were insanely distracting. One note, though- Carnival really needs more handicapped seating for their theaters. I believe on the Miracle, there’s two rows with indented space for people in wheelchairs or scooters. If you use a scooter and can walk some, I implore you to please not use these spots and leave them for people who are strictly wheelchair/scooter bound and their families because it’s really the only place they can go. And the bigger design flaw is that only one person in a wheelchair or scooter can sit with their family on the couches next to them. Anyone who “parks” next to them has to have their family sit in front or behind them. I really wish they’d make these theaters more friendly to special needs cruisers because there’s always people who come looking and just can’t find the room, resulting in them missing the show.
Mom and grandma went back to their room after the first show and Stephanie and I moved up to the front row for the second. At showtime, there were plenty of seats still available in the first three rows- a rarity, especially for the big production shows. And when the second show was over, we ended up in the sports bar for a bit so I could watch the ticker for the score of the Lakers’ game (the game was on a channel the ship didn’t carry so I’d have to watch the Eastern Conference games, which were on a channel the boat DID carry, and watch the ticker for live updates) and then headed back to the room.
Stephanie figured out how to hook up her portable DVD player to the TV (which she couldn’t figure out on the Freedom. “Miracle: 1, Freedom: 0”). This was pretty much the best thing to happen to us all day since the only things that were on TV were Nancy Grace (and we’d already seen the episode), the ship TV channels and constant runnings of Twilight: New Moon (ugggggggggggggh). So she put on 17 Again, we ordered room service and I wrote my trip journal entry for the day.
Another late night, but who needs sleep when you’re on vacation. Right? Right? We had a 13 hour drive home at the end of the trip. I’d sleep then.
Today’s lido lunch menus
Today’s lido dinner menu
