New York is Thatta Way, Man: Just Another SaUD Miracle Review- May, 2010 (Part 7)featured
Hi all! Thanks again for all the wonderful comments you’ve been leaving me here and on Cruise Critic! Your kind words really fuel my writing and they are much appreciated!
We slept in until around 8:30 am on our second sea day. Mom and grandma were doing a room service breakfast again, so Stephanie and I headed down to the Bacchus for breakfast by ourselves. We were quickly obliged a table for two (it’s fun to meet and chat with other people in the dining room, but we prefer going at our own pace) and we sat down with the Capers for the day to plan out what we wanted to do…and there was SO many activities to choose from.
Stephanie started with some melon segments and then had the lox plate for breakfast, which she thought was pretty good (but clearly nothing like the ones she has at the deli’s we have back at home). I had the Eggs Benedict (poached eggs on toasted English muffin with Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce) with a side of bacon, which was extra crispy but a bit greasy. I hate Canadian bacon but I’ve found that while the dining staff will oblige you, it will take forever or they’ll get it wrong a lot of the time, so I modify it myself. Take off the Canadian bacon, add the regular bacon and done! The Eggs Bennie were very good, but insanely heavy and I don’t think I even finished half. Oh, and my apple juice? Syrupy again. No more MDR apple juice for me this week.
Melon Segments
Smoked Salmon
Eggs Benedict with a side of bacon
Eggs Bennie a la Nicole
We split up after breakfast- Stephanie went back to the room to change into her sunwear and I went to the Fountainhead to get a newspaper before meeting Stephanie back at the room. We headed out to the pool together, only to find there were no chairs by the aft pool! At least they were being used and it wasn’t rows of chairs with random flip flops or chapsticks thrown on to “save” them. I was kind of bummed because I wanted to swim, but we just really wanted to lay out and bask in the warm sun so we headed up to deck 10, where we found a nearly empty deck! Score! Once we found it, though, it filled up pretty quickly. I put on my iPod, took off my sunglasses (didn’t want to get raccoon eyes and have Stephanie tease me all summer…again) and let the gentle rocking of the ship soothe me into a light nap.
After about an hour and a half, Stephanie and I were ready to head in. We decided to stop in Nick and Nora’s to make a dinner reservation for that evening (when we called Mom to let her know where we were going to be, we told her that tonight was the dining menu we usually skip and so she told us to go ahead and make a reservation at the supper club for tonight) and we saw them setting up for the wine tasting. Jigga wah? There was nothing in the Capers about the wine tasting! It turned out, they had forgotten to put the wine tasting in the Capers so thought it was unadvertised, it was still happening. With that, we made our dinner reservation (they only had a 9:00 pm reservation, which was late…even for us…but we took it anyways) and ran back to the room to get changed since we had 15 minutes until the wine tasting started and it didn’t seem right to do a wine tasting in our swimsuits. So we get to our room…and the room steward is in there cleaning. It seemed he’d come really late in the morning and really late at night, which was irritating sometimes since he’d always be in there when we wanted to go back to the room. I was suddenly REALLY glad we didn’t go swimming and chose an outfit and put on some light makeup in record time.
We ran back up to deck 10 just as the wine tasting was to begin- for us and one other person. Even though they had Malcolm go on the loudspeaker and announce the tasting, I guess most people didn’t hear it and we had a kind of private tasting with just us, another woman and the sommalier. This provided for a very intimate setting and I found I actually preferred it. The small group allowed for a better dialogue and the sommalier was able to kind of get to know us and make suggestions, allowed us to ask questions and get more personalized answers.
The wines we were tasting were Rawson’s Chardonnay, Wolf Blass Cabernet, Folonari Pinot Grigio, George Blanc Pinot Noir and Piesporter Riesling and I thought they were all wonderfully fantastic. Even Stephanie, who doesn’t like red wine, found herself not totally disliking the ones we sampled. She preferred the Riesling, while I really took a liking to the Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. $15 got us some very generous pours (along with the food pairings plate) of these five wines and I was more than pleased with the experience. If you’re a fan of wine (whether you just like drinking it or you’re a more seasoned wine connoisseur), I really recommend checking out the wine tasting onboard. It’s usually held on the second sea day…and if you don’t see it in the Capers…ask.
After the wine tasting, we met back up with Mom and grandma and headed down to the Lido for lunch. Nothing hits the spot after a morning of wine tasting than…chicken wontons. Seriously though…it was chicken wonton day at the Asian station and it might be my second favorite thing they served up on Lido all week (with my beloved tiramisu cheesecake, which they were serving today! Snaps for good lunch!).
Lunch time made me sleepy (well, that and the vino…and the motion of the ocean…I was tired, okay?), so I went back to the room to nap for a little bit. Sometime later, Stephanie woke me up and we decided to go hang around the boat before tea time. We ended up at the shops on the Yellow Brick Road. We took our time perusing the various merchandise and I noticed that while I prefer the layout of the shops on the Conquest class ships, the Spirit class vessels have a much better selection of merchandise. Amongst that merchandise this time? Absolut Tropics. Has anyone ever seen this stuff before? We hadn’t!
We ended up in the atrium for a little while after looking around the shops. It sounds kind of bland and mundane, but I kind of love sitting in the atrium. It’s always so quiet and empty during the day and there’s a certain peace that comes with that. And maybe I’m in the minority, but I love the atrium’s on the Carnival ships I’ve been on. Are they as elegant as the ones on Princess? No (and the ones on Princess really are quite regal and lovely…really a sight to behold). But they’re colorful and fun to look at.
Up next was the Jeeves Lounge for tea time. And let me tell you- I have not encountered such a crazy crowd of tea dwellers like I did for this tea time. First there was a table argument. Someone came up to a lady sitting at a table saying it was their table…that they had just gotten up for a moment. The problem? There were several other empty tables of the same size in the lounge. Are we lacking assertion and power in our everyday lives that we need to take it out on strangers on a cruise ship? Then there was the couple who impatiently brought their plates up to the cart and demanded to be served. Again…really? There were the people complaining about the service (I’m sorry free tea service with scrumptious goodies and live music all for free isn’t good enough for you). Come on, guys. You’re on a cruise. Relax. I had one slight complaint, though: the servers were using the same tongs for everything- so the same tongs that were plating salmon sandwiches were plating my muffin. Clear cross-contamination issue and a possible problem if you go to tea time and you have seafood allergies. Or if you’re like me and it squicks you out.
After tea, we went back to the room. I took a shower and Stephanie put on a movie. Since there wasn’t much going on around the boat and we didn’t have dinner to get ready for since we’d be dining at the supper club later in the evening, we decided to go mini golfing, which we’d never done before. And I have to say- I really think we’ll try anytime dining on our next cruise because I really enjoyed the pacing of this day. Since we usually have early seating dinner, we often miss out on many opportunities for rest or fun because we’re getting ready for dinner. Having a later dinner allowed us to try more things, get more rest and take a more leisurely approach to our day. And with anytime dining, we could dine early on nights where there are shows we want to see and later on nights where we don’t.
But back to the mini golf. It’s another activity Carnival offers for free and Stephanie and I had never done it before. We went to the towel cabana to rent a club and some golf balls (they take your Sail and Sign number in case you don’t return your rentals) and headed up to to the mini golf course. The golf course is what took the place of the departed (and much missed) topless deck (where you were ALWAYS sure to find an empty lounge chair and some quiet, even if you didn’t want to go topless) and I have to say- I hadn’t seen it since the transformation but it’s actually a really nice little mini golf course! It’s not Par King, but it’s something. We tried to mini golf for about a half hour. I was really bad at it and I wasn’t any better with the heavy wind swirling around us.
Stephanie wanted some ice cream so I went to return the clubs and when I found her, she had no ice cream. Why? She got to the machines and found a bunch of kids eating ice cream directly out of the machine. Like…literally. Mouth to machine. Come on, people. Train your children. This isn’t appropriate or sanitary behavior any way you cut it and it’s inexcusable. If your children are old enough to go get ice cream on their own, they’re old enough to know not to pull these stunts. And if they don’t? Maybe they need some stricter supervision. Stephanie told one of the workers on deck. I hope they cleaned it. I know I didn’t grab any ice cream from the midship machines for the rest of the week.
After golf, we went back to the room and checked in with Mom. She was ordering room service, so I had her order me a roast beef and brie sandwich and some veggie sticks, but she forgot my sticks and ordered me a cheesecake instead. Stephanie and I watched Eurotrip (and I flat ironed my hair) while we waited for the food, which took FOREVER. Literally, more than an hour. Note to self: if you’re going to order room service in the late afternoon, it will take forever. We usually order late at night, when it’s usually there in less than 20 minutes because half the boat is sleeping. The sandwich was delish, the cheesecake was way too heavy and I took another nap after my snack.
When I woke up, it was nearly 7:15 pm and Mom and Stephanie were already ready for our dinner and getting ready to take grandma upstairs. I got ready and joined them up on Lido, where we took grandma out to watch the sunset with us after she ate. We really wanted to see the One Woman Tribute Show with Karen Grainger (which we had heard great things about), but the first show was at 8:45 pm and we had 9:00 pm dinner reservations, so we just couldn’t fit it in. Stephanie and I split from Mom and grandma for a bit- we stopped in the sports bar so I could check the sports ticker and then headed into Frankie and Johnnie’s to listen to Music Unlimited for a bit before dinner.
Have I talked about Music Unlimited in this review yet? I can’t really say enough about them so even if I have, I’m going to do it again. Music Unlimited is a group that’s seemingly permanently stationed on the Miracle. They cover classic rock songs nightly in Frankie and Johnnie’s, except for the night of Ticket to Ride, when they star in part of the show. They are FANTASTIC. Best band I’ve ever heard at sea. They did Freebird last year when we were on the Miracle and Stephanie *still* talks about it because she was that impressed. They take requests and if you’re ever sailing with us and you hear someone go FREEBIRDDDDD, it’s probably my sister.
So we had a 9:00 pm dinner reservation, but we showed up around 8:40 pm hoping to be seated early and they quickly obliged us, leading upstairs to a table on the second level. We’ve never eaten on the second level of the supper clubs before! I have to say, though, while Nick and Nora’s is absolutely stunning at night, the beauty and ambiance of the restaurant would have been so much more enhanced if they still had live music. Small cutback, but I really miss it.
Our servers for the evening came to introduce themselves and explain the dining experience we’d be having and then gave us a presentation about the different cuts, chops and choices they serve.
After we placed our orders, we were presented with an amuse bouche. Stephanie and I were served a small taste of a roasted red pepper bisque, which was rich and complex. I’m not a fan of red peppers, but I’d enjoy a bowl of this! I honestly don’t remember what Mom’s was other than it was seafood and she didn’t want to eat it. But it looked pretty!
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Mystery Amuse Bouche
In between the amuse bouche and our appetizers, we were brought a tray of fresh butter, bruschetta topping and an eggplant tapenade and our assistant server brought around a basket filled with freshly baked carb-laden goods. My personal favorite is the brioche, which is soft and buttery. Stephanie recommends the focaccia with one of the vegetable spreads.
Butter and spreads
Brioche
Focaccia
We were starting to notice our meal was progressing really slowly, which would usually be fine- except it was pushing 9:30 and we’d barely started our meal yet. We aren’t fast eaters by any means (in fact, my entire family will tell you that I eat frustratingly slow), but there was a long lapses in between courses throughout the meal and it kind of threw off the experience a bit.
Despite the amuse bouche and the bread, we were ravenous when our appetizers were served. Mom started with the Lobster Bisque with Vintage Cognac (fleuron and fresh cream) and she thought it was velvety and rich but that it was very heavy, especially to start with. Stephanie had a selection of cheeses off the dessert menu and was a little disappointed in it. On the Freedom, they brought out the cart and cut her some very generous portions of many different cheeses. This time, just a plate was brought out and while she thought the portion was plenty for her, it was worth noting that it was a much smaller portion than she’d had on the Freedom. She was also given no note on what cheeses she was served and she found one of them absolutely repulsive. I tried it and it really did taste like what a zoo smells like. Yech. I ordered my favorite starter they serve on the ship- the Beef Carpaccio (sliced raw beef tenderloin with shaved Parmesan cheese, marinated mache lettuce) and it was as fantastic as always…but missing the fig pate they used to serve with it, which really would have enhanced the flavors quite a bit.
Lobster Bisque with Vintage Cognac
Selection of International Cheeses
Beef Carpaccio
Up next was our salad course. Mom went with one of my favorites- the Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms salad (with blue cheese dressing and warm bacon bits) and really liked the balance of flavors in the salad with the tangy blue cheese, the salty bacon and the pungent mushrooms. Stephanie decided to try the Sliced, Sun-Ripened Beefsteak Tomato (with gorgonzola crumbles) and thought it was an ample portion of dense tomato, nice and fresh, but she wanted more blue cheese on it. I decided to change things up a little and ordered the Heart of Iceberg Lettuce (with red and yellow grape tomatoes. I ordered the salad with ranch dressing and instead, they brought me house dressing. I didn’t care enough to correct their mistake because it would have just progressed the meal longer and it was getting pretty late as it was. I didn’t like this salad at all. It was bland and flavorless and the house dressing was a pretty flavorless vinaigrette. This is supposed to be a steakhouse, right? Come on, Carnival. If you’re going to serve a wedge, do a traditional wedge. Or at least give this salad some flavor somewhere.
Baby Leaf Spinach and Fresh Mushrooms
Sliced, Sun-Ripened Beefsteak Tomato
Heart of Iceberg Lettuce
It was well past 10:00 pm by the time we were served our entrees. Mom ordered the Surf and Turf (seared lobster tail and grilled filet mignon). Both were cooked perfectly, but they forgot Mom’s mashed potatoes and had to go run and get them. These lapses in service weren’t something we were used to and it damped the experience quite a bit to have our meal paced so oddly, or to have things forgotten or done wrong. Stephanie ordered the 14oz. Broiled New York Strip Loin Steak, mostly because it came with a clove of roasted garlic on top (she’s a garlic fiend), and she had the creamed spinach as her side. She said her steak was overdone, but that the spinach was creamy and delicious. I had my usual- 9oz. Broiled Filet Mignon with a side of bearnaise sause and the wasabi mashed potatoes. Steak? Good. Potatoes? Needed more wasabi (and can I gripe again about how they unceremoniously glop them on the plate? Come on. Give me a small dish on the side). I was stuffed halfway through the steak.
Surf and Turf
Broiled New York Strip Loin
Broiled Filet Mignon and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Bearnaise Sauce
It was super late and we were super full by the time we were handed our dessert menus, but you don’t go to a Carnival supper club and not have dessert. Mom ordered the Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit and just like the cheesecake I ordered on the Freedom, she was presented with what might be the largest slice of cheesecake you will ever see. It’s insanely dense with slight notes of citrus, which freshens it up a bit. Stephanie ordered the sherbet, which I believe was a port wine flavor that night, and it was nice and fresh. She thought it was the perfect ending to a heavy meal. I went with the Chocolate Cake with Bitter Chocolate Pate, which is a sampler of four different chocolate dishes: a flourless chocolate cake, a banana chocolate cake, tiramisu and a chocolate pate. It’s presented beautifully and is insanely rich- almost a meal upon itself. I’ve never finished one of these. I’m pretty sure I never will.
Cheesecake with Hazelnut Biscuit
Port Wine Sherbet
Chocolate Cake with Bitter Chocolate Pate
Service and pacing issues aside (and smaller flavor issues, like the poor excuse of a salad they served me), this really was a fantastic meal, well worth the $30 per person cover they charge for dining here. Will we be dining again so late? Probably not. Finishing dinner at 11:00 pm just isn’t really our thing.
After dinner, Mom back to her and grandma’s room and went to sleep and Stephanie and I went back to our room to change to go out (had to put on my Lakers purple!). I wanted to head down to the sports bar to check on the Lakers game and she wanted to go back to Frankie and Johnnie’s to hear Music Unlimited again. Lucky for us, the sports bar and Frankie and Johnnie’s were right next to each other, so we were able to go back and fourth whenever we wanted.
The sports bar was pretty empty when we got there. Since the boat didn’t carry the channel the Lakers were playing on, we were basically watching Sports Night for live updates and ticker scores. Well, I watched and Stephanie constantly asked me if I was done watching yet. Oh, and the Cubs won on a walk-off homer by Rami in the 11th.
Cigar menu
When my games were over, I heard the opening notes to Journey’s Faithfully coming from Frankie and Johnnies, so we headed over and listened to Music Unlimited for awhile. Let me tell you, there were some sloppy drunk people in there. But hey, if you’re going to act a fool, why not do it amongst people you’ll never see again, right?
We went upstairs to check out the piano bar, but it was nearly empty, and that’s never fun. We found what seemed like the entire ship in Frankenstein’s Lab for the 80s Flashback Party, which would have been fun to party in…except it was packed to the brim in there. So we ended up just going back to the room, hooking up the DVD player and watching Confessions of a Shopaholic before bed. An earlier night than the night before, but we’d need our rest because our next day was our first port day of the cruise!
Today’s Lido lunch menus
Today’s Lido Dinner menu
