New York is Thatta Way, Man: Just Another SaUD Miracle Review- May, 2010 (Part 8)featured
Our first day in port brought the one thing I’d been craving this entire trip- a day to sleep in! We slept in until well after 9:00 am and when we woke up, we were already docked in Grand Turk. Since we’d been to Grand Turk already twice in the past year and a half, we knew exactly what the day would hold- shopping, margaritas and then heading back to the ship to go swimming.
We decided to go up to the Lido deck for breakfast with Mom and grandma and found that they had quite a few new offerings up there. Snaps to the Miracle team for the change of pace. New items, like sticky rolls, BLT quiches, baked beans and kielbasa, were peppered in amongst the usual fare. The flavor and quality of the food was varied (some things were invariably better than others, but we didn’t deem anything unedible), but the change of pace was much appreciated. Also appreciated- the fact that we could serve our own bacon this time. No pork police this morning!
After breakfast, Mom and grandma went out back to sit in the sun a bit (even though the clouds were a bit heavy and sometimes obscured the sun) and Stephanie and I went back to the room to grab our stuff before heading out. And let me tell you- it was HOT. Almost oppressively so. Hotter than I remember it being the last two times we were there. We did a little bit of shopping. There’s many stores at the port, but there wasn’t really anything I was intent on buying. I went to Ron Jon to buy the tie-dye hoodie that I passed up in Cozumel in February and then we headed off to Margaritaville.
The port area in Grand Turk is small. It’s a maybe two-minute walk from Ron Jon (which is on one side of the port area) to Margaritaville (which is clear across the way). But you know what? It’s a small island- around seven miles by one mile. You can see the entire island from the ship. And there really isn’t much to do. You can shop. You can go to the beach (which, I believe, is free of charge). You can swim or rent a cabana at Margaritaville. You can drink at Margaritaville. You can rent a golf cart and drive around the island. But there isn’t *that* much to do. It’s a restful port, not a thrilling one. That said, though, it’s clean, it’s safe and the port area is amongst the best we’ve been to.
So we made the two-minute trek to Margaritaville and headed to the bar for some drinks. It was *packed* and we were the only ship in dock! Because there isn’t much to do in Grand Turk, I’d say at least 80% of the people who get off the boat end up at Margaritaville. It fills up early. If you want a chair at the pool, you best be heading out early. Seat at the bar? You’re looking at waits. If you want to eat a meal or sit in the restaurant, though, it’s not usually too bad. We didn’t want food so we just headed to the bar and sat at the bar until a table cleared up, where we enjoyed some overpriced drinks and a very strong sidecar (for me).
Margarita time down, we headed back to the shops to look around a little more and enjoy the port area. The area near the beach is picturesque and gorgeous, but nearly empty every time we see it. It’s a nice spot for some quiet moments enjoying the area.
We took some time to look around the store that leads out to the ship (you need to walk through the store to get back to the boat and it carries a variety of items…booze, cigarettes, perfume, flip flops, cold meds), but the prices weren’t all that competitive with those on the boat so we passed on through (though if you’re a fan of Havaiana flip flops, they’re much cheaper here than they are at Nordstrom or on the ship).
Since we were in port for a few more hours, there wasn’t much of a line to get back on the boat. And in that heat, there is nothing that felt better than the rush of cold air as you enter the ship. We met up with Mom and grandma for lunch on the Lido deck and I think it must have been This-Is-How-You-Get-Norovirus day on the Lido deck. Lets see. There was the person who got sauce on their hands, dropped the tongs they were holding to lick their fingers and then picked the tongs back up, the person grabbing food directly off the serving spoon and even worse- the person grabbing food directly from the display. THIS IS HOW NOROVIRUS IS SPREAD, PEOPLE. That hand sanitizer I hope you use before you grab a tray won’t do you any good if this is what you do AFTER you use it. And lets have some manners, guys. If you see someone holding a napkin as a barrier between their hands and the serving ware on your next cruise, it might be me. I was really grossed out by what I saw.
After lunch, Stephanie and I went back to the room to drop our stuff off and change into our swimsuits and we headed out to the aft pool for a few hours to swim and lay out. And I, of course, had to grab some pics of the island. No matter how many times we come here, I love taking pictures of the island. There’s some sort of awesomeness in the fact that you can see the entire island from the ship’s vantage point. Equally awesome was the nearly-empty pool area. Not-so-awesome was the warm pool water. Can’t have it all, I guess.
Mom and grandma headed in awhile before we did and when we both started burning, Stephanie and I went back to the room for showers and a bit of rest. She put on some Blades of Glory (have I mentioned with the crappy movies ahemTWILIGHT:NEWMOONahem and the lack of local channels how glad I was we could hook up her portable DVD player to the TV?) and we relaxed for a bit before we got ready for the past guest party.
The past guest party. Oh the past guest party. Have you ever noticed how the prospect of free stuff has the propensity to turn people into douchebags? My goodness. I honestly don’t know why we bother with these anymore. They’re overcrowded because everyone’s bringing five guests with them. People are snappy and rude. They’re just one big headache. This one, in particular, was particularly bad. Some of my fellow past guests were insanely aggressive. They were rude (some of them even snapping their fingers at the servers, as if they were their personal servants). I even saw a couple grab food off the tray (I guess they couldn’t wait for the server to…you know…serve them). These events aren’t peaceful get togethers anymore. They’re a free-for-all to see who can grab the most attention from a server and get smashed in the shortest amount of time. I had two glasses of wine and we left after the John Heald video. They had the female vocalist come out and sing while people were dancing, which I thought was a nice touch. Still, kind of lost in the yelling and finger snapping of the people around us. But nice. One thing I made note of (and this may be old news to some people…maybe not) was that they told us Carnival had plans to make their own private island. Half Moon Cay is the private island for Holland America cruise lines and while it’s owned by Carnival Corp (which is why Carnival ships can stop there), it’s a HAL island and apparently, it can’t quite handle the passenger load of Carnival ships. So a private island for CCL usage is in the works.
We split up for a bit after we left the party. Mom went to take grandma back to the room and Stephanie and I went to the atrium for one of my favorite ship offerings- the Rio di Sangria. I’ve only found this on the Miracle, but I continue to hope they roll it out onto other ships. $5.25 a glass and the offer like eight different kinds of sangria. Now, it’s not as good as *my* sangria (I do make some pretty flipping awesome sangria, if I do say so myself), but it’s more than decent. I don’t know why they don’t serve sangria every day in some ship venue. It’s certainly my beverage of choice.
While I was sipping my sangria, I noticed a long line forming and winding all the way into the atrium lobby. People were lining up for dinner! Dear friends, listen to me. If you have a reserved table, there is NEVER any need to line up for dinner. Ever. If you go to the dining rooms five minutes after the doors open, you are not late for dinner and you can walk right in. Life is full of lines and waits. You’re on vacation. Why add another one?
Stephanie and I waited until the line went away and then walked right in to the dining room and met Mom at our table. Dinner tonight, across the board, while good in flavor (for the most part), was so highly disappointing on my end. Stephanie started with the Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup and the Vine Ripe Beefsteak Tomatoes and Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (marinated with basil leaves and virgin olive oil). She thought the soup was excellent and the portion on the salad (which was very fresh tasting, she noted) was more than ample. Mom also had the tomato/mozzarella salad (which she loved but couldn’t even come close to finishing) and she had the fresh fruit cocktail (and noted that the fruit was much fresher, perhaps since we’d stopped in port). And then on top of that, Mom had a Caesar salad. I started with the Asparagus Vichyssoise (chilled asparagus and potato soup, garnished with asparagus tips), which needed a liberal dosing of salt and pepper. It’s an acquired taste to enjoy a chilled potato and asparagus soup, as it’s slightly gritty and thick and often needs seasoning, but it’s something I really enjoy, as it’s pretty light and fresh. I also had the starter portion of the Penne Tossed in a Tomato Cream with Vodka, which tasted slightly off. And I’ll note it again as I have in past reviews: though I am not a fan of caviar (they used to serve this dish with a small dollop of creme fraiche and a bit of caviar on top), it was a nice touch and something that sticks out when it goes away. I’m sure Carnival is saving a ton by omitting that tiny bit of caviar from this dish, but at some point, I have to wonder if the cutbacks will ever end and I’ll ever see the quality in the MDR food that I saw on my first five cruises.
Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
Vine Ripe Beefsteak Tomatoes and Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
Fresh Fruit Cocktail
Caesar Salad
Asparagus Vichyssoise
Penne Tossed in a Tomato Cream with Vodka
Stephanie and Mom both had the Oven Roasted Tom Turkey (sage and onion dressing, scallion pumpkin hash) and they both loved it. Stephanie asked for some extra gravy with hers and was easily obliged. And I’ll relay that Stephanie thinks this is one of the best meals that they serve in the MDR all week long and she highly recommends it.
Oven Roasted Tom Turkey
I ordered the Duet of Petite Filet Mignon and Short Rib Confit (oven roasted potatoes, red burgundy wine sauce). I contemplated ordering two (or ordering the veal parmigiana with it) because I know there’s inconsistencies in the size and quality, but the past few times I ordered this, it was good so I just ordered the one. And of course, I got something that was barely edible. The filet was tough and small and the short ribs were stringy and flavorless (and a larger portion than the actual filet). Sigh. Carnival. Bring back the old filet mignon, please. Please. I’m begging you. You’re killing me with this “filet.”
Duet of Petite Filet Mignon and Short Rib Confit
Stephanie and Mom both ordered the Old Fashioned Apple Pie for dessert and both found it to be good, but clearly not the best apple pie they’d ever had. I ordered the Chocolate, Raspberry and Vanilla Cream Cake (with almond sponge, raspberry coulis and raspberry sorbet) and I thought it was so very light (despite it’s heavy appearance) and the fresh berries folded into the cream really bring a fantastic dimension to the dish in both texture and flavor. I also ordered a cheese plate to split with Stephanie.
Old Fashioned Apple Pie
Chocolate, Raspberry and Vanilla Cream Cake
Assorted Cheese Plate
After dinner, Mom wasn’t feeling well so she went back to her room and Stephanie and I headed to the Phantom Lounge for Pick the Flick, which is a fancy title for movie trivia. And we lost…probably because the extent of my movie knowledge is 80s Brat Pack flicks, romcoms and crazy comedies my friends (or Stephanie) drag me to.
We headed back to the room afterwards to check on Mom and see what was up with grandma’s dinner and Mom was feeling sea sick (despite the fact that these were some of the calmest seas I think we’ve had in a long time) and grandma was kind of sleepy, so Stephanie and I went upstairs to the Lido restaurant and made grandma a few plates so she could stay in her room and rest.
Grandma fed and Mom resting (we brought her back a green apple, which help for sea sickness), Stephanie and I headed down to the promenade shops so Stephanie could buy a waterproof watch for Half Moon Cay. We took a walk along the promenade (which at night, seems like a quiet, romantic spot for an, albiet windy, stroll) and then ended up in Frankie and Johnnies to catch some Music Unlimited tunes. I ended up heading over to McGwire’s to check my sports scores and then we both ended up heading to the Phantom for Marcus Monroe’s juggling show when Frankie and Johnnie’s closed down for the singles meet and greet. We didn’t stay for the entire show, not because it was bad (he’s actually quite talented and Stephanie and I both thought his show was clever), but because we were tired and just wanted to head back to the room.
Stephanie ordered us some room service while I got ready for bed and it was delivered fairly quickly. I noticed that while my veggies were fresher, the sandwiches were getting smaller (which was fine, but worth noting). We finished the rest of Blades of Glory before popping in the House Bunny and then heading to bed.
Today’s Lido lunch menus
Today’s Lido dinner menu
