OCSC Mike

32 minutes ago, J3N said:

A lot of crab instead of filling.

That's what always makes me wary to order them, thanks.

24 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Outside about a 100 mile radius (and even then, I think I'm being generous) the only thing resembling a decent cheesesteak is found at Jersey Mike's (and even then you have to adjust from their default American cheese).

That's funny, I'm also OK with Jersey Mikes, given my local options. I'm fine with American cheese, my favorite Philly suburb place growing up used it. I had a different spot for whiz that was more on the way towards the city but my go to was in a more convenient area and baked their own rolls that were really good.

What's sad is I found a couple places run by NE transplants and didn't even like those. One was a food truck run by a guy from Philly who went to Temple... I thought his was terrible. A family from Pittsburgh has a sandwich shop very close by with very good hoagies as far as the filling (generous amount of good meats) but their rolls are soft as hot dog rolls which kills it so I didn't even try a cheesesteak there.

I also have Wawa but even though they're pretty common in my area, we still don't have one really close to us. Every time they're supposed to build one within 5 minutes something falls through.

I think we've hijacked this thread. Apologies to others.

3 hours ago, ScottD said:

not ALWAYS a cheesesteak, but sometimes they need a little squirt. 

When you try to find one a thousand miles away, it’s much closer to always.

5 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Bit of a tangent… watching “Trainwreck: Poop Cruise”… new on Netflix. 

Fun fact: There’s a random clip of a poolside activity… that was actually taken from a RC ship a long time ago. CD Marc Walker (Bing Bong) posted about it on FB b/c it’s him running a sexiest man contest on I forget what ship.

Fantastic way to kill an hour of time btw, enjoy!

31 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

I love all the specialty restaurants. I guess I am an outlier but I really like hooked too. Love oysters and all other seafood. Our dinner there on icon was awsomw. 

Got plenty of help with Chops and Izumi but Hooked is almost nothing but oyster comments. What else did ya have?

And FWIW, even though we have mostly stuck to the same ones over and over, I think there's a good chance I'll enjoy the others like you did. Many people don't like Sabor but I would (and have) go there just for the guac and one app that I love (and a margarita of course but lots of those to be had).

16 minutes ago, dustfsu said:

On my app for the Schooner it says Justin Golan will be in there. Day 1,2 and 3. I don’t see Andy Morris on there

Yeah, 7/14 hasn't updated yet. If you check the 7/11 sailing you'll see Andy Morris and he posted this on FB...

Hi Folks, below I have listed my upcoming ship bookings! Returning to Utopia

Utopia of the Seas:- July 11th - August 8th

Just now, JustMeJoe said:

Please tell me she does NOT put it on scrambled eggs !  

No, pretty much burgers and fries, but that's super common in the Philly area (where we grew up) and I have at times.

Perfectly suitable condiment for eggs. 

10 minutes ago, LandstromCruise said:

Have fun @OCSC Mike on another Utopia sailing. I love the vibe on that ship. I will try to be following along, but leave for Alaska on the 12th so might be a little preoccupied 

Thanks and I don't blame ya! Our one Alaska trip was pretty epic but the 10 days on land pre-cruise kind of spoiled us. We'll get back there but we're waiting until we're ready to make it another long one with a significant land portion.

Hope you'll be blogging. I need something to read in the cabin when my insomnia kicks in (unless food coma knocks me out).

10 minutes ago, dustfsu said:

But I’m not on that sailing. Can’t control my work hours

You could still post GIFs in this one.

Nothing but respect for the work hours. Something has to pay for cruises, especially on Utopia.

That's more like it!

5 minutes ago, dustfsu said:

That’s right it is!!! 

But the other one has fun countdown gifs! You just post plain text at ungodly hours.

Just now, Hoppy2BHere said:

This one is more fun!!

HEY! I guess I won't go out of my way to post in both anymore then. Hrrrmmphh!

27 minutes ago, ChessE4 said:

Oops. That was CP 150.

Appreciate the effort anyway.

4 minutes ago, ScottD said:

ketchup

That’s her one topping.

Based on multiple reports, the seafood disappeared from Symphony sometime last month (possibly end of May).

Don’t shoot the messenger.

@Ampurp85 Don't wanna quote the whole post but appreciate all the feedback beyond my basic questions in the Dining forum.

One general comment... one reason we're trying Hooked and Chops is those are two restaurants the family is planning to try next March (I'll also try almost anything once). 150 is out (my in laws tried it on their own and hated it, my wife wouldn't eat anything there, and it doesn't strike me as kid-friendly) and half the family doesn't like Japanese plus they don't want to take my youngest niece there b/c she's allergic to sesame seeds which seem to be pretty prevalent, so Izumi is out too. We obviously can't just keep going to GK and MJ for 7 days so that left Hooked and Chops.

Hooked - I've read lots of mixed reviews but I do like seafood and my wife will get filet since she doesn't do seafood either and wants to try the mac n cheese nuggets from the kids menu (b/c well, we're both big kids and she also eats like one besides enjoying filet). The biscuits are also appealing to her (can't control if we get a good batch or not, that's a general theme with Royal in many venues in my experience). I could order anything but surf n turf seems most likely b/c I don't want a plate of fried stuff and random grilled fish and shrimp seems kinda boring (plus there's shrimp in WJ almost everyday on Utopia that was actually good... jumbo cold during embarkation lunch and smaller grilled at multiple dinners).

Chops - I only asked about the apps b/c we know we'll get steak (gives me a chance to try something besides filet; I actually prefer ribeye if it's a good one) and my wife will eat just about any type of potato-based side item so we'll probably pick a few. Basic isn't the worst thing in our case as long as it tastes OK. I'm sure the shrimp cocktail is good but may not want more shrimp (again, it's everywhere on Utopia). I'm definitely trying the bacon b/c that's unique and the goat cheese salad sounds good (obviously I like goat cheese) so I'm glad to hear your brother likes it. I know people seem to like the soups there but mushroom anything isn't my favorite and lobster bisque can be very hit and miss to me.

Izumi - That's just for this next cruise and we're ordering just about exactly what you mentioned. Udon and teriyaki are my wife's only options and she actually likes teriyaki a lot and I prefer nigiri to rolls so I'll probably get double chef's sushi. If your brother says that's the most food too... added bonus!

Thanks again.

I posted a couple specialty restaurant questions in the Dining forum. Would love some input from the live blog community if you feel like chiming in.

Title says it all. Just planning ahead for our first UDP next week when we'll be trying some restaurants at which we don't normally dine.

Yes, I realize food is 100% subjective. There are also certain items I wouldn't order out of personal preference and others I'm pretty sure I'm definitely trying but I didn't want to make this complicated.

So what are your favorite apps at Hooked? GO!

Title says it all. Just planning ahead for our first UDP next week when we'll be trying some restaurants at which we don't normally dine.

Yes, I realize food is 100% subjective. There are also certain items I wouldn't order out of personal preference and others I'm pretty sure I'm definitely trying but I didn't want to make this complicated.

So what are your favorite apps at Chops? GO!

11 minutes ago, SeaSunnedTraveler said:

You know, you don't HAVE to eat the whole burger by yourself! They will bring you a knife so you can share!!

When your travel partner won’t even put cheese on her burger (let alone bacon, sauce, onion ring, and standard toppings), sharing isn’t really an option, lol.

When someone comes out with a half n half burger (like pizza), then we can share.

10 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Symphony

The missing spot on my Oasis class bingo card, as you know, so I can’t include it.

11 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

real life has been keeping me dry docked

Hope that gets rectified. I’m familiar and not a fan.

12 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I also think you will enjoy the UDP, without hitting the coma . 

I appreciate the encouragement. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it either way, I’m just not sure I can keep myself from overdoing it (ordering too much, trying to use all my credits, etc.)

6 minutes ago, Hoppy2BHere said:

Helps we know a bunch of the crew onboard from other ships

That’s funny. We only really know crew from Wonder in recent years and don’t cruise enough to know a ton of them but we boarded Utopia last month & didn’t even get to the food in WJ before a server from Wonder recognized my wife. People tend to remember her but it always amazes me how crew remember guests.

Even as an introvert, I did like going back on Wonder 5 times in less than 2 years & knowing some of the crew. I totally get how nice that must be for frequent cruisers.

Just now, asquared17 said:

now i’m just waiting to see if utopia can usurp wonder’s place in mike’s heart.

I think it already has. They’re very similar but Utopia has a much much better aqua show (literally my favorite vs. least favorite), Pesky Parrot for new drinks (really liked two of them), GK is nicer up on deck 11 (not important, same food, but it’s a difference).

I still prefer Wonder’s ice show but liked Utopia’s a lot too and there are small changes to the Utopia Solarium and the pool deck layout just outside the Solarium (our 2nd shade sloth spot) that makes me slightly prefer Wonder for lounging but that’s not really a big deal.

I know it’s only 7N vs. 35N but I can’t imagine suddenly feeling differently after this next 7N.

*I’m also leaving out the WJ seafood on Utopia since it will go away eventually but for now that’s a big plus to me too. There were some other small differences that make me prefer Utopia’s WJ too.

44 minutes ago, JustMeJoe said:

Not a chance; unless it's the cold seafood Jimmy Buffet .

More for me!