Plenty of Grandeur after Oasis: Jan 15th-22nd, 22nd-27th, 2023

[Ampurp85]

After Chops, we headed to the theater. We very much attempted to watch the ventriloquist show. Left pretty soon to go get Playmakers. They have a clipboard and check off the rooms with the UDP so as to make sure you only come once a day. We got the rest of our diamond drinks while we waited for our food to go.

The boardwalk was super crowded and the children were running amok. We looked in the clubs and bars, most standing room only. It was white Latin night.

On a side note I saw the women from earlier dancing, so I guess the wife must have left the husband.

[Ampurp85]

Some funny observations.....

I have gone in the bathroom twice and found half eaten food on the floor by the toilet. Once a piece of chicken, another some sort of sandwich. Neither were on plates.

While at the casino a lady got mad at me over a drink pour. She watched the bartender pour more after using the jigger for me and asked me what made me so special....I replied tipping.

People keep telling me I need to dress my man better. I keep informing them he's grown, we from Chicago, and that's my brother.

A baby pulled off her pamper in the hallway while waiting for the elevator. I was waiting by the bathroom for my brother. She almost made it to the Music Hall.

Internet is good everywhere but central park.

[Sweety]

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

After Chops, we headed to the theater. We very much attempted to watch the ventriloquist show. Left pretty soon to go get Playmakers. They have a clipboard and check off the rooms with the UDP so as to make sure you only come once a day. We got the rest of our diamond drinks while we waited for our food to go.

The boardwalk was super crowded and the children were running amok. We looked in the clubs and bars, most standing room only. It was white Latin night.

On a side note I saw the women from earlier dancing, so I guess the wife must have left the husband.

My red velvet cake

[Ampurp85]

3 hours ago, Sweety said:

My red velvet cake

My brother loved the cake, especially with the coffee, Haute and Steamy.

[Ampurp85]

Day 3 Sea day......

Currently up checking emails and waiting to get in the shower. Will head to the DL, then the Loyalty event. Our Steward told us the wife has officially moved in the friend's room and that lady's husband is also staying there???? I wasn't even aware she had a husband; I hope they tip him for all the extra inconveniences. 

[Sweety]

21 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Day 3 Sea day......

Currently up checking emails and waiting to get in the shower. Will head to the DL, then the Loyalty event. Our Steward told us the wife has officially moved in the friend's room and that lady's husband is also staying there???? I wasn't even aware she had a husband; I hope they tip him for all the extra inconveniences. 

Wow!

[Ampurp85]

I got distracted and missed the C&A event. I found a good machine and before I knew it was 10:45.  I'm sure I can get the numbers later.  I earned a certificate for a free interior, so the whole thing worked in my favor and I had a blast people watching. My brother is in the gym, we didn't have breakfast,  planning Portside BBQ for lunch.

[Dlove707]

Clearly I pick the wrong cruises because mine are no where near as interesting as yours lol.

[jbrinkm]

29 minutes ago, Dlove707 said:

Clearly I pick the wrong cruises because mine are no where near as interesting as yours lol.

Or maybe you pick the right cruises! Have you read @Avfrattner's trip report?? There interesting and there's interesting. 

 

[Ampurp85]

I decide to walk the track on deck 5. I don't think I will go again. The lady who cheated on her husband in the casino was there kissing and fondling some man. It always amazes me how on such a big ship you often run into the same people. My brother met me on the track and we took the elevator to deck 16. We perused the WJ and the selection was worse today. It was also a madhouse. We walked down and got in line at Portside. It was crowded and we waited in line for around 20min. Thankfully they have a live performer who sang covers that entertained us during the wait.

Portside BBQ is surprisingly delicious. Maybe too much food but very good. I got all mine sans sauce and othan the ribs it was spectacular. On a very important side note, all the mac and cheese I have tried has been top notch. It was horrible on my first Royal cruise and worse during the restart. I had it at Chops last night and then at Portside today. Both were creamy and cheesy. The brownie/cookies dessert was really good but decadent. The spiked palmer left a little bit to be desired but not the worst specialty drink.

We sat at the picnic tables by the sports deck, sort of a mistake as games were going on and the participants were loud and animated. My brother told me a funny story about a lady getting banned from the gym.

They have special machines for the handicapable. If you are using one the staff will ask you to move if someone in a wheelchair comes in.  A lady was using it, my brother said it was crowded but still plenty enough machines for her to move. She made a big deal about moving and how long it took him to get acclimated to the machine. My brother was doing weights, not on the machines. Another person in a wheelchair came and and the boy next to her moved to accommodate him, she made a fuss and tried to get on his machine. Someone went to the staff and they told her she had to leave after getting her room number. He said she was ranting that wheelchair people aren't so different from the rest us and don't deserve special treatment.

We attempted to go sit on deck as the weather is finally beginning to cooperate but it was impossible to find anywhere to sit. So we came back and sat on our balcony. I might read or nap.

 

[Ampurp85]

My brother is enjoying his first time in the DL. He had a double espresso and said it was some of the best coffee on the ship. We have had several "vintages" ask about our status. We are the youngest by a good 20+ years. FYI we are pushing 40, so........A couple of them just moved to Florida or what they called God's waiting room. A few said at 80, they are finally close to pinnacle. We had some nice chats.

I went to the casino,  I have won nothing and I'm at my threshold for what I'm okay spending. The next 3 days are ports so it should be easy to stay away. I was at the bar getting a drink when a lady informed me she lost this month's mortgage but its only Tuesday and her luck could change. I laughed with her but, wow, I always budget my casino spending. Never more than what I will earn in cruises.

We got our loyalty strawberries, I wish it was just plain fruit. Dinner is at Giovanni's and after that is the comedy show. Since I've been in the casino I am 1/4 on diamond drinks. It's formal night and decks 4 through 6 are a flustercuck. Lots of crying babies and the smell of poop. Guest services said we are at capacity and there was close to 1300 children, add in the 13-18 olds and you have about a third of the ship as none adults. However I often take what the crew says with a grain of salt. May be more, may be less.

 

[Neesa]

Why so many kiddos? I know we had off Monday to celebrate MLK day so essentially a 3 day weekend here in Florida. Are others off from school this entire week? If I'm not mistaken kids sail free didn't apply to this sailing but I could be wrong. I've said before Royal is going hard to lure sailing families from DCL, kids sale free promotion is at every turn it seems. 

I've sailed both company's and I can tell you Royal is making a huge impact, DCL concierge is bending a bit leaning in my opinion to the Royal way, especially for Suites. Royal is hands down the better value for money for families. I digress....

I hope for you some enjoyable times ahead, minus misbehaved humans (young and old)

[Ampurp85]

@NeesaI talked to a couple of families and KSF was applicable on this sailing. Lots of schools in the Midwest had Monday and Friday off, so parents figured missing 3 days aren't that bad. Half of the tables in Giovanni's contained children and only half were well behaved. The family next to us had what looks like a 6 and 8 yo, both have their shoes off and are playing under the table.

A lady in the casino was complaining that the staff is not enforcing curfew, as children are in and out of bars and clubs.

[Neesa]

Oh no well that explains a lot. I hope it gets better for you. I know for us when we sailed DCL when kiddo was younger, we opted for the longer sailings as it seemed the "behavior" was off on the shorty ones big time. Our last few sailings on Royal I noted an uptick in parenting styles of all different types. (Doing my best to be nice) While it of course wasn't everyone for sure, the ones that were fool hardy were the most noticeable, things that made me go wowza! This is why for my cruising monies in the future I'm doing the older ships, longer itineraries and staying far far away from the Icon. Just seeing the Icon reveal day one had me knowing it would not be relaxing for me,  I guess my way of cruising is the way of yesteryear. I hope you find joy in your vacation despite the atmosphere.  

[Ampurp85]

@NeesaI'm having a good time, the people watching alone has made this a good cruise. The children bother me only when they misbehave in my vicinity. The adults are just as worse. Coughing just straight in the air, so many not washing hands and being rude to staff. I too think the smaller class may be my go-to for cruising.

[Ampurp85]

I want to just mention that some notifications come up when using the message part of the app. You have have notifications on for it to work.

[FireFishII]

14 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I too think the smaller class may be my go-to for cruising.

But then you won't see as many ridiculous people and their silly behaviors.  That could cause you to have a boring cruise.   You would miss out on all that free entertainment. And so will we.  LOL!  

[Ampurp85]

Day 3 continued.......

I don't like Giovanni's table. It might be Royals worse specialty restaurant. The menu is very limited and almost nothing has any prominent flavors. My brother also said for it to be an Italian restaurant, the portions are quite small. None of the food came out hot and the risotto had crunchy rice bits and no real discerning mushroom taste. My filet came out closer to medium rare than medium and my brother's chicken piccata was missing any capers. I also got the hazelnut cake for dessert and it was a chunk of mousse with no sponge, nuts ect.....basically nothing in the description was correct. We also waited a very long time for food considering we got no apps.

After dinner we did some strolling in the quiet areas of the ship and then went to the jazz club to listen for a bit. The band was good, especially the bass player. This was right across from Blaze and the DL. My brother got a coffee and we got in line for the show. After a while some people joined the line. There whole shtick was "red flag" and they screamed it constantly. They had tons of red flags and were handing them out to people. They were calling all the women "bitches" like "that old bitch didn't understand red flag....blah blah bitches!!!!" It was about four girls and three guys. Side rant its everyone's right to look and judge with their eyes and within their travel party. It is not everyone's right to make comments to people and invade personal space. End of rant.  These people were forcing themselves between couples, friends, etc trying to be "empowering ." Example was girl sitting on steps covering her face, they loudly went over to ask if she was crying and to tell that person to F off. The girl was simply tired, it was 11ish.

Funny enough a family thought they could bring their children to the show. Lots of people didn't make reservations and waited in the standby line. The show was horrible. My brother kept cringing. The funniest thing was a bachelor party of fifteen 21 yo dudes who kept shouting things disrupting the comedian about them gay marrying each other. Also the red flag people kept yelling. Right after the show the red flags spotted us and asked if we wanted to party.

We went to the casino and people watched. I helped a lady sign into her account.  She played 5 spins and hit a bonus, the bonus hit the ultra jackpot,  $1100. I told her you won good, she looked and realized.....she cashed out and left. So many people had 7am excursions so the casino was empty. I played and ended up $3. We went back to the room and went to bed.

Day 4 Cozumel....

We got off around 10:30 and just walked. We have yet to eat breakfast on this cruise. We plan to stay until JR opens as that's where lunch will be. 

My brother informed me he will start cruising with me in Jan but he doesn't want to do Icon, so I will probably be canceling the inaugural for that as I would rather cruise with him than solo. I'm looking at an 8n Symphony that leaves the same time.

[ellcee]

On 1/15/2023 at 10:23 PM, Ampurp85 said:

lobster Thermador, which actually taste like a sausage pizza thanks to the seasoning.

Yes. I couldn't verbalize this when I ate it but yes, it 100% does. I had never had before so I figured that's how it's supposed to taste?!

 

Loving catching up on your blog. Love that you travel with your family. 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I totally agree with you regarding Giovanni’s…and it goes double for Jamie’s.  Both of the Italian restaurants suck a$$.  The only time we ate in Jamie’s this week was on embarkation day b/c it was the only specialty restaurant open (SY).
 

I also agree with you about Port Side BBQ.  The first time we tried it (back when it first opened) I was not impressed but when we went back in Dec 2022, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Ampurp85]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I totally agree with you regarding Giovanni’s…and it goes double for Jamie’s.  Both of the Italian restaurants suck a$$.  The only time we ate in Jamie’s this week was on embarkation day b/c it was the only specialty restaurant open (SY).
 

I also agree with you about Port Side BBQ.  The first time we tried it (back when it first opened) I was not impressed but when we went back in Dec 2022, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Giovann's was the only one open boarding day as well. It was quiet and we had issues, but we decided to hold judgement until we had a dinner.

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, FireFishII said:

But then you won't see as many ridiculous people and their silly behaviors.  That could cause you to have a boring cruise.   You would miss out on all that free entertainment. And so will we.  LOL!  

LOL I doubt that I think the smaller vessel might have worse behaviors!

[asquared17]

On 1/16/2023 at 11:17 PM, Ampurp85 said:

I have gone in the bathroom twice and found half eaten food on the floor by the toilet. Once a piece of chicken, another some sort of sandwich. Neither were on plates.

People keep telling me I need to dress my man better. I keep informing them he's grown, we from Chicago, and that's my brother.

A baby pulled off her pamper in the hallway while waiting for the elevator. I was waiting by the bathroom for my brother. She almost made it to the Music Hall.

i swear i just want to tag along to watch this unfold in real time.

between the random nakedness (of all ages), the flagrant infidelity (LIKE WHAT THE HECKFIRE?!), the fact that you guys are constantly getting hit on/told how to live your lives, and stray observations in between, i am laughing so hard right now.

also i don't think i'll ever look a chicken strips the same.

and i'll now be adding a motion to keep on the watch when entering restrooms for random left behind food!!

[Ampurp85]

Cozumel continued.......

I talked to my grandmother who didn't realize she left my fur baby in the closet and then went on to her doctor's appointment. She was mad she knocked a blouse down to sleep on......I reminded her that she was gone close to four hours, she's lucky no pee or poop was in there. It is cold and rainy in Chicago and in the 80s in Mexico. This is finally the weather I want. I saw some of the guys from the bachelor's party getting their hair braided while they waited to board their excursion. We were shopping for bags and they all must have asked if there will be topless women there twenty times during my five-minute shopping adventure. My brother wanted to see about a silver bracelet, so I got an overpriced drink from the Tequila to Go place and sat in one of the benches close to the ship. I made a few calls and did my Teams meeting. All of my coworkers are having a ball on their perspective cruises; one said their next-door neighbor had been fighting since day one. The staff have come more than once to tell them to quiet down. That means it will always be some drama somewhere.

After about 45min my brother joined me, and we boarded the ship for lunch. We were the second group to dine-in JR but the first to sit outside. This was my brother's first time eating at JR and he got a tuna melt and chocolate soda. JR on Oasis is really good, the burger I got tasted really fresh and not greasy, the same with the fries. My brother said he prefers JR onion rings to Playmakers. The desserts at JR were the best we had so far... real apple pie without raisins and not dry. They didn't have almonds for the sundae, but crushed Oreos worked just as good. We did a lap around the WJ for giggles and then took the stairs for an espresso from the DL for my brother. The Silhouette by Celebrity is parked next to us, and several people are smoking on their balconies.

Tonight, is Mexican themed night and my brother wants to try to squeeze in a MTD before our 8:15 Izumi reservation......I doubt that will happen.

 

[Ampurp85]

Some photos....

[Ampurp85]

I was sitting on the balcony catching up on a little work when I looked at the clock. All aboard was coming soon, which meant an open casino. I have seen pier runners but never someone so drunk the rest of the party had to drag them along. All aboard was at 5:30. At 5:29 what had to be at least 100pax started making their way from the port. Crew members with duty free liquor and set up materials were in front of them. It took forever for this lady and man to drag along this very intoxicated woman. I am glad she is living her best life.....but I wonder how much she spent to get there. Everything but drinks and food was cheap in Cozumel. Maybe they went to an all inclusive resort. My favorite was the family who stopped to take a picture and someone on their balcony yelling "you're late!" It scared the family and they moved on. A man got dressed on the balcony of the celebrity silhouette. He was bold. On another note people feel like just because it's a vape they can do it anywhere.

[Ampurp85]

Day 4 Cozumel........

My brother and I headed to the DL for happy hour. Him to get a coffee and snacks, me to ask the concierge a few questions. In all honesty it seems like a huge chunk of the crew is new and can't really answer some basic questions. I wanted to know about possible shuttle service to and from terminals.  Apparently it's not at all a thing. We had a few nibbles and then decided it would be a good time to walk the track on deck 5. We did four laps and saw over half of the Aqua80 cast running and walking the track. While the rest sat in chairs behind the stage.

I still had 25min until dinner at Izumi so I played a little. There is a lady who has played the same machine every night. She says she brings $600/n to gamble with in hopes of making 5-10,000 points each cruise. I was fascinated, I like to gamble but not to that extent. I saw both of the cheaters in the casino. Dinner was at Izumi and it was good as always. This is not a brag. We keep ordering diamond drinks but are only being charged for half. We end up finding a bar late at night to get water and redbull from. We had 3 drinks each at Izumi and no charge for any.

People talk loud. The same party from Giovanni's came into Izumi and then realized nothing was kosher and had to leave.  It was a "thank you sweet baby Jesus " moment because the little boy threw a tantrum even before they sat down. Then red flag people came in loudly proclaiming they are gonna murder some sushi. I was also thankful they showed up on the wrong night. But there was a group of 6 drunk babies behind them.

I know I mentioned that this sailing has a large number of Jewish pax. The solarium bistro is closed to the "public" to be their kosher restaurant. I don't know if that has any bearing on this but the UDP was not sold out for this sailing. The specialty restaurants have been popping but not as much as I expected. Today they were selling reduced priced UDP and plans. The 6 drunk babies just got the UDP plan. They came in Izumi waiting to do hibachi and sushi. They were rude to the crew and confused. They ordered 6 espresso martinis and a bunch of a la carte rolls. They had a 9pm hibachi reservation but sat at the table for sushi until after 9:30. They were yelling at the staff, I felt so bad for their server. We also were seated next to a couple who thought they were going to have date night until AO called them and said their daughter was misbehaving. She was funny, she came to the table and said "my sister's still there cuz she good" We laughed.

After dinner we walked through Central Park and listen to the live music while having a cocktail. Then we went back to the room to get some sleep.  We want to try breakfast tomorrow.

[Ampurp85]

Day 5 Roatan....

We finally made it to breakfast, and I wish we hadn't. TMI but the breakfast offerings from WJ ran through me and my brother. I spent my hour Teams meeting in the tiny bathroom. My brother had to use another bathroom and then went to the gym to settle his stomach. I did about 3 laps around the track on deck 5 and drank my Chamomile tea. JR was crowded and so we trekked back up to the WJ. We went around 8am and it was a madhouse. We ended up sat between 4 large families in a little two-top next to two vintage sisters at the other two-top. Every couple of minutes an announcement would come on about leaving the tables as soon as you are done eating. Lots of people begrudgingly washing their hands, children licking their fingers before getting something, and people not adhering to the line etiquette. If I want breakfast again, we will get room service or wait on JR. We made no plans but to get off and walk around. It is finally hot; it might be a bit to humid for me. But it is nice to be in warmer weather. Tonight, we have the ice show and 150CP again. 

[Ampurp85]

The port at Roatan is small, so we did some chocolate shopping and got our passports stamped. There was 3 ships in port and I saw plenty of vendors selling excursions. The food and drinks were better priced but we had UDP, so we didn't get anything. I was in port 45min and broke a sweat. I then went to my job and put in a little work.

I have won nothing on this cruise, I hope my luck is better on Grandeur next week. I earned a certificate and made prime for next year, so that's something. But people are better than me and they often camp out on the good machines. I'm not trying to hit the big money,  just break even.

We did lunch at Playmakers and I got the campfire cookie and nachos with pulled pork. There was no cheese on my nachos and they had no marshmallows for the cookies. I did the black and gold signature drink and it was alright. My brother had poke nachos and wings. The hottest Buffalo sauce which he said was weak. Several children came in while we were eating to play pool. They didn't know what they were doing, so it was all just unnecessary noise. After lunch we headed back to the room to relax before the ice show.

Other than seeing the cheaters out and about. There hasn't been much drama these last few days, lots of funny people watching, but nothing as trifling as those first couple of days.

[asquared17]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:36 PM, Ampurp85 said:

My favorite was the family who stopped to take a picture and someone on their balcony yelling "you're late!" It scared the family and they moved on.

A man got dressed on the balcony of the celebrity silhouette. He was bold.

i am CACKLING over the family that got scared when someone yelled. my favorite is the hecklers in situations like this. they are all saying what we are all thinking anyway

also SCUZE you, mr getting dressed on your balcony

my lord this has been an eventful sailing!!!

[Ampurp85]

Day 5 Roatan continued.....

So my brother reached a point today, it happened at the ice show and I thought I lost him when it came to cruising. We stopped in the DL to peruse the offerings and he got an Americano, then we made our way into the ice show. We got seats on the second row. The middle was corded off for suites, keys and diamond plus. Several people tried to get in by climbing the ropes. I didn't know this was a thing but several people got their families seats without them being diamond plus, in a suite etc. I thought it was literally only for people with status not everyone they were traveling with. What made my brother reach his limit was several families chose to split up and proceeded to have absolutely no sense of awareness. There were a lot of seats close together on the other side but for some reason they all crowded on the one side. They were yelling across aisle, throwing snacks, falling out on top of us, screaming and coughing, digging in their butts while asking for drinks. The mother next to us ordered virgin daiquiris that they spilled on themselves and the floor. When some children didn't get seats up front they decided to sit on the stairs. Several crew members had to tell them to move because performers used those stairs. We both thought the same thing, we can't blame the children, it's the parents fault for their lack of awareness and manners. Half way through the performance one little girl decided she could touch my hair. When I told her to stop the parents just looked at her.

My brother was hungry and wanted bread because dinner was about 45min away. We took the elevator to the WJ.....well we tried. I got in and several children jumped in front of my brother and he couldn't get on. They pressed all the buttons even though their mom kept saying to stop touching things. My brother got in another elevator and made it a few minutes later. We got bread and then went to watch Aeromyth until dinner at 150CP. They had a ton of cakes in the WJ tonight so we took slices to go and left in the room as an after dinner snack.

At dinner he told me he would cruise but he can't with the children, so I need to make sure no more big ships at times children might be prevalent. I tried the crispy pork belly and lamb wellington and both were a hit. My brother had the beet salad and halibut and said it was his favorite fish dish of the trip so far. On the way back my brother got solicited by the guitarist from Aeromyth and it was aggressive. It was actually a vintage lady clutching her pearls and looking offended by the whole thing.

We got drinks from the bar and went back to the room. We will try to get breakfast at JR tomorrow.

 

[Ampurp85]

Day 6 Costa Maya

First, sorry about the blurry pictures. They show fine on my phone and then when I go back to post they are a little off.

I had double bread from 150CP last night so there was no breakfast for us. My brother went to the gym and I did a walk around the track on deck 5. I said earlier in the blog I wasn't going back because I went during a peak time and felt uncomfortable. I have been going around 9am these port days and been able to enjoy my "exercise " in peace. I got off and did maybe 30min in the port of Costa Maya, I was just here in Nov and will be back again in October. I wanted some chips and so far no port has had plain ones. Just really expensive Pringles. Lunch today will be at Portside BBQ.

Last night I had a few drinks at Trellis bar so I forgot to mention what I thought of the ice show. Now, I loves me some ice shows, it's the only production I will always attend. Yes, sometimes the performers fall but usually it's a good time. The one on Oasis is boring. There was a couple of tricks and I recognized half of the performers from other sailings but the music was just drab. I actually would have rather sat through the whole ventriloquist show than the ice show. Even the funny parts weren't really funny. This is not a knock to the performers because they were great, it was just not exciting.

My brother went to the DL for his coffee and said it was sort of busy. Lots of people playing cards and board games. We have laser tag today as well. It's my first time doing that on a cruise ship. It is not as humid as it has been in Mexico.

Some stray observations...

The water in this cabin is scorching. I have burned myself in the shower twice on the same foot. I keep adjusting it but somehow it ends up on scorching.

The bathroom sink is very low. I am only five, three and I have to bend all the way down to wash my face.

Our safe never worked. We told our steward and guest services. It's day 6 and nothing was fixed. I have to constantly carry my valuables with me or lock things in my suitcase.

No wine openers available. We went to the Music Hall bar to get our wine opened. After the wine was almost gone, we got wine glasses.

Oasis needs some love. The carpets are heavily stained. There is rust a lot of places. We saw crew painting plenty of times throughout the week.

We have gotten no cruise compasses and I don't miss them. It saves on paper.

I watched the red flag people just drop a plate and glass on the floor and kept moving. I have seen dishes and cups in the plants at central park. I have seen plates in the sports court, just trash everywhere.

I may post a picture of my brother so maybe you all can tell me why he keeps getting hit on.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Dan had the lamb Wellington at 150 last night (SY) and he said it was great.  I tried the pork belly again (I tried it once before and it was nasty) but this time I asked them to make the pork belly “extra crispy” and it was very good.  150 has always been hit-or-miss with me. The menu is a bit foo-foo for me but I’ve found a few things that I can tolerate.  I love the dining experience there but the menu is a little too upscale for my pedestrian tastes.  

 

[JohnK6404]

50 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Dan had the lamb Wellington at 150 last night ((SY) and he said it was great.  I tried the pork belly again (I tried it once before and it was nasty) but this time I asked them to make the pork belly “extra crispy” and it was very good.  150 has always been hit-or-miss with me. The menu is a bit foo-foo for me but I’ve found a few things that I can tolerate.  I love the dining experience there but the menu is a little too upscale for my pedestrian tastes.  

 

Silly question, how was the lighting in 150 CP? Last week we noticed (Wonder) that in both Hooked and 150 CP it was so dark you almost needed your phone flashlight to read the menu!  Giovanni's had normal lighting levels. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Silly question, how was the lighting in 150 CP? Last week we noticed (Wonder) that in both Hooked and 150 CP it was so dark you almost needed your phone flashlight to read the menu!  Giovanni's had normal lighting levels. 

Hooked is fine but it’s alway dim in 150.  “Mood” lighting, as it were…

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Silly question, how was the lighting in 150 CP? Last week we noticed (Wonder) that in both Hooked and 150 CP it was so dark you almost needed your phone flashlight to read the menu!  Giovanni's had normal lighting levels. 

Both Chops and 150CP were super dark. Giovanni's was more so dim.

[Ampurp85]

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Dan had the lamb Wellington at 150 last night (SY) and he said it was great.  I tried the pork belly again (I tried it once before and it was nasty) but this time I asked them to make the pork belly “extra crispy” and it was very good.  150 has always been hit-or-miss with me. The menu is a bit foo-foo for me but I’ve found a few things that I can tolerate.  I love the dining experience there but the menu is a little too upscale for my pedestrian tastes.  

 

I ate the bottom of the pork belly which was fantastic but the top was chewy as opposed to crispy. Also I agree the presentation and sizes are very frou frou for the likes of me. My lamb wellington was 5 bites. It was a good thing I had lots of bread.

[wordell1]

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Silly question, how was the lighting in 150 CP? Last week we noticed (Wonder) that in both Hooked and 150 CP it was so dark you almost needed your phone flashlight to read the menu!  Giovanni's had normal lighting levels. 

Lighting is the same on Allure. CP 150 is very dark vs Giovanni's.

[JohnK6404]

16 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

Lighting is the same on Allure. CP 150 is very dark vs Giovanni's.

Not conducive to quality food pics... or just actually seeing your dining party for that matter... lol!  

[Ampurp85]

Day 6 Costa Maya

We are sailing away. I made a bad decision. Laser tag on a ship were over a third of the pax are children is pure tomfoolery. I looked at the back of the line and went right back to my room. My brother laughed at me, he went along with the plan because it was something to do. Just the 5min in line was enough to tell me this activity is not for pre-vintage folks like us.

Lunch was Portside BBQ. I hadn't eaten all day so I got the 3-meats deal. Pulled pork and a double portion of brisket with mac and cheese and fries. I decided to try the banana bomb dessert because the brookies were so decadent. I should point out I actually hate banana. At most I will do a banana nut muffin, but rarely.  This was basically rotten banana pudding. My brother, who loves banana,  gave it that name. He ate his but couldn't take mine, that told me it was as nasty as I thought. So far JR has had the best desserts and that will be our lunch option tomorrow.

As I mentioned this sailing has a large Jewish population on it. Today is the sabbath and they will be using the music hall tonight. I noticed more white women than usual are wearing wigs, as a person of color I am use to the sight of wigs. What I'm not use to is seeing them shifting and falling without friends or family saying something. Culturally speaking we know if wind and water are involved they need to be attached securely. As I would want someone to tell me if my wig was shifting and sliding, I always discreetly let others know. Thankfully when this wig was flying off there weren't many people around. The lady said this was the third time it happened. I don't wear wigs but I would be afraid to wear them on a cruise, especially if it is windy or hurricane season.

Dinner is at Izumi but not until 8:30. I plan to pack and then head over to the DL for some tea. Then maybe spend a little time in the casino.