kjbacon

Another fabulous day and one that surprised us. We did not expect to like Cozumel as much as we did! It’s a beautiful place and the locals were warm, friendly, and welcoming. We also tried our first Chef Led shorex and we just loved it. @lincslady yes, I believe we are talking about the same Jorge, handsome and charming as ever. Our shorex was a Chef Led tequila and mescal tasting with tacos. Wow, what a great time with just the right balance of fun and learning. And in fact, @jeb_bud we had too much fun to go back out to the bbq! We really enjoyed the spot where the seminar was held. Did you know that tequila is intended to be sipped and not to be done in shots? And that it should be served in an actual tequila glass and not a shot glass? We didn’t know either! We had the most delicious authentic tacos that we’ve ever tasted. We learned how to make corn tortillas by hand. The homemade salsas and hot sauces were delicious. You can see two of the darker tequilas we sampled on the cart. We were pleasantly full and yes, a little buzzed, so we stayed in and enjoyed a seriously delicious orecchiette with broccoli and anchovies from Compass Rose room service. Today, Costa Maya and another Chef Led shorex!

Indeed yes, Lew is correct about Jorge. We had a very nice day stopping in Grand Cayman early and then watching the football playoffs in our jammies! We did the Reef and Wreck Snorkel Tour, which I would’ve said was excellent, but a fellow passenger got injured disembarking the snorkel boat. While I was not watching what happened, I tend to think that the tour operators should be well prepared to prevent that serious of an injury. That aside, the snorkeling was fantastic at both sites in magnificently clear water teeming with a wide range of fish. Here’s a comment that you don’t see very often on these boards … the Destination Services team is very friendly and helpful (whaaaat????) it’s true and they are doing a very good job. The included wines have been very good. We are partial to reds and especially the old world wines. There are several very nice bottles of Bordeaux and this one is very nice. We had a delicious spread for our in cabin football playoff party. And look, we ate lots of veggies so it was still a healthy meal! We had a lot of fun. Today we stop in Cozumel just after lunch. We are really bouncing around this morning. It’s windy and I think we are going faster than usual to make up for leaving Grand Cayman late. Our tour today is the chef led tequila vs mescal seminar with a taco tasting and if we can still walk, there is a Grand Deck Barbeque for dinner tonight under the stars.

Regent, what to do with you? I woke up with the very best of intentions, at least for breakfast and lunch. Walked into La Veranda and this happened. They are making this too hard!!!! @sassyw I will check for you.

Our sea day was very nice and relaxing yesterday. We did enjoy a few activities but we also enjoyed the hot tub and the sunshine. The quiet area outside the spa on deck 5 is especially nice. A wine tasting in the beautiful atrium was a lot of fun. Our dinner in Prime 7 was excellent and we found the redesign to be one of the best improvements yet. We were actually quite disappointed in the redesigned Chartreuse but Prime 7 has a wonderful open feel, comfortable but sleek, with a bit of an art deco theme. I should note that service was very good in both restaurants. The tomato soup with blue cheese foam amuse bouche is still a scrumptious smoky bite. Our first courses were the Harvest Salad and the small plate lamb chops. Both were close to perfect. Even though it’s a steakhouse, they also have delicious seafood and after a couple days of serious eating, lighter main courses called to us. We had the Seafood Plateau, served chilled, and the Seafood Sampler, served hot. Both delicious! Today is snorkeling in Grand Cayman and then locked in the cabin for the playoffs 🏈 and room service.

If you’re anything like me, you wake up many a morning and think that you’ll try to behave a little better. Then you walk into LaVeranda and this happens. What can be done when it’s Saturday Mary’s? We did the only thing we could do …

Last night, we had happy hour in the Observation lounge. The lounge is beautiful with several style changes from Splendor and Explorer, some we liked better than others. The service was very good, little or no waiting for drinks and snacks. The Asian Beef Salad was very good and nicely presented! Dinner was in Chartreuse and it was very good. Appetizers were Mushroom Veloute Soup, composed tableside, and the Beef Tartare with Caviar. Both were amazing! Main courses were the Seared Duck Breast and the Rack of Lamb. The lamb was the better dish by far but I thought the presentation could have been better. For dessert, we split the cheese tray and it was only ok, especially when compared to the cheese cart from before. They did bring a tray of assorted sweets to choose from and it was amazing!! It was a lovely first night! Today is a sea day and the first in the speaker series about Central America.

After many obstacles, we are happily on board this beautiful ship. Our first impressions are almost all positive with many improvements over the Explorer and the Splendor. One exception is the outdoor seating in La Veranda, we prefer the set up in the Splendor. So, here it is … the Egg! Lunch in La Veranda was delicious and I loved the presentation of the shrimp cocktail. The prime rib was very good as was the butter chicken and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus/hearts of palm. Quiche was just ok. And lastly for now, we passed the Icon of the Seas on our way in. You couldn’t pay me to sail that ship lol look how it dwarfs the NCL Pearl. Everyone, feel free to chime in and join in the fun!

You made the right choice!! Our 3 grandsons are the light of my life 💙 I’m so excited for you to join the best club in the world!

So far, so good!! We are on the auto train and on schedule to arrive in central Florida on time! Safe and happy travels! The weather report is fabulous and we are going to drive to Miami the day before to enjoy a day at South Beach. Plus, we seem to need more cushion than usual these days! Hope to see you on board. Please do join in! You picked the very best to start cruising on and I’m excited for you! Hope to see you soon! As they say, from your lips … lol … a big yes to pasta and lobster and duck salad and eggs benny and caramel Popcorn sundaes with a big no to more pestilence!!

This morning will be our third attempt to return to Florida ahead of our Grandeur cruise on Friday. We had to postpone for severe flooding in the basement two weeks ago and for a snowstorm last week. Our friends, who will join us on the second leg have had their own challenges!! Looking forward to better days ahead and boarding the Grandeur. We are so ready! Hoping to do a food intensive live from thread with plenty of pictures.

It is difficult to offer a whole chicken or a whole fish for one person! Hopefully, we will be able to go twice so that we can try more than one thing. The whole baked branzino sounds wonderful.

The menu does look good but I’m also taken back by the number of dishes for two. When a diner can’t order steak or chicken, unless it’s for two, you’ve not designed your menu well. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that more choices are being added to Earth and Ocean. That is our absolute favorite venue on board so that’s a real plus.

We’ve been onboard when they’ve done a tailgate party on deck with all the classic favorites and then the game was on in the theater. And we’ve been on when the spread is served in the theater during the game, definitely not as nice. I’ve read that the game has been shown on the big screen on deck, which I’m really hoping for as I’d rather not crowd into the theater.

When checking the SB app for the nightly menus on Quest, TK Grill is no longer listed. Must be that it’s now closed and the changeover is in process. Looking forward to learning more about Solis.

We might be on the same cruise. We are big drinkers lol and almost always we opt for red wine, especially a Bordeaux. I also enjoy a top shelf vodka martini but the problem is that I can’t keep up! I’ve been looking into some lighter drinks and am planning to try a bitters and soda.

Prime rib is always better with horseradish on it! Your order in prime 7 was perfect with the wedge salad and popcorn sundae.

We will be suffering through a tequila and taco tasting in Cozumel. Prob won’t know if we have our jewelry on or not by the end!

Thank you, Flossie, really enjoyed traveling along with you!

Your pictures are terrific, thank you! The lobster app and the risotto look especially delicious.

My kinda party! Let the tall tales begin 🤣 any chance some of you (in addition to my bestie Mudhen) are on Grandeur end of January or early February?

Bon voyage! Really excited to follow along.

Whether or not you can help me feel better about flying remains to be seen (like are those lips moving lol) but it could be fun trying!

I will definitely be following too and looking forward to your feedback. Bon voyage!

Sounds fabulous! 🍸🍹🍷🍺 We are in!

Got it, thank you!! And @papaflamingo maybe one day we can meet on board. We will buy the drinks 😆 and you can help me with my flying issues!