jam19872016

I was a little unsure of doing chops but I am glad I went. The food was nearly flawless. The key to success I've found, is staying away from the steak which is odd for a steakhouse. It's just never been very good IMHO. The problem then is getting your money's worth. The ambiance was mostly great, it's usually too noisy. There was one screaming child who had intermittent tantrums but they passed quickly and the staff did good seating them in the back corner. And finally service. I've always found the service at chops to not be up to par with other specialty restaurants. Not always bad, but certainly not as good. Overall service tonight was a solid B+. Towards the end of the meal as they were getting busy, things slowed down drastically. Total meal time was 90 minutes, which for a solo dinner is a little too long but not excessive I guess. It was mostly only noticeable because the pace was decent until dessert. Overall I was very happy with my choice to dine here and will do it again on the next leg of Mariner and possibly independence.

The crab cake was everything you want from a good crab cake. Lots of delicious crab and not a lot of filling. The bacon was good also but just slightly over cooked. Because I've never really enjoyed the steak here, I ordered the branzino with a side of the cheese tater tots and macaroni and cheese. The fish and sides were excellent. For dessert I finished things off with the key lime pie. This is one of my favorite desserts and it was very good but I'm disappointed in the smaller portion size. It was 2/3 meringue.

On my way to chops the sun was setting. Behind me the pool had been turned into a thrill ride. It would be closed when I left chops. Starting my meal off with some bubbly. For appetizers I got the crab cake and the black pepper bacon.

Before I post dinner, I've got some photos to post from yesterday when the interney was not cooperating. These first ones are from sailaway. Carnival Freedom has already set sail but Disney Wish was still in port. Sorry it's cut off the sun was in my eyes. Looking down the channel. A recovered SpaceX Falcon 9. Independence which I'll be on soon.

You make a good point 🤔.

Dinner tonight earned an A+ from me. I seriously ate way too much and the drinks are hitting me a little hard 🙃. I'll post a full review in a bit but I have to get some air or I will likely pass out at 7pm from a food induced coma 🤪

Off to dinner. Tonight I will be dining at Jamie's Italian.

Heading up to the gym now for what was supposed to be my morning workout.

Lunch was good today. Service was also top notch. Mozzarella sticks. Pulled pork sandwich. That sandwich is hit or miss across ships. It was very good today. Coconut cake for dessert..

Yes. You can also book a refundable rate for an extra $2 a day. Since they give everyone a code for a 10% discount it is really an extra $1.80 a day.

The weather has greatly improved. Sucks we missed coco cay but this is indeed much better than being back in Florida still.

Sure thing! Enjoy your cruise.

Still a little slow to upload this morning but it is working now!

I just got an app notification to schedule my departure time. Rude. It's only day 2, can we not have to think about that already 😆.

Current position is about 25 miles west of Key West. The seas are much calmer today and the to go bags are no longer available along the stairwells. The captain expects clear skies, calm seas and following winds for the remainder of our voyage to Cozumel.

Wow, this is the latest I've slept in a long time. I needed it though. Time for break....I guess lunch 😋.

Had a pretty good run in the casino. Went up and down for a while but left up about $100. The ship is still rocking a little but things have calmed down quite a bit since about 9. Back in the room now and turning in for the night. Good night all.

Exercise done ✔ Got in a quick session in the sauna before it closed. Now I'm trying my luck in the casino.

I'm having a very hard time uploading photos. It could be storm related but in my experience, Mariner has never had the best internet. I will keep work on getting my chops photos posted. I'm off to the gym now to walk off dinner. Jam who expects a criticism of Royal's internet to be met with a technical explanation of why it's not as bad as I say it is 😉.

Oh man, first cruise experience in this weather. This will definitely test out if cruising is for her 🤣.

It is definitely uncomfortable sailing weather right now. I have no concerns for my safety, but it sure is bumpy. Captain just came on again to remind us to hang onto the rails and to be careful on outside decks. Now saying things should improve around midnight.

Thanks! Thanks for following along 😀.

The ship is definitely rocking as we sail into open waters. Heading to chops now for my 530 dinner reservation.

Im happy to report the room has cooled down nicely. The people before me must love hot stale rooms because that was the result of having the ac turned off. I never know how the Seas will affect me but the captains continued safety announcements have me taking a pill just to be safe. He says Seas will quickly deteriorate after leaving port and to expect 10-12 foot Seas until tomorrow morning. I'm heading out for sail away now.

Gonna get unpacked and settled into my room now. The plan is to catch sailaway from the helipad. Always a great spot for sailaway.