PiperHolliday

As you can probably gather from the name, Big Fish is a seafood restaurant. Our starter was called Hurricane Shrimp and it was by far the best thing we've eaten during this whole trip. It was so flavourful with the perfect amount of spice. The shrimp was cooked absolutely perfectly. Tender and juicy, with the exact right resistance when taking a bite. We sopped up the sauce with the table bread, it was that good.

My husband had Mahi Mahi in lobster sauce. 

I had the dish created for King W-A and Queen Maxima. Cod, lobster and shrimp in a tamarind sauce.

We loved our meal and will definitely be back. Our waitress was also so personable and by the time we left, the staff felt like friends. 

Dexter brought us back to the ship just so we could freshen up before dinner and then we headed to Oyster Bay for our reservations. We ate at Big Fish - a restaurant right near the border of the French side, from a Curaçao chef. 

Finally, we had real cocktails. After one, I was feeling it. After one and a half, I was drunk. And they were delicious and what some (one) would call "frilly". 😱

Tamarind is grown in abundance on the island and is used in many dishes as a local flavor. Our first cocktail was a tamarind margarita. It was superb and strong. And only $10. 

My next cocktail was a mojito and it was actually a mojito! Not a sugary, watered down excuse for a mojito. And again, it was strong and made from organic, local ingredients. 

My final cocktail was a replacement for dessert. I was so full, there was no way I could eat any more at all. It was a chocolate martini and it was fantastic. Creamy, rich, chocolatey and strong. 

Those three cocktails were all I needed for the whole evening. Because they were done right. 

🤡

Sorry for not posting all day. Lowbrow jerks on here pissed me off (thank you CC for the ignore function) and I was having way too much fun in Sint Maarten. I'll have to post the cruise compass tomorrow because I just only got into bed. 

We skipped eating onboard at all today and met a fantastic driver named Dexter. He's so friendly and knowledgeable about the island. If you want to experience the real local St Maarten/Martin, he's got it covered. Anything you're looking for, he's got the answer. He goes by the nickname Mr. Bowtie and wears a bright, eye-catching shirt and bowtie, so he's impossible to miss. 

We headed to Maho Beach for plane-spotting around noon. The prime time for the largest jets today was between 1pm and 3pm, so we planned accordingly. We had a quick and tasty lunch at Sunset Beach Bar before staging ourselves for the arrivals. The beach is small, but the sand is soft and the water is clear and turquoise. During that time of day, the tide begins to come in and it makes for some very fun wave riding. But be aware of where you place your belongings on the beach, as a big wave is bound to wash it away when you least expect it. 

39 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

After 22 years of cruising on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and a few others I have not to my memory had a weak drink ??

Drinks like mojitos, gin and tonics, real martinis (not dessert drinks in a martini glass), straight spirits of all kinds and dark beers or ales are my choice.

I owned 2 bars in the past and know that my bartenders usually went a slight bit short on the pours when making the more "frilly" drinks where you barely would know a virgin cocktail from one with spirits.

 

Give your low powered drink back and tell the bartender it's too weak. SIMPLE

I've never felt the drinks were weak on any other cruise. This is the first time I've encountered this and it feels like I'm drinking crappy resort drinks in Mexico. Even a straight up highball is too weak.

Just because I don't drink on a weekly basis, doesn't mean I don't know about alcohol. I'm even WSET educated. 

And just because someone has owned a bar, does not mean they are the foremost expert in booze. Or integrity, apparently. I would not be okay going to a bar that shorts a jigger just because they think the customer can't tell. Shameful. 

But thanks for trying to insult my taste in drinks. 

We ate at Chops tonight and overall, thought it was great. I think they are starting to get short-staffed for servers because they were really working their butts off and service was a bit slow but we didn't mind at all. They are doing all they can and still doing it with a smile. Our server was covering so many tables. Jewel of the Seas is on her way to meet us in St Maarten so we'll be doing some crew shuffling and maybe that will help them out. 

Sorry about the dark photos. It was very dark in the restaurant. 

Lavender Vodka Martini. Definitely my favorite drink on the ship. 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Spicy and delicious. 

Charred Beef Carpaccio. This was also very good. 

Grilled Black Pepper Bacon. Again, really tasty. 

Wild Mushroom Soup. 

Lobster Bisque. 

Crispy Goat Cheese Salad. 

Prime Bone-in Ribeye. Mine was cooked just right and tasted great. My friend's was overdone and chewy. But it was so big (1lb) so we just shared mine. 

Filet. This was fantastic and cooked perfectly. 

Our "shareable" sides were not shareable. They were quite small, but you can order as many of those as you'd like. The mac and cheese was pretty bad and made with what tasted like chemical liquid cheese. It belongs on a crappy buffet. The asparagus and gruyere tots were delicious.

I forgot to take photos of dessert because I was getting pretty tired. I had the red velvet cake and it was good. We will be going back to Chops in a few days to try the lamb. 

56 minutes ago, ARI421 said:

Cam I ask what the mask policy Is? Debating yhe anthem in March.. do you have to wear outside on the pool deck or only inside

Mask must be worn indoors unless eating or drinking. 

1 hour ago, lanaget said:

Hi, can you please tell me if you were required to do the Covid test in the middle of your cruise, and I mean before the 2 days prior to arrival? Wondering of there are mandatory passenger testing while cruising. Thanks 

Only if you're unvaccinated (aka a child). 

2 hours ago, Midway7934 said:

Since you mentioned drinks I would like to know about your variety of drink choices which you have shown in pictures. You showed a strawberry blonde, a Caribbean mule, and one with a cherry you had in the hot tub (name?), also the reinvented cosmo and Rita. When I go on vacation I like to try out new drinks (being a wine and a cosmo drinker usually). What other interesting drinks do Anthem bartenders make? Are you as well versed in drink variety as you are in food choice or are these a bartender’s suggestion? Anthem has been my home away from home in January for the last 5 years. You are on my cancelled cruise so thanks for taking me along. Try Star class next time. You will change your opinion.

My drink of choice is usually prosecco but I enjoy cocktails, as well. I prefer cocktails that are different and interesting so the 'exclusive' drinks at the specialty restaurants are probably my favorite. Tonight, I had the lavender martini at Chops and that's by far my favorite drink onboard. The one from the hot tub was a Miami Vice - piña colada and strawberry daiquiri in one glass. That's not something I would typically drink but I felt like having something frozen and sweet at the time. I'm really into craft cocktails but don't expect any cruise line to cater to that at all because it would require a lot of niche ingredients and that's just unrealistic. 

2 hours ago, ticketsunlimited said:

PIPER, if you are finding the drinks are weak and you have the drink package, be sure to ask for a floater on top of your frozen drink or ask them to double things up when they are making it.  A dollar here and and dollar there goes a long way too.  Visiting the same bartender does not hurt either.  Once they know your gig they will usually be good to you.  

We do make sure to tip the crew and they've mostly been really great about getting us drinks fast and making sure we're happy. But when we asked them to double up, we were told it's against policy. And honestly, I prefer not having to go through this much effort just for a good drink. It should just be good from the get-go. 

We woke up late again and went to the Windjammer for lunch. I was somewhat surprised at the small size, as I've heard several people say it's really big. For a ship this size, it was too small. I didn't really like anything I had there. Most things were tasteless, no seasoning, no salt. Everything was still edible, and surprisingly not overdone. I'll be back to try some other dishes and see how it goes. I want to give it another chance. So far, I'd place it on par with my experiences in Carnival buffets. Every other line I've been on has had better buffets than both. 

We also went up to deck 14 today to enjoy the pool and hot tub. Enjoy? Well, that wasn't so easy. It was packed. Full chairs all around, people everywhere. Only the covered pool (with the roof closed) and the Solarium had space. It really turned me off from RCCL because if this is how it is when the ship is only 30-40% full, I would absolutely hate to sail on one of these ships at full capacity. That wouldn't be a vacation, it sounds like torture. This was the first time the ship has felt busy. 

We opted for the Solarium and had a pretty decent time. Mask compliance was not really adhered to by as many people as before, but staff were actually enforcing it when they noticed. The humidity/warmth in there made masks feel a bit hot. 

After three days on the ship, I've come to the realization that the drinks onboard are very weak. I'm a lightweight and don't drink much unless I'm on vacation. I can hardly get drunk on this ship. I have to actually try. Whereas one cocktail at a restaurant back home (or on my recent cruises on other lines) and I'm feeling it. I'm really liking RCCL less and less...

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

Wow, Jamie's food has changed a lot!  They changed the eggplant parm again.  It used to be thick, panko crusted, fried eggplant that was delicious.  It then went to over roasted, chewy circles.  How was the roasted, half eggplant?  The "famous" plant has changed a lot too.  Used to have lots of olives, more meats and cheese, a weird carrot salad, hummus and breadsticks on the side.  Never seen garlic bread or bruschetta on it.  That cheesecake never disappoints though!

Our friend said it was good but he was expecting the old style. So he traded it for the chicken. 

Cruise Compass Day 4

1 minute ago, Arzeena said:

Was it Fouad or Hormuz? We had those two in November and they were beyond AMAZING.

I think it was Hormuz! 

Tonight, we ate at Jamie's Italian. There was hardly anybody there. The service was great! I really liked our server. We will be back at least once during this cruise. 

"Creamy" Burrata. It was the least creamy burrata I've ever had. It's a very poor representation.

Crispy Squid. Deep fried and salty, which I love. But it was not as tender as it should have been (slightly overdone). 

Black Truffle Arancini. Far from an authentic arancini, but it's hard to not love cheesy rice. The flavor was great. 

Our Famous Meat Plank. 

Creamy Penne Carbonara. We all liked this. 

Eggplant Parmigiana. 

Lamb Chops Scottadito. This was really good. 

Arugula and Parmesan Salad. 

"Crispy" Polenta Chips. I love polenta. I did not like this at all. It was not crispy. It was chewy and tasted almost as if it was stale. Definitely the least appetizing polenta I've ever had. 

Jamie's Caesar Salad. This was very tasty but the chicken was dry because it was a bit overdone (seeing a trend here with meats?). 

Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake and a shot of limoncello. This was fantastic and I definitely recommend it. The two pair perfectly together and it brought up great memories of our wedding in Positano. 

1 hour ago, LATTELOVE said:

Thank you for all your posting, really enjoying it.  Is Lawrence a taxi guy or for excursions??

Yeah, he gets rave reviews! 

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

On the first night my husband's prime rib was so raw he couldn't even cut it.  Had to send it back.  Then he ordered the NY strip and said it was delish.

Seems like there's no consistency or quality control. 

1 hour ago, Zeashore said:

sorry.... timing....     

so you are reimbursed one day of the cruise. Does that mean you return one day early as well?  If not, that is a full day of bingo and 🍹🍺....

Still a full 11 night cruise, so it's free money! 

I forgot to mention! They reimbursed one day's worth of the cruise for losing St. Kitts. 

We went to see We Will Rock You this afternoon. Having seen several shows on Broadway and West End, I was nervous that it would feel underwhelming but they really did a great job! It was a lot of fun, production quality was great, awesome talent! I was very pleasantly surprised! Don't miss it! 

The theater was pretty full around us. Not really any distancing other than between the performers and passengers. Everyone around us respected the mask policy. The family in front of us were rude and filmed a lot towards the end of the show (4-5 of them at the same time), which blocked some of our view and the bright screens were obnoxious and distracting. I tried to politely tell them it was distracting and they just kept doing it. Don't be these a**holes. 

35 minutes ago, dswallow said:

 

The current production of Spectra's Cabaret is missing a lot of content because they do not yet have a full staff onboard to be able to put on the show in its entirety, such as riggers for the aerial performances. That likely eliminates a lot of the WOW factor at times, too.

Thank you so much for that information! That explains a lot. I'll be happy to see it again when I can see the complete show. 

2 hours ago, Virtopia said:

This review has been tremendous - thank you for sharing!!

 

For your stop in Antigua, do you have contact information for Lawrence? I'd like to get to some beaches if I can.

Absolutely! 

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We had very good beef tenderloin in mdr last night.  And my DH had prime rib the night before and said it was excellent.   Sorry you had a bad experience with your steak at lunch today.

We did WJ had delicious honey chicken, very tender and tasty.

I actually did have the prime rib on night one in the MDR and it wasn't bad. I wouldn't call it great. Again, it was overdone. A bit bland, needs rosemary and thyme. Prime rib is something we regularly make at home via sous vide and it blows this out of the water. 

2 hours ago, moman12 said:

Is IFLY open? I dont see it on the cruise planners you're posting.

I haven't seen anyone using it yet but there are plenty of times bookable on the app. 

Our friend was able to move to the empty cabin next to us and we've opened the balcony partition to create one really great balcony. They helped him move everything and it was done quickly. What great service! 

10 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

Sounds like MDR food as always, no good. 

I learned the hard way. I will absolutely not order a steak onboard unless it's in Chops.