Sea Dog

Flight All the shows have been great all week but this is the one I really was excited for. Flight in the Royal Theater is a spectacular journey through time chronicling aviation milestones in Flight. Its a Royal Caribbean original production that's unlike anything you've ever seen. The adventure begins in the distant future, as the audience boards the Lunar: Us for the launch of the world's first aerospace cruiser on its maiden voyage to Mars. And it ends with a stunning dramatization of the Wright Brothers' monumental first flight at Kitty Hawk. Here is a short video explaining the show. Here are some stills from the production I shot. I especially loved the alien scene to the song Uptown Funk. Here is a short clip plus some other video excerpts from the show. I have to admit it was very moving, as I shed a tear. The show got a huge standing ovation. Bravo Royal Caribbean. You shot this to the moon.

A Beautiful Sunset and a Storm After Hooked we walked out onto the deck to see a beautiful sunset. And even later some good lightning. Here is a slo mo short clip. Time to get ready for Flight.

Movement: 8 Hooked Seafood, Am I Hooked? The 8th movement in our musical Symphony of food was Royal Caribbean's Hooked Seafood. Hooked is located on Deck 16 forward, overlooking the Solarium and Solarium Bistro. The entrance to the restaurant has a typical dining room look and feel, but the venue itself has a nautical theme with lots of blues, whites, and natural wood tones. Kind of a new England-style eatery. Although it is an upscale seafood restaurant, Hooked has a casual vibe with casual attire. When entering the restaurant, you can not escape the massive bar in the center. While seating here is limited, the showcase is the ice and raw bar. Funny thing is there was never any real food in this area. It was all for show. Why not put some of the food out there? Let people see what they are going to eat. The Menu: We first served their Savory Biscuits made up cheddar cheese, scallions, chives and garlic melting butter. I thought they tasted kind of dry but I could taste the cheddar flavor. For a cocktail I ordered the St. Peter Spritzer. It has St-Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, Aperol , Lemon Juice and is topped off with Prosecco. It tasted rather bitter with the Aperol and the Prosecco and its dryness. I started off with the Baked Oysters. Which included Oysters Rockefeller, Leeks and White Wine and Brie and Champagne. They were very good but small oysters. There was not much there. I really liked the Brie and Champagne oysters. For a main, I had the Captains Platter with a 4oz lobster tail, fresh fish filet and grilled shrimp. The fresh fish was Alaskan Salmon. It was very good, flakey and moist. Shrimp had good seasoning on it. The lobster was nice and buttery. The biggest disappointment was the Lobster Mac and Cheese. It was horrid. It was bland, dry and not very cheesy. I prefer a heavy cream based cheese sauce. This was like a dried version of Kraft macaroni and cheese. It hardly had any lobster in it. And no bread crumbs on top. Total failure. I am a lobster mac and cheese freak and I have tasted some of the best in dozens of restaurants. My favorite is Capitol Grill and their dish. Or Hal Hancocks Lobster Mac and Cheese. This is how it should be done. Chocolate Brownie for dessert was very good but not in the same league as the campfire brownie. In the end I wish I would have ordered the whole main lobster. I saw it being brought out to a couple of tables. It was huge and look very good. Next time I guess. I really liked Hooked but the failure of a good lobster mac and cheese ruined the experience for me. I guess I was not Hooked.

You will love it. Make sure to save room for the camp fire brownie. It was incredible.

That's too funny. So close but yet so far. That was a great day wasn't it? Loved Nachi Cocom.

@firefly333 Hey Jane question for you? Have you eaten at Willie G's seafood in Galveston? Thinking about eating there pre cruise.

Movement 7: Playmakers , “You Call This a Snack?” This is your classic sports bar but with above average food. The gastropub-style food offered at the Boardwalk's new bar and arcade includes all the crowd favorites like burgers, sliders, wings, nachos, loaded potato skins, popcorn shrimp, and even a warm chocolate chip cookie served with Nutella, melted marshmallow and a side of milk shooters. Seating is available indoors and out. Funny that in the app Playmakers is listed under "Snacks" and Bars. I would hardly call this a place for snacks. More like full on food. They have a separate room for arcade style games but in the main restaurant area there are 21 tv's, 4 booths and 6 tables inside with some tables outside with umbrellas. Today being pretty hot we decided to eat inside. While you wait for your food you can play a round of shuffle board. The Menu: Now with the UDP you get $20 per person credit. If you figure each person is going to get a warmup appetizer, burger, and dessert it will put you over your $20 limit. Now I have heard that it depends on the server and on what Playmakers on any other ship will do, but you can start a new ticket once you go over. We asked Alvin our server and he said yes he can do it. The "KEY" is to tell the server when you order you want to add the overage to a new ticket. Not after. In our case, We put our desserts on a new ticket. For example I ordered: Poke Nachos $8 Truffle Burger $9 Campfire cookie $6 Total: $22 Linda ordered: Onion Ring tower $6 Burger classic $9 Campfire cookie $6 Total: $21 So we had Alvin just put the desserts on a second ticket to prevent a $3 dollar charge. I can't promise it will happen to you but always ask while you put your order in. Afterwards it's too late. Drinks with our drink package. I had the Black and Gold Buffalo Trace bourbon, peach schnapps, sour mix, splash of cranberry 1 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon 1 oz Peach Schnapps 1 oz Sour Mix Splash of Cranberry Juice Linda had the Knockout punch Light rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine and float of dark rum Sorry no picture. Too busy drinking mine. Onion Ring Tower. Great onion rings and plenty of them. Loved it. Poke nachos messy but very good. Should have eaten with a fork. They brought Linda’s burger out but I’m still waiting on mine after 5 minutes. Finally I got my burger the truffle burger. The menu refers to these items a snacks but they are hardly so. This was full on gut busting good food. The burger was so big with its two patties and a whole Portobella mushroom that is breaded and fried on top of the two burgers. This is easily over a half pound of beef. Note there is no sauce mustard or ketchup on the burger so if you’re used to that you will need to add it yourself. We ate about half of everything saving room for the campfire cookie desert. It is hot in here as it’s an open air restaurant being on the boardwalk. 4 ceiling fans help circulate the air but on a bright sunny Caribbean day it got a little warm in here. The Campfire Cookie. Next to the world this is my second favorite dessert of all time. Wow! The addition of the chocolate chip ice cream is a chocoholics dream. You could share this dessert but why? Have all of it for yourself. You deserve to be spoiled. I now need a nap. I’m in a fully induced food coma. My blood sugar must be at an all time high. Hopefully I will have room for tonight's dinner at Hooked.

I rechecked my screenshots from the menu and I do not see it either. The Veggie scramble is probably the closest thing to that with the addition of eggs and potatoes to the things you mentioned. I had it the first time we ate there but did not take a picture. It was really good.

Sea Dog's Day 6 At Sea Johnny Rocket’s breakfast is the best kept secret on the ship. Never crowded, all made to order. A great fast hot breakfast. The menu: Fresh made to order breakfast including a variety of scrambles, eggs, French toast and pancakes. I really liked the scrambles. We ate at JR on several mornings. The Veggies Scramble was really good and the the Works Scramble was just that and a little spicy. I highly recommend Johnny Rockets for a good breakfast. After breakfast we went back to the Solarium. Again we were lucky to snag a day bed at the front of one of the open windows. I love the cool water pool that was just behind us with it's infinity wall. Today I met some very interesting people. That's what I love about being on a ship you meet all kinds of great people. First was Phil Gibson a singer from Boston who sings R&B and knows all the guys from one of my favorite bands Tower of Power. We talked music for a long time. Then I met long time DJ for Fort Wayne Indiana radio station whose dad was a long time radio DJ back in the 40 and 50’s. He's been to several hundred concerts and has a 45 rpm record collection in the thousands. After a couple of hours of relaxation and some great conversation I changed and got my camera and went around the ship for a variety of photos. Flowrider Zip Line Mini Golf El Loco Fresh. We never did eat there. Seemed like there wasn't enough time or we were not hungry. Seemed like a mess to me. Pool deck was starting to get busy. Somebody got a nose full of water. Watches on sale. Some nice ones but I learned to check prices here before buying on a ship. You might get it cheaper through Amazon. Duty Free offerings. No Blanton's 😥 Just because everybody takes a picture of the VW. Bionic Bar novelty and a waste of space. Put in the Tiki Bar!!!!!! Next Cruise. Looks some people were taking advantage of the low downpayment. Time for bingo. I've never done this. I need to try. Ice cream station always had a line. Something else I've never done. My favorite place Central Park. Headed back to the cabin now to get ready for lunch. Love the landscaping. Art on the wall that always lets me know I'm on the right side (Starboard) of the ship to get to my cabin. Next up Lunch at Playmakers.

It's a combination of things. one watching them make it and taking notes. I'll write down from the cocktail menu all the ingredients and then watch them make it. I can pretty much tell from the jigger they are using if it's an ounce or an ounce and a half of something. Using recipes I have found on line and then making them at home and tweaking them. I also through a gift of a person on here at CC got the training manual for Royal Caribbean bartenders with the recipes of all their drinks. It's old and some of the drinks are not made anymore but I get a lot of the standard frozen drink recipes from there.

So far the “New Old Fashioned” in the Schooner Bar is my favorite off the menu.

Thank you so much Bob that's it! I just could not think of the name and I did not take any pics of it. I wanted to make note of it for use in any cocktail recipes I might do or post. I hope the Kraken was good as ever. Again thanks for getting down in the trenches for this research!

Headliner Jenifer Singer and the NightCaps After Hibachi it was time to catch the headliner show in the Royal Theater. Tonight it was singer Jenifer Singer and yes that is actually her last name. She is a singer, actor, dancer, and songwriter and has experience performing with Equity theaters, cruise lines, and providing vocals for library music in the world of television, film, and radio. It's interesting in her resume that she was a back up singer for a very good friend of mine, R&B and Gospel Singer Oleta Adams. You might know her for her work with Tears for Fears and her hit single "Get Here" which was originally written by songwriter Brenda Russell. My how small the world is. Here is some video of her singing. She has a great voice. She put on a great show but as good as she was I was more impressed with the Royal house band that had only one rehearsal with her before this show. It shows how good these musicians are. Basically she flew in the day of the show came aboard, rehearsed with the band and then did her show. That's professionalism. After the show it was Schooner Bar time with some real hits. Rye and Rol. Whistle Pig 1oz Aperol 1oz simple syrup 1/2 oz Lemon juice 1/2oz Simple syrup Takes the bitterness away from the Aperol. But almost too sweet French 75. 1.5 oz Hennessy Sweet-n-Sour Mix 1/2 oz 1/2oz Simple Syrup Champagne Top Off Not a fan, Champagne just did not do it for me. Pierre Collins 1.5 oz Cognac 1/2 oz. Chambord Black .75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Simple syrup Soda water on top Pierre Collins was the winner tonight. A very good tasting cocktail. Time for bed it's a day at sea for us tomorrow.

Movement 6: Hibachi Stay For The Show , Eat The Food. Tonights Unlimited Dining Package choice was the Hibachi. Here it's all about the show and not necessarily the food. With the UDP, the Hibachi is a $10 up charge. Why, I have no idea. We even asked the manager after dinner why there was a charge and he said no worry he would take care of it. They did take the charge off which was nice but we really did not have a problem with the charge as we just wanted to know why there was a up charge. The best answer I got from someone is that it is so popular they don't have enough room for all the people who want to come so the up charge acts as a deterrent. Now I really don't know if that is a fact or even the truth but that is what a staff member told me. Now on to the show. We were seated and had to wait for the rest of table reservations to show up. When everyone was seated, Shaun our hibachi chef introduced himself, took our orders and started his show. I don’t know how these guys keep up the energy doing the same routine night after night. They are good at what they do no doubt. In a lot of ways their comedy and jokes are all the same but I guess it has to be. They are on a tight schedule as the table turns over several times a night. No room for improve. Here is a couple of short video clips of his act. Dinner consisted of, Egg Fried Rice, Salad, Beef Tenderloin, Lobster, and Chicken. There was three sauces you could dip your food in. A ginger sauce for meat. A chili sauce for seafood and a teriyaki for chicken. I loved these sauces. It was very good but most hibachi’s are all the same. Quality of the beef and seafood was excellent but here you mainly here for the entertainment. I had a good time and the meal was great but I have kind of been there and done that way too many times.

Happy to hear it was not a serious fracture requiring surgery. Give her my best for her recovery. Thanks for the update!

As a musician my whole life and a drummer I always find myself watching them and not the singer . I was watching him instead of the headliner, Jennifer Singer (yes that’s really her last name) and he was reading charts. He and the rest of the band nailed it. They obviously had the music before hand and rehearsed it thoroughly before she came onto the ship but still they only had one rehearsal with her. That’s impressive because you have to get used to a singers pace and timing. Stay tuned but I think you know me pretty well. 😉

How exciting! I think you are doing it the right way by having a a little break in between. Do me a favor? I’m trying to remember the drink mix the Royal bartenders use for frozen drinks. It used to be “Island Oasis” brand but it is something new. Could you check and tell me what brand it is? Of course you may need to order a Kraken Colada to find out. 😋 Cheers have a great second trip!

Thanks I’m having fun with it. I wish I could do it live but my brain works better when I can organize, write and then post. Time goes by way to fast on a ship for me to do it live. I am going to try it on oasis for the Bella Cruise. I’m hoping we can have one big thread with all of us posting.

"The". Hate fat fingers typing on my iPhone.

Tge music was exceptional. The house band that played in the theater was top notch. During Hairspray I wondered for a moment if the music was pre recorded. We were sort of behind the sound board and noticed a video monitor of the keyboard player who served as conductor. They showed a remote camera of the band at the end. They also backed up the main headline singer who flew in the day of and they had just one rehearsal. I did not get to see the Jazz on four but I’m sure it was great. I did see them again performing big band music on the promenade. The Piano player in Schooner was really good but I have heard better. Pop and Karin bands were very good as well.

That’s a real tough one as they are all so different. To be honest probably Steinfield. Just didn’t seem funny to me. I know I’m in the minority. My two best friends live that show and even quite lines from it. Thank you for your comments. I do set it high and sometimes fall off but I keep trying. When the shock of what happened to the go pro was over and I looked at the footage I had to laugh. I contacted Go Pro to see if they would do anything. Because I didn’t have their subscription plan and it was out of warranty they could not replace it. They did give me 30% off on a new one which I did. I should be getting the new Go Pro 11 next week. Thanks! I’m really looking forward to snacks in the Diamond Lounge. Stay tuned at the end and I’ll rank them. I screwed up and forgot to take video of when we got home. The pups did go wild, the cat not so much. Exactly. He even waited about 5 minutes before coming down and greeting us. You know cats, they love to play hard to get.

Linda like it I had a sip a little dry but good. We liked it as a glass of it was covered under our DDP.

Day 5: Cozumel and Nachi Cocom It's a beautiful morning when we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico. And oh how I love sunrises. Time to get moving and get off the ship for a day at Nachi Cocom. Your daily mooring shots. No yells, no whistles today. No Moorings were harmed in the taking of these pictures. We headed to Nachi Cocom, a short 10 minute cab arise away from port $17 per taxi' Nachi Cocom is an all inclusive resort. For adults it’s $59 per person $45 for kids 12-15. per person $19 for kids from 4-11 per person Free for kids 3 and under The deposit was made online for $24. Reservations must be made online since the beach club limits the number of guests to 100. The beach club also offers activities like snorkel, massage, banana boat rides and towels for an extra charge. Wonderful clear water. Inflatable water lounger a great buy. The only kind of breathalyzer test I want to take. I do wonder what my blood alcohol content is in that tube. Link for those interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SG6HGNC/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc Only 50 guests today here as opposed to over 200 to 300 guest at Mr. Sanchez and Paradise Beach each. I counted only about 35. Time for lunch Food was incredible. Loved their chips and guacamole. Had the nachos with a layer of refried beans then Gouda cheese. Still had crunch to the chips thanks to being put in an oven stead of microwave. Quesadillas with chicken and gouda were great Dessert was a cheese cake and side of ice cream At 12:45 after being here for 3 hours it started raining and thundering but it was nice being in this covered pavilion. Rain lasted only 10 minutes and then it was back out in the sun. A great day a Nachi Cocom. I loved the laid back atmosphere with not a lot of people and great service. We will be back that's for sure.

That's what I usually get and it is my favorite. This time I wanted to try something different.

It’s time to strike up the orchestra and conduct another review. This time on Symphony of the Seas. This is our first cruise on Symphony. This Symphony cruise will feature the Unlimited Dining Package and Deluxe Drink Package. It’s going to be musical cornucopia of fine food and drink. After all a good pirate knows how to eat and drink. So without further a due it’s time to strike up the band and what better way to preview what you will be in store for is watch my cruise hype tease video. THE DETAILS: Who: Sea Dog a bonafide pirate with a love for the sea and ships and his lovely wife Linda. What: A 7 night Western Caribbean (our first Western itinerary) When: September 17-24 with one night pre stay at the Miami Hilton Downtown. Where: Leaving from Miami with stops in: Puerto Costa Maya Roatan Cozumel Perfect Day at CocoCay This itinerary includes two sea days Here is Google Earth Video of our adventure.