Thanksgiving on the Liberty with Chef’s Table: Long, Detailed Review with Photos

[BSQ]

The entire experience lasted from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The food was very good, but not the most delicious food we’ve ever eaten. I’m glad that we had the experience of the Chef’s Table, but it’s not something I’d rush to book again. At the time of the dinner, we were given the impression that while Carnival sets the MDR menus in advance and that each chef is required to prepare the MDR menu served throughout the fleet, that the Chef’s Table is where the chefs can use their expertise and prepare something that they have originally created. However, once we returned home and I read reviews of others who had attended the Chef’s Table on different ships, I saw that the menu was the same across the entire fleet. So, it would seem that Carnival is standardizing this experience also.

 

I found your menu interesting since I was on the Imagination at the Chef's Table on the same night. While some of the dishes are the same between our experiences (sea bass, fillet mignon, tomato soup) the other courses varied. But I too get the impression like the dining room menus, this too is actually going to end up the same from ship to ship. :(

 

Great review! I am really enjoying your pictures and story. (looking forward to reading what you thought of Thanksgiving dinner).

[pcrum]

I am looking forward to your Chefs table pictures!!

 

I hope you aren't disappointed, as I did not take any food photos at the Chef's Table. We were asked not to take photos during the galley tour and when at the table, it just didn't seem like the right the setting to whip out a camera!!

 

When and where did you register for the chef's table experience? Can't wait! Your stories and picture are wonderful. Thanks!

 

We registered the first sea day during the wine and food pairing seminar at the steakhouse. I think you can also register at the Guests Services desk when you board.

 

Thanks for the review so far. Interesting to hear your views on the Chef's Table. Think we will still book it for our upcoming cruise. Something you have to do once I think!

 

Oh yes, I would recommend everyone try the Chef's Table at least once. I'm very glad we did it once, but to me, once we've had the experience, it's not something we really need to repeat every trip. Enjoy your upcoming cruise and thanks for reading the review.

 

[pcrum]

I found your menu interesting since I was on the Imagination at the Chef's Table on the same night. While some of the dishes are the same between our experiences (sea bass, fillet mignon, tomato soup) the other courses varied. But I too get the impression like the dining room menus, this too is actually going to end up the same from ship to ship. :(

 

Great review! I am really enjoying your pictures and story. (looking forward to reading what you thought of Thanksgiving dinner).

 

I'm glad you got to experience some different dishes. It would be nice if the Chef's Table experience varied from ship to ship! I would think this would benefit Carnival too, as people would be wanting to try the experience across the different ships to see how they varied!

 

I will be posting Thanksgiving day later today. Thanks so much for reading the review and for posting!

 

[tinkerbell_82]

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing!:)

[JAXCRUISER]

Your review's great--can't wait to read more! Thanks!

[CrimsonQueen]

Hey, Pam! So glad to find your review, but too late....our cruise was 04/09! :o I agree...the Liberty is a beautiful ship....and we did basically the same excursions you did....Nachi Cocom, Hell, and Bamboo Beach Club (poor man's Nachi Cocom:)).

 

I wish I'd know about the FCC.....we were told we couldn't apply the certificate to an already booked cruise, and we have one in March 2012 (Liberty Eastern intinerary)....so we didn't buy :mad:.

 

Give the kids a hug from me, and tell DH "Congratulations" for quitting smoking!!

 

Great Review!!:D

[CrimsonQueen]

Too funny about your not wanting to miss the Royal Wedding....we were between satellite providers, and when I had the new company on the telephone trying to explain the urgency, he said, "So, you want to watch the Royal Wedding?" To which I replied, "No!! The NFL draft starts Thursday, and I need to know where my Bama players are going!!":D:p

[pcrum]

11/25/10, Thanksgiving Day, Ochos Rios

 

Today we had breakfast in the MDR...french toast for me and an omelet for DH. I really like Carnival’s french toast and the two slice serving was just perfect, as we didn’t want to eat a big breakfast as we knew we would be eating at Bamboo Beach Club.

 

I had been curious about the Bamboo Beach Club for a while now. I first read about it when researching activities for our Freedom Cruise in the summer of 2010. I read one review of the Freedom on cruise critic which mentioned what a great time they had at the Bamboo Beach Club. After reading that review, I went online both to cruise critic and to tripadvisor.com to read other reviews. The reviews were very mixed, some positive and some negative. No one really raved about the experience except for that one initial review I had read of the Freedom cruise. This should have been a sign, but I was still very curious about the beach club. Since it was all inclusive and we had the kids with us, we decided not to book the excursion on our 2010 Freedom cruise and we actually just ended up staying on the ship that day. Since the kids weren’t drinking, we really didn’t feel it would be cost effective to book the all inclusive. On previous trips to Ochos Rios we have taken the Jamaican bobsled excursion, which we really enjoyed. I had climbed Dunns River Falls in the late 80s and found it challenging even then at the ripe old age of 25, so certainly did not want to do it again in my mid 40s. DH would have been perfectly happy to just stay on the ship, but he agreed to give the Bamboo Beach Club at try.

 

Interestingly, when I went on the Carnival website today in order to get the description of the tour, I found they have lowered the price by $10. We paid $59.95 per adult in Nov. 2010 and today the excursion is priced at $49.99. I also went on tripadvisor.com and saw a recent review of the beach club where someone said they had booked it through Carnival and went back and complained after taking the tour. They said that Carnival refunded them 25% of the tour cost, so perhaps Carnival lowered the price in response to complaints about the excursion.

 

This is Carnival’s description of the excursion, from their website:

 

"Excursion Description:

 

This retreat features a beautiful beach, unlimited food and drinks, a live DJ, fun entertainment, complimentary towels and lounge chairs.

On this excursion you will:

1. Enjoy Jamaica’s popular Bamboo Beach Club where the ambiance creates an unforgettable tropical paradise.

2. Caribbean bamboo huts and sprawling almond trees line the seashore and create an atmosphere of relaxation and fun.

3. Enjoy one of the most unique cultural experiences on the island, as live entertainment is ongoing and gives you a real feel of the Jamaican culture.

Jamaican dancers, reggae drummers, exotic singers and artistic acrobats make up our distinctive troupe of professionals who present enjoyable performances right on the sand.

4. Take a swim in the sea, dip your toes in the sand, and sip on cool glasses of beer, Jamaican mojitos, rum punch or lemonade as our DJ plays a fashionable mix of local and reggae beats.

5. The food keeps coming as your charming hostesses with their friendly smiles and excellent service continually circle the Beach Club with an array of unlimited tasty dishes freshly prepared by our chef.

6. These culinary treats are served "tapas style" and mix Jamaican and Asian accents to create cuisine that is sure to delight. Dancing in the morning, drinking cocktails at noon, and “taking it cool” is Bamboo Beach Club’s philosophy."

 

The excursion may be booked alone or in combination with a trip to Dunns River Falls. We decided to try the Beach Club alone.

 

Back to Thanksgiving...we exited the ship and walked down the pier. The Cool Runnings boat was there and people were dancing on deck. It looked like fun and if we ever get off the ship again in Ochos Rios we might it.

 

 

 

 

 

We went to our excursion meeting place at the end of the pier and were met by a guide who led us to a bus for our trip to the beach club. They filled the bus until it looked like it would not hold any more people and then they pulled folding seats out between the aisles to fit even more people in. Guess who had the good luck to end up on the folding seats?? Yes, DH and I! It was about a 10-15 minute ride through the mountains to the beach club. During the trip, we were given the same spiel I had read from other trip reports, that in Jamaica they don’t have problems, just “situations” and that “situations can be handled”. It sounded rather noble the first time I heard it being said in a trip report, but after reading about the same speech being given over and over, it was beginning to sound a bit trite. Our guide also explained that we would all be seated together and that we should stay in our group in order to make it easier for her to serve us the unlimited food and drink. She did use the word “unlimited,” which we would soon see was not the case!

 

Once we arrived at the beach club, we were shown our seats, which were actually adirondack style chairs in lines right next to one another. The sand was very soft and once you sat down in the chair it immediately sank into the sand. The chairs were initially placed in rows where you were right next to the person sitting next to you. We were shown chairs about three rows back from the beach so our immediate view was of two rows of chairs in front of us. Despite being told from our guides that we needed to stay together, during our time there, people did move their chairs further down the beach to get a bit of privacy.

 

View from our chair:

 

 

Another area where people were being led in:

 

 

Eventually people spread out:

 

[pcrum]

We had not brought our Carnival towels because the description provided by Carnival indicates that complimentary towels will be provided. This is true, but it was a good 90 minutes before we were given towels.

 

Another view from our chair:

 

 

After we were settled in our seats, the server came around with drinks in small plastic cups. The choices were mojitos, rum punch or red stripe beer. The cups were the size of dixie cups and many people took two at a time. My opinion is that they wanted to get people started on the alcohol as soon as possible so they wouldn’t notice their surroundings!

 

 

This is DH's hand next to the dixie cups:

 

 

Then, the food was served. Our server came around with glass plates filled with sweet and sour sausage which looked like polska kielbasa in some kind of sauce. I took a plate so I could photograph it, but we did not eat it.

 

 

Note: the towels in the above photo belonged to the people sitting next to us. They had got up for a minute, so I "posed" the plate of food on their table. We still had not been given beach towels at this point.

 

Next up was a plate of yellow rice, which was ok, but well, just plain yellow rice.

 

 

Next, we were offered macaroni and cheese that looked well, just like kraft shells and cheese.

 

 

[pcrum]

Next up was a piece of chicken in a some type of sauce, which looked to be either sweet and sour or bbq. This was served without plastic silverware and we never were given napkins, despite asking several times. We also had no beach towels, so did not want to eat the chicken with our fingers with nothing to clean our hands with afterwards. I did not even take a plate for purposes of photographing.

 

Finally, they came around with the best dish, which was a true jerk chicken. This was served with a piece of fried dough that tasted like a hush puppy. As it was dry, without a sauce, it was relatively easy to eat without silverware which was a good thing since none was provided. Had we known plastic forks would be so scarce, we would have kept ours from the earlier dishes! This was the one dish we really enjoyed (as you can see from the photo)!

 

 

 

After these 5 dishes were served, the food service for our area stopped entirely. Other groups had joined us from other buses and the food service was concentrated on these new arrivals who were seated in a different area of the beach. Even getting a drink at this point was rather difficult so DH went up to the bar to get us some more drinks. He was told that drinks from the bar were at an additional charge and that he’d have to find our server to bring us more of the “all included” beverages. At this point, the only drinks our servers were coming around with were jello shots at $3 each and coconut heads with a rum drink in them, which were also an additional charge. At one point, our server just stood in front of us with the coconut heads not speaking. DH said he didn’t know how she expected to sell anything with just a pout on her face. We told her “no thank you”.

 

The servers were also dressed in very colorful dresses and they came around trying to sell people the dresses too. I didn’t see any takers. There was also a table with items you could purchase.

 

 

 

 

Later in the day, I went up to the area where the food was being dispensed to the servers and asked if we could get two more helpings of the jerk chicken. You would have thought that I asked for the sun and the moon and the stars on top. One server asked us where our server was. Well, if I could have found her to ask, I’d not have gone up to the food area myself. She seemed to have disappeared entirely. Another server said she’d do her best to get us some chicken and asked where we were sitting. I pointed out our seats. It was about 40 minutes later when we had given up sitting in the adorirondack seats entirely and had moved to a picnic table. The server whom I asked for the chicken saw us and said she had set it by our chairs....the empty chairs with no towel (we had been given towels by this point) or beach bag or any belongings by them. I told her we were tired of sinking in the sand and had moved. So, she went and got the chicken from our chairs and brought it to us making a big deal about how she had done this special favor for us. We tipped her $5 and thanked her, as clearly she was looking for a tip. My point in all of this is that the “unlimited” food and drinks is very misleading. After the initial food and drinks were served, the servers moved on to other areas, making it very difficult to get served.

 

Area where food was dispensed to the servers:

 

 

Bar:

 

 

Bar to purchase coconut head drinks:

 

[pcrum]

Remember the “complimentary” towels. Well, at one point I took a walk around the area and found a lady taking towels from giant black garbage bags and folding them. I guess they had just arrived from the laundry. When I first tried to take a photograph of the lady folding towels, a server jumped in front of her and posed.

 

 

Later, I did get a photo. My guess is the towers were late in arriving, which caused the delay in us receiving them. Many had brought their own towels from the ship, so it wasn’t an issue, but DH really didn’t want to carry our towels when the description of the excursion indicated towels would be provided. If you wanted to get in the water immediately after arriving and had not brought your own towel, you would be waiting quite a while for one!

 

 

Also, later in the day, I passed a gentleman washing the dishes used to serve the food from an outside faucet. I know Jamaica is a third world country, but when serving tourists, I’d think they would have some health standards to adhere to. I’m sure that faucet was not dispensing hot water, so at best the glass dishes we were served on were rinsed with cold water. Lovely. Glad we had already eaten by that point because I don’t think we’d have eaten a thing if we had seen this before.

 

 

I will have to say that the restrooms were immaculate and there were two ladies cleaning them after two or three people used them.

 

 

 

[pcrum]

Entertainment was provided. There was a man singing songs, one that seemed to go on forever about a “big black bamboo” with all the innuendo you might imagine with such a song. They also did some line dances.

 

 

 

Now to the beach...I walked in the water a bit and it seemed to be rocky, at least at the shallow end. I really didn’t see a whole lot of people in the water. There were no rentals at all, so this was not the place to do wave runners or any other water activity.

 

Looking to the left from the beach:

 

 

Looking to the right:

 

 

 

[pcrum]

We saw a man with a lifeguard shirt on, but since he did not have on a bathing suit, I really wonder how quickly he would be in the water in a true emergency.

 

 

This must have been a VIP group---not sure how they rated cushions and chaise lounges:

 

 

Police Boat:

 

 

Beach Club, view from water:

 

 

Swimming Area:

 

 

 

As we were on the 9:30 am bus to Bamboo Beach, we were not scheduled to go back to the port area until 1:30 pm. By 12:30 pm we saw some others lining up near where the buses had dropped us off and we made our way to the line of people waiting to go back to the pier. We had more than enough of the Bamboo Beach Club. Although the buses were just sitting there, we were not able to board until 1 pm. Then there was another wait while the server went back to get some “Jamaican buns,” which were kind of like a hot cross bun. The server brought a tray of the buns on the bus on glass plates. We were meant to take the bun from the plate into our hands (again without a napkin) so she could take the plates back to the kitchen area. Most people passed, however someone on the bus asked her to bring more beer. Really!! You can’t go back to port without a dixie cup of beer? So, she went back and got beer for those that asked. Now, the drinks were flowing freely!!! Where was this service a couple of hours ago?? They were still trying to keep the groups together so the server who was on the bus with us on the way out to Bamboo Beach was also on the bus with us back to the pier. We watched a man ask her to change a $5 and she refused. I had lots of one dollar bills, so I was able to change it for him. I don’t think the server was happy with me, as she was probably hoping for a $5 as a tip!! On the way back, the bus driver also made it known that he was the one who had brought us to the beach club. He said that if we wanted to be dropped off downtown to shop, it would be $5 there and $5 back to the pier. Some people opted for this, but we were ready to go back to the ship. As we exited the bus, we gave the driver a tip, mostly because we were just so happy to be out of that place, but since we had already tipped the only server who really “served” us back at the beach club, we did not tip the server on the bus. I noticed that she received very few tips. I think most Americans will gladly tip for service received, but we felt like we received very minimal service from this server. Looking back, we might have been a bit harsh on the server. I’m sure she was just doing what she was told and that was to serve the guests up to a certain point and then move on to the next area of guests.

 

As we were walking back to the ship, we noticed men in the water asking for spare change.

 

 

By this point we were in a secure area, where you had to show your sail and sign card to enter. I guess the only way to panhandle at this point was to get in the water and swim. It did speak to the desperation of some of the island people.

 

[pcrum]

Your review's great--can't wait to read more! Thanks!

 

Thanks so much.

 

Hey, Pam! So glad to find your review, but too late....our cruise was 04/09! :o I agree...the Liberty is a beautiful ship....and we did basically the same excursions you did....Nachi Cocom, Hell, and Bamboo Beach Club (poor man's Nachi Cocom:)).

 

I wish I'd know about the FCC.....we were told we couldn't apply the certificate to an already booked cruise, and we have one in March 2012 (Liberty Eastern intinerary)....so we didn't buy :mad:.

 

Give the kids a hug from me, and tell DH "Congratulations" for quitting smoking!!

 

Great Review!!:D

 

Hi Ginny:

 

So good to hear from you! Thanks for posting! Yes, I'm just a bit late in posting this review, as we sailed Thanksgiving week. What happened was that I wrote a review of our spring break (3/27/11) cruise on the Glory and the feedback was so positive and I enjoyed writing the review so much that I decided to go back and write a review of this cruise and of another one we did last summer on the Inspiration. I'm glad someone is reading the review, as the hits have been low...I guess it is a bit late!!

 

I'd be interested to know of your opinion of Bamboo Beach Club. As you can see from the review, we did not have the greatest experience there. Didn't you love Nachi Cocum? That was paradise to us!! And Hell...well it was what we expected, touristy, tacky and kitschy, but in a good way!!

 

I'm sorry about the FTC...we've never had an issue applying it to an already booked cruise!! So you are sailing Liberty again...I really loved the ship. The Miracle is still my favorite as I think I like the spirit class best, but for Conquest class, the Liberty is definitely my favorite!! I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise next year. We have no future cruises booked. The kids are looking at colleges, so that seems to be where our vacations are going to be spent!

 

I will give DH your congratulations! We are so proud of him!!

 

So nice to hear from you!!! Thanks for posting!!

 

Pam

[pcrum]

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing!:)

 

Thanks so much!

 

Too funny about your not wanting to miss the Royal Wedding....we were between satellite providers, and when I had the new company on the telephone trying to explain the urgency, he said, "So, you want to watch the Royal Wedding?" To which I replied, "No!! The NFL draft starts Thursday, and I need to know where my Bama players are going!!":D:p

 

So funny!!! I know you like your Bama football. My dad went to the Univ. of Alabama, however we don't really follow college football. Yes, we had the DVR set for 4 am on Friday and my daughter actually went in to school late (her first class was art so we felt it was ok to miss part of it) in order to watch the coverage! I did not have that luxury as I had to work, but we watched it all when we got home Friday night! We lived in England for 4 years, so it was like a bit of "home" to see all the union jacks waving!!

[pcrum]

I took a photo of DH at the pier area. As you can see he does not look very

happy and just wanted very badly to get out of Jamaica and back on the ship!!

 

 

After we boarded the ship we went back to the cabin to rest for a bit and then went up to the adult pool area for some pizza and a soak in the hot tub.

 

Tonight was the second Cruise Elegant evening, so we went back to the cabin and showered and got dressed for dinner. Blood Power was playing in the casino before dinner so we had a pre-dinner drink: champagne for me and red wine for DH.

 

 

 

 

Tonight when we went to our table for dinner, Flo had our cheese plates waiting for us. Second to last night of the cruise and she finally figured it out!! Kudos to her!!

 

 

There was a special menu for Thanksgiving dinner. On our past Thanksgiving cruise in 2008, the MDR just used the dinner menu that has the roast tom turkey on it for Thanksgiving dinner as turkey is always an option during one night of dinner on a 7 night cruise. Wow, that was a long sentence! Tonight however, the menu was unlike the normal menu. For the holiday, turkey was on the menu as well as a pumpkin bisque soup. For dessert there was a very rich pumpkin and chocolate pie.

 

DH and I decided to forgo the traditional turkey dinner and go with shrimp tempura as an appetizer. For our main entrees, we chose the NY strip steak. We used our wine coupons to order a bottle of Korbel champagne. The food was very good. We did have the pumpkin and chocolate pie for dessert and enjoyed it, but it was very rich. DH had his customary double expresso.

 

Shrimp tempura:

 

[pcrum]

NY Strip Steak:

 

 

Champagne:

 

 

Pumpkin and chocolate pie:

 

 

Double Expresso:

 

 

After dinner, the waiters danced for us:

 

 

The production show tonight was “Just Rock” which we had seen once previously on the Glory in 2009 and which we greatly enjoyed again on our spring break 2011 cruise on the Glory. However, since we did not have the kids with us on this cruise, we decided to forgo the production. We browsed at the photo gallery and then went to the Origami bar for the martini tasting again. The choices were the same as before. DH had the chocolate based ones and I had the other two.

 

[pcrum]

A new set of comics had boarded the ship so we went to the last two shows at 11 pm and midnight to watch Hal Spear and Chas Elstner in the Punchliner Comedy Club. DH enjoyed a Long Island iced tea at the comedy club while we watched the shows.

 

 

We enjoyed both comics very much. Hal Spear does this sound effect routine at the end of his set that is really funny. We went back to the cabin after the last comic to find a monkey waiting for us.

 

 

Up next, the last sea day

 

[pbmsmile]

NY Strip Steak:

 

 

Champagne:

 

 

Pumpkin and chocolate pie:

 

 

Double Expresso:

 

 

After dinner, the waiters danced for us:

 

 

The production show tonight was “Just Rock” which we had seen once previously on the Glory in 2009 and which we greatly enjoyed again on our spring break 2011 cruise on the Glory. However, since we did not have the kids with us on this cruise, we decided to forgo the production. We browsed at the photo gallery and then went to the Origami bar for the martini tasting again. The choices were the same as before. DH had the chocolate based ones and I had the other two.

 

Such a great review! Thanks...i will be waiting for the next installment!

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the great review. :) We'll be on Liberty in Dec. It will be our 1st CCL cruise. Could you elaborate a bit on the Martinis at the tasting. I remember you saying it was $17.95 or something like that. How many nights was it offered? Also, what was in the martinis? I've never seen a solid white martini & there seems to be two different ones. The martini bar & tastings are two of the things we love most about Celebrity cruises. We're looking forward to trying CCL's version.

 

Also, your review convinced me to skip the Chef's Table this time. Our DS is 19, so he wouldn't be able to drink anyway. The menu doesn't sound that special compared to chef's menus we've had at land based restaurants. I'm not sure it's worth the price, especially when he can't take advantage of the wine offered. We'll just go to the steakhouse again that night instead. ;)

[pcrum]

Thanks for the great review. :) We'll be on Liberty in Dec. It will be our 1st CCL cruise. Could you elaborate a bit on the Martinis at the tasting. I remember you saying it was $17.95 or something like that. How many nights was it offered? Also, what was in the martinis? I've never seen a solid white martini & there seems to be two different ones. The martini bar & tastings are two of the things we love most about Celebrity cruises. We're looking forward to trying CCL's version.

 

Also, your review convinced me to skip the Chef's Table this time. Our DS is 19, so he wouldn't be able to drink anyway. The menu doesn't sound that special compared to chef's menus we've had at land based restaurants. I'm not sure it's worth the price, especially when he can't take advantage of the wine offered. We'll just go to the steakhouse again that night instead. ;)

 

The recipe on the martinis is in this photo. I know it is hard to read because of the flash, but the Tommy's Special is white due to it having half and half in it, a french vanilla liquor and Brogan's irish cream liquor. The creamy chocolate martini has Brogan's Irish Creme liquor which is also white. The 4 mini martinis were $17.25.

 

 

We were just on the Glory on the 3/27/11 sailing and DH was sad to see that the martinis for the tasting were different. No more chocolate or cream based martinis. We were told that the change was due to Carnival changing to Finlandia vodka. These were the offerings on the 3/27/11 Glory cruise. The price was $17 for 4 plus the added gratuity. I'm not sure what they will have on your cruise.

 

Inside martini tasting card:

 

 

Front and back cover of martini tasting card:

 

 

On the Liberty, the martini tasting was offered at least twice during the week cruise. In March, 2011, on the Glory I think it was offered more often, at least 3-4 nights.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with the steak house. It seems like it would appeal more to a 19 year old. I have 16 year old twins and I know they would not have liked a lot of the courses offered at the Chef's Table. Enjoy your cruise!

 

I will continue with the review tomorrow. Today was very busy and I did not get a chance to write up the next day!

[pcrum]

11/25/10, Sea Day

 

Oh, the last sea day is always so bittersweet. Sad to think that the cruise is ending, but at least there is one more day left. Today we slept in and went to breakfast on the Lido Deck. DH had a made-to-order omelet and I had some french toast.

 

omelet:

 

 

We then looked in the shops, but did not find anything that we could not live without. Until noon, Carnival had a special of bloody mary’s or mimosas for $4.95 plus gratuity, so DH had a mimosa.

 

 

I went in the Gloves Bar and took some more photos. I loved the bar stools. We didn’t stay though because the smell of smoke was very strong.

 

 

 

I also took some photos of the lobby area:

 

 

[pcrum]

We then went back to the room to pack up, leaving out my swimsuit, something to wear to dinner and something to wear home the next day.

 

Then, it was time for some deck time. I went to my favorite place on Deck 10 where I could always find a chase in the shade and read. DH doesn’t like chaises, so decided to finish his book in the cabin.

 

This was my view:

 

 

 

 

The last sea day , Carnival usually puts out a taco bar and a chocolate bar at lunch, neither of which were listed in the Fun Times. I’m not big on the chocolate bar, but to me the taco bar beats out the burrito bar hands down. The taco meat is hot and the toppings are plentiful. I know reviews are mixed, but I also really like the iced tea from the Lido Deck. It is not sweetened and quite strong, which I enjoy.

 

 

Next, I went back to the cabin to check on DH. He decided to order room service for lunch, a corned beef and pastrami combo sandwich. I had skipped the chocolate bar, so ordered a slice of cheesecake.

 

corned beef and pastrami combo:

 

 

cheesecake with strawberry sauce:

 

 

 

We relaxed in the cabin until it was time for the Fun Farewell Party at 5 pm. This was held in the Victoria Lounge, the same location as the Punchliner’s Comedy Club. The farewell party is listed in the Fun Times timetable in the 5:00 pm time slot, but nowhere in the Fun Times does it mention free drinks, so a lot of passengers miss this event. It is not listed in the Today’s Top 10 section of the Fun Times, although one would think that free drinks would certainly rate in most cruiser’s top 10 list!! The show band was playing and servers offered drinks including lime daiquiris, whiskey sours, white and red wine and champagne. DH had a red wine and I had some champagne.

 

[pcrum]

The event lasted 45 minutes. We then went back to the cabin to change for dinner. There was a guitar player (Thomas) in the casino area playing “good time music,” so we went for a drink before dinner and listened to him play.

 

 

At 8:15 pm we went to the dining room for our last dinner. Flo’s service had gradually improved over the week although she was still a bit brusque. We had our cheese platters to start with and I ordered the crab cake appetizer while DH had the appetizer portion of the chicken breast over fettucini (you can always order a smaller version of the pasta entree each night as a starter). We both enjoyed our appetizers.

 

fettucini and chicken:

 

 

crab cake:

 

 

For our entrees, I had the prime rib and DH had the vegetarian dinner of the zucchini and eggplant parmesan. Both entrees were very good.

 

prime rib:

 

 

zucchini and eggplant parmesan:

 

 

[pcrum]

For dessert, I had to have my last fill of WCMC and DH had the cappuccino pie. Both were wonderful. The waiters lined up on the staircase and sang “Leaving on a Fun Ship” to the tune of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. Oh, it was sad to be leaving!!! I often wonder how the wait staff feel though as they are singing that song. Are they thinking, “thank goodness these people are leaving” or “I can’t believe I have to sing this cheesy song again.”

 

cappuccino pie:

 

 

warm chocolate melting cake:

 

 

"Leaving on a Fun Ship":

 

 

 

After dinner, we went back to the room to put the luggage out, as it had to be out by 11 pm. Then, we made our way to the Venetian Palace for the Win-a-Cruise raffle drawing. At the past guest party, they gave guests the opportunity to buy 20 raffle tickets for $20. After the party, the tickets were 10 for $20. So, we had bought 20 tickets and were hoping to win a free cruise. Well, it didn’t happen...c’ la vie.

 

The piano bar was doing a “bathrobe party” where you were meant to wear your white Carnival bathrobes into the bar. We skipped the bathrobes but went in to check it out. The piano player Brad did this gimmick where whenever new people would walk into the bar, he’d have all of the patrons say, “oh sh*t, look who’s here,” or words to that effect. I don’t remember the exact wording other than the “oh sh*t” part. It was funny maybe the first couple of times it happened and you saw the expression on people’s faces, but as people kept coming in and out of the bar, that soon became the focus instead of listening to the guy sing. Again, my pet peeve with these piano bars is that they try to do too much comedy and not enough of what people come for, and that is to sing along with a good song. The songs Brad were doing were not well known, but long ditties with a lot of choruses, something about smelly bear, stuttering bear, etc. It got boring very quickly and we soon left.

 

Blood Power was playing in The Stage Lounge and we went to listen to some good ‘ole rock and roll before turning in for the night.

 

This is what we found in our room:

 

 

Next up...disembarkation day and final thoughts.