My review of Ryndam

[dvcmember]

 

The Oasis area was very awesome. We had a total of 2 kids on this voyage...tots. So the Oasis went unused. That is until a group of us who enjoyed happy hour each evening decided to move it up there. We'd get our happy hour drinks from Crow's Nest, a plate of snacks, and meet up there. Great when the wind wasn't too strong, but then we just hung out in the empty pool, which had a wind block. Great fun!

 

I want to check out the Oasis too! It makes want to been a teen again.

[Beejay4016]

What on earth are grits? I don't recall anything on our Volendam cruise which made us go "What is that?"; all vegetables were normal. I'm assuming grits are a vegetable. We found the food to be everywhere from fine to excellent. We had two meals in the Pinnacle - the Cirque dinner and the Sommelier. The Cirque was great, and as it was my husband's birthday they brought out a beautiful little cake for him and sang happy birthday. The Sommelier dinner, though, was worth every penny and is something we still talk about. Will definitely be looking for that on our Ryndam cruise next year, if they do them on a seven night cruise.

 

/quote]

 

I had to laugh at your question re grits. Obviously you are not from the South. Here is Wikipedia's description:

 

"Grits refers to a ground-corn food of Native American origin, that is common in the Southern United States and eaten mainly at breakfast. Modern grits are commonly made of alkali-treated corn known as hominy." Wikipedia

 

Being a northern gal myself, and also not liking corn, I never have cultivated a taste for this dish, although cheese and grits is quite good. One of the dishes on the Ryndam cruise was a shrimp and cheese grits plate for dinner. I found that a little strange since one normally does not associate grits with shrimp. The grits were actually good, but my low carb diet does not allow such indulgences.

 

Tampa Girl, I had to laugh at your comment about me being "obviously not from the south". I'm really from the south, from the Great South Land otherwise known as Australia. The previous poster described grits as some sort of oatmealy thing. Hm, wondering if I should save some of our breakfast porridge (oatmeal) for dinner now - how would it go with lamb chops I wonder ;) I have heard of grits and hominy grits on television shows and movies but they always sound like something which people would have eaten back in the days of Scarlet O'Hara. I might be tempted to try them on our cruise if they are on the menu, just to know what I've been "missing". :D

[superoma]

Grits are a wonderful dish made from corn that some may know as polenta. Being a southern boy, I loved them. Again, this is where the food opinions vary. But this is why I titled this as being "my" review. Cheese grits with shrimp is a very southern dish and one I've been familiar with almost all my life. Arriving into Tampa, I thought it was appropriate to have on the menu.

 

Great discussion. Glad this has been possible. Thank you all, once again.

 

Please don't compare grits to polenta. I love polenta but cannot stomach grits. Polenta is refined compare to polenta.

 

I did love your review, found it very balanced. I hope to do a review after our Dec. 22 cruise on the Ryndam.

[penguinscott]

Please don't compare grits to polenta. I love polenta but cannot stomach grits. Polenta is refined compare to polenta.

 

I did love your review, found it very balanced. I hope to do a review after our Dec. 22 cruise on the Ryndam.

 

Telling to not do something brings out the beast in me. Don't tell me on my thread what to and not to do.

 

This, from the interwebs: "Both polenta and grits are made from stone-ground cornmeal, dried corn that’s ground down into smaller, coarse bits. So how do the two differ? Some people think the difference lies in geography: the Italian version is known as polenta whereas the Southern version is known as grits. Others think that polenta is made with yellow corn while grits are always made with white corn."

 

Except for variations on how it made and paired, they are essentially the same thing. If you don't like grits, fine. Continue liking polenta.

[Beejay4016]

I only tried the soft serve once. It was so soft, it had to be consumed immediately, as it was already dripping when it was handed to me. From then on I kept getting bowls, because they usually had crushed Butterfingers and chocolate sprinkles!

 

Sorry other's didn't find the cruise as grand as I did. About the honey butter tart dessert...I am sure they made at least 25 pies, maybe I got a better batch? Or maybe it's just that you can pretty much put honey on anything and I'll love it. It was rich and decadent and the crust, as was the case for all desserts I had with a crust, was devine! I really do wish I had not found the desserts on this ship to be so good. I've never tasted so many wonderful desserts on a cruise before. Dammit!

 

I always do my own research about ports, as on any ship I've ever been, I find them lacking in information. I do start here on CC with the Ports of Call Forums. They have been a huge help for me the past 3 cruises. I also research the ocean areas. If you've been on other roll calls with me, you know I normally do a video of the day and information in a simulated voyage (the first day is where the ship will be on day 1; second posting the next day is day 2 of the voyage, etc. It's a fun way to learn and get to know the roll call. I didn't do it on this voyage, as so many had already left [our roll call was a combination of 3 voyages] and I was so busy in the 11 days I had left after booking).

 

The Oasis area was very awesome. We had a total of 2 kids on this voyage...tots. So the Oasis went unused. That is until a group of us who enjoyed happy hour each evening decided to move it up there. We'd get our happy hour drinks from Crow's Nest, a plate of snacks, and meet up there. Great when the wind wasn't too strong, but then we just hung out in the empty pool, which had a wind block. Great fun!

 

On this voyage, the Adagio Strings were a piano player and a violinist. On my last HAL, they were a group of 4 women on various strings. I think it varies from ship to ship and certain contracts. I loved them very much and the addition of piano was great.

 

Grits are a wonderful dish made from corn that some may know as polenta. Being a southern boy, I loved them. Again, this is where the food opinions vary. But this is why I titled this as being "my" review. Cheese grits with shrimp is a very southern dish and one I've been familiar with almost all my life. Arriving into Tampa, I thought it was appropriate to have on the menu.

 

Great discussion. Glad this has been possible. Thank you all, once again.

 

Grits are polenta? Grits are an Italian standby? Who would have thought it. I love polenta - done soft with lots of butter, garlic and cream mixed through, or done firm and then cut into wedges and browned on the BBC (polenta chips are very cool). Grits are polenta. I'm staggered. Of course I serve meat on a bed of polenta. As long as it's cooked well it's great. Ah, I'm happy now. :)

[Beejay4016]

We found the food to be everywhere from fine to excellent. We had two meals in the Pinnacle - the Cirque dinner and the Sommelier. The Cirque was great, and as it was my husband's birthday they brought out a beautiful little cake for him and sang happy birthday. The Sommelier dinner, though, was worth every penny and is something we still talk about. Will definitely be looking for that on our Ryndam cruise next year, if they do them on a seven night cruise.QUOTE]

 

How much was the Sommelier dinner?

 

I have an idea it cost about $150 for the two of us, but believe me it was worth it - the food was beautiful, and having the sommelier describe why he chose each wine to accompany each dish was wonderful. Oh, and the wine waiters were more than willing to provide refills. So well worth it, and you get a lovely little scroll menu as a keepsake, although the memory is the best keepsake you could wish for. If you opt for it, enjoy.:)

[Beejay4016]

Please don't compare grits to polenta. I love polenta but cannot stomach grits. Polenta is refined compare to polenta.

 

I did love your review, found it very balanced. I hope to do a review after our Dec. 22 cruise on the Ryndam.

 

Ah, now this is the reason why I should have read all the posts before making my comments about the wonderful Italian dish polenta. Hm, will wait further instalments.

[Mtn2Sea]

Grits are definitely a southern American breakfast treat (for those who like grits). As someone who grew up eating grits, I can tell you there are good grits and then there's bad grits. I never eat grits in a restaurant, unless someone else has tried them first. Seasoning is very important in making grits! Also, I love shrimp and grits for lunch or dinner.

[superoma]

Sorry penguinscott. Thanks again for a very good review.

 

 

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[Hobcat]

Here's an article on the grits / polenta difference. They're made from different kinds of corn.

http://www.thekitchn.com/polenta-versus-grits-whats-the-difference-187807 or search grits vs polenta

 

And then to throw another version into the mix... I was raised in Wisconsin and my mother made corn meal mush for breakfast served in a bowl with milk & sugar. Whatever was left she put in a loaf pan to firm up in the refrigerator. The next day it was sliced, fried in probably bacon grease or maybe butter & then served with maple syrup. Yum!

 

I've lived in the south & wasn't impressed with most grits but have had it with cheese which is much better. I do like polenta maybe because it is more like the corn meal dish I grew up with.