Eclipsing Northern Europe by cruise : Basic black , and Baltic blues

[scubacruiserx2]

I like it. I didn't think I was that old until I held her for few hours and felt sore all over.

 

:) , just wait ( weight ? ) they grow fast !! Enjoy and take lots of photos !!! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

We met with 4 other like minded couples in Cellar Masters , at the appointed time , for a glass of Champagne and introductions . We were soon met by the staff and hustled off , through the MDR and into the galley on a barnstorming tour . Executive Chef Paul Carroll conducted the tour and answered questions .

 

 

 

 

Part of the galley

 

 

 

It's very hot , bright , busy and loud as you can see in this video clip :

 

 

 

Here's the wall of food - Menus for every meal of the cruise .

 

 

 

 

 

They have a separate kitchen for Murando . These are the guys who would be preparing our dinner tonight .

 

 

 

 

And finally , the dinner menu with wine pairing included . ;)

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

:) , just wait ( weight ? ) they grow fast !! Enjoy and take lots of photos !!! :) :D

 

Great Pun, I sure will, have taken quite a few already.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

The degustation location in Murano

 

 

 

 

Lobster Escargot

 

 

 

 

Beef Tartar

 

 

 

Quail and beetroot salad

 

 

 

Grilled Sea bass

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Great Pun, I sure will, have taken quite a few already.:D

 

A great photo op is when they first try new foods = priceless !!

[scubacruiserx2]

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It was time for the main course and the majority of the dinners choose steak . It was flambeed table side by Chef Paul as this video clip shows :

 

 

 

Expertly prepared as you like it

 

 

 

And , of course we choose different desserts ! Her's - Tuscan panna cotta

 

 

 

And His - Floating island

 

 

 

 

And , but of course , we shared ! The Ice wine from Niagara Falls making an interesting pairing .

 

 

And finally , our dining companions . The meal had ended - but the friendships had just begun .

 

 

 

 

P.S.

 

About a week later , we received a present from Chef Paul . An over sized , beautiful book ( junkie old tape measure not included ) !

 

 

[MicCanberra]

A great photo op is when they first try new foods = priceless !!

 

She is nearly 4 months so should be onto having some solids soonish.

[scubacruiserx2]

She is nearly 4 months so should be onto having some solids soonish.

 

Do you think that Celebrity should develop a Chef's Table for the little Aussie celebrities on the Solstice? Perhaps hamburger with beetroot , Vegemite toast and Pavlova for dessert ! :) :D

[Hydrokitty]

Sounds like the Celebrity Chef's menu we had on the Eclipse....

[MicCanberra]

Do you think that Celebrity should develop a Chef's Table for the little Aussie celebrities on the Solstice? Perhaps hamburger with beetroot , Vegemite toast and Pavlova for dessert ! :) :D

 

Sounds good, although my wife hates the smell of vegemite so there is none in this house.:(

 

I miss it so much, but have made the ultimate sacrifice for our marriage.;)

[scubacruiserx2]

Interesting history here :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood

 

 

First up : John Everett Millais

 

 

Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA (/ˈmɪleɪ/; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.[1]

 

A child prodigy, at the age of eleven Millais became the youngest student to enter the Royal Academy Schools. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded at his family home in London, at 83 Gower Street (now number 7). Millais became the most famous exponent of the style, his painting Christ in the House of His Parents (1850) generating considerable controversy.

 

Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mariana is an 1851 oil-on-wood painting by John Everett Millais. The image is based on the solitary Mariana from William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, written between 1601 and 1606. In the play, Mariana was to be married, but was rejected when her dowry was lost in a shipwreck. The painting is regarded as an example of Millais' "precision, attention to detail, and stellar ability as a colorist".[1]

 

wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

Ophelia is a painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, completed between 1851 and 1852. It is held in the Tate Britain in London. It depicts Ophelia, a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark.

 

wikipedia

 

 

 

 

In 1850, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood became the subject of controversy after the exhibition of Millais' painting Christ in the House of His Parents was considered to be blasphemous by many reviewers, notably Charles Dickens.[6] Dickens considered Millais' Mary to be ugly.[7] Millais had used his sister-in-law, Mary Hodgkinson, as the model for Mary in his painting. The brotherhood's medievalism was attacked as backward-looking and its extreme devotion to detail was condemned as ugly and jarring to the eye.[8] According to Dickens, Millais made the Holy Family look like alcoholics and slum-dwellers, adopting contorted and absurd "medieval" poses.

 

wikipedia

 

 

 

 

And even the frame was a work of art !

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Sounds good, although my wife hates the smell of vegemite so there is none in this house.:(

 

I miss it so much, but have made the ultimate sacrifice for our marriage.;)

 

 

The things we do for love ! ;)

[MicCanberra]

The things we do for love ! ;)

 

Yes, love conquers all.;)

[scubacruiserx2]

Yes, love conquers all.;)

 

I got to see it in action when our DD visited yesterday . She wanted to learn how to bake Pat's banana bread for her fourth anniversary , and of course , the photo albums came out while the bread was baking . In addition to photos , we found her birth announcement - from 30 years ago ! :eek:

Wow , is she getting old ! ;)

[MicCanberra]

I got to see it in action when our DD visited yesterday . She wanted to learn how to bake Pat's banana bread for her fourth anniversary , and of course , the photo albums came out while the bread was baking . In addition to photos , we found her birth announcement - from 30 years ago ! :eek:

Wow , is she getting old ! ;)

 

Yes, and that makes us feel old. Mind you I always say it is better than the alternative.:D

[Gracie115]

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It was time for the main course and the majority of the dinners choose steak . It was flambeed table side by Chef Paul as this video clip shows :

 

 

 

Expertly prepared as you like it

 

 

 

And , of course we choose different desserts ! Her's - Tuscan panna cotta

 

 

 

And His - Floating island

 

 

 

 

And , but of course , we shared ! The Ice wine from Niagara Falls making an interesting pairing .

 

 

And finally , our dining companions . The meal had ended - but the friendships had just begun .

 

 

 

 

P.S.

 

About a week later , we received a present from Chef Paul . An over sized , beautiful book ( junkie old tape measure not included ) !

 

 

 

I am SO jealous!!! We did the chef's dinner on our Reflection TA and it was such a disappointment. No tableside cooking, food was mediocre, and we didn't receive the cookbook either. While the menu was similar the pictures of your courses looked nothing like ours.... We had such high expectations for this dinner, but they were not met.....wish we had done it on Eclipse last year...obviously the staff knows better on that ship how to host this special evening!!!!

[scubacruiserx2]

I am SO jealous!!! We did the chef's dinner on our Reflection TA and it was such a disappointment. No tableside cooking, food was mediocre, and we didn't receive the cookbook either. While the menu was similar the pictures of your courses looked nothing like ours.... We had such high expectations for this dinner, but they were not met.....wish we had done it on Eclipse last year...obviously the staff knows better on that ship how to host this special evening!!!!

 

And we're jealous of the suite life !

 

We're sorry that your Chef's Table experience didn't live up to it's publicity . When you pay a premium price , you expect and deserve a premium experience ! We're also surprised that there would be such a difference between ships . Because we didn't do it on this trip , so we have no way of comparing it to the previous one .

 

However , we can compare it to the Regal Princess Chef's Table . You can read about it here , beginning at post # 435 :http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2320153&page=22

 

 

A few photos from the Princess version :

 

 

Princess had 5 appetizers in the galley !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dining room service

 

 

 

 

Lobster Risotto

 

 

 

 

The Princess flame video :

 

 

The results . Roast Lamb Rack and Filet Mignon

 

 

 

 

Dessert # 1 of 3

 

 

 

 

A book was presented at dinner ( the ladies received roses ) .

 

 

 

 

 

[Gracie115]

And we're jealous of the suite life !

 

We're sorry that your Chef's Table experience didn't live up to it's publicity . When you pay a premium price , you expect and deserve a premium experience ! We're also surprised that there would be such a difference between ships . Because we didn't do it on this trip , so we have no way of comparing it to the previous one .

 

However , we can compare it to the Regal Princess Chef's Table . You can read about it here , beginning at post # 435 :http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2320153&page=22

 

 

A few photos from the Princess version :

 

 

Princess had 5 appetizers in the galley !

 

 

 

Dining room service

 

 

 

 

Lobster Risotto

 

 

 

 

The Princess flame video :

 

 

The results . Roast Lamb Rack and Filet Mignon

 

 

 

 

Dessert # 1 of 3

 

 

 

 

A book was presented at dinner ( the ladies received roses ) .

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW.... we are tentatively booked on a Princess cruise for next September and if we go we will definitely participate in their version!!!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

WOW.... we are tentatively booked on a Princess cruise for next September and if we go we will definitely participate in their version!!!:)

 

Which ship ? This was The Chef's Table Lumiere , found on the Regal and Royal . There is a similar albeit , smaller version on the other class ships which we also enjoyed ( Caribbean Princess ) . :) :D

[Gracie115]

Which ship ? This was The Chef's Table Lumiere , found on the Regal and Royal . There is a similar albeit , smaller version on the other class ships which we also enjoyed ( Caribbean Princess ) . :) :D

 

The Regal, next September!!! That's great...we will definitely do it!!

[scubacruiserx2]

The Regal, next September!!! That's great...we will definitely do it!!

 

Super , we loved it but , it's pricey !

 

 

 

 

 

The Balcony dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and Crab Shack were both very affordable .

 

 

 

 

And Alfredo's Pizzeria is like an Italian version of the Bistro on 5 , but Free !

 

 

 

 

 

Rollatadi Melanzane

 

 

 

Veal filled pasta pockets

 

 

 

The Pizzeria overlooks this Atrium !

 

 

 

The Regal and the Eclipse are both great ships !!!

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

 

 

And Jesus washing Peter's feet ( there was a lot of glare on this one )

 

 

 

Going downstairs

 

 

 

On the way to the 1840 room

 

 

 

 

 

[Gracie115]

Super , we loved it but , it's pricey !

 

 

 

 

 

The Balcony dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Regal and the Eclipse are both great ships !!!

 

The dinner on the balcony looks wonderful!! The balcony looks HUGE!! Was that an aft, which I know you guys like?

[MicCanberra]

We have done the Chef's table on several cruises now, on differing lines. I feel that X does it better in the style of service (showmanship and private room), the quality and I prefer the décor and the extras that go with the meal. We have been given 3 of the X cook books now, but have given the last two to some friends that we had met on the particular cruise as they are so large and heavy.

[scubacruiserx2]

The dinner on the balcony looks wonderful!! The balcony looks HUGE!! Was that an aft, which I know you guys like?

 

The aft balcony was huge , larger than the similar version on the Eclipse . We did the Balcony dinner on the first day at sea ( Formal night ) . We didn't see anyone else on their balconies as they were probably at dinner or the show . And the flower centerpiece lasted all week !! :) :D