Two Midwesterners escape winter on the Eurodam.

[ottahand7]

21 minutes ago, kb4683 said:

@ottahand7 If you have time, could you please post tonight's MDR menu?  Thanks!

 

Also, how easy is it to make specialty dining reservations if not planned out ahead of time?  

I can get the menu as soon as they put it in Navigator.  I would say Tamarind and Canalletto would be easier to get reservations on short notice.  If your ship is full as we are now Pinnacle Grill would need reservations made on the day of boarding.  Every night we walk by it is full.  Ditto on sea day Pinnacle Grill lunch.  It is getting quite popular. 

[ottahand7]

Tonight's Dressy MDR dinner 

[kb4683]

3 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

Tonight's Dressy MDR dinner 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

I can get the menu as soon as they put it in Navigator.  I would say Tamarind and Canalletto would be easier to get reservations on short notice.  If your ship is full as we are now Pinnacle Grill would need reservations made on the day of boarding.  Every night we walk by it is full.  Ditto on sea day Pinnacle Grill lunch.  It is getting quite popular. 

 

Thank you so much for the quick response!  We are on for (only) 21 days starting 3/6 and are expecting the ship to be full.

[ottahand7]

Good morning.  We are at HMC with beautiful weather and 18 mph winds.  The Captain told us at the Mariner reception that a past passenger had told him he was loving the cruise but he wished there was more wind.  We have had wind since we boarded January 3. 

We had a beautiful sunrise today and a few pictures from the PG lunch.  Tamarind was a total disaster.  More on that later after I send comments about it through the Navigator.  Towel day was yesterday also.  

Edited February 13 by ottahand7

[ottahand7]

Last night's Tamarind was a disaster.  We had a pre dinner cocktail in the beautiful Tamarind bar and headed to the Tamarind podium promptly at 5.  When we looked into the elevator hall there was a queue of about 20 people something we had never seen before. We should have turned and run but the dinner I had prepaid.  We were seated in another dining room we had never been seated in. Then the fun began. 

First my Pusser's lime Daiquiri was a margarita, that went back. Normally our server knows we order extra from Nami Sushi and we had to ask for that menu.  We ordered our starters and my entree.  John said he would order his entree after his sushi.  Condiments came, not crackers or plates.  

Our orders, me tempura, soft shell crab from Nami sushi and shrimp Szechuan shrimp . John miso soup, tuna poke and sushi platter from Nami Sushi.  My tempura and a cold soft shell crab came and John's miso soup.  All done with these starters finally the crackers came, no plates.

My shrimp arrived wasn't given the breaded or unbreaded option. It arrived breaded not my preference.  No food for John.  Finally the manager came over asked what he could do.  John said cancel sushi and bring poke. By then I was done.  We left as soon as he finished his small plate of poke. 

 

A long rehash sent through Navigator this morning.

 

I think there was a large private party which over taxed the kitchen and service staff.  Paying customers treated like second class.  I purposely changed all my reservations to 5 pm so not to have this happen.  Now for our next 10 day cruise we have two more Tamarind dinners booked with my 5 Star benefit.  Not looking forward to them at all. 

Edited February 13 by ottahand7

[ottahand7]

Today's Daily Activities for very windy HMC.  As has been for the last several visits due to wind snorkeling and several other shore excursions have been cancelled. I am sure from previous rides horseback will be on land only due to the waves.

Pretty arrangement from Neptune Lounge. 

[ottahand7]

[Real NHDOC]

Too bad about your unfortunate experience with Tamarind. Overall our experiences there have been better than those in Pinnacle on the Eurodam. On one of our trips to Tamarind our appetizers were served lukewarm but otherwise everything was very hot and fresh.
 

I had a question about your order. You mentioned you get softshell crab from Nami. I know they do a crab roll but will they serve just a fried softshell crab like what you had previously shown a photo of?  We asked our server and she said it was only available in the roll form. I assume she was incorrect - how do you get just the whole crab?

[ottahand7]

@Real NHDOC I asked for it and they obliged but just said I would be charged the sushi price.  No problem it is impossible to get them in the Midwest. 

[ottahand7]

Good morning from Port Everglades. It is turnaround day for us, our last sadly.  Ten more days to go.  I will share the Tamarind follow up after we get back on board later today.  

[ottahand7]

Here is the Eurodam coming in Port Everglades this morning thanks to @ski ww.  Our original itinerary was going to Key West. That port got cancelled and Bahamas added where we stop tomorrow, HMC will be our final stop. 

 

 

[ottahand7]

@ski wwapologies CC acting up and I couldn't clear my editor. 

Last night's MDR dinner.  Jerk spring roll, tuna and salmon poke, barbecue beef brisket, cat fish and sugar free mousse.  All very tasty. 

Edited February 14 by ottahand7

[ottahand7]

Resolution of my Tamarind issue.  Obviously the complaints or positive comments sent through Navigator go to many departments. My Neptune concierge mentioned it and said Rodan from Tamarind was working onshore at HMC but I should hear from him soon.  Then when we showed up for dinner in the MDR head Maitre d Hanse came over and apologized for sub par service in Tamarind.  Once we were seated for dinner Rodan from Tamarind came to our table and apologized for poor service, we could not pull anything out of him about how one night could be so horrible.  He offered our tomorrow's dinner to be complimentary.  I said it was a Mariner dinner and was already so how about a bottle of wine which he agreed with.  We asked the Sommelier Rodel to pick us a good one.  

[ottahand7]

Lido lunch today and a jackpot I hit on the firecracker slot machine last night on the minimum bet of .88.  Ahead for the cruise by a bit.  

[jlawrence01]

You are on cruise #5 back to back.  Do you ever get tired of being on the same ship, eating the same menu and even having a LOT of repeats on the entertainment.

 

Have you ever been tempted to head out on a different cruise line to break up the similarity?  Or take a week off at one of the ports?

 

Great pictures, by the way.

[ottahand7]

@jlawrence01 we are doing this in lieu of renting in Florida.  It would be the same if we were in a rental but we would be shopping, cooking and cleaning up after ourselves.  Onboard if we found a dinner menu we didn't want we would make a reservation for Nami Sushi.  We are not show people.  We enjoy our balcony and reading. Wind has put a damper on balcony time.  I am 5 star so 50% off wine package and specialty dining and complimentary laundry. 

This would not have been our first choice but it was the easiest way to get away from Michigan winter.  Next year is 70 days on the Konigsdam back to back to Hawaii and South Pacific.  I would prefer an 80 day RT Fort Lauderdale or San Diego but it isn't available this year or next.  I would sail another line to bring me home to US to avoid a long haul flight. 

[jlawrence01]

That makes a lot of sense.

[ottahand7]

Today's Daily Activities. In Nassau this morning departing for Jamaica at 2 pm.  

[ottahand7]

Photos from this morning.   Eurodam webcam photo thanks to @rafinmd. 

[ottahand7]

Last night's Valentine's Day dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. We brought a wine from home, sadly it was corked, still drinkable as long as we didn't sniff, I can smell cork taint but I can't really taste it. We didn't linger as there was a 5 Star and up Mariner reception at 6:45 at the Lido pool. 

Edited February 15 by ottahand7

[ottahand7]

A few photos of departure from Fort Lauderdale yesterday. 

[RSWBADGER]

Also from the Eurodam leaving Fort Lauderdale yesterday. We are on this 10 day cruise on a Aft Neptune Suite.

[ottahand7]

1 hour ago, RSWBADGER said:

Also from the Eurodam leaving Fort Lauderdale yesterday. We are on this 10 day cruise on a Aft Neptune Suite.

We are too deck 4. 

[ottahand7]

Today's Daily Activities. 

[ottahand7]

Last night's Tamarind dinner. Starters from Nami Sushi, miso soup, sushi platter and soft shell crab.  Mains lamb chops and Szechuan shrimp.  All yummy.  Restaurant very full even at 5:30.