'Twas the Cruise Over Easter - 9 Day Southern Caribbean - March 29 - April 7, 2024

[BetsyS.]

Thank you! 😊

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, POA1 said:

Seen here in his oh-so-tiny tuxedo from Hundred Acre Wood Tailors, Poohby Joe is tuxin' it up. (Cue: ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man.")

 

Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed Pooh.

 

I'm waiting for the Poohby podcast.

 

[POA1]

Rumors of the MDR Easter Brunch appear to have been unfounded. There is an MDR. Easter Tea in the afternoon, but the only brunch is in the Pinnacle Grill. Having just dined there for lunch today, we're giving it a pass.

 

Easter Mass is at 8:00 AM, and the interdenominational service is at 9:00 AM. The two worship services were originally listed as being held in BB King's, but they are now scheduled the World Stage (main showroom.)

 

 

 

[oakridger]

That Dressy night menu sure has a strange recipe for their "Cosmopolitan" drink!!  😉

 

[POA1]

44 minutes ago, oakridger said:

That Dressy night menu sure has a strange recipe for their "Cosmopolitan" drink!!  😉

 

Yes. It's missing all the ingredients that make up a cosmo. It's like, "No pink drink you! You will have this manly drink imstead."

[FLCruiser97]

2 hours ago, oakridger said:

That Dressy night menu sure has a strange recipe for their "Cosmopolitan" drink!!  😉

 

Same as the Ship Shape Manhattan.

[POA1]

Last night's dinner, from the 150th Anniversary menu:

 

Bread Basket

 

Ours wines, as seen from my seat. Over the years, I've found that, almost without exception, the timing of the food and wine delivery doesn't match up. So, I've taken to ordering our wines *straight through," and asking to have them delivered all at once.

 

Michelle's wines: Le Grande Cortage Rosé Champagne (not on the regular wine list, but covered by the EBP,) Conundrum White Blend, Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir.

 

Brian's pours: Chateau Ste. Michelle Brut, Conundrum, and Château de Berne Romance Rosé.

 

Cocktail de Crevettes Louis (Shrimp Louis) for Michelle. Yum!

 

Potage a la Solferino - Creamy tomato soup with potato dumpling for me. Delicious, but always dangerous when you are dressed up. (No drips, drops, or spills.)

 

Tarte Au Chevre, Oignon Caramelise - Caramelized goat cheese tart. We shared this as a second course. Elena, the CO manager, suggested it. We put the Conundrum to work here. A very nice second course. It would have been a good choice for vegetarians.

 

Rack of Lamb a la Ambassadeur - Michelle forgot to specify the temperature on this, but the Bubble of Awesome ensured that it was a proper medium rare. Very good, but could have been warmer.

 

Fresh Black Cod Yuzu - This is a $25 Morimoto supplement. It was a delicious, meaty, center-cut cod filet. We both felt this was worth the up charge.

 

Gateau de Lave au Chocolat - Warm, flourless chocolate cake with a molten center. Served with banana, caramel sauce, and coffee ice cream. (That's DW's second flourless cake with coffee ice cream for the day. We don't have to worry about a chocolate deficiency.)

 

Hollandse Appeltaart ala Mode - Dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Very good, but minor league compared to the Rudi's Sel De Mer version.

 

My pie came with this collectible 150th Anniversary white chocolate coin. I'm storing it in my belly for safekeeping.

 

[POA1]

Good morning and Happy Easter!

 

We're heading to breakfast at 8:00 and then to the Easter service at 9:00 AM.

 

 

[POA1]

Poohby Joe, decked out in his Easter t-shirt, is bringing candy to all his HAL pals.

 

[puppycanducruise]

Happy Easter Poohby Joe!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Does Poohby Joe have his own suitcase? He has such great clothes.

[FLCruiser97]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

Good morning and Happy Easter!

 

We're heading to breakfast at 8:00 and then to the Easter service at 9:00 AM.

 

 

Happy Easter to you all as well.

[Boston proper]

Thanks to The Institute for again providing such in-depth responsible corporate reporting.  Cheers!

 

The wine pours look a little light or have you already sampled?  We will likely also upgrade to the Elite package on our upcoming corporate retreat but it may become a requirement to ensure we have unlimited water if we need to order "double Cabernets".

 

Enjoy and thanks again for letting us into your bubble. 

[POA1]

1 hour ago, Boston proper said:

Thanks to The Institute for again providing such in-depth responsible corporate reporting.  Cheers!

 

The wine pours look a little light or have you already sampled?  We will likely also upgrade to the Elite package on our upcoming corporate retreat but it may become a requirement to ensure we have unlimited water if we need to order "double Cabernets".

 

Enjoy and thanks again for letting us into your bubble. 

They're normal 5 ounce pours. Club Orange has bigger wine glasses than the MDR and the bars. You can order a double if you are so inclined.

 

Here is the wine by the glass list. These are available in all the restaurants. Most of the specialty restaurants have additional selections by the glass

 

 

 

I've attached the PDF of the full wine list in case anyone wants to see the bottles and wine packages.

20240330—wine-rtm.pdf

[BetsyS.]

Happy Easter to all! 😊🥂 I love Poohby Joe's shirt!!!!

[POA1]

Just in time for the holiday. Presenting the Bubble of Awesome's festive Spring version, the Easter Egg of Awesome.

 

 

[POA1]

We had our first round draft pick, Ris in the Club Orange dining room at breakfast. I'm hoping we can close on the contract terms by dinner tonight.

 

Dungeness Crab Benedict for me. Build your own omelet for Huskerchick.

 

 

[Boston proper]

Thank you!

[POA1]

We caught 2½ sets of the BB King band last night. A woman sort of collapsed midway through the set. The band called for medical response, which came quickly. The woman was sitting up and waving and I understand that she's OK.

 

We caught some of Derek's set in Billboard. He's very good, just like reported by @Scrapnana

 

Then we went to the Rolling Stone Rock Room for their last set. The keyboard player / vocalist from our Nieuw Statendam trip just joined them this week. The band has a very strong female vocalist, which helps a lot. The NS band had two guitarists who alternated on lead. This band has one lead guitar, which might limit them a tiny bit, but the lead has very much of a Mark Knopfler playing style, which is great.

 

Tonight's show on the Main Stage is Island Magic who we've seen on a number of previous cruises. We'll definitely go to their late show.

[POA1]

1 minute ago, Boston proper said:

Thank you!

Happy to be of service!  BTW, if you find a wine that you like in another restaurant, you can always ask for a bottle to be brought to wherever you are dining. We do that - well in advance - and commit to finishing the bottle. That's only 5 glasses, so it's not too hard to do.

[POA1]

On the IMPORTANT RESEARCH front, I am pleased to report that scratch made Painkillers can be had, if you ask nicely.

 

Pictured here on the right, with a Cuba Libre Cero on the left.

 

 

[SUESEABE]

[POA1]

I completely forgot today's post card.

 

[Beach710]

On 3/29/2024 at 1:11 PM, POA1 said:

We have made our Pinnacle Grill lunch reservations, upgraded to the Elite Beverage Package, watched the safety video, and checked in at the muster station.

 

We're in cabana land, waiting on lunch from NY Pizza and Deli. Also Mai Tais from the Crow's Nest.

 

Talk about a full day!

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. 

I hoping you can answer a question concerning upgrading to the Elite Beverage package. Can you get water with a screw top covered by the package?  

[POA1]

8 minutes ago, Beach710 said:

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. 

I hoping you can answer a question concerning upgrading to the Elite Beverage package. Can you get water with a screw top covered by the package?  

As long as they have it in the bar you're at. We're getting ours from the cabana guys. You may have to ask around. We've been getting both kinds. The can is only 12 ounces. The screw top is 16 ounces.