CGTNORMANDIE

Believe me I’m familiar with Luninae and Blu. The website seems to be unclear with regards to dining packages.

We have Brighams…comes in quart size. Their pistachio, peppermint stick, frozen pudding and others are really outstanding.

Pistachio, peppermint stick, frozen pudding, rum raisin, pineapple orange. DW swears by coffee fudge.

OBTW BB, I make a killer fruit cake that comes with a dedicated fan base every Christmas. You are right! Fruit cake has gotten a very bad rap…unjustifiably so.

Here here…Cruise Foodies is not a site for contention of any kind. Since food is so subjective we on CF can only offer our personal opinions. Certainly not to hard sell any particular like or dislike.

Can somebody please explain to me if X has a dining package and if so what levels? The X web site is clear as mud. Do they still have Premium and Elevate dining packages? I’m totally confused.

Ahh…Greg Abbott is Governor of Texas.

No worries!😄

Temps in the Canaries in October are around high 70’s F. Those temps should increase into the 80’s F as you get near Barbados. Pretty nice pool weather for sure.

I agree with Cruiseny…Guinness is just a bit too heavy for me. I love a good lager…Stella, Becks, Sam, etc. and my favorite American lager is Pabst.

And it really is!

There is nothing like a good pineapple upside down cake. Canned pineapple slices just don’t taste like they used to since all the Hawaiian pineapple plantations were shut down. I have to use a real pineapple that I ripen and carve up then cook with sugar before making the cake.

Just grab a cab. Taxis in Barcelona are reasonable and airport is close.

So sad…those bottles are worth more…

Wild native blueberry pie tops my list with lemon meringue and peach pie coming in a close second. Then again…pineapple upside down cake, wedding cake and Boston Cream Pie are right up there.

Native strawberries if I can find them. The Cali/Mex berries have no flavor. Native blueberries, Concord grapes, Georgia peaches, fresh figs, black plums, bananas, fresh pineapple, pears, big dark bing cherries, cantaloupe, watermelon and Florida navel oranges. All of these are my favorites when they are in ripe and in season. My pet peeve is the unripened fruit they try to sell in the grocery stores. Who wants to buy under ripe fruit?

All the way to Canada…where ever wild blueberries grow in the northern climes. Northern wild blueberries have an intense flavor that you just don’t get from the domestic berries in the areas south of New England. The domesticated berries look great but lack the flavor. The Maine wild blueberries are particularly good and readily available in the freezer section of our local supermarkets. The best berries are the fresh native berries that come in July and August.

Blueberry muffins are a New England staple. The best ones are made with wild blueberries from the North.

Sounds nice Lois. I’m glad to hear that at least Silversea is doing the chocoholics delight! Then again they’d probably do anything you requested…lol.

Let me quess…Silversea? Nice to know they are still out there.

So true, that being said I will indulge in a slice of pepperoni once in a while. Most of the time, however, I like to make my own pizza. This I will load up with the mushrooms, Italian fennel sausage, onion, and small slices of Genoa Salami. I also use 3 cheeses.

Hi Lois, A well crafted Manhattan is an art form. I like mine just a bit on the sweet side with red vermouth and good bourbon. I have a number of the usual favorites…Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Makers Mark, etc. Surprisingly JW Dickel is among that list.

Gala and specialty buffets are a thing of the past from the golden age of luxury cruising. The Ocean View Cafe has taken over as a substitute as the ships grew larger. Buffets on deck used to be hit or miss…temporary food offerings set up on deck if the weather was right. They were for lunch only. Now you see a huge dedicated upper deck space inside and outside serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. Quite a change from years ago.

You are talking about two different routes…the North Atlantic and the Southern Atlantic. Transatlantics between New York and Europe are mostly on the Great Circle route in the North Atlantic. The weather in October can be rough and cold and it can be quite calm and pleasant with temps in the 50’s and 60’s. I believe there is an MSC crossing from Rome that stops in New York.and then goes to Florida. This of course would be a mixture of North and South. The route that you propose from Rome to Florida is the Southern Atlantic route. This is a far cry from the North Atlantic. As described above the temps continually climb as you near Florida. The seas are usually calm although this isn’t always the case. Those of us who are born sailors relish the many sea days on a Southern Atlantic crossing. Have no fear. You will enjoy your southern crossing from Rome.