CGTNORMANDIE

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.  

On 5/19/2023 at 7:54 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

 

We on Cruise Foodies are here to exchange comments, suggestions and experiences.  Yes, everyone has individual tastes and no one is here to change minds.

 

Here you will see some consider trying something but others as yourself kindly passing the offer..

 

Have a good evening...

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.  

3 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Hmm, I googled "buying wine in FL" and the first link was 

 

https://www.gettips.com/blog/florida-alcohol-laws

 

A quote from that page says

 

"However, a new law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2021, HB 1518, allows retailers who sell beer and wine for off-site consumption, like grocery and convenience stores, to begin selling at 10 a.m. on Sundays instead of noon."

 

Ahh…Greg Abbott is Governor of Texas.  

Just now, perfectpete said:

That sounds perfect 👍 just didn’t want to be stuck inside for a week if it was cold on deck 

No worries!😄

1 hour ago, perfectpete said:

That’s not too bad then any idea of temperatures crossing the Atlantic ..ie relaxing round the pool type of thing 

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.  

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

Sounds heavenly😀

And it really is!

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My better half makes a great pineapple upside down cake .

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.  

On 5/7/2023 at 4:27 PM, norboy76 said:

Sadly not really, there’s a couple on EBay and Etsy for less than $30 and a couple selling for around $10 plus shipping. Plus I wouldn’t want to sell as in my personal collection. There’s one person selling 2 bottles on EBay for $22.79 plus shipping.

So sad…those bottles are worth more…

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Pie for me.My favorites are Blueberry and Banana Cream.

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?  

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

How far north ?

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.  

14 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi CGT, yes it was on Silversea and they are definitely still there. They have 2 new ships coming within the next 15 months. Actually the first ship is coming this summer and I am sailing her in November😀

The 2nd ship will be out next year.  I just sailed out of Athens all around Greece and Turkey. It was wonderful🙂

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.

5 hours ago, norn iron said:

Here are a few American food and drink things I don't get.

Peanut Butter and Jelly, I love them both separately, but together ???

Chunky peanut butter with real strawberry jam on white bread is wonderful comfort food.  
Bacon, Pancakes and maple syrup, love bacon, like pancakes but adding sweet maple syrup doesn't float my cruise ship.

Maple syrup on pancakes, sausage and bacon is superb.  It has to be real maple syrup.  

American Beer (mass produced). I tasted some amazing American Craft beers, but most of the big brands are, let's say 'bland'

You are 90% correct.  Most American beers are very tame.  You need to try Sam Adams and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.  

American Cheese, let's not even go there

American cheese makes a great grilled cheese sandwich and goes great on a regular cheese burger.  

I've kept the best to last.

American coffee! If the beer is bland, the coffee is non-descript. I appreciate tastes vary. In Europe, strong Italian coffees rule the roast (sic).

The sad reality is, in the UK McDonald's serves better coffee than Starbucks.

Believe it or not…McDonalds always had good coffee.  We have many excellent coffee outlets and many of them serve espresso, cappuccino, etc.  

 

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

I just sailed on a cruise that had a Chocolate Extravaganza. All sorts of pastries, candies, fondue, cakes, cookies, etc.  I think it started about 10:00pm and went on for about 90 minutes or so. 

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

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

I also love mushrooms and sausage too😀....CGT, you can have the onions though. 

There are so many "modern ingredients" people put on their pies.......I am old school.......so many things they put on pizza now......just give me a good pie, good crust,  with good mushrooms and sausage and I am happy. 

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.

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi CGT, you and my brother in law would be drinking partners.......that is favorite libation!

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.   

10 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

I haven't seen one since we were on HAL after we switches from the QE2.

 

When we started with the QM2, never remembered seeing one.

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.

On 5/2/2023 at 11:24 AM, shavdog said:

We are looking at a fall repositioning from maybe Rome to the US......my one question is about the weather....the last 5-6 days would be at sea and I am wondering if the daily high temps and the seas would be more on the mild or milder side going to Florida vs New York.....maybe someone that has done this could chime in on how big a difference this is....thanks.....I have been following a couple of crossings over to England and the storms they encounter are probably more than I or the Mrs would want to deal with...thanks

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.  

I recall a chocolate buffet onboard the SS Norway way back when.  It was great for chocoholics.  It featured more than 100 feet of chocolate treats.  
 

Over the past 50 plus years we have seen many superb gala buffets.  A few of them stand out as really memorable.  The greatest was on the TS Bremen…truly stupendous.  So many wonderful food memories back in the days when cruising was a luxury.  

On 4/30/2023 at 1:41 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

Easy to make at home..... 

 

Except have to master Cherries Jubilee 

Use brown sugar!  Brown sugar, cinnamon and orange juice with cornstarch to thicken.  Cook and thicken then add the cherries and cook with a touch of red vermouth or cherry brandy then flame with brandy and serve with ice cream.