drrew

2 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Isn’t April too early in the season to see a lot of wild life (on board species don’t count)

We're trying the earliest Alaska cruise I can ever remember seeing in a couple weeks, leaving Seattle April 6th.

I think you're right in that we'll miss a lot of wildlife but I'm hoping we get more snowy landscapes in return. 

For hotels, also take a look at the Edgewater --- it's right next to the pier and wouldn't require crossing the street.

These are a huge help and I thank you.

Can you tell me what the Audrey Hepburn event is? If they can make my neck long like Audrey's I'll be there :)

I was on this cruise as well, it was some sort of tacky Audrey Hepburn branded jewelry.

In Berlin, my wife and I did the excursion which included the train, a couple hour tour by coach, and then 3 or so hours on our own. We really liked the ability to wander wherever we wanted as opposed to the tour you mentioned where you're part of a group the entire time.

I personally wouldn't choose a St Petersburg excursion that doesn't get you out to Catherine's Palace.

We didn't do tours in Tallinn, Copenhagen, or Helsinki.

The other excursion we did, but would have preferred to have just had time to explore was in Stockholm with the Ice Bar and Old Town. It wasn't bad, and I really liked Stockholm, just didn't have enough exploration time as the tour took up the entirety of the time in port.

It's a great cruise and we found each of these cities fascinating in their own individual ways.

and this surprises you? Obviously the bookings for Cagneys were low that cruise and it was a bid to get more reservations without having to offer a deal...like the Spa needs to do when their bookings are low.

 

The chef was probably choking on his words, knowing how false they were, of course the chef can always hide behind the "it was only my opinion" argument.

 

sad how they are ruining Cagneys

It's odd the agenda some people seem to have about these menu and price changes.

First, nowhere have I indicated any surprise about what was said by the chef, nor my meal at the restaurant.

Second, no deals were offered at Cagney's, nor any of the other premium restaurants which would seem to indicate you're pulling the "bookings are low" stuff our of your ---.

I was actually on the ship, I've actually eaten the new menu at Cagney's, and for me it was worth the $30pp. It's ok if others feel the value is no longer there, but the over the top negativity by people who haven't yet experienced the menu or haven't yet been on a ship to witness whether or not it's successful is laughable.

It is remarkable some expect Morton's for $30. Sides and Salads $6.50 to $10.00each, shrimp cocktail $17, ribeye $43, plus dessert, plus tax, plus tip.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

I would just say that NCL and Cagney's compares themselves to Mortons or other high end places.

At a cooking demonstration onboard the ship, the head chef specifically claimed eating at Cagney's was equivalent to a $250-$300 meal on shore.

While I took that as a bit of hyperbole, it was still said, and could lead to disappointment among some guests.

Sounds great to me.

 

Just wondering. Are you saying the onion rings are not as good as those that Ruth's Chris and Morton's has on their menu and that the creamed corn is not as good as what Morton's serves? I love the Wedge Salad that The Palm serves, was it not as good at Cagney's?

Yes, the onion rings, creamed corn, and wedge salad were not on par with what you'd expect from Mortons or Ruth's Chris or The Palm. That's not to say they were bad, they were perfectly acceptable, they just weren't Mortons or The Palm good. Hope that makes sense.

I will be trying out the Cagney's menu regardless. Has anyone on here tried the new one?

 

Was on the NCL Pearl last week and had the new menu. Had previously eaten at Cagneys, but it was four or so years ago, so I can't compare directly.

I really enjoy visiting higher end steakhouses whether locally or on vacation, so that's what I'll compare it to.

I had the ribeye medium rare, wife had the NY Strip medium, both were cooked to correct temperature. I added the au poivre butter and chimichurri sauce, and the steak was on par with the best I've ever had. I'm comparing that to El Gaucho or The Met in Seattle, or The Palm or CraftSteak in Vegas. It was really really good.

The Wagyu Beef Sliders and shrimp cocktail were also a highlight and would not have been out of place at any high end steakhouse.

The rest of the food we tried included crab salad, wedge salad, mac&cheese, creamed corn, onion rings, oreo cheesecake, brownie.

While none of those items were bad, they wouldn't reach your table at nicer steakhouse.

I didn't mind the $30pp charge, and was actually tempted to eat there a second night but had too large of a lunch to make it worthwhile.

The taste and quality of the steak made it worthwhile to us, but I realize all of the accompaniments are just as important to some, and they may be left disappointed.