THE MA'AMs SWEET JEWEL SUITE review and pictoral

[sunlover1060]

Sorry about the quality of the photos. I'm having IT problems again' date=' and took a picture of these pictures with my phone's camera. If I can get Photoshop to work on my pc again, I'll post the pictures taken with my camera later.[/quote']

 

I just love reading your reviews.

Hopefully one day I can get DS and her DH to go go with me and my DH.

We will be on the Jewel for the first time in November out of Houston. Thanks for the great review and pictures.

I always live vicariously through your family trips!

[Planmaam]

OK, I rotated this picture three different times then uploaded it, and the rotated version will not upload, sorry. I told you I've been IT challenged during this review. Must be the ghost of the witch from the Rose House Great House in Jamaica following me....................................

 

There were also three wine glasses at our place setting, and they paired the three different wines with the course, starting with two whites, then a red.

 

I had really enjoyed the champagne they served, it had a touch of sweetness to it, which was a plus to my taste. But just a touch, not a heavy sweetness, but it was not a dry champagne, which I don't like. (The bottle of sparkling wine included in our suite was dry, and I always mixed it with cranberry juice.)

 

Medicalma'am had attended the Chef's Table on the Star in January, so had warned us of the quantity of food we would have, as well as the quantity of alcohol served during the evening, and advised us not to try to eat/drink it all. I am not very much of a seafood person, but had told myself that I would at least try each course. I surprised myself, even going to the wild side and eating the tuna tartar! It was all so good, and so expertly prepared that nothing was unpleasant to my taste.

 

Chef Santos introduced each course and gave detailed information as to how it was prepared. Some dishes took two days of preparation, as there were reductions and more reductions of some elements that were used. After the course was introduced, the Sommelier introduced the wine he had paired to it. I'm thinking the Sommelier was Noel Chaves, the Restaurant Manager; maybe Medicalma'am can double check me on this. The servers were standing behind the guests with the dishes at this point, and Noel would signal them to simultaneously place the plates in front of us. The first time he said "trois". Being the smarta$$ I am, I asked what happened to "un, deux"? He smiled, and the next time said "un, deux, trois". Yes, I had had about a glass and a half of champagne by this point!

[Planmaam]

So I took a picture of the big Chef's Table menu with DH's camera, let's see how it came out:

 

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And here is the second menu we were given; I think this had the substitutions of the wines we were given. I think the first menu is a pre-printed one they have for all sailings. Just my assumption, though.

 

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Again, you would have to zoom in to be able to read these.

 

I might say that all the wines served during the Chef's Table were wonderful. I found I especially liked the two whites, the second one was my favorite.

[medicalma'am]

I just love reading your reviews.

Hopefully one day I can get DS and her DH to go go with me and my DH.

We will be on the Jewel for the first time in November out of Houston. Thanks for the great review and pictures.

I always live vicariously through your family trips!

 

Thank you sunlover1060! We love doing them.

 

I live two hours North East of Houston and can't wait until the Jewel is at the La Porte facility.

 

My son and his wife are taking a cruise this year I think and my daughter and son in law are going on a Princess cruise out of Houston in March. My son in law made reservations for us to board the ship with them, have a meal and tour the ship!!!!! I am excited about that!

[medicalma'am]

Our first wine was Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs from the North coast of California. I am a red wine girl and DH an I belong to a couple of wine clubs, have vacationed in California wine country and Texas wine country. We love wine and I have a glass a couple of times a week. I did like this wine, as it was not too sweet.

 

Our first course was "Amuse Bouche 'Molecular Gastronome'". It was a sphere of mango infused agar on top of a vodka and jalapeno ravioli. The ravioli was really like a salsa. The sphere was made by pulling the mango solution into a syringe and injecting it into olive oil that had been in the freezer. (We were told that on the Star)

 

 

 

This sphere just burst in your mouth and covered the salsa with intense flavor and was wonderful.

 

The second course was Tomato, Basil, Curry, and Lavender lavosh. These I used to clear the pallet and the lavender was my favorite. I had just bites of it after each course. I do not have a picture of it but let me describe it. It looks like a 12 inch by 3 inch tortilla chip in different colors. The lavender one was beige with small pieces of lavender bloom in it. The tomato one was reddish orange. The curry one was yellow. The basil one was green. They were ALL wonderful lightly flavored. They were presented standing on end in a large glass vase and that was pretty.

 

The next course was Ahi Tuna Tartare and had an orange wasabi glaze and sesame crisp on top. I am not a raw fish lover but enjoyed this very much. The flavors blended delightfully on the palate.

 

 

Now it was time for another wine! A white again - Matua Valley, Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand. It said that is had laser lime, flint, passion fruit and herb on the palate. Again, I liked this wine.

 

I might add that on the Star, they kept refilling our glasses liberally and I lost track of just how much I had to drink and it caught up to me! This time I enjoyed the wines but was very careful to 'watch it'.

 

I will pause and let Planma'am comment on these wines and courses.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by medicalma'am

[Planmaam]

Yes, I remember the New Zealand wine as being really good, too. I had also been looking forward to the Molecular Gastronome course since I had learned about this new technique from a story I had heard on NPR. It didn't disappoint; the taste truly explodes in your mouth.

 

And as I said before, I even enjoyed the Ahi Tuna Tartare. The Tomato, Basil, Curry, Lavender Lavosh were good, though I only took small tastes of most of these so I wouldn't get too full. The lavendar was my favorite.

[medicalma'am]

It is a nice day here in East Texas. I have two candles burning called "beach blossoms" and "tranquil beach". The windows are open and DH is burning leaves and brush outside. There is a faint odor of these leaves coming into the house. I call it "campfire on a beach" aroma going on in here!

 

OK, the next course was one I was tempted to eat ALL of. Warning: DON'T do it. This is very filling. It was "Asparagus Cream", a soup with cauliflower flan with crispy beetroot and saffron angel hair on top. They bring out the flan then pour the asparagus soup into the bowl around it. The Chef told us that the soup part was only asparagus and a bit of salt.

 

 

One thing they did for each course was that the Chef would tell us all about the coming dish. Behind each person were servers holding the dish. The course was not placed before us until the Chef gave the command. That was impressive.

 

This flan was then mixed into the soup to make a wonder creamy soup. The beetroot on top was really sweet. Heaven.

 

Then next course was "Short Crust Tartlet" made with goat cheese, sun dried tomato chutney, basil oil and kalamata olive tapenade on top. A couple of bites was all i needed of this. I didn't want to get too full, but wanted to enjoy each offering.

 

 

We then had a "Granite" course which was made with grapefruit and moscato. This cleared the palate.

 

 

It was refreshing and I only had a bite or two.

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by medicalma'am

[Planmaam]

I'm so glad Medicalma'am remembers so much about the courses, as I don't remember the particulars. I remember each being excellent in it's own time, and the wine pairing very well, and the next wine, and the next wine!

 

There were a couple courses I did eat all of, but I remembered to pace myself as warned.

 

Because of the set up of the tables, it was possible to have conversations with about everyone at the table. The only ones I didn't have much of a chance to talk to were Medicalma'am and her DH, which were to my DH's left, and my DH was to my left, so they were on the same side of the table as I was. Also the couple adjacent to Medicalma'am's DH at the end of the table. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet the others at Chef's Table with us, and saw everyone several times again throughout the cruise.

[Planmaam]

My mouth is watering as I'm looking at these pictures of the food; guess it's time to make lunch!

[medicalma'am]

It is true that the participants became a little family with us on the cruise. I think all of them were in the suites with us and we would see them in Cagney's and about the ship. It was also an advantage to have the Chef's Table on Wednesday (as opposed to Thursday on the Star) as we had more of the cruise still before us to visit.

 

The next course was "Pan Seared Sea Bass", plantain crusted, mango, papaya and avocado salsa, with lobster veloute on top. I had only a few bites of this also. I love fish but I was waiting for the next course!

 

This was pared with Silverago Vineyards, Chardonnay - Napa Valley, California, another white that I liked. Maybe when wines are pared correctly I enjoy them. I was surprised pleasantly with all of the parings of white wine.

 

 

 

The next course was the "Milk-fed Veal Chop" with Anna potaoes, sauteed spinach, and truffle veal jus. We also enjoyed the next wine, a red. They had run out of the Franciscan, Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley, California and substituted another Cab for it. I remember asking to see the bottle to get another look, but do not remember what it was! Too much wine at this point! I should have made a note on my phone. It was wonderful though and remember - I am a red wine girl!

 

 

Oh my dear heavens yes! This was what I was waiting for! Wow, words just can describe it, you MUST experience it for yourself. The potatoes were bland, as I found all potatoes to be on board, it seemed. I was staying away from too many carbs the whole cruise, so this did not bother me. I just wanted one taste to be able to let all of you know what I thought of them.

 

Well, I left my plate void of any veal at the end of this course!

[mitsugirly]

I'm so glad Medicalma'am remembers so much about the courses' date=' as I don't remember the particulars. I remember each being excellent in it's own time, and the wine pairing very well, and the next wine, and the next wine!

 

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I completely agree and can relate. I would have never remember 1) what they were called 2) what was in them and 3) what picture went with what. :eek: I would have had to have a pen and paper handy to write everything down. Very impressive Robin. :)

[Planmaam]

I completely agree and can relate. I would have never remember 1) what they were called 2) what was in them and 3) what picture went with what. :eek: I would have had to have a pen and paper handy to write everything down. Very impressive Robin. :)

 

Yes, she has a WONDERFUL memory, Mitsugirly! ;););) (see post 103!)

Edited January 11, 2014 by planma'am

[Planmaam]

Medicalma'am, the wine substitutions started with the sparkling one served prior to entering Le Bistro:

 

Menu-listed wine:

Schramsberg, Blanc De Blancs - North Coast, California

 

 

Substituted wine:

Domaine Ste. Michele, Blanc - de Blanc, Columbia Valley,WA

 

Menu listed wine:

 

Matua Valley, Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand

 

Substituted wine:

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand

 

Menu-listed wine:

 

Silverado Vineyards, Chardonnay - Napa Valley, CA

 

Substituted Wine:

 

Clos du Bois Chardonnay - North Coast, CA

 

Menu-listed wine:

 

Franciscan, Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley, CA

 

Substituted wine:

 

Chateau Souverain, Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley, CA

[medicalma'am]

We were having such a wonderful time visiting with all the participants, telling stories, sharing life experiences, finding things and places in common throughout the meal. The next course meant that we were coming close to the end of our meal - so sad. I was in a place to be able to visit with everyone there, I felt. We had lots of time between each course to visit, just the way we like a meal.

 

 

Since the Chef's Table on the Star in January, Stilton cheese has become a passion. I was able to find it in a little neighborhood grocery in Sausalito, California this summer. I have also found it in large groceries in the Houston area. Our grocery stores in East Texas are not very sophisticated, (think - Duck Dyansty here) there are lots of hunters, and fried foods galore.

 

Next up was the "Cheese Platter", this had St. Andre Triple Creme and Stilton, with a honey comb, Port wine infused figs and on the side were bagel chips and pickled watermelon. I paired the Stilton with the honey, and the creme with the watermelon. My plate was empty after this one also!!!

 

 

The next course was very sweet. There were two choices: "Yogurt Mousse Dome" with lychee raspberry creme, hazel sablee lime vanilla reduction which I do not have a picture of

 

or

 

"Chocoholic's Delight" 'spiced' dark rum infused banana cocoa mousse.

 

 

I did get a taste of the other one and it was very fresh and light. I left none of my banana!

 

 

It was time to thank our servers, prepare-rs and Chefs

 

 

 

 

 

 

They gave us an amazing evening.

 

Plamma'am and BIL

 

 

 

We had pre-paid for our Chef's Table before we boarded, but were brought a bill to be able to tip the service, which was a joy to do. What a lot of work goes into this meal by so many people. Many of the chefs from the different restaurants on the ship, restaurant managers, and much of the Chef's staff assisted in preparation and presentation of this meal. Hats off to all of them.

 

We then retired to the area outside of Magnum's Champagne Bar where we had begun our journey for after dinner drinks. The NCL's famous Lavazza coffee was available. The choices were: The Glenlifet, Baileys Irish Cream, Courvoisier V.S., Grand Marinier, Kahlua, and Sandeman Founders Reserve.

 

I had the coffee with Bailey's. We visited more before calling it a night.

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[Planmaam]

Ahhhhhhhhh, yes. The evening is winding down.

 

For any of you who have done the Chef's Table already and are wondering if it's worth it to do it again, ask Medicalma'am. But I'll tell you that I won't hesitate to do it again; the experience is exceptional from beginning to end, and frankly I think worth what they charge, which is $89.00/pp before tip. It also includes a tour of the galley on the last sea day, which was a wonderful plus.

 

By this time I needed a trip to the restroom, and when I returned the coffee and after-dinner drinks were being delivered. I ordered decaf coffee and either Bailey's or Kahlua; frankly I can't remember which! I know it was the one the server recommended as finishing off the meal well, though.

 

It was late by this time and we returned to our cabins. I took several pictures of the moon on the sea from our balcony. A beautiful ending to a beautiful day!

 

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Edited January 11, 2014 by planma'am

[Planmaam]

Another sunrise from the aft of the ship.

 

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[medicalma'am]

So, fast forward to Thursday evening (because I had skipped ahead before I covered Chef's Table). We got back from Stingray City and relaxed in the room before dinner. We headed to the Star Bar and met Kara and Kerry from Chef's Table while there. We invited them to dinner in the Main dining room with the four of us. We had a great table for 6 near the back window at around 8 p.m. I think. I had the chicken and it was so moist and tender. I ate the vegetables and tasted the potatoes. The potatoes were really good!

 

 

I think my DH had the fish, as I have this picture. Maybe it is what Planma'am had though.

 

 

Soon it was time for the Choc. Buffet. I like to get pics and am not very interested in tasting, as I find most of the offerings bland.

 

We stood in that line just at the opening to the children's area, but missed the antics of 'some' guests. (Read Mistugirly's review to learn about that.)

 

When we went in there was the ever present and wonderful Elvina and her killer smile.

 

 

It was great to get in there early as a suite guest, but I wish we had more time before the 'mob' hit!Here are the few pics I got before that happened.

 

 

 

Notice the detail on this chocolate leaf, which was HUGE.

 

 

I did see my BiL with some chocolate strawberries and he told me where to find them. We wandered and squeezed through the crowd and there they were. SCORE! I picked one up with the tongs and someone said "Mam, the line for the strawberries is back here". I looked up and saw what I thought were people getting other things there on that table. oops. I sheepishly put the strawberry down and backed away from all of them, as there were about 20 sets of eyes on me. Kind of intimidating I must add. Well, I decided that I had had enough of that madhouse and left out the back doors of the buffet to go back to our suite.....I had chocolates waiting on my bed for me, so the heck with the Strawberry Police!

 

 

[medicalma'am]

The chicken. I forgot to add this picture to my last post.

 

 

From the Star Bar you have a panorama of the pool deck. Many times while there late in the evening we saw people in the pool, as we did this evening.

 

 

 

Awaiting us this night.

 

 

Tomorrow is Cozumel! I love Cozumal.....

[medicalma'am]

I got up this morning and had cappuccino on my balcony while the sun rose.

 

 

 

 

We had a leisurely breakfast in Cagney's. We were tendering to shore and were at the International Pier area, where three or maybe four ships were docked. The water was rough and they announced that on one side of the ship it was treacherous getting on the tenders, and asked that everyone be patient.

 

 

We were able to get on a tender quickly thanks to Elvina. We got a taxi to Chanknaab park, paid the $21 entrance fee and found our spot in the shade for the day.

 

 

With a drink in hand, my DH said he was set for the day!

 

 

They bring you drinks right on the beach. We even were able to order food. Planma'am and I shared a plate of nachos. They ran a tab for us. I had Tecate with lime. I think everyone else had Margaritas.

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by medicalma'am

[Planmaam]

I took a picture in the Star Bar that evening, too:

 

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Having talked to John and Justin at the Chef's Table about Kumar the bartender in the Star Bar, I joined them at the bar for a short while and started Kumar on the task of making my chocolate martini. Later, we were sitting in the Star Bar when Kerry and Cari from Chef's Table entered, and they joined us. We decided to all go to dinner in Tsar's.

 

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I think it was my DH who had the fish, as I had the pork tenderloin.

 

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[sunlover1060]

EVERYTHING was really expensive on Jamaica. I was shocked at the prices. I almost bought a book on the famous White Witch of Rose Hall' date=' but didn't in the end. The house had a very interesting story, although sad. I had also understood that you could take pictures in the surrounding gardens and was disappointed that we could not.

 

My thoughts on Jamaica are that NCL should not waste time going there. The port leaves SO much to be desired. I did not like the cost of anything there. But, now I can say I have been to Jamaica.

 

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I am loving your tag-team review.

We went to Jamaica in March 2013 on our Pearl cruise and I felt the same was as you about the place and prices.

I also did NOT like the vendors we ran into at Dunn's River Falls at all, they were very aggressive.

I just wanted to get out of there and get back to the ship!

But I always wanted to go there and now I can say been there done that!

[Planmaam]

Yes, the Chocolate Buffet was next. I was surprised how many people were already lined up in the suite passengers' "viewing" line for this event. I, too, remember some people who thought they belonged at the front of the line, Mitsugirly, but I think I said something about this being the line, and pointing them to the back of the line. Evidently it wasn't the ones Mitsugirly was dealing with further towards the front of the line.

 

They finally let us in, and I enjoyed the Christmas songs the staff sang in welcome to us.

 

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DH and I both took a lot of pictures:

 

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[Planmaam]

I am loving your tag-team review.

We went to Jamaica in March 2013 on our Pearl cruise and I felt the same was as you about the place and prices.

I also did NOT like the vendors we ran into at Dunn's River Falls at all, they were very aggressive.

I just wanted to get out of there and get back to the ship!

But I always wanted to go there and now I can say been there done that!

 

Thanks for the kudos,sunlover1060; I feel the same way you do about Jamaica.

[Planmaam]

More Chocolate Buffet pictures:

 

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DH found these chocolate "balls" and told me how wonderful they were. I did prepare a plate to take back to the room and put it in the fridge to enjoy little tidbits throughout the rest of the cruise as the chocolate urge struck!

 

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[medicalma'am]

The guys wandered for a bit and DH did some snorkeling. Planma'am and I spent some time in the water to cool off.

 

The grounds are so well maintained! It was beautiful everywhere, and the bathrooms were clean. They had a foot shower before you went into the bathrooms, which kept out the sand. There was someone stationed there to remind you to use it.

 

It was such a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect.

 

 

 

 

By the lagoon.

 

 

Water of the lagoon, which was really clear.

 

 

The area we were in was at the left of the entrance. Behind the gift ship you will see this archway which leads to some 'ruins'. We went past it and kept walking to the beach area where they had palapas and chairs.

 

 

I don't know what this was. We did not venture in. Maybe someone else does.

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by medicalma'am