Let's go on a virtual NZ and Australia cruise

[Sarnia 432]

I enjoy salmon as my treat, although readily available where I live, my husband dislikes fish so I never cook it at home.  Followed by anything with custard:- pie, crumble, soufflé, sponge pudding.

 

For me, just being able to sit and eat, with no prep or washing up, is one of the best parts of a cruise.  I also enjoy trying new dishes that I wouldn’t normally have.  Not like a restaurant at home, if you don’t like something on a cruise, it is not a costly mistake when you order something else.

[Blackduck59]

First I must thank Bubbeh for the invite to her lovely home, so nice just to relax and watch the world go by in the company of nice people.

I love that our ship really is intended for us to be able to enjoy the sea as part of the experience and not just a conveyance. I really don't need or want water slides, go carts or skydiving simulators. 

Lynn and I are pretty new to cruising and we certainly appreciate all of the helpful information everyone has shared.

I really like the "English Breakfast" station in the Ocean View Cafe on Celebrity. The included in your fare ice cream in the Ocean View is also very good. Although all the food in the Main Dining Room on Eclipse was very good nothing really grabbed my attention. There were a couple of things that I was quite disappointed in...the cherries jubilee and baked Alaska should be a showcase (I understand that they can't set them on fire but they should taste amazing.

Of course our chef on Ocean Pearl understands that losing the flaming display he needs to compensate with deep and complex flavours.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

6 hours ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

Another sea day ....I am so bored  🤔.. 

A comment said with tounge  in cheek . I too love sea days . Just wondering what’s on the programs to choose from today . .? What ,if any activities do you enjoy on sea days ?

[OzKiwiJJ]

10 minutes ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

A comment said with tounge  in cheek . I too love sea days . Just wondering what’s on the programs to choose from today . .? What ,if any activities do you enjoy on sea days ?

That topic will come up for discussion on another sea day.

[GUT2407]

3 hours ago, By The Bay said:

 

The desert tasting platter looks amazing. It has, what looks like my favorite, Lemon Meringue pie. 😋😍

My favourite too and the one on Princess with Macadamias in the base and white chocolate over the top is one of my favourites.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Mass market cruise ship cuisine is surprisingly good most of the time, especially considering the numbers they have to feed at each meal. However it's not always consistent. They can vary from poor to excellent. I've been on four of the mass market lines so I'll address each one separately.

 

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. This cruise was in 2015 so my memory of it is getting a bit dim now. We ate in the MDR every night and were happy with the food. There were a couple of standout dishes - a venison stew, and an appetiser of bay scallops. Our gorgeous waiter saw I was really enjoying those scallops and neatly slipped a second serving of then under my nose. I didn't refuse it. 😄 The chocolate souffle was sublime - I think our waiter got me two of those too.

 

Carnival Legend. The MDR meals on this cruise were very good. There was one standout dish, a spicy island pork main. I'm not sure what cuisine it came from, it wasn't Asian flavours, but it was delicious and it was really spicy.

 

Celebrity Solstice. We've done three cruises on Solstice.

 

On the first the MDR meals were good but nothing special. There were a few different menu options - frogs legs (very nice) and southern fried chicken with grits and collard greens - the chicken was great, the collard greens were lovely, but the grits were boring. Italians do cornmeal better (polenta). There was one outstanding dish - a Branzano fish dish. This was also a Christmas cruise and they offered Christmas pudding at lunch and at dinner. Oddly enough they tasted quite different - the one at lunch was the best. We also tried Murano on this cruise but wasn't impressed with the food, and had a beautiful lunch at Silk Harvest where we had some of the best duck I've ever tasted.

 

On the second the MDR meals were very good, except for the Branzano or other fish dishes. Nothing outstanding though. I had one of the best steaks I've ever had at the Tuscan Grill for lunch one sea day. We really enjoyed some of the appetisers at Sushi on Five but the sushi itself was awful. The big letdown was dinner at Silk Harvest. None of the dishes we ordered were authentic Asian cuisine and were poorly cooked. Undercooked dumplings, sugary salad dressing with none of the advertised Asian flavours, overcooked duck, and Hunan beef that had absolutely no chili in it at all (Hunan cuisine is one of the spiciest of the Chinese cuisines).

 

On the third Solstice cruise the cuisine was back to just good. Nice but nothing great. We did have a very nice lunch at Murano one sea day - the lunches are good value when they offer them. We also had a special Greek lunch at the Tuscan Grill which was OK but not as typically Greek as I would have expected.

 

Most of our cruising has been done on Princess, on a number of different ships, and the cuisine has been very variable from cruise to cruise. There were two standout cruises cuisine-wise - our first on Sun Princess, and the 35 nigh Hawaii/Tahiti cruise we did last year. The quality of the food in the MDR on both of those was generally excellent. Our second Princess cruise, on Dawn, was the worst ever - the food was either very bland or over-salty. I have some favourites on the Princess menus - the embarkation day beef medallions, the eggplant parmigiana, the escargots, the onion soup (as mentioned above). Some favourites - duck and pheasant - vary in quality from cruise to cruise but when they are very good they are standout dishes.

 

Their desserts have become a bit boring over the years, especially at dinner. They are relying too much on the Chocolate Journey desserts (which are delicious) and not offering enough variety of non-chocolate desserts. Actually the lunchtime desserts are often more varied than the dinner ones. They do amazing souffles though (except on Diamond where they were undercooked). They also do a frozen lemon/lime souffle which is like slightly crispy ice-cream, hard to describe but refreshing and delicious. I also like the rhubarb mille feuille. I've learnt to avoid their fruit pies - the fruit- flavoured paste used as a filling is horrible. The creme brulee is a reliable standby but I can't eat them too often.

 

We've tried the Sterling Steakhouse a couple of times and had decent meals there. Ditto Sabatinis with the original menu. We tried Share on Sun Princess but struggled to find dishes we liked however on Ruby Princess the menu is different and some of the dishes were amazing, except for the pork which was the worst I've ever tasted. We loved Harmony on Majestic, but the French restaurant, La Mer, was mediocre except for the desserts which were fantastic.

 

We've also done the Ultimate Balcony Dinner twice and it's wonderful. Far too much delicious food though. A lovely way to have a special dinner if you have a balcony cabin.

 

[Bubbeh]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

First I must thank Bubbeh for the invite to her lovely home, so nice just to relax and watch the world go by in the company of nice people.

You are most welcome, it was a joy to have you.

[Bubbeh]

2 hours ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

A comment said with tounge  in cheek . I too love sea days . Just wondering what’s on the programs to choose from today . .? What ,if any activities do you enjoy on sea days ?

My apologies.  We love trivia sessions, I enjoy gym and dance classes.  But mostly, just sitting on the promenade deck on one of those padded extended lounge chairs reading, watching the world go by and ordering the odd drink or seven.  This is my very idea of heaven.

[OzKiwiJJ]

38 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

My apologies.  We love trivia sessions, I enjoy gym and dance classes.  But mostly, just sitting on the promenade deck on one of those padded extended lounge chairs reading, watching the world go by and ordering the odd drink or seven.  This is my very idea of heaven.

This is a topic for discussion on another sea day. 

[Bubbeh]

20 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

This is a topic for discussion on another sea day. 

Woops, sorry.  🥺

[GUT2407]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Mass market cruise ship cuisine is surprisingly good most of the time, especially considering the numbers they have to feed at each meal. However it's not always consistent. They can vary from poor to excellent. I've been on four of the mass market lines so I'll address each one separately.

 

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. This cruise was in 2015 so my memory of it is getting a bit dim now. We ate in the MDR every night and were happy with the food. There were a couple of standout dishes - a venison stew, and an appetiser of bay scallops. Our gorgeous waiter saw I was really enjoying those scallops and neatly slipped a second serving of then under my nose. I didn't refuse it. 😄 The chocolate souffle was sublime - I think our waiter got me two of those too.

 

Carnival Legend. The MDR meals on this cruise were very good. There was one standout dish, a spicy island pork main. I'm not sure what cuisine it came from, it wasn't Asian flavours, but it was delicious and it was really spicy.

 

Celebrity Solstice. We've done three cruises on Solstice.

 

On the first the MDR meals were good but nothing special. There were a few different menu options - frogs legs (very nice) and southern fried chicken with grits and collard greens - the chicken was great, the collard greens were lovely, but the grits were boring. Italians do cornmeal better (polenta). There was one outstanding dish - a Branzano fish dish. This was also a Christmas cruise and they offered Christmas pudding at lunch and at dinner. Oddly enough they tasted quite different - the one at lunch was the best. We also tried Murano on this cruise but wasn't impressed with the food, and had a beautiful lunch at Silk Harvest where we had some of the best duck I've ever tasted.

 

On the second the MDR meals were very good, except for the Branzano or other fish dishes. Nothing outstanding though. I had one of the best steaks I've ever had at the Tuscan Grill for lunch one sea day. We really enjoyed some of the appetisers at Sushi on Five but the sushi itself was awful. The big letdown was dinner at Silk Harvest. None of the dishes we ordered were authentic Asian cuisine and were poorly cooked. Undercooked dumplings, sugary salad dressing with none of the advertised Asian flavours, overcooked duck, and Hunan beef that had absolutely no chili in it at all (Hunan cuisine is one of the spiciest of the Chinese cuisines).

 

On the third Solstice cruise the cuisine was back to just good. Nice but nothing great. We did have a very nice lunch at Murano one sea day - the lunches are good value when they offer them. We also had a special Greek lunch at the Tuscan Grill which was OK but not as typically Greek as I would have expected.

 

Most of our cruising has been done on Princess, on a number of different ships, and the cuisine has been very variable from cruise to cruise. There were two standout cruises cuisine-wise - our first on Sun Princess, and the 35 nigh Hawaii/Tahiti cruise we did last year. The quality of the food in the MDR on both of those was generally excellent. Our second Princess cruise, on Dawn, was the worst ever - the food was either very bland or over-salty. I have some favourites on the Princess menus - the embarkation day beef medallions, the eggplant parmigiana, the escargots, the onion soup (as mentioned above). Some favourites - duck and pheasant - vary in quality from cruise to cruise but when they are very good they are standout dishes.

 

Their desserts have become a bit boring over the years, especially at dinner. They are relying too much on the Chocolate Journey desserts (which are delicious) and not offering enough variety of non-chocolate desserts. Actually the lunchtime desserts are often more varied than the dinner ones. They do amazing souffles though (except on Diamond where they were undercooked). They also do a frozen lemon/lime souffle which is like slightly crispy ice-cream, hard to describe but refreshing and delicious. I also like the rhubarb mille feuille. I've learnt to avoid their fruit pies - the fruit- flavoured paste used as a filling is horrible. The creme brulee is a reliable standby but I can't eat them too often.

 

We've tried the Sterling Steakhouse a couple of times and had decent meals there. Ditto Sabatinis with the original menu. We tried Share on Sun Princess but struggled to find dishes we liked however on Ruby Princess the menu is different and some of the dishes were amazing, except for the pork which was the worst I've ever tasted. We loved Harmony on Majestic, but the French restaurant, La Mer, was mediocre except for the desserts which were fantastic.

 

We've also done the Ultimate Balcony Dinner twice and it's wonderful. Far too much delicious food though. A lovely way to have a special dinner if you have a balcony cabin.

 

I agree, if anything I find the food a bit too fancy for my liking, especially on longer cruises where I start to look forward to a toasted Sanga or sausage and three vege.

 

[possum52]

Some years ago before our first Princess cruise, my sister in law told us how wonderful the bread rolls were. I have to agree, in fact I have to ensure I don't over indulge. On our first cruise, on Pacific Dawn, we had dinner at the Salt Grill one evening. I chose for dessert the licorice parfait which was just amazing. I have never had anything like it before or since.

 

I don't think, I can say I have not enjoyed a meal on a cruise ship. There may have been meals that weren't perfect, but they were enjoyable. What I enjoyed on Voyager of the Seas was the buffet for lunch where there were so many options. I usually had a bowl of soup and then made a salad roll from the different cold meats or from the grill and some yummy salad, just right for lunch and of course finished off with coffee and perhaps an icecream cone.

 

As I said in a previous post, the black and blue onion soup is a favourite at Crown and Sterling Grills. I nearly forgot the lobster cake! Wow! 

 

Leigh

Edited May 14, 2020 by possum52

[OzKiwiJJ]

26 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

I agree, if anything I find the food a bit too fancy for my liking, especially on longer cruises where I start to look forward to a toasted Sanga or sausage and three vege.

 

I crave good Asian food after a while on a long cruise. I've only found one cruise ship that does it well - Nobu's Umi Uma on Crystal, and that's really fancy Japanese. Harmony on Majestic Princess had some really interesting dishes but some were quite different to standard Chinese fare.

 

Of course most Asian dishes don't work well as buffet food or MDR options. They need to be freshly prepared and served immediately. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

22 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Some years ago before our first Princess cruise, my sister in law told us how wonderful the bread rolls were. I have to agree, in fact I have to ensure I don't over indulge. 

I actually think the bread rolls aren't as good as they were a few years ago. They aren't as crisp and the texture inside is different. They even taste different to me, flatter like someone turned the flavour dimmer down. I rarely eat them now - which is probably a blessing for my waistline.

[possum52]

               

Princess' Black and Blue Onion Soup

 

Princess Lobster Cake

 

 

 

Princess' Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

 

Leigh

[By The Bay]

12 minutes ago, possum52 said:

               

Princess' Black and Blue Onion Soup

 

Princess Lobster Cake

 

 

 

Princess' Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

 

Leigh

I can only see the Princess' Black and Blue Onion Soup. It looks great.

[possum52]

Sorry not sure what happened there. The photos were in the post when I hit send. 

[possum52]

[possum52]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I actually think the bread rolls aren't as good as they were a few years ago. They aren't as crisp and the texture inside is different. They even taste different to me, flatter like someone turned the flavour dimmer down. I rarely eat them now - which is probably a blessing for my waistline.

I didn’t have too many on our last two Golden cruises but didn’t really notice a difference. 
 

Leigh

[OzKiwiJJ]

Itinerary Item 28 – Broome.

 

Broome has a deep history based around the exploits of the men and women who developed the pearling industry, starting with the harvesting of oysters for mother of pearl in the 1880s to the large present-day cultured pearl farming enterprises.

 

Broome is also famous for Cable Beach whose beautiful white sands off a dramatic backdrop for sunset camel rides. The Chinatown section of the town is interesting but watch out for low-flying aircraft. Short St, at one end of Chinatown, is the approach to the airport runway and since it is really a short street those planes are just skimming the trees as they approach.

 

We’ll be in Broome until 10pm so you have plenty of time to explore the town then head out to Cable Beach for the sunset.

 

Our shuttle buses will be running a continuous loop from the wharf to the town and Cable Beach all day.

 

Our next “stop” is the Kimberley Coast.

 

If you’ve just joined us, please read the first post which contains the rules for this thread. Note this is a luxury all inclusive ship - all drinks, restaurants, internet, excursions, spa, beauty salon.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Looking south along Cable Beach.

 

Anyone for a camel ride?

[chopper_1]

Sunset from the Sunset Bar & Grill.

[GUT2407]

One thing for sure I am dragging Mrs Gut on a camel ride.

 

[MicCanberra]

A wonderful day exploring, took a flight to Horizontal falls.

On our return we did the afternoon Broome town tour with Matso beer tastings. we took in the Japanese Cemetery, the Historical Museum, the dinosaur prints out at Gantheaume Point and Riddell Beach.

 

We then headed out to Cable Beach with a picnic hamper.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Well you were a bit silly, Mic, wasting your day going to the Horizontal Falls when we'll be there tomorrow.