LIVE Geoherb's Solo Cruise on Majestic Princess, August 22, 2021

[geoherb]

3 hours ago, Mo Jito said:

Really enjoying your LIVE thread @geoherbI love the whale sculpture! I posted a selfie with the whale behind me and some of my friends thought it was real. I was tempted to let them go on thinking I had captured the most incredible selfie ever 🙂 

 

I've been fooling people on the ship with that photo on my phone--until I tell them it's a statue. I was thinking the couple with whom I played trivia tonight would have seen it from the bus on their excursion, but apparently they took another route to Mendenhall and the salmon bake.

[geoherb]

Silversea's Silver Muse sailed in as I was enjoying the sushi tonight in the evening cocktail event. I only had a few pieces and none of the cheese and crackers. 

 

Tonight is a trivia night. I won the Klondike trivia with a couple I met earlier in the dining room. I let them take the bottle of champagne. I joined one of my regular teammates and a couple for the geographical trivia. We placed second. A woman playing solo won it.

 

Dinner tonight was very good. I sat beside a couple from Cary--about 15 miles from my home in Raleigh. I ate what I had picked out ahead of time. It's great to see the menus on TV. 

 

[caribill]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

Here are a few buffet photos from this morning. I haven't been up there for lunch or dinner yet. There are crew members serving most of the dishes. There are a few grab and go items in the third photo and the whole fruits in the last photo as well. But a server was there for the cut up pieces of melon.

 

 

 

Do you know if they still have the cold cereal at breakfast  in the small manufacturer's boxes (Corn flakes, shredded mini-wheats, etc,)?

 

Pre-pandemic Princess said they would eliminate them to help reduce single-use packaging.

[geoherb]

51 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Do you know if they still have the cold cereal at breakfast  in the small manufacturer's boxes (Corn flakes, shredded mini-wheats, etc,)?

 

Pre-pandemic Princess said they would eliminate them to help reduce single-use packaging.

 

I did not see any.

[geoherb]

My regular team got back together for TV theme song trivia. I guess the good news is that between the four of us, we don't watch too much TV. We got slightly more than 50%. The winners had 80%. After that, I went to see the "Princess Watercolor Fountain Fantasy: Fanfare." I caught the last two minutes. They either started it earlier than 10 or it did not last 15 minutes as advertised. 

 

I looked up the stats on the Silver Muse. At 40,000 tons, it's larger than the first cruise ship I sailed on in 1988--the Carnivale. But the Carnivale held 741 passengers and the Silver Muse holds 596.

[geoherb]

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is. 

 

[caribill]

9 minutes ago, geoherb said:

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is.

 

 

To me none of those picture a slice of Key Lime Pie.

 

If it shows up on a dining room menu, let us know if it is the real thing or just another version of Key Lime Pudding..

[KLM3164]

@geoherbThanks for the key lime pie report. What you got tonight looks nothing like key lime pie. So sorry to hear Princess has changed their version and I think I’ll pass on ordering it next week. Big disappointment but I’m sure there will be lots of other yummy desserts to try!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

30 minutes ago, geoherb said:

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is. 

 

I can see how tonight‘s version would be really disappointing to you. I wonder if someone just didn’t know what they were doing? Order it again and maybe, just maybe it will be made correctly.

[SaltwaterDaffy]

5 hours ago, geoherb said:

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is. 

 

I remember getting that one in the second picture on the Regal.  We were on for about 10 weeks so I ordered it from room service a dozen times. Thanks for the memories. 

[geoherb]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

To me none of those picture a slice of Key Lime Pie.

 

If it shows up on a dining room menu, let us know if it is the real thing or just another version of Key Lime Pudding..

 

The name of the dish--key lime pie verrine--means key lime pie baked in a glass container. Verrine is just the French word for the individual serving glass container used for such dishes. The version on the Caribbean Princess tasted like key lime pie and had the right creamy consistency. Last night's version reminded me of canned lemon pie filling--something sweet and tart made with a cornstarch thickener.

 

Perhaps the chefs on the Majestic ran out of condensed milk. Someone else mentioned last night how bad the regular milk tasted on this ship. He said it tasted like it came from aseptic packaging. 

 

So far, the pastry chefs on the Majestic have struck out two out of three times with my memories of desserts on previous cruises. Only the chocolate journey dessert the other night tasted as good as I've had on previous cruises. The flourless chocolate cake and key lime pie were flops.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by geoherb

[JF - retired RRT]

10 minutes ago, geoherb said:

Last night's version reminded me of canned lemon pie filling--something sweet and tart made with a cornstarch thickener.

 

It looked like lemon pie filling, too.👎

[fabby50]

I am generally disappointed in shipboard desserts - always seem like more air than quality ingredients.  The only place I've gotten anything I enjoyed was in the additional cost restaurants and even that is iffy.  OH WELL, I don't need the calories anyway 🙂

[CineGraphic]

We first had the key lime pie in a jar on the Caribbean Princess in the Planks BBQ venue set up in the rear of the buffet. The "pie was the only redeeming factor of the meal. The bbq was "meh". My guess is that they were simply reheating commercially made bbq products since they can't have a real smoker on board.

[station10fd]

A little brisk this morning, but amazingly beautiful!

[LawDog61]

Great reporting Herb.  Please keep it up……and thanks.

[Jean OR]

I found another advantage of there being fewer passengers.  I had already booked 1.00 pm train ride and went to Excursion desk around 7:30 this morning and added on the coach trip around town.  We like afternoons on the train as it’s often foggy in the morning, like it is today.

[c-boy]

20 minutes ago, station10fd said:

A little brisk this morning, but amazingly beautiful!

reminds me of home 

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, geoherb said:

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is. 

 

 

 

I have sent it back with a complaint (didn't get what was indicated and as dish was).

[Steelers36]

8 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I can see how tonight‘s version would be really disappointing to you. I wonder if someone just didn’t know what they were doing? Order it again and maybe, just maybe it will be made correctly.

They will have been made en masse and you would just get the same thing over again until they had to make more and perhaps/maybe it might be better if a different chef/baker made it.

[CruzeQueen2]

11 hours ago, geoherb said:

Silversea's Silver Muse sailed in as I was enjoying the sushi tonight in the evening cocktail event. I only had a few pieces and none of the cheese and crackers. 

 

Tonight is a trivia night. I won the Klondike trivia with a couple I met earlier in the dining room. I let them take the bottle of champagne. I joined one of my regular teammates and a couple for the geographical trivia. We placed second. A woman playing solo won it.

 

Dinner tonight was very good. I sat beside a couple from Cary--about 15 miles from my home in Raleigh. I ate what I had picked out ahead of time. It's great to see the menus on TV. 

 

Self-serve? Tell me it isn't so!

[CruzeQueen2]

9 hours ago, geoherb said:

It's amazing how the chefs on two ships are supposedly following the same corporate recipes and yet come up with two totally different dishes. I ordered the key lime pie tonight after the fountain show. Room service delivered it in 30 minutes. It was a major disappointment. I would describe the Majestic's version as a key lime pudding. I don't think they used the condensed milk and egg yolks that a traditional key lime pie has. The crust was absent as well. It was just a little jar with key lime pudding, a dollop of white stuff, and a thin sliver of white chocolate. 

 

The top photo is tonight's blah version, the second photo is from the Caribbean Princess in December 2019, and the third photo is how it's pictured on the TV room service menu. The stuff at the bottom of the jar is the graham cracker crust (totally missing tonight). The topping was real whipped cream and not white fluff. 

 

Anyone receiving what I got tonight would wonder why I rhapsodized about how wonderful this dessert is. 

 

I was also very impressed with the chef and his team on the Caribbean P in 2019. Those were the good ole' days, for sure. Every bite amazing in all venues.

[TinaLee]

3 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The name of the dish--key lime pie verrine--means key lime pie baked in a glass container. Verrine is just the French word for the individual serving glass container used for such dishes. The version on the Caribbean Princess tasted like key lime pie and had the right creamy consistency. Last night's version reminded me of canned lemon pie filling--something sweet and tart made with a cornstarch thickener.

 

Perhaps the chefs on the Majestic ran out of condensed milk. Someone else mentioned last night how bad the regular milk tasted on this ship. He said it tasted like it came from aseptic packaging. 

 

So far, the pastry chefs on the Majestic have struck out two out of three times with my memories of desserts on previous cruises. Only the chocolate journey dessert the other night tasted as good as I've had on previous cruises. The flourless chocolate cake and key lime pie were flops.

 

 

My husband, 50+ years as a baker/pastry chef confirms that what you have here is indeed lemon meringue pie filling in a jar, not key lime pie in any way, shape or form. He says they should turn in their  toques in shame! Sorry you had this miserable excuse for a dessert you love. 😞 

[CruzeQueen2]

Here's a thought...only a suggestion. How about passing along your comment about this specific dessert directly to the chef, or kitchen at least. Crew chat? I read on previous threads that the comment cards are no longer available at the passenger service desk. Since you still have a few days left in your cruise, maybe, maybe, you will get an improved and more satisfactory product in a day to two? Just an idea. Would love to know if this yields any change.

Personally I have never ordered the key lime pie onboard, however, from your photos, I agree that it looks like lemon pie filling, the mass produced kind. 

Good luck! Looking forward to see if any change occurs. Enjoy the remaining days  you have on this sailing. Have you tried any profiteroles at the IC? Those were a favourite of mine.🤭

[XBGuy]

This question popped into my mind, this morning.  I don't think I have seen this discussed in any of the recent "Live From. . . ." threads.

 

Since it appears that the My Way Dining system can accommodate reservations for any venue, is the DINE line still available?

 

I can see where Princess would hope that the My Way Dining system would be sufficiently efficient and could replace the live humans manning the DINE line.