Sea Dog Conducts: Symphony No. 1: Food Fantastique with the UDP “As if Live”

[Sea Dog]

35 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Tge

"The". Hate fat fingers typing on my iPhone.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

I do wonder what my blood alcohol content is in that tube.

😂😂😂

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

They also backed up the main headline singer who flew in the day of and they had just one rehearsal.

This always blows me away. It seems like the band and the headliner have been playing together for years. To be fair, they probably back up each headliner many times so it’s not brand new to them, but still. Truly professional to be able to play music well that’s put in front of them. 

[bobmacliberty]

You’ve got me truly stumped Greg in terms of what will be your favorite restaurant. I started thinking maybe Chops when you talked about your love of a good steakhouse. But no rye?  Will the lack of a good rye Manhattan be enough to derail Chops?  I think I’m staying with CP 150 as my guess for now. 

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

This always blows me away. It seems like the band and the headliner have been playing together for years. To be fair, they probably back up each headliner many times so it’s not brand new to them, but still. Truly professional to be able to play music well that’s put in front of them. 

As a musician my whole life and a drummer I always find myself watching them and not the singer . I was watching him instead of the headliner, Jennifer Singer (yes that’s really her last name) and he was reading charts. He and the rest of the band nailed it. They obviously had the music before hand and rehearsed it thoroughly before she came onto the ship but still they only had one rehearsal with her. That’s impressive because you have to get used to a singers pace and timing.

 

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

You’ve got me truly stumped Greg in terms of what will be your favorite restaurant. I started thinking maybe Chops when you talked about your love of a good steakhouse. But no rye?  Will the lack of a good rye Manhattan be enough to derail Chops?  I think I’m staying with CP 150 as my guess for now. 

Stay tuned but I think you know me pretty well. 😉

[LATTELOVE]

23 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Movement 5: Chops, Carnivore Dreams, and the Classic Steakhouse

 

 

I love steakhouse and even better a good Filet Mignon. To me there is nothing better. I know some people have a love-hate relationship with Chops and it can vary day by day and ship by ship. I have never had a bad steak there but that's just my opinion.

 

 

The decor is classic steakhouse .Dark woods, leather chairs, dim lighting since the windows from Central Park let in natural sunlight. It hard for taking pictures but that’s ok, it's a classic steak house.

 

 

Leroy from Mauritius a country in South Africa by Matagascar presented us with our menus.

 

 

 

Linda ordered wine a Malbec Trumpeter. Very nice tasting.

 

 

I ordered a Manhattan cocktail which I normally do at a steakhouse. I was told we have "no rye."  Are you kidding? I know Chops uses the trellis bar for their cocktails but a classic Manhattan with Rye Whisky is a staple of most modern day steakhouses. Don Draper of “Mad Men” would be extremely disappointed as I was. I settled for an old fashioned which is also a staple of a good steakhouse.

 

 

 

Tuna Tar Tar was delicious over a bed of avocado . The tuna had a little kick to it with the Japanese wasabi but not overly powerful. tasted lovely.

 

 

Linda had the Beef Carpaccio. Rare charred beef, parmesan cheese, arugula with a truffle-mustard dressing. I've had it before and always enjoyed it.

 

 

Next up, a Goat Cheese Salad. I Love the combination of the fried warm goat cheese with the cool salad. The sweetness of the candied walnuts and thinly razor thin sliced apples added with

cranberries mixed with warm crispy goat cheese is a match that’s  better than the tinder app. 

 

 

They really crank out the food. Almost too fast for me but I’m sure a lot of people would like the faster pace so they can get to their evening shows 

 

 

The steak is simply seasoned with salt and pepper thyme and garlic. Olive oil is rubbed on which helps the steak have a seared outside and tender inside. After the seasoning the filet is rested for a small amount of time to let those spices settle in. but The key for added flavor is to ask for some melted butter and pour that over the steak. Cooked to perfection medium rare.

 

 

I love having them put the sauces on the side. Great for dipping. They had three sauces , Bearnaise

with green peppercorn and a Bordelaise with bone marrow .

 

 

For dessert I went with the Three Layer Red Velvet Cake. It was super moist and towering. This is a large dessert. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of espresso and you will be ready for the rest of the evening or bed.

 

 

 

Of corse I'm not ready for bed. Time for some bar hoping.

Wow, this is fantastic!

Love it.

[LATTELOVE]

10 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Day 5: Cozumel and Nachi Cocom

 

 

It's a beautiful morning when we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico.

 

 

And oh how I love sunrises.

 

 

Time to get moving and get off the ship for a day at Nachi Cocom.

 

 

 

Your daily mooring shots. No yells, no whistles today.

 

 

No Moorings were harmed in the taking of these pictures.

 

 

We headed to Nachi Cocom, a short 10 minute cab arise away from port $17 per taxi'

 

 

Nachi Cocom is an all inclusive resort.

For adults it’s $59 per person 

$45 for kids 12-15. per person

$19 for kids from 4-11 per person

Free for kids 3 and under

The deposit was made online for $24.

Reservations must be made online since the beach club limits the number of guests to 100.

 

 

 

The beach club also offers activities like snorkel, massage, banana boat rides and towels for an extra charge.

 

 

 

Wonderful clear water. 

 

 

 

Inflatable water lounger a great buy. The only kind of breathalyzer test I want to take. I do wonder what my blood alcohol content is in that tube.

 

Link for those interested:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SG6HGNC/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc

 

 

Only 50 guests today here as opposed to over 200 to 300 guest at Mr. Sanchez and Paradise Beach each. I counted only about 35.

 

Time for lunch

 

 

Food was incredible.

 

 

Loved their chips and guacamole.

 

 

Had the nachos with a layer of refried beans then Gouda cheese. Still had crunch to the chips thanks to being put in an oven stead of microwave.

 

 

Quesadillas with chicken and gouda were great

 

 

Dessert was a cheese cake and side of ice cream 

 

 

At 12:45 after being here for 3 hours it

started  raining and thundering but it was nice being in this covered pavilion. Rain lasted only 10 minutes and then it was back out in the sun. A great day a Nachi Cocom. I loved the laid back atmosphere with not a lot of people and great service.  We will be back that's for sure.

 

Great way to spend the day in Cozumel.

Nachi Cocom is a great place to visit.

Very relaxing.   

 

10 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

 

[Momof3gurlz]

@Sea Dog this is such a great review Greg, really well done.

 Maya Key and Nachi are now at the top of my list for the Bella cruise.  We’ve only done Paradise Beach in Cozumel but Nachi looks much more peaceful.  Of course that could change if a bunch of us Bella cruisers go!  In Roatan we did Little French Key, but it was a very long taxi ride there & back, we wouldn’t do it again.  
Looking forward to more and the big reveal of your favorite. 

[AlohaLivin]

Looks like a great time at Nachi Cocom! We are scheduled there for our next Cozumel visit. We gave up on Mr. Sanchos (the food and service had dropped like a rock across the last 4 years in our opinion). The food seems amazing based on your photos and descriptions. Definitely have extra faith in our choice now seeing your review!

Edited October 1, 2022 by AlohaLivin

[mcgore83]

Loving this review!  Thank you for sharing!

[Sea Dog]

Movement 6: Hibachi Stay For The Show , Eat The Food.

 

 

Tonights Unlimited Dining Package choice was the Hibachi. Here it's all about the show and not necessarily the food. With the UDP, the Hibachi is a $10 up charge. Why, I have no idea. We even asked the manager after dinner why there was a charge and he said no worry he would take care of it. They did take the charge off which was nice but we really did not have a problem with the charge as we just wanted to know why there was a up charge. The best answer I got from someone is that it is so popular they don't have enough room for all the people who want to come so the up charge acts as a deterrent. Now I really don't know if that is a fact or even the truth but that is what a staff member told me.

 

 

Now on to the show. We were seated and had to wait for the rest of table reservations to show up. When everyone was seated,  Shaun our hibachi chef introduced himself, took our orders and started his show.

 

 

 I don’t know how these guys keep up the energy doing the same routine night after night. They are good at what they do no doubt. In a lot of ways their comedy and jokes are all the same but I guess it has to be. They are on a tight schedule as the table turns over several times a night. No room for improve. Here is a couple of short video clips of his act.

 

 

Dinner consisted of, Egg Fried Rice, Salad, Beef Tenderloin, Lobster, and Chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

There was three sauces you could dip your food in. A ginger sauce for meat. A chili sauce for seafood and a teriyaki for chicken. I loved these sauces.

 

 

It was very good but most hibachi’s are all the same. Quality of the beef and seafood was excellent but here you mainly here for the entertainment. I had a good time and the meal was great but I have kind of been there and done that way too many times.

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

@Sea Dog this is such a great review Greg, really well done.

 Maya Key and Nachi are now at the top of my list for the Bella cruise.  We’ve only done Paradise Beach in Cozumel but Nachi looks much more peaceful.  Of course that could change if a bunch of us Bella cruisers go!  In Roatan we did Little French Key, but it was a very long taxi ride there & back, we wouldn’t do it again.  
Looking forward to more and the big reveal of your favorite. 

If you thought Little French Key was a long way definitely don’t do the most popular run to West Bay. Maya Key is certainly a safe, convenient excursion on Roatan. 
 

There are lots of other reasons why people have strong objections to Little French Key but I know there are also avid supporters. We have never been to Little French Key so can’t pass judgment one way or the other.

Nachi is certainly quieter than Paradise Beach (apples to oranges) and can be a relaxing change if you only have “older “ people in your group, who don’t need entertainment. We don’t  go too often on a cruise ship day because we don’t need AI, when we are on a ship, but go occasionally when staying on the island.

[George C]

I love habatchi will definitely do it multiple times on all cruises, very interesting on them dropping the extra ten which I agree makes no sense. 

[Sea Dog]

Headliner Jenifer Singer and the NightCaps

 

 

After Hibachi it was time to catch the headliner show in the Royal Theater. Tonight it was singer Jenifer Singer and yes that is actually her last name. She is a singer, actor, dancer, and songwriter and has experience performing with Equity theaters, cruise lines, and providing vocals for library music in the world of television, film, and radio. It's interesting in her resume that she was a back up singer for a very good friend of mine, R&B and Gospel Singer Oleta Adams. You might know her for her work with Tears for Fears and her hit single "Get Here" which was originally written by songwriter Brenda Russell. My how small the world is.

 

 

 

Here is some video of her singing. She has a great voice.

 

 

She put on a great show but as good as she was I was more impressed with the Royal house band that had only one rehearsal with her before this show. It shows how good these musicians are. Basically she flew in the day of the show came aboard, rehearsed with the band and then did her show. That's professionalism.

 

After the show it was Schooner Bar time with some real hits.

 

 

Rye and Rol.

Whistle Pig 1oz

Aperol  1oz

simple syrup 1/2 oz

Lemon juice 1/2oz

Simple syrup Takes the bitterness away from the Aperol. But almost too sweet

 

 

French 75. 

1.5 oz Hennessy

Sweet-n-Sour  Mix 1/2 oz

1/2oz Simple Syrup 

Champagne Top Off

Not a fan, Champagne just did not do it for me.

 

 

Pierre Collins

1.5 oz Cognac

1/2 oz. Chambord Black

.75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz. Simple syrup

Soda water on top

 

Pierre Collins was the winner tonight. A very good tasting cocktail. Time for bed it's a day at sea for us tomorrow.

 

 

[taznremmy]

@Sea Dog Here we go again….. 🤣decisions, decisions.  Right now I am leaning toward the Pierre Collins……

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

 we just wanted to know why there was a up charge. The best answer I got from someone is that it is so popular they don't have enough room for all the people who want to come so the up charge acts as a deterrent. Now I really don't know if that is a fact or even the truth but that is what a staff member told me.

 

Same lame reasoning they have been using since they started charging for Johnny Rocket's years ago.

[Sea Dog]

28 minutes ago, taznremmy said:

@Sea Dog Here we go again….. 🤣decisions, decisions.  Right now I am leaning toward the Pierre Collins……

So far the “New Old Fashioned” in the Schooner Bar is my favorite off the menu.

[c-leg5]

2 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

So far the “New Old Fashioned” in the Schooner Bar is my favorite off the menu.

Are the recipes from some official log, or do you watch them make every drink?

[Ozark_Kid]

15 hours ago, h20skibum said:

My Go to appetizer at Chops has always been the black pepper bacon.  I love it, and could make a meal out of just that.  

My favorite too.  I plan to have it in a couple weeks from now.

[Ozark_Kid]

3 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Maya Key and Nachi are now at the top of my list for the Bella cruise.  We’ve only done Paradise Beach in Cozumel but Nachi looks much more peaceful

I think you would love Nachi.  When visiting Cozumel we don't even consider a different place anymore. BTW, Greg post the massage ad.  Sharon and I went for it last time and started off with a half hour.   It was sooo good we had them extend it to an hour.  Very laid back place.

[A&L_Ont]

7 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Are the recipes from some official log, or do you watch them make every drink?

Jedi mind tricks.😉😂

[A&L_Ont]

9 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

It was very good but most hibachi’s are all the same. Quality of the beef and seafood was excellent but here you mainly here for the entertainment.

I miss this after 3 years of no sailings. I can’t wait to get back to dinner and a show. 

[Sea Dog]

9 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Are the recipes from some official log, or do you watch them make every drink?

 

It's a combination of things. one watching them make it and taking notes. I'll write down from the cocktail menu all the ingredients and then watch them make it. I can pretty much tell from the jigger they are using if it's an ounce or an ounce and a half of something. Using recipes I have found on line and then making them at home and tweaking them.  I also through a gift of a person on here at CC got the training manual for Royal Caribbean bartenders with the recipes of all their drinks. It's old and some of the drinks are not made anymore but I get a lot of the standard frozen drink recipes from there.

[Sea Dog]

Sea Dog's Day 6 At Sea

 

 

Johnny Rocket’s breakfast is the best kept secret on the ship. Never crowded, all made to order. A great fast hot breakfast. The menu:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh made to order breakfast including a variety of scrambles, eggs, French toast and pancakes.

 

 

 

I really liked the scrambles. We ate at JR on several mornings. The Veggies Scramble was really good and the the Works Scramble was just that and a little spicy. I highly recommend Johnny Rockets for a good breakfast.

 

After breakfast we went back to the Solarium. Again we were lucky to snag a day bed at the front of one of the open windows. I love the cool water pool that was just behind us with it's infinity wall. Today I met some very interesting people. That's what I love about being on a ship you meet all kinds of great people. First was Phil Gibson a singer from Boston who sings R&B and knows all the guys from one of my favorite bands Tower of Power. We talked music for a long time. Then I met long time DJ for Fort Wayne Indiana radio station whose dad was a long time radio DJ back in the 40 and 50’s. He's been to several hundred concerts and has a 45 rpm record collection in the thousands.

 

After a couple of hours of relaxation and some great conversation I changed and got my camera and went around the ship for a variety of photos.

 

 

Flowrider

 

 

Zip Line

 

 

Mini Golf

 

 

El Loco Fresh. We never did eat there. Seemed like there wasn't enough time or we were not hungry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seemed like a mess to me.

 

 

Pool deck was starting to get busy.

 

 

Somebody got a nose full of water.

 

 

Watches on sale. Some nice ones but I learned to check prices here before buying on a ship. You might get it cheaper through Amazon.

 

 

Duty Free offerings. No Blanton's 😥

 

 

 

 

 

Just because everybody takes a picture of the VW.

 

 

Bionic Bar novelty and a waste of space. Put in the Tiki Bar!!!!!!

 

 

Next Cruise. Looks some people were taking advantage of the low downpayment.

 

 

Time for bingo. I've never done this. I need to try.

 

 

Ice cream station always had a line. Something else I've never done.

 

 

My favorite place Central Park. Headed back to the cabin now to get ready for lunch.

 

 

Love the landscaping.

 

 

Art on the wall that always lets me know I'm on the right side (Starboard) of the ship to get to my cabin. Next up Lunch at Playmakers.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Sea Dog

[firefly333]

7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Sea Dog's Day 6 At Sea

 

 

Johnny Rocket’s breakfast is the best kept secret on the ship. Never crowded, all made to order. A great fast hot breakfast. The menu:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh made to order breakfast including a variety of scrambles, eggs, French toast and pancakes.

 

 

 

 

I really liked the scrambles. We ate at JR on several mornings. The Veggies Scramble was really good and the the Works Scramble was just that and a little spicy. I highly recommend Johnny Rockets for a good breakfast.

 

After breakfast we went back to the Solarium. Again we were lucky to snag a day bed at the front of one of the open windows. I love the cool water pool that was just behind us with it's infinity wall. Today I met some very interesting people. That's what I love about being on a ship you meet all kinds of great people. First was Phil Gibson a singer from Boston who sings R&B and knows all the guys from one of my favorite bands Tower of Power. We talked music for a long time. Then I met long time DJ for Fort Wayne Indiana radio station whose dad was a long time radio DJ back in the 40 and 50’s. He's been to several hundred concerts and has a 45 rpm record collection in the thousands.

 

After a couple of hours of relaxation and some great conversation I changed and got my camera and went around the ship for a variety of photos.

 

 

Flowrider

 

 

Zip Line

 

 

Mini Golf

 

 

El Loco Fresh. We never did eat there. Seemed like there wasn't enough time or we were not hungry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seemed like a mess to me.

 

 

Pool deck was starting to get busy.

 

 

Somebody got a nose full of water.

 

 

Watches on sale. Some nice ones but I learned to check prices here before buying on a ship. You might get it cheaper through Amazon.

 

 

Duty Free offerings. No Blanton's 😥

 

 

 

 

 

Just because everybody takes a picture of the VW.

 

 

Bionic Bar novelty and a waste of space. Put in the Tiki Bar!!!!!!

 

 

Next Cruise. Looks some people were taking advantage of the low downpayment.

 

 

Time for bingo. I've never done this. I need to try.

 

 

Ice cream station always had a line. Something else I've never done.

 

 

My favorite place Central Park. Headed back to the cabin now to get ready for lunch.

 

 

Love the landscaping.

 

 

Art on the wall that always lets me know I'm on the right side (Starboard) of the ship to get to my cabin. Next up Lunch at Playmakers.

 

 

 

 

I just looked at the menu for johnny rockets breakfast. Do they no longer have the hash browns with the onions and peppers that was a meal by itself? Maybe I'm missing it on the menu.