Live from The Beyond, March 5th to 12th

[DaKahuna]

7 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

Possibly my Husband's Lifetime Titanium Elite status might be the reason. He managed to accumulate lots of Marriott points (and United miles) during his pre-retirement career. 

 The same here with regard to Marriott lifetime status. I also have a lot of United miles.  I use to use them for upgrades but not so much anymore. 
 

[Moochi]

Ha I have never shared our cabin door decoration here. It says Happy St Practice Day, because this cruise is the practice for St Patrick’s Day!

 

 

 

It is a very slow day today. Husband feels a lot better from the steak incident yesterday but we want to take it easy. We spent most of the day in Retreat Lounge playing a card game called Gloom. The goal of the game is to make your characters suffer and earn negative points (yes a bit sad and sick minded). Whoever has the lowest points wins. We had a lot of fun sabotaging each other’s characters.

 

 

 

During the card game, husband had a little too much to drink. Maybe he wanted to drink the sorrow of losing the game away, or to catch up what he missed yesterday.  When we went to Luminae for dinner, I told him he was allowed only one glass of wine. He was doing a fine job drinking slowly and sip on water, until the sommelier offered a glass of 20 year tawny port with his chocolate ganache. Sure they were perfect fit along with double shots of espresso. What can I say? Hubby got his liquid dessert.

 

After dinner, we stopped by World Class Bar for a to go drink for the show. My dear husband asked for a double Don Julio reposado before I could stop him. As soon as we sat down at the theater, our favorite crew from the Retreat Lounge showed up magically and gave hubby his favorite drink, Rusty Nail. Geez they are gonna get him into trouble.

 

By the way, if you see TJ Tana on the daily, do not miss it! His illusion show was hilarious and mind blowing. 
 

We finished our day by chatting with new and (not so) old friends at World Class Bar.

 

Tomorrow we will dock at St Maarten. Hope we can get up early enough to do some liquor shopping before the afternoon excursion. 

[Moochi]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 The same here with regard to Marriott lifetime status. I also have a lot of United miles.  I use to use them for upgrades but not so much anymore. 
 

I use Chase credit cards so have lots of points to transfer to UA and Marriott. Recently I discovered it is a much better deal to use the points for Hyatt hotels. Wish I discovered that before booking the non-refundable Renaissance room. I could have gotten a room from a Hyatt brand hotel for 15,000 points at a more convenient location. 

[bluwes]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:32 PM, Ripheus said:

The work week before a cruise, or any vacation for that matter, is strange. There's so much excitement and anticipation...but we also have to work. 😭

 

The weather here in Northern Virginia has not made our wait any easier either. It was nearly 80 on Thursday. It snowed Saturday. And today was chilly and rainy. I work as a landscaper, so the ever changing weather likely affects my work schedule more than most people's. With the rain today and another inclement day likely later this week, I fully expect that I'll be doing a bit of work during the cruise. I think it will be a good experiment to see if I can make it work. 

 

DW works in an office and will, fortunately, not need to bring any work with her. 

 

Now DW and I are back to acclimating our livers to cruise life....

Is you lovely dog a Coton De Tulear ??

[Moochi]

1 hour ago, bluwes said:

Is you lovely dog a Coton De Tulear ??

Yes. And we have two of them!

[bluwes]

1 minute ago, Moochi said:

Yes. And we have two of them!

We have just the one. He looks just like yours They are quite a rare  breed in the UK and we are always getting stopped and asked about him.

[Moochi]

5 hours ago, bluwes said:

We have just the one. He looks just like yours They are quite a rare  breed in the UK and we are always getting stopped and asked about him.

It isn’t popular in the US either. I normally get asked if they were Maltese or Bichon. When I explained they are Coton de Tulear, people ask, Coton what? I have been introducing this lovely breed to everyone who asked. Happy to find another Coton parent here!

[Cruise a holic]

While not by the pier, we love the Riverside Hotel on Las olas Blvd.  So many restaurants , galleries and shops on las olas blvd- the hotel itself offers a few very good restaurants- one with a robot bringing your order!  They have a pool, gym and bars some with happy hour discounts,  along with great service.  If you book the historic wing cheaper then the new tower.  I don't understand why some people want to be very near the port as nobody walks their-  It takes about 15 minutes from las Olas by uber to the pier and it is so worth it.  We previously stayed at hotel that we saw the cruise ships previously, but it was in an area that didn't appear very safe to me so we couldn't walk around. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[Ripheus]

Back to posting after a little hiatus...

 

Yesterday, in St. Maarten, we had an eventful day. We started at Luminae for Breakfast with DW having the potato pancakes and an almond croissant. I had a chocolate croissant and 2 orders of hashbrowns and 2 orders of bacon. It was a perfect way to start the day. 

 

After breakfast, we made our way to Phillipsburg via the water taxi. We wandered around until we found Gulmohars. We picked up a couple of bottles of rum and a bottle of Woodford Master's Collection. They said they'd send it back to the ship. (We inquired this morning to make sure it arrived.) Then we went back to the ship and found that nothing was open for lunch. Our lovely butler, Simi, arranged for us to quickly get room service. And we made our way to our afternoon excursion...a bus tour around St. Maarten. 

 

During honeymoon #1, we did this same tour. It was fantastic then, but even better this time around. We were especially looking forward to the stop in Marigot. There's a little liquor store there called Bacchus. When the bus arrived, it was around 1:20 and we were supposed to leave at 2:05. Unfortunately, the store is closed between 1 and 2 everyday. But after much consternation and maybe a couple of drinks at the bar nextdoor, we were able to get inside at 2pm on the dot. We shot to the back (well, DW did...I slowly ambled) and found what we came all this way to get: Chartreuse! We picked up a bottle of VEP Yellow and a bottle of 9th Centenary. A bottle of Goslings Old Rum Family Reserve also caught my eye, so we picked that up as well. We were back on the bus at 2:07 and back on our way. 

 

When we arrived back in the room, we found a bottle of Veuve Cliqot Rich Rose. A special treat for our honeymoon #2. It was delicious and refreshing after a hot day in the sun. 

 

Next up was dinner at Eden. It is a beautiful venue with beautiful food. We were seated directly across from the kitchen and got to see how they put together all the dishes. It was like its own little show. We made a mistake by ordering way too many appetizers. DW had the crab cake and the shrimp. I had the gnocchi and the beef tandoori. The waitress also brought us the risotto. All were great, but the gnocchi and the crab cake were especially divine. For mains, DW had the lobster casserole, and I had the filet and mini wellington. The lobster was very tasty, except for 2 pieces that were undercooked. The filet was perfect. The wellington didn't quite hit home. I'm not sure that short rib is the best choice for a wellington. For dessert, DW had the lemon tart, and I had the Azteca Chocolate pie. Again, both were very tasty...but we had no room left! Just when we thought we were done and had nothing left to eat, 3 sets of petite fours showed up. Fortunately, they sympathized with our plight and wrapped these to go. 

 

I discovered when we got up that my foot was back to extreme pain. It took me about 35 minutes to get from Eden back to the room. We had planned on going out to WCB for a couple of drinks and maybe to the Martini bar, but I was hurting more than a bit and was, admittedly, more than a bit tired and cranky. DW was disappointed, but we both decided to call it a night. 

 

 

 

 

[Ripheus]

Today, my foot is thankfully feeling a bit better. 

 

We started the day at Luminae again, with the same breakfast. Then we tried the Sea Thermal Spa for the first time this trip. It was very relaxing. We may make our way there again later or tomorrow. 

 

Then we got off the ship for a bit in St. Thomas and the adventure began. A very kind taxi dispatcher found us a ride. Unfortunately, it was a public bus and not going exactly near where we were planning on going. DW was not happy. We eventually got off the bus and found a taxi. We made it to our destination, Leatherback Brewing, in just a few more minutes. After 5 beers between us, we're going to be headed back to the ship shortly. 

[DaKahuna]

@Ripheus So sorry to hear that you are continuing to experience issues with your foot.  I know all to well how aches and pains can put a damper on the enjoyment of a cruise.  Here's hoping that it will quickly resolve itself and you'll not have to cut your enjoyment, especially visits to various bars, short again. 

 

[Ripheus]

I'm really bad at keeping up with this post, but I'm getting better and better at enjoying the cruise life. 

 

I have a lot to catch you all up on: the rest of Thursday, our day in Puerto Plata on Friday, and what we have in store for the remainder of this trip. 

 

There will also be a short review and my thoughts on the various plantings I've seen aboard. 

[Ripheus]

To whet the appetite (for better pictures) a bit, here's a pic from our room:

[Ripheus]

Okay, back to the task at hand. Thursday, we had a 5:30pm reservation for Le Voyage. We loved it. It was by far the best dinner experience I've had all week. The service was attentive. The appetizers, entrees, and desserts were all very well thought through and delicious. Even the Brea was fantastic. 

 

DW had the tamarind and peanut crusted prawns. I had the Alaskan king crab salad, minus the avocado. Both were home runs. The crab salad was chock full of crab and had a satisfying crunch. The prawns were tasty too and just bursting with flavor. Additionally, we shared the onion tart appetizer. While it wasn't the home run the other dishes were, it was still quite flavorful. In fact, the onion was perfectly seasoned and delightfully tender. But the tart didn't exactly match the flavor of the onion. 

 

For mains, DW had the lobster casserole. I had the filet. Here again, we thought they hit it out of park. The lobster casserole was perfectly cooked; I never knew that filet could have so much flavor. 

 

For dessert, DW had the Sauerkirsche black Forest cake. I had the Coupe cafe. If you, for whatever reason, only get dessert at Le Voyage, get these two. They were accompanied by Madelinnes and petite fours. 

 

One are where Le Voyage does not shine is its cocktails. After dinner, we shared the Rye Compass and the Rum Voyage. Neither was particularly good.  Perhaps that's why you can't find them on a menu anywhere other than right here. 

 

Overall score: 47/10. 

 

[Moochi]

Although mostly everything on the ship has been perfect, I think our room attendant is, or I would rather think he is, in training. He never stopped by to introduce himself. Cool. I can be anti-social so it’s perfectly fine with me, although my husband likes to chat a bit with the lovely people taking care of us. The first full day, when we came back from the breakfast, the room wasn’t cleaned. Completely understandable because he had more than just our room to take care of. We went to Retreat Lounge to leave the room to him. Came back and the room was not done. Husband was really tired so he put up the DJ not disturb sign and napped for about hour and half. We left and again stoped by the room a few times to change but the room was not cleaned. I was a bit annoyed but didn’t want to make it a big deal especially on day one. Because, one, with all the recent changes, I’m not sure if we still get housekeeping twice a day; two, we didn’t need clean towels to shower at that point, so it was just an appearance thing. Finally I met our butler in the hallway on my way to dinner at 18:30 and asked about the housekeeping schedule. I was told that by the time the “do not disturb” sign was taken down from our door, the room attendant was already on his break. Okay that makes sense. Wish we would know that so we will not occupy the room during his entire morning shift. Finally our room was cleaned when the turndown service happened during our dinner time.

 

On day 5, our butler Simi, put the welcome bottle of bubbly that we didn’t drink on day 1 back in the ice bucket. We each had a glass and planned to finish it after dinner. When we came back from dinner, the turndown service happened and our bubbly was gone! That was a bit of “oh hell no” moment for me. No alcohol shall go down the drain. I kept the comments to myself, because I was hoping that bottle would show up the next day for us to continue to enjoy.

 

It did not.

 

Not only my bottle of rose prosecco was forever gone, the almond croissant I left in the room on day 6 to enjoy after the long excursion was gone too. 

 

What else can go wrong? There’s a set of silverware on the little coffee table on the balcony since day 4. It is day 7 and it’s still there. I know it’s pathetic that I’m watching when it will be taken away, while I can simply just bring the set back in the room. When many little unusual things happens with housekeeping, we started to think that we have a room attendant in training that needs a bit more time to become excellent.
 

Today when I brought another almond croissant to save for afternoon snack, my husband left a note so it’s not thrown away again. The note worked. See? The room attendant is already getting better. 

[Ripheus]

Here's a couple of pics from our thermal spa/sun deck day...

IMG_2357.HEIC

[Ripheus]

Onto to Friday...

 

For our last port day, in Puerta Plata, we booked a 5.5 hour tour called, "The Best of Puerta Plata." It was a pretty good tour. We went to Ron Macroix distillery. They were very generous with their tastings. I think we each had about 9 mostly full shots of their various rums. DW and I both really enjoyed the 8 year rum, so we picked up a bottle before we left, along with a shot glass to add to the collection. Next up was lunch at a garden/musical conservatory/ballet school. It was a lovely compound and the food wasn't bad either. Then we found ourselves back on the bus for a short jaunt down toward the city center. We went to a chocolate store for a tasting and walked the streets to the city square. We saw pink street (and a monkey!) Then was the cathedral, which was beautiful. I picked up a rosary for my brother. Next up was a brief stop at a souvenir store where we tried yet another variation of mamajuana. Then we were back on the bus for a short trip to La Aurora cigar museum. I think this was the most interesting part of the tour, for me and everyone else (save for the pregnant woman!) We learned about the cigar making process, saw them make a few, tasted the fruit of their labor, and a few even got to make their own cigars. We unsurprisingly ended this portion in the gift shop for yet another rum tasting and cigar buying. For those wondering, prices are not significantly lower than in the States. At this point, many of us were in varied states of drunk, exhausted, hot, nicotine-rushed, parched, annoyed, and/or worried about making it back to the ship on time. So the guide (Rambo), wisely I think, made the tour around the fort a drive-by and promptly returned us to the port. This is a fun tour, but bring plenty of water and liquid IV. 

 

Overall score: 27/10

[BecciBoo]

16 hours ago, Moochi said:

The room attendant is already getting better. 

Maybe but I'd have visited with the Loyalty Ambassador and asked for a comparable bottle of Prosseco which you are now entitled to.

[DaKahuna]

@Ripheus & @Moochi You guys were supposed to bring some of that warm weather home w? th you?  What happened -- it it snowing here in NOVA.  Thank goodness the tempreatures are in the high 30's so it's not sticking but still, I was expecting sunshine, clear skies, and warm weather.  My fishing rods are feeling lonely! 

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Love your posts and pictures. Thank you!

[Ripheus]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

@Ripheus & @Moochi You guys were supposed to bring some of that warm weather home w? th you?  What happened -- it it snowing here in NOVA.  Thank goodness the tempreatures are in the high 30's so it's not sticking but still, I was expecting sunshine, clear skies, and warm weather.  My fishing rods are feeling lonely! 

 

I know. 😭😭😭

 

We got home and 10 minutes later it was snowing. Hopefully, I won't have to go into work later to treat my clients' properties. 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Ripheus said:

 

We got home and 10 minutes later it was snowing. Hopefully, I won't have to go into work later to treat my clients' properties. 

 

 It's not cold enough to stick so should not cause you a problem.  

 I wanted to go fishing but looks like the weather is still uncooperative.  It's been either too windy or too cold or both.  Hurry up spring! 

 

[Moochi]

Now we are back in northern Virginia. Let's rank the bars that we have visited. I’m scoring the bars by their cocktail menu, drink quality, and variety of ingredients.

Disclaimer: this is just my personal and very biased opinion. My favorite types of drinks are old fashioned riffs, martinis, and highballs when I need to slow down. I normally don’t drink cocktails with citrus juice because they can give me heartburn.

We both have different ways of judging the drink quality of a bar, especially where we have to pay for each drink. If the first drink is meh, we stick with beers or wines straight from a bottle or tap. 

My husband’s way is by ordering a Rusty Nail. It’s a very simple cocktail with only three ingredients - Drambuie, scotch, and ice. It’s hard to screw it up, because even if the proportions are a bit off, the drink is still tasty, so most likely he won’t pay for a terrible drink. But it does take the right technique and a great scotch to make a very tasty Rusty Nail.

 

I used to judge a bar by their Manhattans. It is less forgiving than a Rusty Nail. It requires a good higher proof rye, a top shelf sweet vermouth that doesn’t have dust on the bottle (so it’s not open and sitting on the shelf for more than a few weeks), the dark cherry, right amount of dilution, and proper glassware. After paying for and drinking so many terrible Manhattans at local bars and restaurants, I have changed my strategy. I order a drink off the menu, sit at the bar and watch the bartender work. 
 

So, here’s our opinion.

 

BEST KEPT SECRET

Craft Social.
The specialty cocktails at the bar look interesting, but some are unbalanced with too many sweet ingredients. I can’t balm the bartenders for that because they probably didn’t develop the menu drinks. The bar has the largest beer selection on the ship, but not many dark beers. There is a good selection of different spirits and probably best variety of whiskies among all bars. We met the awesome bartender Nemanja on day one and his drinks never disappoint! He has great technique and knowledge about beers and cocktails. When it was not busy their, we had a great discussion about the beer and spirits selection at his bar. 

 

 

GREAT BARS

World Class Bar.

Everyone talks about WCB so we were super excited to try it. Yes the Zacapa Old Fashioned was fantastic. Banana Republic, Highlander, and Above the Clouds are a few of our favorites that we ordered multiple times. Ilyas was our go to bartender. Watching him making drinks was so refreshing. He builds 4 drinks at a time, works faster than a robot and still takes his time to make sure each drink is made properly. I believe WCB is also the only bar has big ice cubes and smoking guns (just realized Eden has a smoking gun also). Why it’s not the best bar on the ship? One, the secret is out and the place is always packed. I blame all of you for it! Two, the bar is either partnered with or supplied by Diageo, so they have limited spirits and can’t borrow ingredients from other bars.

 

 

PRETTY GOOD BARS

Eden Bar. We were very excited about Eden Bar as well. They have the most interesting and original drinks on the menu. The Earth is very tasty and I want to recreate it at home. Other drinks are solid. Husband liked his Old Fashioned and was very happy they had Don Julio 1942. The presentation of their menu items are great. Each has its own glassware. What made us taken out a few points? One, it is super crowded before and during show time. I mean, there isn’t even standing room. Even to order a drink to go, I would have to push through 183 people standing in front of me. Two, it’s located all the way to the back of the ship. My limping husband didn’t want to walk that far when Social Craft and WCB are much closer. Yes, yes, things are getting very personal here.

 

Le Grand Bistro

It’s not a bar but this specialty restaurant does have its own cocktail menu. Although we are not a huge fan of their food (check out the story that hubby got ill), their cocktails are pretty good. We tried two cocktails while having lunch there. L’Apertif looks like a fun French twist on Aperol Spritz. Champs-Elysees is a French classic. Although there is lemon juice in it, when I see Chartreuse, I order it. Both drinks are great. If you have a chance to dine in LGB, please consider trying their cocktails. Cons: the only time we went there, the service was not good; and you can’t order drinks without eating there. 
 

 

 

 

[Moochi]

8 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Maybe but I'd have visited with the Loyalty Ambassador and asked for a comparable bottle of Prosseco which you are now entitled to.

It was not an expensive bottle so we didn't request a replacement. We can just go to a bar and order something similar And we didn't want to get the room attendance into trouble. But he did lose some extra tips from us. 

[Moochi]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 It's not cold enough to stick so should not cause you a problem.  

 I wanted to go fishing but looks like the weather is still uncooperative.  It's been either too windy or too cold or both.  Hurry up spring! 

 

It has been warm! I haven't even taken out any winter jacket or UGG yet. The coldest a few days in December we were on Millennium.