Wining and dining on the oh so gorgeous Grandeur!

[kjbacon]

After many obstacles, we are happily on board this beautiful ship. Our first impressions are almost all positive with many improvements over the Explorer and the Splendor. One exception is the outdoor seating in La Veranda, we prefer the set up in the Splendor.

 

So, here it is … the Egg!

 

Lunch in La Veranda was delicious and I loved the presentation of the shrimp cocktail.

 

The prime rib was very good as was the butter chicken and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus/hearts of palm. Quiche was just ok.

 

And lastly for now, we passed the Icon of the Seas on our way in. You couldn’t pay me to sail that ship lol look how it dwarfs the NCL Pearl.

 

Everyone, feel free to chime in and join in the fun!

[CJANDH]

Have a great trip. Looking forward to any observations you can find the time to share wit us. We board Grandeur in June for a Greek Isles cruise. Anticipation!!!!

[GMIAC]

Enjoy your cruise. Grandeur is quite a special ship.

 

Lots of people may love it, but I think that Icon is vulgar.

Edited January 26 by GMIAC

[kjbacon]

Last night, we had happy hour in the Observation lounge. The lounge is beautiful with several style changes from Splendor and Explorer, some we liked better than others. The service was very good, little or no waiting for drinks and snacks. The Asian Beef Salad was very good and nicely presented!

 

Dinner was in Chartreuse and it was very good. Appetizers were Mushroom Veloute Soup, composed tableside, and the Beef Tartare with Caviar. Both were amazing!

 

 

Main courses were the Seared Duck Breast and the Rack of Lamb. The lamb was the better dish by far but I thought the presentation could have been better.

 

 

For dessert, we split the cheese tray and it was only ok, especially when compared to the cheese cart from before.

 

They did bring a tray of assorted sweets to choose from and it was amazing!!

 

It was a lovely first night! Today is a sea day and the first in the speaker series about Central America.

[Mudhen]

Those poor little lamb chops.....all dressed up in their pretty coats and......well, what happened to their buds? (giggle!) Must agree presentation is poor.......

[Nachosdelux]

if you have not tried the apple tart at Chartreuse, you are missing out!

 

quite possibly the best desert I have ever had.

[cruisevirgin24]

4 hours ago, Nachosdelux said:

if you have not tried the apple tart at Chartreuse, you are missing out!

 

quite possibly the best desert I have ever had.

Thank you for the recommendation,  I will try the tarte tonight - Chartreuse booked for tonight.

Edited January 27 by cruisevirgin24

[cruisevirgin24]

We are first time cruisers. Standing on deck last night as we left Miami, champagne in hand, planes overhead, orchestra playing, we asked ourselves why we had never done this before!

[kjbacon]

If you’re anything like me, you wake up many a morning and think that you’ll try to behave a little better. Then you walk into LaVeranda and this happens.

 

What can be done when it’s Saturday Mary’s?

 

We did the only thing we could do …

[GMIAC]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

If you’re anything like me, you wake up many a morning and think that you’ll try to behave a little better. Then you walk into LaVeranda and this happens.

 

Tomatoes are an excellent source of healthy lycopene. 

[fdnycruiser]

4 hours ago, cruisevirgin24 said:

We are first time cruisers. Standing on deck last night as we left Miami, champagne in hand, planes overhead, orchestra playing, we asked ourselves why we had never done this before!

 You’re hooked already!  On Regent no less . Enjoy every single day of your cruise, as well as the many, many more to come !

[kjbacon]

Our sea day was very nice and relaxing  yesterday. We did enjoy a few activities but we also enjoyed the hot tub and the sunshine. The quiet area outside the spa on deck 5 is especially nice.

 

A wine tasting in the beautiful atrium was a lot of fun.

 

Our dinner in Prime 7 was excellent and we found the redesign to be one of the best improvements yet. We were actually quite disappointed in the redesigned Chartreuse but Prime 7 has a wonderful open feel, comfortable but sleek, with a bit of an art deco theme. I should note that service was very good in both restaurants.

 

The tomato soup with blue cheese foam amuse bouche is still a scrumptious smoky bite.

 

Our first courses were the Harvest Salad and the small plate lamb chops. Both were close to perfect.

 

 

Even though it’s a steakhouse, they also have delicious seafood and after a couple days of serious eating, lighter main courses called to us. We had the Seafood Plateau, served chilled, and the Seafood Sampler, served hot. Both delicious!

 

 

Today is snorkeling in Grand Cayman and then locked in the cabin for the playoffs 🏈 and room service. 

[Mudhen]

mmmmmmm! Is there more to say?!!!!

[sassyw]

Who is the maitre'd in Compass Rose???

[kjbacon]

Regent, what to do with you? I woke up with the very best of intentions, at least for breakfast and lunch. Walked into La Veranda and this happened.

 

They are making this too hard!!!!

 

@sassyw I will check for you.

[warmwater]

Boarding on Feb 27. Thanks for the pics - can't wait to go!

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, sassyw said:

Who is the maitre'd in Compass Rose???

 

The maître d' is Jorge

Edited January 28 by -Lew-

[CJANDH]

13 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

The maître d' is Jorge

Great!

[kjbacon]

Indeed yes, Lew is correct about Jorge. We had a very nice day stopping in Grand Cayman early and then watching the football playoffs in our jammies!

 

We did the Reef and Wreck Snorkel Tour, which I would’ve said was excellent, but a fellow passenger got injured disembarking the snorkel boat. While I was not watching what happened, I tend to think that the tour operators should be well prepared to prevent that serious of an injury. That aside, the snorkeling was fantastic at both sites in magnificently clear water teeming with a wide range of fish.

 

Here’s a comment that you don’t see very often on these boards … the Destination Services team is very friendly and helpful (whaaaat????) it’s true and they are doing a very good job. 
 

The included wines have been very good. We are partial to reds and especially the old world wines. There are several very nice bottles of Bordeaux and this one is very nice.

 

We had a delicious spread for our in cabin football playoff party.

 

 

And look, we ate lots of veggies so it was still a healthy meal! We had a lot of fun.

 

Today we stop in Cozumel just after lunch. We are really bouncing around this

morning. It’s windy and I think we are going faster than usual to make up for leaving Grand Cayman late. Our tour today is the chef led tequila vs mescal seminar with a taco tasting and if we can still walk, there is a Grand Deck Barbeque for dinner tonight under the stars. 

[lincslady]

If your Jorge is a good looking chap in his middle age from Portugal, you are really in luck.  The Jorge I remember from I think Silversea and Seabourn is a lovely man, who sorts things out with charm and wisdom.

[papaflamingo]

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

the Destination Services team is very friendly and helpful (whaaaat????) it’s true and they are doing a very good job. 
 

We were on the sailing before yours, LA to Miami and I have to agree wholeheartedly, we also found the Destinations Team to be great!   They deserve the recognition for sure. 

Edited January 29 by papaflamingo

[jeb_bud]

If you go to the Grand Barbecue maybe you can answer a question for me. On the LA to Miami cruise we had the barbecue, which was muy bueno. The corn on the cob was very tender and sweet but the first bite was a surprise as the corn was refrigerator cold. It was so cold it had to be on purpose. 
 

if you have the corn on the cob I’m curious if that’s the recipe and it’s always chilled. 

[kjbacon]

Another fabulous day and one that surprised us. We did not expect to like Cozumel as much as we did! It’s a beautiful place and the locals were warm, friendly, and welcoming. We also tried our first Chef Led shorex and we just loved it.

 

@lincslady yes, I believe we are talking about the same Jorge, handsome and charming as ever.

 

Our shorex was a Chef Led tequila and mescal tasting with tacos. Wow, what a great time with just the right balance of fun and learning. And in fact, @jeb_bud we had too much fun to go back out to the bbq!

 

We really enjoyed the spot where the seminar was held.

 

Did you know that tequila is intended to be sipped and not to be done in shots? And that it should be served in an actual tequila glass and not a shot glass? We didn’t know either!

 

We had the most delicious authentic tacos that we’ve ever tasted. We learned how to make corn tortillas by hand.

 

 

The homemade salsas and hot sauces were delicious. You can see two of the darker tequilas we sampled on the cart.

 

We were pleasantly full and yes, a little buzzed, so we stayed in and enjoyed a seriously delicious orecchiette with broccoli and anchovies from Compass Rose room service.

 

Today, Costa Maya and another Chef Led shorex!

[papaflamingo]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

Did you know that tequila is intended to be sipped and not to be done in shots? And that it should be served in an actual tequila glass and not a shot glass? We didn’t know either!

We were on Grandeur for the LA to Miami cruise (really miss it and it's only been a week).  In Cabo San Lucas we did a shore excursion that went to a nice restaurant and we had an outstanding tequila tasting experience.  The tequila "sommelier" was fascinating, but we also learned that tequila is best sipped and paired with foods.  We had 3 different levels of tequila, each paired with a specific food, ceviche, a wonderful taco, and outstanding chocolate desert.  When we took a bite of food and a sip of tequila,...WOW!  😎

[Whinenowine]

10 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Did you know that tequila is intended to be sipped and not to be done in shots? And that it should be served in an actual tequila glass and not a shot glass? We didn’t know either!

 

I was lucky that in my late 20's one of my childhood friends married a woman from Jalisco state in Mexico--the heart of tequila country.  The wedding was outside of Guadalajara and the bride's uncle introduced us all to sipping tequila (after he chastised us all for shooting the first pour!).  Ah...good times. 🥂