Cruising for Chocolate

"Nobody knows the truffles I’ve seen.” – George Lang

If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the stuff. Even when there’s so much other stuff to be had.

Luckily, the cruise ships oblige. The main dining room, specialty restaurants, buffets and cafés—they’re chock full of chocolate.

Some of the ships even go overboard. There was the chocolate buffet in Harmony of the Seas’ Windjammer at dinner. And the same ship had a chocolate fountain and dessert bar in the main dining room for lunch on sea days. The Regal Princess had the biggest surprise—a chocolate buffet at breakfast in Horizon Court on the last full day.

 

Going overboard? Chocolate buffet on Harmony of the Seas' Windjammer

Then there are the sheet cakes, the layer cakes, the puddings and cookies. Some are so-so, others are good and a few are positively memorable. Among the standouts:

The Bittersweet Chocolate Bourbon Tart at 150 Central Park outshines the Liquid Center Chocolate Cake at Chops Grille—both specialty restaurants on Oasis class ships. The chocolate tart with flaky crust, and cranberries and spiced pecans on top create an explosion of complex flavors.

It's bittersweet when you eat it and bittersweet when you finish it

Of the Norman Love desserts we had on the Regal and Royal Princess, the crème de la crème was the Chocolate Pistachio Dome—as wonderful to eat as it is to look at. Chocolate on the outside, chocolate, pistachio and cookie in the inside. Pure Heaven. Brings to mind Jane Seabrook’s quote:

“If there’s no chocolate in Heaven, I’m not going.”

While the dome is served in the main dining room, Love’s sweet masterpieces are sprinkled throughout Princess’ specialty restaurants, such as the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s.

 

A dome like any other, only on Princess

And while you’re on Princess, in case you haven’t had enough after the sheet cakes, layer cakes, pudding, cookies, breakfast buffet and Norman Love treats, there’s always the chocolate on your pillow.

Menu Driven: Doing the Specialty Dining Package on Allure of the Seas

After 20 Caribbean cruises, including three on Oasis class, we felt we’d done it all—and eaten it all.

So on our recent Allure of the Seas trip, we set out to find something new to do, driven by our longing for appealing food. The answer came in a package—a specialty dining package.

Why go specialty? For desserts like this from 150 Central Park

You might ask:

Why go specialty at all? In short, the food’s better than the main dining room (MDR). Way better. So is the service. And the ambience.

Is it right for me? Specialty dining is especially great for:

•          Veteran cruisers hungry to spice up their next trip
•          Foodies in search of better quality
•          Romantics looking for more intimate dining
•          Celebrants who want to commemorate an event

Why package it up? If you dine out one time, you pay top dollar. Chops Grille is now $49 a person. A dining package brings the price per meal down a lot. On Oasis class, you can get a three-, four- or five-night package. We did the five night at $115 a person, which brought the per meal price to $23.

How the package works:

Signing up

You can do it with your travel agent, or with Royal Caribbean on the phone or online before you leave or once you’re on the ship. Note: You’ll set a time for each meal, but you’re not locked in to it.

Plan your shows first. The cruise line won’t let you select a dining time that’s within two hours of your show. (Fyi, several of our meals went a full two hours.)

Chops Grille for steak on the Allure's Central Park

Making your dining choices

Once onboard, it’s like on land. There's actually quite a lot of flexibility. You choose where you want to eat on what day, in any of the restaurants and as many times as you want. You can even change the time if they have openings. (We were able to get just about any time, any place on any day.)  

You can make reservations on the same day you’re dining or in advance. They can be made at any restaurant in person, by phone or your stateroom TV. Note: One of your meals must be on night 1 or 2 of the trip.

A little bit of Italy at Giovanni's Table

There's even some flexibility with the menu. At Chops, diners next to us loaded up on multiple appetizers. At 150 Central Park, though there was no ice cream on the menu, the waiter brought us some from Chops.

Few more tidbits

•          Tips – They’re included in your overall trip gratuities
•          Drinks – What cost extra in the MDR cost extra in the restaurant
•          Dress – “Smart casual” (although diners tend to get more dressed up)

What’s the food really like?

Note first that taste is a subjective thing, and that quality can vary by who’s doing the cooking and by what you choose. That being said, here was my experience:

Chops Grille – The onion soup was very good. The 9 oz. filet mignon was cooked just right, and we were offered a choice of three flavorful sauces, as well as a number of potato and veggie side dish options. The “liquid center chocolate cake” was a small satisfying delicate cake, sort of like a sponge cake, but with deep chocolate flavor, and a mellow chocolate sauce poured over it with a scoop of ice cream and caramelized bananas on the side.

 

The filet mignon was hearty and tasty at Chops Grille

Giovanni’s Table – The osso buco was wonderful with a great taste and fork-tender. The filet mignon rivaled the one at Chops, and the meaty lasagna was also quite good. Desserts are typical Italian restaurant fare—tiramisu, cannelloni—as well as a few others. (If you’re a chocoholic, you’ll need to get dessert somewhere else.)

 

150 Central Park: intimate, romantic with stellar service too

150 Central Park – The food is continental-meets-nouvelle cuisine, but more continental than nouvelle. The squash soup was so velvety and sweet that I wanted to lick the bowl. The lobster gnocchi and short rib were also great, but the pièce de résistance was the chocolate bourbon tart. The fudgy inside was topped with spiced pecans, cranberry chutney and whipped cream, creating a bittersweet/sweet/spicy explosion of flavors. The place was also library-quiet and uber romantic, with its plush high back chairs and couches.

 

Smooth as silk, sweet as squash at 150 Central Park

Other specialty restaurants on Allure: Samba Grill (Brazilian steak house) Izumi (hibachi and sushi) and Sabor (Mexican).

The bottom line

If you want an overall better dining experience at the cost of—say, one excursion—consider a specialty dining package. It “beefed” up our cruise and will most likely do the same for you. 

Musing’s Top Tips: If you're thinking about a specialty dining package on an Oasis class cruise, check out Musing About Cruising's YouTube video to help you decide if it's right for you. Just click below and play:

Here’s another: For more easy planning and keeping track of your busy schedule, before leaving home, make a chart with separate columns for the shows, and where you’re dining and when. Also factor in the days in port and the hours you'll be there.

Note: All restaurant menus and prices are subject to change.

Oasis Lite: Review of Navigator of the Seas

Okay, perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch to call Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas “Oasis Lite.” But, particularly after the 2014 refurb, this Voyager class ship does share some of the same features that make it an alternative to its can-be-overwhelming Oasis of the Seas sibling. 

Here’s a bit of the similarities and differences:

On the spot. Oasis has three “neighborhoods” to Navigator’s one. What they both have in common is the Promenade, the ship’s hub and site for parades, the '70s theme party and other events. It’s also is the home of the only 24-hour nosh spot, the Promenade Café, with its free sandwiches and sweets.

On our Navigator trip, we admit to missing Oasis’ greeny oasis, Central Park. Also absent was the kids-friendly Boardwalk, with its full-size carousel, fun-house mirrors and candy shop.

On the move. Navigator emerged from its month-long dry dock with a FlowRider, the popular surf-making machine on Oasis. And like the bigger ship, Navigator has a rock-climbing wall, ice skating rink and miniature golf.

On your plate. The main dining room and Windjammer buffet fare is pretty much the same on both ships, and both have the Brasserie 30 and “Tutti” salad bar in the MDR on sea days. The bread stuffs on both ships were great—from the pumpkin seed-studded rolls to the breakfast breads with dried fruit and sugar sprinkles.

Navigator’s Windjammer had some surprises, such as a featured dish served up (somewhat oddly) front and center in the buffet’s entrance. One day it was bagels with flavored cream cheeses. Another, it was a massive fruit cobbler in just about the biggest pan you’ll ever see. The last night—I suppose to make parting less painful—the buffet sprouted fresh raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Oasis has some extra specialty restaurants. The for-a-fee eateries they share: Chops Grille (steak), Giovanni’s Table (Italian), Sabor (Mexican) and Izumi (Japanese). Both have a Ben and Jerry’s, and Starbucks, but on Navigator, they’re so small that you’ll miss them if you blink.

On the stage. No comparison here, sad to say. The one spectacular show they do both offer is the ice 
show, and what a show it is! (Though the actual production is different.) Continuously changing sets, elaborate costumes, and with many of the same jumps, twirls and whirls you’d see on land. On Oasis, you sign up online before the trip. On Navigator, you’re assigned a show by your muster station.

Beyond the ice show, only Oasis class ships have the eye-popping aqua shows and Broadway-quality musicals. Navigator has the typical cruise ship entertainment—comedian, singers and two production shows. As with most, the production shows were entertaining, but not memorable.

In the Plus Column

What else can you look forward to on Navigator? In the Windjammer, the wait staff roam, offering water/juice/ice tea at lunch and dinner, and sometimes, cookies, too…Because it’s smaller, finding a table in the buffet is easier, so is getting on and off the ship…its size allows it to go to more ports…it’s faster to learn your way around…balcony chairs recline, the night table has a closed drawer and the closet has a few shelves (you’ll find none of these on Oasis).

So, in short, if you’re not ready, willing or able for a trip on an Oasis ship, Navigator of the Seas is a good choice.

Musing’s Top Tip for Crown and Anchor Diamond Club members: Since the refurb, Royal has added a nice lounge to deck 14, behind a sea pass-required door to the right of the Cosmopolitan Club. During happy hours (4:30-8 p.m.), the lounge has hot and cold munchies, and many complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings. A particularly nice feature is that part of the lounge is outdoors with view of the sea (but, alas, also of the basketball course that’s in non-stop use).

What to Know Before You Go

You’ve done your shopping, planning and packing. But before you sit back and tick off the days, here are some things to know before you go:
 
First things first. Did you do your online check-in? How far in advance you need to do it varies by cruise line. We do it about six weeks before the trip. While you’re printing up your boarding pass, don’t forget to also do the luggage tags. You’ll need a color printer for these. And to staple them to your bags.


Signing a waiver is a must for climbing the walls
on Royal Caribbean ships

And did you…Sign up for shows (Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships), book the specialty restaurants you wanted to, sign the waivers that you need? (For Royal Caribbean, to use the zip line, FlowRider®, rock climbing and skating; you can sign them online up to three days before you leave.)

Carryon but don’t carry on. Most of the time, your luggage doesn’t show up at your stateroom right away. In fact, sometimes, it doesn’t even show up in time for dinner. So, you might want to slip something nicer than your shorts into your carryon. 


You'll need reservations for the Allure's
150 Central Park

When to bring your own. Even though the ships provide these, you might want to consider bringing your own blow dryer and shampoo. The ship blow dryers are usually substandard and the mass market cruise ships today are all going to shampoo dispensers in the shower.

Speaking of bringing your own, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Princess all let you bring a limited number of bottles of wine onboard. You can only drink them in your stateroom without incurring extra cost, but there’s nothing like sipping white wine on the balcony. You can get some nice wine bottle carriers with shoulder straps, which make toting them onto the ship a snap.  
 
All that baggage. When you get to the port, you’ll be surrendering all your suitcases except your carryon. Expect chaos. There are cabs, buses and cars converging in the same small place, trying to avoid creaming cruisers and each other. You’ll be directed to the drop-off, where baggage guys will take your suitcases off your hands and onto the ship.
 
Some of the cruise lines are offering fly/luggage programs, where they handle your luggage from flight to float, so you don’t even need to deal with it at all. There is a fee for this service.
 
Important: tip them. The baggage guys expect tips. The online forums are filled with horror stories of when people didn’t give them money or even when the amount fell short. Bottom line: if you want to see your stuff again, tip them and tip them enough.
 
Your passport to pleasure. Keep your passport handy when you get to the terminal. You’ll need to show it several times as you make your way to check-in. You will also need to present your boarding pass (what you print up during the online process) when you check in at the terminal.
 
In sickness and in health. A routine part of the check-in process these days is that you sign a form acknowledging that you don’t have any signs of sickness. What they’re really looking for is to keep norovirus from coming onboard with you.
 
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Speaking of norovirus, the best way to stay healthy during your trip is not to dodge the lady with the spray, and to also bring your own stuff. The bad germs can be spread via railings and banisters, elevator buttons, ladles in the buffet, salt and pepper shakers, the TV remote control, telephone, door knobs and I’m sure there are some I haven’t thought of. We bring our own wet wipes and sanitizer sprays and use them continuously throughout each day.

Two smiles and says cheese. You’ll have two photos at check in—one you must say yes to, and the other is up to you. The first is for your sea card, which is your ID card and credit card rolled into one. You can’t get on or off the ship without it.

The other photo is for the benefit of the ship’s photographer, who will nab you as you head toward the gangway. You can oblige him. Or duck him. The choice is yours.

 
Read the fine print. Every day, your room steward will leave you with a newsletter, which is full of info on the activities of the day. Read it closely. There are details on when to be back onboard after port, whether you need to reset your watch and how to dress for dinner. As well as the shows, the sales and the all-important drink of the day. And sometimes, even the best events onboard are buried in the fine print.
 
Well, now you know it all. What’s left? Check out the weather at your ports of call, use your free Ship Mate app to track your ship and…have a great trip!

Musing’s Top Tip: Check out the great article from Travel & Leisure on the best time to apply for a passport and what you can expect on wait times. For more on passports, see the posting “The One Thing You Absolutely Must Know Before You Cruise.”

 

 

What Gets Better as it Gets Older? Cruising.

Those of us who have been cruising for a while tend to look back wistfully at what’s gone out to sea—midnight buffets, five-course dinners, chocolates and cards on our pillows, little shampoo bottles and Q-tips.
 
But in many ways, cruising is better than ever. Consider this:
 
Bigger ships make a bigger bang. Think of all the bells and whistles that didn’t exist before. Like

Chicago on the high seas, via the Allure

more balcony rooms. 3D movies and bumper cars. Rock climbing and zip-lining. Broadway shows. Glass-blowing and cooking demos.
 
Ships come in all sizes. The cruise lines keep pumping ‘em out, large and small, and that’s only a good thing. Want to go to exotic ports and get to know your fellow travelers? A small ship’s for you. Surfing and skating is your thing and don’t mind sharing space with 5,399 other travelers? There’s one for you too.
 
Backstage is the new front stage. Once a word-of-mouth thing, galley tours, backstage tours and if you’re lucky, even bridge and engine room tours, are standard fare on today’s ships. Think of the useful tidbits you’ll walk away with—pounds of coffee consumed each day and how fast the ship goes at night.
 

Stainless steel galore on a Princess galley tour

The smoke out. We all breathe easier these days with smoking banned on most ships in most places. Even in those palaces of puffing—the casinos.
 
Ways to health. There are more and better ways to be healthy onboard, with well-equipped fitness centers and classes, jogging tracks and health-food style restaurants. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships and many Celebrity ships have no-cost healthy dining choices that, for the most part, are better than what they serve up in their MDR or buffet.
 


Hand wash reminder on
Celebrity's Constellation

Sanitation savvy. Alas, the cruise lines have had their share of experience with norovirus, which has made them pros at avoiding and containing it. Sanitizers are everywhere and Princess won’t let you near the buffet without a spray.
 
Safety takes center stage. There is no better time than now to cruise when it comes to safety. With the Concordia and engine room fires still fresh in everyone’s memory, the cruise lines are going out of their way to reassure the public that cruising is as safe as ever. There’s new attention to muster drills, installation of backup generators and other safety measures.
 
Steady and stable. The big new ships today are more stable than the ones that came before. There have been many improvements in design that have made them more solidly built. We’ve been amazed that we’ve felt very little movement onboard. In fact, after 16 trips, we’ve not used seasickness medication once.
 
More demand equals more fun. Demand for cruising—at least outside the U.S.—has been growing, encouraging the cruise lines to build more ships, each outdoing the next with fun features and other ways to entice and excite us, making cruising more intriguing than ever. And best yet--keeping costs on an even keel.

 

The Best and Worst of the Buffets

I have to admit, I love cruise ship buffets. But, I also hate them.
 
Or rather, I hate what they do to my self-control. But my spouse reassures me that anything I gain will come off in no time when we get home. So, we both leave the buffet stuffed and happy, and I always know he’s right.


Horizon Court

Whether you love or hate the buffets, they come in handy when you don’t want to dedicate up to two hours to the main dining room, get out of your shorts or rush back from port. So, here’s my take on the best and worst of some of them and why:
 
Food. Maybe not always the hottest and maybe not always the most appealing, but you can’t beat the variety. Overall, the buffet food isn’t hugely different from one cruise line to another. But there are the occasional surprises.
 
Often at dinner, you’ll see the same dishes as what’s in the main dining room. And while the presentation leaves much to be desired (think stainless steel steam tables vs. parsley garnishes and sauce swirls), you do get to see what the food looks like before getting it. Which is something you can’t do in the dining room.  


Windjammer's shrimp crackers

There are also many additional choices, and some of these can be damn good. In the Emerald and Caribbean Princess’ Horizon Court, for example, on Bavarian night, we feasted on Black Forest ham and landjaeger sausage, which is hard to find even on land. And other treats kept cropping up, like dried apricots and pine nuts. Or fresh papaya and smoked mackerel. One night, a crew member manned a table with an array of wonderful cheeses.

We’ve also had some dynamite Asian dishes in the Windjammer on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas that rival any neighborhood Chinese or Indian restaurant. Some of the desserts are terrific (and even better enhanced with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream), and brie makes a nightly appearance.

Celebrity’s Oceanview Café has a treat no one else has—hard ice cream in several flavors that change every day, complete with a choice of candy toppings.

Windjammer's carrot cake--before
the whipped cream

 
If with all the choices you still can’t find something to eat, there’s always the bread. From Princess’ chocolate croissants to RCI’s pumpkin seed rolls and sugar-sprinkled breakfast loaf to Celebrity’s multigrains, the breads on the mass market ships are more than adequate—they’re outstanding.  

Layout. While some of you might not agree, I think Celebrity’s Solstice Class ships have the best layout. Their food station kiosks are nicely spaced, reducing the gridlock you see on other ships, say, around the bacon. RCI’s Windjammer in the Oasis Class ships has a similar layout. 


Oceanview's ice cream bar

Probably the worst I’ve seen is on the Caribbean and Emerald Princess. The food is dished out from one very small area, and there’s only one way in and one way out, with a crew member monitoring the flow at both ends.
 
Recently on the Allure, during the peak lunchtime, we experienced a new concept in buffet crowd control. A line had formed just to get into the Windjammer. A crew member stood in front of the line and seated people as tables became available. This actually worked quite well. Few things are likely to spark spats between cruisers more than vying for a seat in the buffet.
 
Service. Princess is best when it comes to buffet service. It’s well staffed and the crew regularly brings drinks to the tables, as well as coffee refills. Contrast this with RCI’s Windjammer, where drinks are pre-filled and laid out cafeteria-style at the beverage counter. Want one without ice? You’ll have to ask for it.
 
Musing’s Top Tip: Like to late-night nosh? Princess keeps the buffet going on the Emerald and Caribbean until midnight. To know what theme night it is, check the Princess Patter.

Your Chance to Weigh In

Celebrity’s experimenting with some already-plated options in the buffet on one of its ships. Good idea or not—what do you think?
 
And, what’s the best food you’ve found in a buffet?