Maho Beach, St. Martin

Posted on November 18, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Breeze docked in Phillipsburg, St Martin

Airplane Beach

Maho Beach, Sint Maarten

For a very unique experience, try a visit to Maho Beach near Philipsburg when visiting the Dutch side of Saint Martin – an island of dual nationalities known officially as Sint Maarten on the Dutch side and Saint Martin on the French side. A beautiful sandy beach sits just across the street from Princess Juliana International Airport. Planes of all sizes from small Cessnas to the largest jets fly just over the beach on their way to landing on the runway, which lies perpendicular to the beach. Tourists flock to Maho Beach in hopes of catching close-up photos or videos of the underside of things like 747’s as they fly right overhead.

Underside of a jet flying overhead at Maho Beach

Catching the underside of large airplanes on film is not as easy as it sounds. They fly over so quickly and there’s a crowd of people jockeying for space so it’s just as likely to catch the person who stepped in front of your carefully aligned camera just as the plane flies over as it is to get footage of the plane. Or they just cause you to lose your focus on the plane and then it’s gone. There’s lots of YouTube videos of these planes though, so some people do manage to obtain excellent footage. I was not so lucky. I got footage, even undersides now and then, but it’s not exactly excellent.

When we stopped in Saint Martin on our Carnival Breeze transatlantic cruise, we found that it’s very easy to catch a shuttle near the shopping area by the cruise ship dock. They have shuttles to a variety of places including Maho Beach. The per person price goes down as the size of the group goes up, so it’s best to group together with other passengers that want to go there as well. Shuttles come to the beach often so getting back to the dock is quite easy. They often fill with random groups of people that just happened to want to leave at the same time you did, so returning with the people you came with isn’t necessary.

Bar at Maho Beach that provides everything needed for a pleasant day

sign posted at Maho Beach listing the airplane schedule for the day

schedule for large jets landing and taking off

A bar at the beach posts a sign with all the day’s take-offs and landings of large jets. They also rent beach chairs with umbrellas, very nice to have on a shadeless beach in the sun. Of course cold drinks and refreshments are available there too as well as restrooms. The bar certainly helps make a day at Maho Beach more comfortable.

Waiting for the next plane on Maho Beach

People sun themselves, swim or splash about in the water, and do all the normal beachy things until time draws near for a plane to arrive. When that faint light of a jet approaching appears on the distant horizon it seems as if a herding dog suddenly came through and gathered everyone up like cattle.

the beach where the airplanes fly just overhead

Jet landing at Princess Juliana Airport across the street from Maho Beach

They all line up in front of the runway, cameras up hoping to get that shot of the underbelly of a plane. The larger the planes are, they are the lower they come in. The biggest ones almost feel as if you could just about reach up and touch them.

people go to Maho Beach to get pictures of these large jets overhead

The big jets fly very low over Maho Beach

Later in the afternoon, we heard, the large jets take off. Our ship left too early to stay and watch the phenomenon of people who risk life and limb to cling to the fence between the two signs warning them not to and wait for departing jets to blast them across the road.

people wait for departing jets to blow them down

The danger sign does not prevent people from trying to get blown away when jets take off

Even on the beach people can get knocked down or blown into the water if standing in the danger zone near the runway’s end when a big jet takes off.

The St Maarten water taxi sports advertising for a jewelry store found in nearly all cruise ship ports

After a day at the beach the shuttle will let those who wish off in town and take the rest back to the cruise ship dock. From town a water taxi makes a quick journey back to the ship for a small fee.

Saint Martin has many other things to do besides visiting Maho Beach. We stopped there on a previous cruise and had a great time on a sail and snorkel excursion to Tintamarre Island.

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Port Cities, Ports of Call | Tagged airplanes, jet watching, Maho Beach, photos, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, travel, video | 15 Comments

Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa

Posted on November 11, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Westerdam Greenhouse Spa

Holland America Westerdam

A Piece of Paradise at Sea

Often on boarding day regardless of which cruiseline or ship you sail with, the spa has open tours for anyone wishing to see inside. I almost always take the tour, but have very rarely actually signed up for anything. While it all looks wonderful – and for the most part no doubt is – everything comes with a price, and not usually a small one.

They do have some good deals offered on first-day specials. The first time I cruised on the Westerdam I did try out an aromatherapy pod thing that didn’t cost too much. It was quite nice, but I don’t think it is there now as I did not see that offered this trip.

Sometimes they entice people into spa tours with sample hot rock massages. This cruise used neck massages for people gathering in the chairs they had set out to wait for the next tour of the Westerdam’s Greenhouse Spa.

It’s worth taking the spa tour just to try these cozy heated chairs.

I’ve always eyed the hydrotherapy pool and the ceramic chairs that look like they should be hard and dreadful, but actually feel warm and so comfy you could sleep there when you try them out. Both features are part of the thermal suite package, which on the Westerdam also included sauna and steam room.

Normally I cruise with my husband, and for the two of us it’s always more than we’re willing to spend, so I just eye it longingly and enjoy the sample few minutes on the ceramic chair. When the tour guide offered a first day special for two on the full cruise pass to the thermal suite my sister piped up with interest. Intrigued, my aunt and I joined in with I-will-if-you-will. When they offered an even better deal for 3 we couldn’t resist. Finally I’d get to try that out! Split between the budgets of 3 households the cost was not too bad.

the dry float bed – so comfortable

On this tour they asked for a volunteer to lay on the dry float bed. Always eager to try any spa treatment offered for free, I volunteered before anyone else even had a chance to think about it. My reward was to revel in the soft warmth while they gave their spiel about treatments available there, which I paid no attention to whatsoever and just enjoyed my few minutes of free bliss.

couples can have massages together on the Westerdam

couples massage room

One of the rooms held two tables where they offer a couples massage.

They must have really loved my sister at that spa, she also signed up for a special that included 20 minutes each of a whole bunch of different things for a price that normally includes just 3. She thought she’d get 5 of them, but she got them all. She came late to dinner with some sort of oil in her hair since they’d given her a hair treatment she wasn’t expecting and her appointment ran longer than she thought.

Lucky for her she looked like she just got out of the shower and had wet hair, though if anyone had touched it they’d have known that wasn’t the case. She had to let it sit for sometime before washing it out, and once she did she said it made her hair very nice and soft and she’d like to have whatever it was they’d put in it. Unlike my own very thin baby fine hair, hers is thick, course, and plentiful. I sometimes kid that she got all the hair and left none for me since she was born first.

spa treatment room on Holland America Westerdam

one of the many spa treatment rooms

She enjoyed her spa treatments very much and probably would have gone back for more if she had a bigger budget.

The thermal suite didn’t open until the tours finished, so we had to wait for evening to give it a try that first day. We relaxed on the ceramic tile chairs soaking up the heat. The room has an entire wall of windows so there’s always a view to enjoy, but the chairs felt so cozy and relaxing I tended to shut my eyes for the most part whenever sitting in one, which we did every day of the cruise.

On our first visit to the pool we walked down the stairway into the pool to to find the big bubbly ring in the center already occupied so we walked along to where we could see people sitting along the far wall, thinking they had hot-tub like jets there. Just past the center of the pool we ran into underwater metal bars. That whole end had a sort of bench shaped similarly to the ceramic tile chairs made from a series of bars under the water. Once we knew they were there, we climbed up on them to relax in the bubbly mineral water coming from a series of jets, finding the corners to have the most water jets.

The jets run about 15 minutes, which is the length of time people are supposed to stay in the pool. Often people did not get in just as they started, and many do stay longer, so someone always gets up to push the restart button unless a new person enters at just the right time to catch it on their way in.

hydrotherapy mineral pool is part of the thermal package

we dubbed the spot inside the ring nearest the right shower pole “major whitewater” due to the intense current there

When the people in the center ring left we decided to give it a try. Depending on where you stand in the ring, the current ran from mild to where it would push you right out of there if you didn’t hold onto the middle rail provided for that purpose. We dubbed the one spot in the ring with the most intense current “major whitewater,” which became our code name for going to the spa.

Later in the cruise we tried out the steam room, which had a nice eucalyptus smell that probably cleared many a sinus as people sat in the fragrant steam. It seemed to burst out on some sort of timer, clouding the small room until you could not see the person across from you, then clearing somewhat before the next burst.

I never did venture into the dry sauna, but since I did visit at least the hydrotherapy pool and the warm ceramic tile chairs daily I definitely got my money’s worth. Total passes sold each cruise are limited to keep the area from becoming too overcrowded. We really only saw it crowded once, and that was when we had the same idea as everyone else – go right in after an early afternoon all-aboard on a port day. That was our first venture into the steam room, so the crowd caused us to try something new until our usual things had space. In doing so we found a new thing to enjoy and used that room again another time.

If you’ve ever wondered about trying the thermal suite, I totally recommend it. It’s like your own little Paradise Island right on the ship. Other treatments the spa offers include massages, acupuncture, and tooth whitening among many other options.

Posted in Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged cruise ship spa services, Greenhouse Spa, heated ceramic lounge, heated tile spa chairs, Holland America, Hydrotherapy, mineral pool, photos, relaxation, spa, spa treatments, Westerdam | 16 Comments

Norwegian Pearl At The Dock

Posted on November 4, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Pearl docked in Cozumel with Freedom of the Seas

Most of the time when returning to a docked ship from a port stop, passengers just walk up the gangway and get on board. Sometimes they have to pass through customs first, but there’s normally no fanfare or hoopla about it. You get on the ship, send your things through the scanner, pick them up and go on your way.

Norwegian Dawn and Star docked in Cozumel

The Norwegian Pearl did things a bit differently on our Caribbean cruise. At most stops they had crew waiting to greet returning passengers at the dock with cold drinks, or maybe popsicles and wet towels for a little refreshment and cooling off before getting back onboard.

shopping area near the dock in Cozumel

Then came our last stop at Cozumel. After finishing an excellent shore excursion that took us snorkeling on Palancar Reef and relaxing at Playa Mia Beach Park, we wandered through the shops by the dock a bit. We had over an hour, but me having lost my watch at Playa Mia and John’s watch not working due to swimming with it on, we stayed at the nearby shops rather than trying to get to town.

Carnival Magic and Conquest at their nearby pier

After a bit we made our way toward the ship. We dawdled about taking photos of the Pearl and the two Carnival ships at their nearby pier. We even took a few of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, docked next to our ship. Norwegian’s Dawn and Star docked at the other end of town, but we got photos of them on the way in.

Lots of action on one side of the dock

Coming down the dock toward the ship we could hear music. As we got closer we saw a shade tent by the ship. Passing by there a crew member handed out fruit juice treats to all the returning passengers. Another crew person handed out wet face towels.

the Pearl welcomes passengers back in style

Welcome Back to the Pearl

Walking under a Norwegian sign strung across our side of the dock led returning passengers between two lines of dancing crew. Then we saw the cruise director and another girl on stilts with long pants so it looked like they had extremely long legs dancing around between the lines of crew people in a singing, dancing welcome back.

Pearl welcomes passengers back to the ship in grand style

Most passengers walked through the corridor between the dancers, some dancing along their way. I ducked out and got out the camera. The crew of the Pearl certainly went all out to welcome passengers back to the ship from our last port stop. The people on the other ship next to us walked down a bare dock to an empty gangway, all looking over at the partying entrance the Norwegian Pearl gave to their passengers. Perhaps their way of saying our ship may be smaller, but look how much fun we have.

Posted in Caribbean, Norwegian, Pearl, Ports of Call | Tagged cruise, cruise ship dock, dock, Norwegian, party, Pearl, photos, travel, vacation | 7 Comments

Miracle Spice Cupcakes

Posted on October 31, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

gluten free, sugar free, lactose free spice cupcakes

Miracle Spice Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Not long ago I wrote a blog with the very popular Miracle Chocolate Cake recipe. Not everyone eats chocolate though, so I started experimenting with that recipe to change things up a bit and turn it into a spice cake.

Just like with the chocolate cake, this recipe is gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free with all natural ingredients.

If you aren’t on a sugar free diet, try the maple frosting recipe in this post which goes very well with these cupcakes. (The cake is sugar free, the frosting is not.) If sugar is an issue for you try finely chopped nuts or shredded coconut on the cupcakes before baking. People on sugar free diets do need to watch their portion size as this recipe contains honey and molasses.

gluten free, sugar free, dairy free cupcakes

cupcakes fresh out of the oven

Miracle Spice Cupcakes

Recipe:

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

Miracle Spice Cupcakes look and taste like regular cupcakes

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 Tablespoon molasses

3 Tablespoons honey

3/4 cup almond butter

3 eggs

Directions:

Line cupcake pan with 10 cupcake papers. Stir all ingredients together by hand. Drop batter by spoonfuls into cupcake papers in prepared pan. Bake in at 325 degrees for 21 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 10 cupcakes.

Maple Frosting

1 Tablespoon vegan buttery stick

vegan buttery sticks

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt the vegan buttery stick in the maple syrup. Stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stirring until completely mixed into frosting. Add syrup or powdered sugar as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. For anyone without lactose issues, butter can substitute for the vegan buttery stick.

These make a great treat for Halloween parties or other occasions when looking for a healthier treat that looks and tastes great.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Posted in recipes | Tagged baking, cupcakes, dairy free, dessert, food, gluten free, maple frosting, spice cake, sugar free | 5 Comments

Food on the Carnival Breeze Cruise Ship

Posted on October 26, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Breeze

When it comes to mealtime, snack time, or pretty much any time on a large cruise ship there’s always plenty of choices for where and what to eat. Carnival Breeze is no exception, having quite the variety of tasty things available. Most of the eateries on the Breeze have no extra charge to eat there including the ever popular Guy’s Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina.

GUY’S BURGER JOINT

Determined to try Guy’s Burger joint this time even though they haven’t wised up enough to start offering people the option to swap the beef patty for a turkey or veggie patty, I decided to try just ordering bacon and cheese on the bun, hold the beef. Unused to special orders, the two guys behind the counter had great difficulties figuring that one out and kept trying to put a beef patty on the bun. Finally they came up with some sort of cold pressed meat that may have once been bacon, but looked nothing like it now. And no cheese. I’d expected a few slices of actual bacon hot off the grill and a slice of their super melty cheese. No such luck. At least they have a toppings bar to dress it up with. The addition of some grilled onions, mushrooms and lettuce certainly made it look edible.

Have it Guy's way, not your way. Seriously, that's their motto.

Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Breeze – Guy’s way or the highway

If I could have replaced that questionable substance with actual bacon it would have been quite good. The grilled onions and mushrooms on the toppings bar were great. (They did have bits of actual bacon on the condiment bar, I’d have been better off with that.) My husband once got someone at Guy’s to give him just the bun with cheese and some fries, and he then took the bun over to Blue Iguana and got some chicken to put on it. That worked out a whole lot better for him than the bacon thing did for me.

Blue Iguana Cantina on the Carnival Breeze cruise ship

Blue Iguana Cantina – where you can have the food your way

The fries, though somewhat on the greasy side, taste good and are of a thick cut reminiscent of homemade. So the conclusion is, if you don’t eat beef, Guy’s really has nothing for you. If you do, then have at it, it seems to be quite a popular spot.

Carnival would like to accommodate all their guests, however they can’t add things to the menu without Guy’s approval. Perhaps after the bad publicity his New York restaurant got for refusing to serve veggie burgers he will wise up and acknowledge the large population of non-beef eaters. But don’t count on it. Bobby Flay’s Burger Joint anyone?

UPDATE 2015: Veggie burgers are finally available at Guy’s! They are not listed on the menu, but if you ask for one they will cook it for you. They said it would take 15 minutes, but had it ready in 10.

cruise ship chocolate cake on Carnival Breeze

Even favorites like chocolate cake get dressed up fancy on cruise ships

Cruise Ship Desserts

Desserts make the top of just about anyone’s list of favorite things to eat. Cruise food is no exception. Carnival has a variety of excellent desserts to choose from after each meal. The ones that cost extra at places like Cherry on top or the Plaza Café look mighty good too, but I can never see paying extra for even more desserts when we already have way too many for free, though I used to say that about the pay extra eateries before I tried them. My favorite Carnival desserts include the Bitter and Blanc and Chocolate Melting Cake. This time I’m adding a couple new favorites, the White Chocolate Bread Pudding (which rather reminds me of the Bitter and Blanc) and the Chocolate Gateau, served at lunchtime the day we ate lunch in the dining room. The daily menu offered more tasty desserts than any one person could ever eat. We also topped off our meal at their Italian place with a tasty dessert not seen elsewhere on the ship.

dessert at a cruise ship Italian specialty restaurant

dessert at the Cucina del Capitano

Cucina del Capitano

Carnival has a tradition of hiring all Italian captains, so having their Italian restaurant called the captain’s kitchen works out well whoever takes the helm on any given cruise. Located above the main Lido buffet area, this restaurant has a complimentary pasta bar at lunch time and dinner service for a nominal fee. Dinner starts with a fancy bread tray. A waiter rolls a wine barrel over to the table for an optional tasting. The dinner menu includes spaghetti carbonara, a piece of history as Carnival once served this tasty dish on their very first ship, the Mardi Gras. The portions are enormous. John liked my spaghetti carbonara better than the dish he ordered, and after we’d both eaten our fill more than half of this very rich and filling dish still remained on the plate. The Spaghetti Carbonara tasted so good we asked for the recipe, and the Breeze staff gave it to us. Their recipe says it serves 10, and considering the monstrous size of their servings it probably serves a lot more, so the average person would most likely want to cut down on the portions of ingredients this recipe calls for.

Spaghetti Carbonara at Cucina del Capitano on Carnival Breeze

Carnival’s Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Spaghetti

Cook 2 lb spaghetti in salted water for 8 minutes

Sauce

2 lb bacon

2.5 lb yellow onion (soup diced)

1 oz fresh garlic (chopped)

Heavy cream 2 ea (sorry, this is what their recipe says. It does not say 2 what. I looked up some other spaghetti carbonara recipes and most did not have cream at all, but one had 1/2 cup cream in a recipe using one pound of spaghetti.)

1/2 liter half & half creamer

1 lb fresh parmesan cheese (grated)

10 fresh egg yolks

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Heat frying pan. Dice bacon and add to hot pan. When 70% done drain excess fat and add onions and garlic. Saute until onions reach golden color. Remove and place in perforated pan. Make some crispy diced bacon for garnish as well.

Add egg yolks to creams, whisk until smooth texture.

Heat pan, add cream mixture and sautéed bacon & onion. Cook until sauce starts to form coating consistency. Reserve some sauce for serving before adding spaghetti.

Blanch spaghetti in salted water, add to the sauce. Stir in grated parmesan cheese, season with salt and crushed black pepper. Finish with olive oil.

Note: Do not overcook the sauce.

Finish & Presentation

Place tossed pasta in bowl, pour 1 oz of sauce on top and garnish with crispy diced cooked bacon and parsley sprig. Serve hot. Serves 10 (probably more since their idea of one serving was more than 2 people could eat)

one of the pay-extra eateries on Carnival Breeze

Fahrenheit 555 Steak House on Carnival Breeze

Fahrenheit 555 Steak House

Unlike Guy’s Burger Joint, the steakhouse does have options for non-beef eaters. We tried their delightful pan-seared sea bass, and also went to a cooking demonstration where they made a meal featuring chicken. Of course they have plenty of beef options too. The steak house has its own chef and an open grill where guests can watch meals in preparation. The décor is more elegant than the rest of the ship, and the seating limited in this reservations only eatery, where the tasty food does cost extra.

Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ on the deck 5 lanai on Carnival Breeze

Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ

This very popular eatery on the starboard side Lanai on deck 5 has very limited hours of operation. It just opens for lunch on sea days, but only in nice weather. We even had a calm sunny beautiful sea day where it did not open for reasons unknown. When it did open it had quite the line-up the entire 2 and a half hour time of service. We had a sudden brief shower and even that did not dissuade those in line from reaching their barbecued goal. We thought the pulled pork sandwich was the best thing on the menu, and found it worth the wait. The grilled yams tasted pretty good too. Since I have a huge aversion to lines, saying anything is worth a wait is high praise from me. At the buffet my choice of food is usually whatever I can get without waiting in line.

A whole boatload of sushi

Bonsai Sushi

Located on deck 5, the sushi bar has nice décor and inviting tables. Unlike last year’s cruise on the Liberty where the Sushi was free, on the Breeze it costs extra. They do have a more extensive menu though. Sushi sells by the piece for those who just want a taste, or for a meal passengers can buy a whole boatload. Seriously, it comes in a little boat shaped dish.

Coconut Shrimp with Pina Colada sauce to die for

Red Frog Pub

In addition to the Red Frog Rum Bar on the Lido deck, the Breeze also has a Red Frog Pub on deck 5. The Red Frog Pub serves excellent food, always fresh and hot because it is cooked to order rather than made ahead to serve a crowd of people. Depending on a person’s appetite, one or two of their appetizers makes enough for a whole meal. The cost on these is very nominal. They make their own delicious sauces. The coconut shrimp comes with an excellent pina colada sauce, and the hot wings come with a rum barbeque sauce to die for. The sauce is not spicy so it tempers the hotness of the wings a bit as well as adding wonderful flavor. For dessert they have a delicious little cake called Icky Sticky Coconut Cake. It lived up to the sticky part, but we found nothing icky whatsoever about that tasty morsel. Red Frog Pub has some of the best food on the ship, and the cost per item is quite low. We did not particularly care for the conch, but loved everything else we tried there.

Breakfast Burrito at the Blue Iguana Cantina

Blue Iguana Cantina

All the non-beef eaters who found nothing to eat at Guy’s can go just across the deck to the Blue Iguana. They have a number of choices of everything from a selection of tortillas to numerous fillings and toppings to have your taco or burrito your way. Take it over to the nearby salsa bar for a large selection of sauces to top your meal. They serve tacos and burritos. Blue Iguana opens for breakfast as well as lunch, with breakfast burritos making a tasty change from the usual breakfast fare. And unlike Guy’s “My way or the highway” attitude, you can have things however you wish at the Blue Iguana. Make sure you pick up something to drink before visiting the Blue Iguana or Guy’s because there’s no free drink stations out by the pool where they are located. (The Red Frog Rum Bar and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar are nearby if you want drinks that cost extra.)

Pizza is always an option for lunch or dinner on Carnival Breeze

Pizza Pirate – one of the Lido Buffet Stations

Lido Marketplace Buffet

The Marketplace Buffet on the Lido has a number of different stations serving a variety of different foods. Many of the stations change not only from one meal to the next, but sometimes also from one day to the next. A station that served full meals one day becomes the chocolate buffet the next. One might change from comfort food to Caribbean food on a given day. You can always find a variety of things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some stations have food ready to grab and go, and others like the Mongolian Wok or at breakfast time, the waffle station, cook things hot and fresh to order while you wait. Other Lido food includes the Deli, and out on the back deck the Pizzeria, and Tandoor – where you can find late night sandwiches after the other food venues close.

soup and salad for lunch at the Taste Bar – with the ever-present hand sanitizer dispenser found at every cruise ship food venue

Taste Bar

Stop by the taste bar on at the Plaza on deck 5 for a sample of what’s for dinner. At lunchtime they serve full meal size soup and sandwiches. Come by in the morning for continental breakfast.

the dining rooms serve lobster on formal night so bring your good clothes along on a cruise

Sapphire Restaurant/Blush Restaurant

The main dining rooms on board the Breeze are the midship Sapphire Restaurant and the Blush Restaurant at the stern. Passengers are assigned to a particular dining room and level depending on whether they choose early or late seating or the your time dining where you eat dinner at any time during the hours of dinner service. We dined mainly at the Blush Restaurant downstairs on your time dining, but did get a chance to make occasional visits to the Sapphire for tea, comedy brunch and lunch. Dinners include a variety of excellent choices for multi-course meals and desserts with menus that change daily, and usually include lobster on formal night. Carnival’s wonderful signature dessert, the chocolate melting cake, appears on the dinner menu nightly.

Fancy treats for sale at the Plaza Cafe

Plaza Cafe

If all the tasty treats served at meals or teatime isn’t enough, you can buy some really fancy goodies at the Plaza Cafe. They make nice gifts for your onboard friends or relatives too.

Sea Dogs

I was unaware this food venue existed during our cruise on the Breeze, but according to Carnival’s website there’s hot dogs available at SportSquare up on top of the ship.

Room Service

In case all that food isn’t enough, 24-hour room service is available for free. For days with early shore excursions, the menu cards that you fill out and leave on the door for breakfast served at your chosen time come in quite handy. There’s also a room service menu to call and order from whenever the mood strikes.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Posted in Breeze, Carnival, Cruise Food, recipes, Shipboard Life | Tagged Breeze, Carnival Cruise, cruise food, cruise ship food, photos, recipe, spaghetti carbonara, travel | 19 Comments

Holland America’s Pinnacle Grill

Posted on October 19, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

some people refer to the Westerdam as the "Besterdam"

Holland America Westerdam

I used to wonder why anyone would pay for food on a cruise ship when you can get all the food you want and then some at no extra charge. The dining room serves multi-course meals and there’s always a buffet. Cruise ships also offer room service, often for free. But they also all have at least one eatery that has a surcharge, often more than one.

The waiter brought us each an extra appetizer before the ones we ordered.

On my most recent cruise on Holland America’s Westerdam, I had the opportunity to experience the regular dinner service at the Pinnacle Grill, their fancy restaurant. The dinner there is definitely worth the extra charge, but those wishing to spend less money to try the food there can make reservations for lunch instead. It is a different menu for lunch than for dinner though.

Pinnacle Grill has some tasty soup

We had great service with two waiters for our party of five. The menu had lobster available in several dishes, including lobster macaroni & cheese. The first course had a variety of soup and salad options for the appetizer. We all chose something different and everyone liked what they got. Certain menu items include some tableside preparation.

Baked Alaska, still flaming

For the main course, my sister ordered the lamb kabob. This the waiters brought to the table with a cart where they flambéd it tableside before moving the food from the skewer to a plate and serving it. My father’s baked Alaska came to the table in a similar manner. It kind of provides a bit of a show with the meal when they do that.

when eating at Pinnacle Grill, hope for a dessert delay because these tasty truffles aren't on the menu

A delay in dessert service brought us these awesome truffles

Our dessert had a bit of a delay, so in the meantime they served a dish of homemade truffles in several varieties, all very rich and delicious. The dish of truffles alone would have made an excellent dessert, and had more than enough for everyone.

too much good stuff

I expected a small cake with a molten center when I ordered the chocolate lava volcano, but instead got a large pot of melty chocolate goodness. More than I could eat following such an excellent meal.

grilled lobster tail

I ordered soup for my starter, and a stuffed chicken breast for the main course. They also added a small bowl of the lobster macaroni since I had inquired about that, as lobster and macaroni and cheese aren’t normally things people put together. They worked well together though, it tasted quite good. My dad tried the broiled lobster tail, which he liked quite well. I probably would have ordered the lobster too except we had just had lobster the night before at the formal night dinner in the dining room. They cook it differently at the Pinnacle Grill though.

side dishes of potatoes, asparagus, and lobster macaroni & cheese

I also enjoyed my chicken and had more than enough to eat before dessert came, but it’s a cruise so people live it up and I’m no exception. Besides the chicken I had the regular sides of asparagus and potatoes plus they’d brought me the lobster macaroni as well. There’s a reason everyone says people gain weight on a cruise! (We do try to curb the weight gain by avoiding elevators and always taking the stairs.)

It’s not just the food at the pay-extra eateries that make for a special dinner, it’s the service and the extra little things included with the delivery and the whole ambiance of the venue that make the experience worth the extra charge.

dinner at Holland America's Pinnacle Grill

pre-meal bread came with a dish of fancy butters

Pinnacle Grill dinner menu

Posted in Cruise Food, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged cruise food, Holland America, photos, Pinnacle Grill, travel, Westerdam | 11 Comments

Playa Mia Beach Park

Posted on October 12, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Palancar snorkel boat

Cozumel Mexico

Following our excellent snorkel adventure in Cozumel, the Palancar docked at Playa Mia Beach Park. They had tables reserved in a large roofed restaurant area for our excursion group. Workers served us all some lunch and we could get whatever we wanted to drink at the bar. They even served non-alcoholic pina coladas upon request. I don’t suppose they got a whole lot of requests for that since most people would take full advantage of free alcohol, but it worked for me. Somewhere in that somewhat vast restaurant area my watch fell off my wrist and I never saw it again. It was a cheap watch with a tendency to come undone, but losing it meant I had no watch for the rest of the trip. I could buy a new one on the ship, but I never like any of the ones they sell.

restaurant at Playa Mia

We had a couple hours to spend there before our excursion boat would return us to the Norwegian Pearl at the cruise ship dock. John forgot to take his watch off before we went snorkeling. His was supposed to be waterproof, but it quit working shortly after I noticed mine had disappeared. Though we knew what time we needed to get back to the boat, we now had no way of knowing when that time drew near.

kayak and water trampoline

sailboat at Playa Mia

The wrist bands they put on us at the start of the tour also gave us access to all the beach toys at Playa Mia. They had kayaks and a small sailboat with a brightly colored sail as well as the paddleboats you operate with foot pedals similar to those on a bicycle. Out in the water they had trampolines and a blow-up slide people could climb up on and either jump off or slide down.

people in a paddleboat

We got in one of the paddle boats with foot pedals and paddled about taking photos of whatever struck our fancy for a bit. Eventually we ended up out at the far end of the roped off area where we were allowed to go, near the slide thing. A couple girls had climbed to the top and wanted to jump off the highest point, but felt a bit scared to do so.

slide at Playa Mia

We sat there with camera poised waiting for them to jump in hopes of a better picture than we’d taken of other people jumping earlier. Glancing toward the dock, I noticed the other people walking toward the boat. The picture forgotten, we started to pedal as fast as we could. Wait for us please, we thought. Furiously pedaling toward shore we noticed more and more people heading to the boat. It’s one thing to pedal about without a care, quite another to go a distance at top speed. Our legs got tired, but we pedaled madly anyway, unbuckling the required life jackets along the way for a quick exit once we reached the beach.

It’s a long way back to the beach

“Our boat is leaving,” we called to the guy working at the boat shed area as I pulled the boat as far as I could on the shore. John started heading up to the life jacket area, but since the guy who worked there had started moving the boats further up the beach I just ditched mine on the boat we’d just gotten out of so John dropped his there too while letting the worker know we had to leave in a hurry.

Playa Mia beach

Luckily we did make it to the boat on time. While I’d love to interview someone who’s been left behind in port when they didn’t get back before the cruise ship departs, or better yet have them write a guest blog for me, I’d prefer to have someone else’s story on that and not a first hand experience. While getting left behind could become quite an adventure, it would have a hefty price. At least in Playa Mia we had our clothes, credit card, and ID, unlike if we had gotten left behind in the water while snorkelingat the reef where everything but our swimsuits stayed on the boat.

We saw people parasailing near the beach

This was one of the better shore excursions we’ve ever done, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes to snorkel. We had one first time snorkeler in our group and she loved it too. They do offer an excursion that goes straight to Playa Mia, so for those who just like beach breaks that would be a good one as it was quite a nice beach with a lot to do. It also had a whole lot of hammocks and beach chairs for those who would rather just rest, and a swimming pool too.

pool at Playa Mia

More Adventures in Cozumel: Palancar Reef Snorkel, Tulum Mayan Ruins, Atlantis Submarine, Cave Snorkel

Posted in Caribbean, Mexico, Norwegian, Pearl, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged beach, beach park, Cozumel, fun, photo, photos, Playa Mia, travel, vacation | 12 Comments

Antigua Kayak & Snorkel

Posted on October 5, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Breeze in Antigua

After our five beautiful sunny days at sea crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Carnival Breeze made a port stop in Antigua. Anyone disembarking a cruise ship with no plans for that port would have absolutely no problem finding something to do. Walk off the ship straight into town where free wi-fi and shopping await. Boats at nearby docks have signs posted advertising their cheap harbor tour schedules. And once you walk a short distance to a large plaza sort of area, people with signs everywhere offer taxis or tours. You don’t have to look for cheap bus tours or taxis to beaches, they’ll find you.

Antigua tour bus

We bypassed all that, having booked a Kayak and Snorkel Eco Adventure prior to our cruise. We just had to find the person with the right sign, which didn’t take much looking with the person holding tour sign right out on pier in front of ship.

fence made from old auto parts

We followed them for a little stroll through town to get to tour bus. We saw quite a bit of the area riding it to other side of the island while the driver talked about the sights along the way. When Antigua was a British colony, it had sugar plantations and a sugar mill. England paid more than the market rate for the sugar because it was a colony. After gaining independence, they could no longer collect a premium price for the sugar. Between that and high taxes, growing sugar cane lost its profitability. Now land once used for farming sugar cane gets used for new houses. We passed one old government building the driver said had gotten destroyed in a hurricane. After rebuilding and restoration it became a museum.

motorboats at the dock

We got off the buses at a clubhouse with a dock out back and public restrooms. After a short stop to allow people time to use the restrooms everyone boarded motor boats that took us to the kayaks. Our group filled 4 boats. Two boats headed for the snorkeling first. Ours and one other went to the kayaks.

waiting to board kayaks

At a floating dock in shallow water, the guides pulled strings of brightly colored open ocean kayaks from where they had them tied in the mangroves to the waiting cruise ship passengers on the dock. Some people had issues getting on and got wet, but since the water was only waist deep falling off the kayak didn’t matter much.

kayaking between mangrove islands

Those who wished ditched their life jackets in the motorboat. Some chose to keep them on. The boat stayed there waiting for us so anything other than cameras stayed in the boat. Most people ditched their shoes as well. I wore quick-drying travel clothes, a good choice since the kayaks started out with a bit of water in them, and more tended to drip off the paddles. We had warm enough weather not to mind getting wet.

“Where’s Spongebob? I found Patrick.”

We paddled about the mangroves in a loosely packed group, some hustling to stay near the front while others felt quite content to paddle about near the back and catch the scenery. Now and then the guides stopped and grouped everyone together to give tidbits about the flora or fauna of the area, or pass around a starfish, sea urchin, or sea cucumber they’d fished from the shallow waters near the many islands we paddled by.

motorboat

After the last stop the guide called for a race back to the dock – a fun way to get the whole group back quickly. They gave the old timers a head start, probably in hopes they would arrive first as they would likely take longest to unload. Everyone had a cup of water at the dock while waiting for the rest to unload. Then we all got back on the motorboats on which we’d arrived.

locals rest in a tree while there’s nobody on the beach to buy their goods

We arrived at a small marine sanctuary island called Bird Island where our guides beached the boats. Nobody lives there, but locals from the area had a booth set up selling hand crafted clothing and jewelry as well as local beer and other refreshments.

lizard at the top of Bird Island

We hiked to the top of the island where we saw little lizards, awesome views, and giant gaps in the rock, one of which had the ocean splashing about at the bottom, which looked quite far off. I wouldn’t want to fall down that hole.

hole at the top of Bird Island

After the short hike we climbed back onboard the motor boats, which took us to the snorkeling area. Like much coral in the Caribbean, the coral there looked like most of it had been destroyed at some point. Likely by a hurricane. The area had young coral starting to make a comeback.

boat on the beach at Bird Island

Quite a few colorful fish swam near the rock structure and coral. Some areas were very shallow and others a bit deeper. After swimming a bit farther from the boat than everyone else, I found some fan coral near the shore of one of the many nearby islands. It was part of a sort of coral garden with several types of young coral and quite pretty.

fan coral

As usual, John got back on board early and I stayed out snorkeling as long as possible. That’s why I chose an excursion that included kayaking as well as snorkeling – he likes to kayak and I like to snorkel.

coral near Bird Island

Although on this particular excursion the kayaking was better than the snorkeling because it covered a broader area and had more to see than the small shallow area where we snorkeled. Plus the open ocean kayaks were quite easy to paddle without getting sore arms.

What does a photo with this parrot cost?

parrot on a shoulder

After snorkeling time we returned to the dock and at the clubhouse they had some cake and a choice of rum or fruit punch for us. Cute little geckos scurried about the driveway and someone had a parrot people could pose with for photos. They also had gardens with some lovely plants, though I don’t know if any of them were native to the island.

old church

The bus returned us to the ship by a different route, while the driver pointed out different landmarks and historical sites so we got quite a grand tour of the island on our way to and from the excursion.

view of Antigua while leaving port

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged Antigua, Carnival, cruise, kayak, shore excursion, snorkel | 9 Comments

Cruising Gluten Free

Posted on September 28, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Holland America Westerdam

Do Cruise Ships Accommodate Gluten Free Diets?

With two sisters on gluten free diets, cooking gluten free has become somewhat of a hobby for me so I have things I can serve them when the need arises. One of my sisters came on the Westerdam Alaskan cruise with me, so I got the chance to see first hand how well the ship handled her special diet.

Pavlova on the regular dessert menu – gluten free, but it has dairy

One thing the ship asks is for people on special diets like gluten free to let them know ahead of time to make sure the proper food is available on the ship that cruise. Her travel agent initially only included lactose free in her booking information, so the ship did not know she needed gluten free as well until after their actual deadline. When checking your cruise documents, make sure all your dietary needs are listed. It’s a good idea to contact the cruise line directly to confirm, or if anything is not included that should be, to insure that they know.

Because of the missing information she was not sure whether or not they would have any gluten free food available for her so she packed herself a suitcase full of snacks and things to insure she had enough food if the ship could not find food to meet her needs. She says this probably would not be necessary because she could always find rice or potatoes to provide starch.

On boarding day the ship has a buffet available to all guests. There are normally some safe foods at buffets – things like salad, rice, and fruit. For other items she asked the server which things she could eat. Some understood quite well and others did not so getting a straight answer could be hit or miss from buffet servers.

waiter at the Pinnacle Grill plating lamb kebobs

At diner the first night she had to order off the regular menu, which meant not eating anything with bread or dairy in it. She did return to the room ready to dip into her snacks that night, as her meals had lacked in enough carbs all day. Asking for extra rice at dinner would have given her enough, but on the first day she had not yet started to ask for things.

She did not have that problem again because while we were in the dining room the waiter gave her the menu for the following day. He did this each day from then on and she chose her next night’s dinner which they would then make gluten free. After that first day where she’d had nothing pre-planned, dinners in the dining room worked out quite well for her as she always had something specially prepared. For desserts she stuck with the sorbet for the most part. Safe for her to eat and always handmade fresh in a different flavor each day. One night the regular dessert menu included a flourless chocolate cake which she enjoyed.

We never ordered breakfast off the room menu as is my usual habit on days with early shore times. The breakfast menu had nothing much for her to choose from, though they would have substituted gluten free for her if we’d asked. It really just didn’t work out for us to use room service because with three people in the cabin we had nowhere to eat. At night when the stateroom steward made up the couch bed he put the little table out on the balcony.

Our first breakfast on board came on a sea day, so we ate in the dining room. They had gluten free muffins available for her there, both in English muffin style and regular muffins. They also had gluten free bread if she wanted toast. Breakfast in the dining room can take a lot of time though, and our port stops tended to start quite early making the quicker buffet our preferred choice.

One of the waiters said they could send some gluten free muffins up to the buffet to have available for her. Thankful for that tidbit of advice, we ate at the buffet most mornings. She preferred the omlette station, where I preferred anywhere without a line. In looking for the absence of lines one day I found an eggs Benedict station, and it often had no line. If someone were to arrange it in advance they could probably get one of those English muffins the dining room had and make the eggs Benedict gluten free.

One day I came at the right time to find the normally crowded waffle station line-free. Sometimes the line there got long as they made waffles fresh and hot on the grill right there. Regular ones anyway. Gluten free waffles came in the frozen variety, which we never would have known they had available if my sister had not asked if they had them.

The first morning that we had breakfast at the buffet they had the gluten free muffins at the waffle station, and set one near a waffle iron to thaw for her since they came in a frozen package. Subsequent days finding them became a bit hit or miss. Sometimes the waffle station had them and knew what was up, sometimes they hadn’t a clue and someone in a higher position had to hunt them down. A couple times they set out a whole box of gluten free muffins somewhere, making them quite easy to get if you happened to find them. I did overhear another gluten-free passenger quite excitedly pointing out the box of gluten free muffins on the buffet one day as that person had not previously asked for them or even known the ship had them available.

chicken dinner at the Pinnacle Grill

We ate at the Pinnacle Grill one night, and they did not do advance ordering, but rather adjusted to her needs by leaving the sauces off her meal. They did let her know which sauces had no gluten, but as those had dairy she opted to go sauce free. She said her lamb kebobs tasted great without sauce and she did not miss it at all.

Regular food at afternoon tea is not gluten free

After going to afternoon tea a couple times and having really nothing she could eat other than picking toppings off sandwiches, she decided to try calling ahead one day. She only called about a couple hours or so ahead so the person on the phone said tea sandwiches would probably be about all they could do.

cruise ship accomodates gluten free diet

gluten free tea sandwiches

When we got there instead of sending us to the next spot according our position in line, they re-routed us to a table they had previously chosen to serve her special food. They brought her more sandwiches than she needed on gluten free bread. She was pleasantly surprised to see a special custard dish of some sort and a plate of very rich chocolate filled meringue style cookies in varying colors. They served a lot more of those than she could ever eat, so I tried one and it tasted quite good. For once she left the tea fuller than me, having eaten more than she really wanted because they had gone to the trouble of making it all just for her on such short notice. She said all tasted delicious.

gluten free treats at afternoon tea

We learned a valuable lesson on the Westerdam. The crew can accommodate a gluten free diet quite well for the most part if they have advance notice, but without it you won’t have much to choose from. I imagine people with other special diets would probably have a similar experience. Once on board she found out that if you want something ask because specialty items are not normally set out where anyone can take them, but are often available upon request.

So many people have special needs diets these days that most major cruise lines can accommodate their passengers. The key is definitely in advance notice. Once the ship sets sail they can’t exactly run down to the corner grocery and buy what you need. If booking through a travel agent, make sure to tell them about all your dietary needs right away. That way any forms that your chosen cruiseline needs to accommodate your diet get filled out and turned in on time so they can purchase in advance any special food they would not normally serve as part of their regular menu. Onboard you may need to ask where and how to acquire the specialty foods.

If you book online and do not find anywhere to make note of your needs make sure to call one of that cruiseline’s cruise consultants to find out what you need to do to insure your dietary needs will be met onboard. Even if you have filled out forms it’s still a good idea to call and double check that they have the correct information.

Booking through a company such as Cruiseabout that has cruises available on a variety of different ships on varying cruiselines gives you access to cruise consultants who can recommend which ships best cater to special diets and to help make sure the requirements for the line you choose are fulfilled. The amount of time for prior notice before the ship sails differs depending upon which cruiseline you choose, so it’s nice to have help from someone who understands what needs to be done when.

Posted in Alaska, Cruise Food, Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged cruise food, food, gluten free, gluten free cruise food, photos | 10 Comments

The Liebster Blog Award

Posted on September 25, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

The Liebster Blog Award

Thank-you to the Weekly Day for nominating me for the Liebster Blog award. It takes awhile to do all the things these blog awards require and time is one thing I don’t have a lot of. I’m not real speedy to respond to award nominations, but little by little I get them done for eventual posting.

I found the rules for this award well researched on Lorraine Reguly’s blog. Since she’s already done the work on that I won’t need to. Apparently this award has morphed from something for people with 200 or less followers to something for people with up to 2000. Not that everyone displays their followers, so I guess just don’t give it to blogs displaying over 2000 followers or blogs you think would probably have more than 2000.

These blog awards usually come with a set of rules. For this one they are:

1. Link back to the person that nominated you.

2. Answer the questions asked by that blogger.

3. Nominate ten other blogs for this award.

4. Ask ten questions for the people you nominated to answer.

5. Tell your nominees you nominated them.

Posting the award on your blog probably ought to be included there, as that is rather the point of awards. It is there in some versions of the rules. Some people post awards in their sidebars. Others (like me) use an awards page. There’s quite a variety of images to choose from for this award.

Questions

These are the questions the Weekly Day asked of me, and my answers.

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

Somewhere in the Caribbean. I’ve been on a few Caribbean cruises and loved everywhere we’ve stopped in that region.

2. If you had to eat the same food for every meal every day for a month, what would it be?

Chicken soup with all sorts of veggies and rice, topped with fat-free sour cream and some pineapple so I’d have all the basic food groups covered.

3. Do you watch TV? If you do, what’s your favorite show? If you don’t watch TV, what’s your favorite movie?

I pretty much only watch TV only when someone else turns it on, and movies even less. I’m at my sister’s house quite a lot and she’s been recording the Game of Thrones series from the start for us to watch together, so that’s my favorite show at the moment. I did read the books some time ago……still waiting for the next sequel. Sigh.

4. If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A crow perhaps. They’re really smart and live a long time. They aren’t domesticated so they do what they want. And they can fly. OK so maybe birds aren’t technically animals, but close enough.

5. Which would you rather be – a bag of trash or a cigarette butt?

If I were a cigarette butt I’d be allergic to myself, so the bag of trash wins.

6. Do you believe that dinosaurs are still at large?

Dinosaurs are everywhere – in movies, books, museums, the imagination of small children, and of course our gas tanks.

7. How many languages do you speak?

Sadly only one.

8. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Both actually.

9. Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?

Flying definitely. I’m already invisible. Just ask any server at a buffet line. When I get to the front they serve the person behind me.

10. What kinds of people annoy you the most?

Um, annoying people?

Nominees

These are my nominees. Why these particular blogs? They’re the first 10 I got to (in completely random order) out of the blogs I wanted to nominate that I did not see a posting somewhere on their blog proclaiming that they don’t participate in awards.

1. Juliacastorp’s blog

2. Our Adventure In Croatia

3. Isabella Rose Photography

4. Long Life Dogs and Cats

5. The Panama Adventure

6. Keeping Up With Carol

7. It Pays to Know

8. Souphaiphone

9. Trek Ontario

10. Travel Oops

Questions for the Nominees

It would be so much easier if I could just use the same questions the Weekly Day asked me, but that’s not the way this award works so I guess I will have to come up with something else.

1. Where would your dream vacation take you?

2. Is there a particular meal you look forward to having when traveling that you never eat at home?

3. What kind of animal is/was your favorite or most unusual pet?

4. Would you rather skydive or scuba dive?

5. Where would you prefer to go, Las Vegas or Disneyland?

6. If you could choose between meeting your favorite movie star or seeing the last living animal of an endangered species which would you do?

7. Where would you rather live – big city, small town, rural area, farm, or ranch?

8. Would you eat a worm for $100.00?

9. Which form of transportation is the most fun – bicycle, horse, motorcycle, car, train, monorail, bus, ship, or airplane?

10. If you could see the same show as a play, a movie, or on TV, which would you choose?

Alrighty then, that covers everything. Answers, nominees, and questions. Nominees don’t have to accept of course, but doing so does create an opportunity to get a link in other blogs where people might find your blog that otherwise wouldn’t have.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blog awards, blogging, blogs, Liebster blog award | 22 Comments

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