So Much To Do & More

On the ship all meals are included in the cost unless you wanted to go to one of the "Speciality Restaurants"which cost an extra 15 to 90 US $ per person extra oh and + 15% "auto gratuity" It is a dinner for 12 people only at a large table with wine matching and your own personal chefs. There are loads of the option extra things that you can do if you just want to stay on the ship and treat it like a floating hotel. Deck games chess, shuffle-board, golf practise net, full size basket ball court and a walking track, perhaps I should have used that one more as the waist expansion team have been working over time. They have a adults only deck, great a place to get away from the kids well that was my first thought! Hmmmm but it was the place where the knobs hung out, well everything could and did hand out and get a total all over Mediterranean tan, perhaps a warning sign for the new cruisers would have been in order. They also have a day spa where you can blow some serious money as you are a captive audience and if you have come away without keeping up your beauty appointment they are the people to help. We had dinner with one of the spa user last night. It was like a skit from the black and white minstrel show from the 60's, this guy had opted to have the teeth whitening as well as the sun ray lamp treatment, perhaps they left him in the oven a bit to long. Actually dinner and after dinner turned out to be a whole comedy show actually a 9 hour mini series, this was one of the option extra dinners for only 12 people at The Chefs Table. We had booked it on the first week but would you believe that out of the 2400 people on board that they couldn't get that many so they cancelled that week, so second time around they were queuing to get a place and we were 1st the list because of last week Woo Hoo!!!, The food was amazing and I mean really amazing but I will get to that later, juicy bits first don't you think! It was the eclectic group that graced the table that made it so much fun. So if you ever get a chance to do a cruise and there is a chef table available, go for it, as you well may meet some similar over the top characters that we did. Some who just float the water ways and go from ship to ship as the weather changes or the mood takes them. We arrive to a bar mid ship and start with "bubbles" as you can't call it champagne unless it come from the "Champagne Region Darlings". Opps my first bobo for the night and thanks to couple no. 1, Mr UK & Mr Spain for kindly corrected me!. There was a couple in their 40's from Zurich she was in banking and he was a mystery, never did find out what he did, a kept man I think, but he looked like a mad conductor with his thick shoulder length hair that was combed back from the front and just fell in waves. Perhaps a secret agent from some undercover spy movie, better still the real deal. He had the best Swiss accent with his "R" that just rolled on, so once you got your ear in he was fun to listen to. The table was set with name place cards and was 2 at each end, 4 down the sides so all could be involved in the conversation. Off to our left, as we were at the head of this end of the table, was the big money Chinese threesome, mum and dad with their 50 year old daughter. Mum was very quiet and as she was right next to me so I tried to chat but all we did was a lot of smiling at each other as Sandy was been given a lesson on New Zealand wines from Mr spy. His wife had a posting there for 3 years and as he couldn't speak English before he got there he seamed to have leant enough as he kept Sandy entertained for some time. Next to Mrs Wong was her husband a property developer who retired some 30 years ago and gave all his then 240 employees a house as a going away present, now he lives between England with a english garden, fountain and coy pond and several other countries . Next to him was the daughter who was educated in England and Canada, followed by a single Aussie bloke. G'day mate as he first talks to me, I looked at him and said G'day mate back with a bit of a chuckle, he was from Wollongong and he than said I've got to stop saying that, but nope he kept saying it. His wife didn't come to the dinner as she wasn't a wine drinker, but he sure made up for it. So that leaves the other end of the table to the NYPD guy and his wife they were also retired and in their early 60's. He had a look of one of those sun beaten guys walking the beat, car chasing and gun fighting type as seen on the TV show's and I'm sure if he lifted up his jacket he would still have a gun holster. His wife was so sweet and had a posh accent and got on very well with Mr UK & Mr Spain and that seamed to set the tone for that end of the table for the night. They had a house in the Hampton's "as you do" and would swap between the 2 as the weather directed them. It was at that stage with a bit of tongue and cheek that I did say we have 2 decks one on either side of the house and that we also swap between them depending on the weather, of course! Lots of fun and laughs. Mr UK than said that he had a big Deck and if we would like to come back to his State Room we could all get to have a look at it after dinner. Well with an offer like that how could we all refuse. So more about that later...... So this is what we were served at dinner So as I mentioned we arrived to "bubbles" from Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs from California. The Amuse Bouche was to highlight the crews molecular gastronome work with a perfect spherical mango, vodka and jalapeño salsa served on a spoon and it burst in your mouth. Their were tomato, basil, curry and a lavender lavish which were as light and flakey as we have ever eaten and very bright in colour. Next was a ahi tuna tartare with a stunning Orange wasabi glaze which was sticky and almost caramelised with a kick. These 3 starters were serve in 3 courses served with a never ending glass of NZ Sav Blanc Matua Valley at this stage it was becoming clear the wine was not so much wine matched as advertised but a free for all!. Next we had an amazing tiny cauliflower flan topped with a crispy beet root and saffron angle hair, it was presented in a soup bowl then the waiter poured the tastiest asparagus and cream soup around it when they were done there were ribbons of cream woven into the soup with the island of cauliflower and beet root...very impressive and fab taste. At this point we changed wines and were given a Chardonnay, Silver Ado from the Nappa Valley. A tiny goat cheese with sundries dried tomato chutney and basil oval tartlet was next which had a great olive tapenade surrounding it and yes more Chardonnay. To give us all a break we had tiny glasses with grapefruit and moscato granite. Then back to it with more Chardonnay and some wonderful pan seared sea bass with was plantain crusted with mango papaya and avocado salsa finished with a wonderful lobster velouté...more Chardonnay.... Now getting more serious we were served a perfectly cooked milk feed veal chop with sautéed potatoes and spinach with a truffle jus and at long last a Red wine.... Franciscan Cab Sav 2010 from California's Nappa valley...... Now a cheese platter St Andre triple cream and Stilton with honeycomb and port wine infused figs, pickled watermelon ( I got to eat extra as it really was not to Sandy's taste) and tiny thin bagels More red... Now desert..thankfully it was 1 or the other so we got to share and try them both 1 was a yogurt mouse dome with a lychee, raspberry cream and a hazel Sablee with a lime vanilla reduction and more wine oh and a chocolate delight with a spiced dark rum infused banana wrapped in a cocoa mouse sitting in a chocolate spiral a shard of white chocolate wrapped in gold leaf speared through the banana to give it just a bit more theatre....then we had coffee and after dinner drink as if we need that on top of what we had just had. So now its back to check out Mr UK's big deck!! It is impressive how the other half live, arrived back to Mr UK suite to be greeted with Moët on ice, vodka and cognac and the butler there to help pour, and true to his word his deck was 4 times bigger than mine. It was right at the front of the ship so with the wind in my hair I felt like Leonard Decapripo with my arms out stretched and taking in the sea air, perhaps a bit to much wine over dinner Pete!! We made our way back to our state room by 2am and what a great night was had by all. Will stop in and catch up with the Swiss guys later in our travels as they live close to Sion in Switzerland a place that we will be staying in the end of June. As for Mr UK and Mr Spain once we get settled in London we have been invited to go upcountry mid July for a couple of days so they can show us around a bit, that should be interesting, and I wonder what stories that will create.