A Baltic boating adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 11/19 - Page 38 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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Ooooo, those loungers look wonderful! That's definitely something Disney could use - comfy loungers behind large windows where you're not exposed to the elements.
Oh oh, your last sentence doesn't bode well for your upcoming dinner...
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I'm getting a kick out of all the different types of chairs and loungers on this ship. There is quite the variety (and I'm still giggling about Mark falling, I mean settling, into that big round one!)
The loungers looked so comfy and what a view you had from them. Team Earth looked interesting, but didn't seem like much more than another seating area. We have been curious about renting London Has Fallen, and now we probably will.
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I can't believe some of those prices at the auction! A lot of the bars look very nice and some didn't. I especially, like the look of Cellar Masters. It looks so inviting and relaxing and I definitely can imagine myself spending some time there!
Looks like a great time in the Sky Lounge which is also very relaxing with some incredible views and some unbelievably comfy seats! I think I could easily take a nap in one of those after a long active day returning from an excursion and having a couple glasses of wine!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
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Ooooo, those loungers look wonderful! That's definitely something Disney could use - comfy loungers behind large windows where you're not exposed to the elements.
I hadn't thought of that, but that would be a great addition - perhaps on the new ships?
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Oh oh, your last sentence doesn't bode well for your upcoming dinner...
I'm getting a kick out of all the different types of chairs and loungers on this ship. There is quite the variety (and I'm still giggling about Mark falling, I mean settling, into that big round one!)
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The loungers looked so comfy and what a view you had from them.
Oh my goodness, you just wait - if you think these views were good, seriously you've seen nothing yet. Once we get to Stockholm, that's when you'll see really amazing views.
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Team Earth looked interesting, but didn't seem like much more than another seating area. We have been curious about renting London Has Fallen, and now we probably will.
I can't believe some of those prices at the auction! A lot of the bars look very nice and some didn't. I especially, like the look of Cellar Masters. It looks so inviting and relaxing and I definitely can imagine myself spending some time there!
I really liked Cellar Masters, but we spent very little time there, as the Sky Lounge won out for us every time.
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Looks like a great time in the Sky Lounge which is also very relaxing with some incredible views and some unbelievably comfy seats! I think I could easily take a nap in one of those after a long active day returning from an excursion and having a couple glasses of wine!
Wednesday 8 June – part five: the home of “pick it up, and dump it on the plate”…
We made our way down to deck four and the Moonlight Sonata restaurant, our first time eating here. We walked up to the podium, explained we had no reservation, expecting to be sent packing with a pager, and told they’d let us know when a table opened up, but we were asked if we were happy to share, and when we said they took us straight in! I really do not get how this system works at all. They’re fully booked at this time via reservation, but you can walk up, and get straight in. Very bizarre…
The view to the floor below of the restaurant…
We ended up being seated with two other couples, one from the north west of England, and both had retired, and the other a couple from Hampshire, and they’d literally left their house at 3:30pm on Sunday to get to the cruise terminal, that’s how near they live to the port. Very nice! We chatted away about all sorts of things, and they turned out to be really nice.
For appetiser, I went for the eggplant caviar with roasted red pepper, za’atar, olive, garlic and crostini. It was very nice, especially considering it had olives in, which I’m not keen on.
Mark went for the prosciutto di Parma with melon, rocket salad, and shaved parmesan.
I do need to mention something here about the menu. Mark’s was fine, but mine had some h’s missing, and when I mentioned this at the table, I was told I wasn’t the only one. Apparently this has become something of a legend at this restaurant, with some menus having this problem, while others are fine. They also pointed out it’s not all h’s, just some, and they were right. How weird!
For entrée, I wasn’t overly impressed with their choice. I could’ve had the tilapia, but as it came with olives again, and I got the feeling from the description, it would be the sort of dish that wouldn’t appeal to me, I avoided it. They also had broiled salmon, which was a bit boring, and then the third choice, which is what I went for – homemade gnocchi ai Quattro formaggio, with creamy four cheese sauce and Italian parsley. The presentation came from the home of “pick it up, and dump it on the plate”…
Fortunately, it did taste better than it looked, which frankly was a relief. Mark enjoyed his steak Dianne, sirloin cut, with creamy cognac mushroom sauce, haricot vert (the h was missing on my my menu) and hasselback potatoes (as there was a space, I am assuming that there was a missing h here too ), but again, it did look like a “dump on the plate” job…
It’s a shame, as the appetisers had been beautifully presented. We discussed it the next morning, and agreed it was probably something to do with the fact that there are something like 1,700 covers in this restaurant – we heard a member of staff giving that number during dinner, and I can imagine presentation probably does get lost when you’re serving that many people.
For dessert, Mark had the crème brulee…
… and I decided to try two things – the mango sorbet (I’m a sucker for sweet sorbets, I find them so refreshing ) and the whipped passionfruit curd with kiwi, papaya, pineapple and gelee. It was funny, as I thought it was a little sharp, and the passionfruit flavour was certainly a bit overwhelming, but one of the other women commented on how sweet it was. I guess it just goes to show how much tastes can vary between people.
As soon as dessert was finished, we said goodbye to our table mates, who were all heading for the show. We headed into Cellar Masters…
When we got there, it was packed, and there was a loud group of Spanish at a big table. They left, and then we realised that most other people had left. I think there were literally two women in there, so we changed tables, and just took in the ambience, enjoying having the place to ourselves over a glass of wine.
Slightly worryingly, Google once again had us on dry land…
Glad you were paired with some good tablemates for dinner. That can sometimes effect your meal too, so no worries that night! But that is strange about the letter H missing.... and only from some menus. Weird!
Cellar Masters looks like a comfy living room. Ahhh, relaxing.
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I am a bit confused. How does the dining system work exactely? You are not guaranteed a spot at any of the restaurants unless you make a reservation or are prepared to wait if you just walk up? This was the main restaurant where you didn't have to pay extra, right? Was it the only free option?
I may be slightly biased but I really love Disney's hassle-free dining rotation system.
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I am a bit confused. How does the dining system work exactely? You are not guaranteed a spot at any of the restaurants unless you make a reservation or are prepared to wait if you just walk up? This was the main restaurant where you didn't have to pay extra, right? Was it the only free option?
I may be slightly biased but I really love Disney's hassle-free dining rotation system.
That's one of the things I'm worried about with our upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise. For the nights we're in the main dining room (we did a 4 night specialty restaurant package, so 4 of the 7 nights we'll have reservations - that we can only make once on board!), I worry about how long we'll have to wait to be seated. Years ago when we cruised Norwegian, that really turned me off when compared to the ease of dining on DCL.
Dinner did look a bit cafeteria style in terms of the plating, but glad to hear it at least tasted alright. Your gnocchi certainly could have used some garnish, being so monochromatic.
And lucky you - so far both times being seated with others, you've had good tablemates.
Glad you enjoyed a nice dinner with good tablemates.
We have cruised both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. We never experienced a problem with the dining or having to wait more than a few minutes for a table, even when the dining room looked packed. Norwegian is not known in the cruise industry for its dining whereas RC is much better so I would think you guys shouldn't have any issues. We enjoyed our RC cruise very much - I'm sure you guys will have a great time!
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Once we get to Stockholm, that's when you'll see really amazing views. 
I really do not get how this system works at all. They’re fully booked at this time via reservation, but you can walk up, and get straight in. Very bizarre… 
), but again, it did look like a “dump on the plate” job… 
) and the whipped passionfruit curd with kiwi, papaya, pineapple and gelee. It was funny, as I thought it was a little sharp, and the passionfruit flavour was certainly a bit overwhelming, but one of the other women commented on how sweet it was. I guess it just goes to show how much tastes can vary between people. 
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