Restaurant Review – Page 8

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Many Refreshing Experiences

March 6, 2019March 7, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A BUFFET AND A SWIM

For lunch we returned to our shopping experience venue, but this time we only had enough time to take advantage of a delightful buffet. The buffet offered both Mexican and International selections.

Yummy for Your Tummy

We hit the Mexican buffet first and it was delicious. Rice, refried beans, tacos and other favorites from the native cuisine. It beat the Seadust all to heck. Bill in particular loved a chicken-rich soup they served. The international-ness of the International offerings was somewhat questionable. They had tortilla chips covered in Cheez-Whiz, a sort of Mexican casserole and fajitas. They also offered hamburgers, which I guess is what made it international. I found it amusing and enjoyed the irony of ballpark nachos in the middle of the Yucatan peninsula. They also had Huevos Ranchero, which I didn’t try, because I don’t do eggs, but Bill did and he said they were good.

As we ate our generous lunch a trio of ladies, dressed in the gorgeous embroidered dresses of the region, performed traditional dances for us, including the dance with the tray of beer bottles on their head. It was a nice touch to a day which had already been wonderful.

There was a beautiful presentation of fruit, a refrigerator of gelatin and other chilled desserts, as well as hand-scooped ice cream cones. Bill sampled the fruit and we both tried the watermelon ice cream. Time for a quick potty stop was the only other thing we had time for.

Swimming in the Cenote

Our next stop was the Il Kill Cenote. I confess I am not much of a swimmer. There was a time in my life when I had passed a Red Cross life-saving course and taught swim lessons. That was a very long time ago. Nowadays, I lounge by the pool and occasionally take a stroll through the shallow end. I am almost embarrassed to confess I usually don’t even care that I have completely forgotten my swimming skills. I am perfectly happy on the side of the pool. However, on this particular day, I was somewhat envious of those who climbed down to the water’s edge and swam in the cenote.

Bill was one of those people. After we took a cursory stroll around the grounds, he changed into his swim trunks in the dressing room and showered off to protect the pristine waters of the cenote. I climbed part of the way down to the cenote with him, so I would have a good vantage point from which to observe his brave swim in the virtually bottomless pool.

When he reached the pool, he had three choices for entering the water: terrifying, less terrifying and sedate. One glance at the terrifying height of the cliff from which many people dove told him that was not where he wanted to go. It was quite a drop from where he was standing and he’s past proving anything to anyone. The sedate route was set of wooden stairs, near a rope across the water. Many people slipped into the water from the relative safety of the stairs and grabbed the line rather than actually swimming in the cenote. That was a little bit too tame.

So Bill watched a few people dive into the cenote to see how they fared. When they cleared the area in front of him, he dove in. Seconds passed between his brave dive and the moment his head bobbed above the water. I was sure he’d reappear, but I held my breath with him nonetheless. He swam over to the rope and looked for me at the level above, but he chose the wrong me.

I smirked from the corner I’d chosen for observation, as he waved in vain to a woman who did not know him. When we reunited after his swim he confessed he’d been disappointed his greeting had not been returned and he was glad to know I’d watched him in the water.

Almost as soon as Bill had back on his street clothes, it was time to get on the bus. It was late afternoon as we headed back to Cancun. I settled down in my seat and pulled out my book. Come back next week as we re-enter to city of Cancun and return to our hotel.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

La Maison de Michelle

January 16, 2019January 7, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A LITTLE BIT OF FRANCE AT THE SEADUST

We capped off our discovery tour of the resort by making our way to the gallery of restaurants just off the lobby. Most of the culinary options line this mall and La Maison de Michelle is a headliner. We strolled over and a very distressed lady let us know there was a dress code. We were fine with that and she was much relieved. We changed clothes and were soon presenting ourselves again for entry.

We Could Have Done Without the Sales Pitch

When we were seated, a very self-important little man came to inform us he was the manager and sommelier. He quickly engaged Bill in a conversation about the wine for dinner. I probably had the same look on my face I had when the hustler at the airport was trying to get us to his timeshare. I think they were brothers. Both were soon disappointed. Bill when he saw the prices on the wine list and the sommelier when he figured out we wanted the free stuff.

For free, the red was merlot and white was savignon blanc. Neither was outstanding, but they would have tasted much better without the swarmy sales pitch. Once we opted for the house wine, we never saw our sommelier again.

What we did get was this very strange rack to hang my purse on. That was a real first! I had a teeny bag I would have happily hung on the back of the chair or thrown on the floor, but not at the Maison de Michelle, apparently

Asparagus Salad

Escargot

So What to Eat

The place was losing points fast when the menus appeared. Get this, the menus were tablet based, complete with pictures of each entree. I’ve seen this before and it’s not my favorite type of menu, but like the light show around the pool, I gave them points for trying.

For starters, Bill chose an asparagus salad and I opted for escargot. We weren’t blown away by our choices. Bill said the asparagus was good, but really needed some sort of dressing. The cute dots didn’t exactly count. I knew my escargot was not going to be the classic presentation I love so much, but I had high hopes that I would like it. I didn’t hate it, but the escargot was tough and should have been sauteed in something, not just heated up. Not up to our hopes, but fair enough to hope the entree would be better.

Our entrees didn’t improve the situation. Bill had a steak and it was OK. I had ordered lamb chops, which somehow became duck. There was such a stew when I pointed out their mistake I decided to go ahead and eat the darned duck chunks. They offered to replace it, but I had a sneaky suspicion that they didn’t have any lamb or it was sub-par and they didn’t want to serve it. Even if there was some language issues, lamb doesn’t sound much like duck. Like Bill’s, mine was OK, but just OK.

Thank Goodness for Dessert

The meal did have a redeeming event called dessert. I had something with chocolate mousse in the description and Bill has no idea what his was called, but they were great. We relished every bite of the meal topper.

As we finished up the meal, we looked around the restaurant and were mostly pleased by what we saw, even if the meal had been somewhat disappointing. The waiting area was too dark and then there was an odd empty spot that made no sense, but the carpet, lighting furniture and decor were lovely.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

A Few Final Points

November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CLUB MED PUNTA CANA IS WAITING

Here’s a few things I didn’t have a place for in other posts about Club Med Punta Cana. I hope they’ll help you decide you need to go there and visit. If so, call my friends at CTC Travel.

Dinner A La Carte

You never have to face down a buffet at Punta Cana unless you want to or unless you didn’t get your Indigo reservations in soon enough. Indigo reservations can only be made in person at the restaurant on the day you want to eat there. They start taking reservations at 9 AM and if you wait too long, you either won’t get the time you want or you won’t get in at all.

We celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at Indigo. It was a lovely meal, but Bill made better choices than I did. He had some kind of whole fish and he says it was one of the most amazing meals he’s ever had. I had some Dominican shrimp in a plantain bowl. Good, but not one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. Here’s a few pics from Indigo and that meal.

Another Dinner Choice

With so much free food and drink available, we didn’t see much reason to spend money that way, but there was one opportunity to do just that. It was called La Cava. On the patios of Samana and Hispanolo (for dinner only) there was a section set aside for La Cava guests. You become a La Cava guest when you purchase wine, whiskey or cigars from La Cava and enjoy them with a meal. If we’d been there longer, we might have considered it, but we did just fine with the included comestibles.

Shopping

There were a few shops at the resort and they had lovely things – but there were no bargains. Not a single one. Especially not on larimar, a semi-precious gemstone found only in the Dominican Republic. The cheapest larimar I found at the resort was a pair of earrings with a tiny piece of larimar hanging from each stud. The price was $80 and if someone had brought it to me, I would have thought it was some cheap trinket they got for about 5. So none of my friends got larimar.

At the resort, everything is priced in Dominican pesos and while everyone can tell you how much that is in euros, they are not so good with dollars. That made shopping quite challenging. It also almost caused Bill a heart attack when he saw a receipt with a bottom line of 4210.

Several years back, Club Med celebrated its 45th anniversary by printing up lots of T-shirts and other items with the number 45. The items sold like hot cakes So, when their 50th came, encouraged by the sales of the 45 items, they printed up lots of 50 merchandise. However, the 50 merchandise was a bust. They almost had to give it away to get rid of it. but while everyone was rejecting the 50th anniversary merchandise, they were still requesting items with 45 on it. You’ll see the 45 logo all over the resort on everything from t-shirts and bikinis to flip flops and beach bags. Vintage 45 items are a status symbol. We spent a lot of time speculating on the ubiquitous logo and as we asked around, trying to solve the mystery, we discovered there were almost as many answers as their were t-shirts. Some Americans thought it was for Trump – NOT! Some French people claimed it was the number of a popular soccer player. I asked the Chief of the Village and he gave me this skinny. So, in case you ever go to a Club Med resort and wonder, well here’s the answer.

Farewell to Punta Cana

I think that about covers it. You should have everything you need to enjoy a resort vacation with Club Med – and I heartily suggest you give it a try. I’m probably the only person on the face of the earth that wouldn’t think it was the best vacation ever, but my best vacations are devoted to satisfying my inner Museum Girl.

Would we ever return to Club Med Punta Cana? If we were the sort to repeat destinations, then there is no reason we would not. It is a beautiful resort with great food and a lot of fun things to do. We just rarely return to someplace we’ve already been.

So will we ever do Club Med again? It is certainly a possibility, but we’d probably only go for three nights, not five. We had a great time, but while Bill is more active at sports than I am, neither of us prefer sports for days on end. I can see us doing it before or after a vacation devoted to all my museums, palaces and historic sites or just getting away for a few day.

Winning the fabulous door prize from CTC Travel certainly gave us a new favorite possibility on our wish list, but we’ve already got the next trip planned. I’m just not ready to tell you about it yet. Right now, as I finish up this post it is June, shortly after our Club Med vacation, I have no idea what I’ll be offering up next week on Travel Talk, but please come back. I promise it will be fun!

DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Yummy for your Tummy at Club Med Punta Cana

November 7, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: LET’S DO LUNCH

Breakfast is never my favorite meal of the day and dinner at Club Med Punta Cana was, well, in a word, overwhelming. Day after day, lunch proved to be the meal I enjoyed most.

Bounteous Buffet

Every day, except the first one, we ate lunch at Hispanola, the buffet dining choice. I made an exhaustive list of all the things available at breakfast, several weeks ago. It was the same sort of thing at lunch, but as I’ve said, I preferred the lunch menu.

My favorite lunch was the one pictured above. The seafood stew had mussels, clams, shrimp and other delicious things. Also on the plate is a sample of the Dominican Beef I learned to love and a chicken dish of some sort and even if I don’t know it’s name, I can tell you it was good. And veggies? Always a wide variety of them, prepared in a myriad of ways. I love veggies.

I also love bread and cheese. Those were available in astounding numbers and varieties. Salads were always being served, but my favorite salad experience was the day I chose what I wanted from the salad bar and a lady tossed it with an amazing vinaigrette and some of the most delicious ripe avocados I’ve ever eaten.

There was a grill offering hamburgers and hot dogs. A pizza oven produced several different kinds of pizza every day. The delicious seafood stew came from a seafood grill. All around the huge buffet were all kinds of delicious choices up to and including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

If your thing is really dessert – never fear. The dessert bar was just as awesome at lunch as it was at dinner. The kids seemed to love the soft serve ice cream, with plenty of sprinkles and chocolate syrup available. The adults lined up for a selection of freshly made gelatos. Was there plenty of fresh fruit if you preferred? Of course, there was.

It was never a good idea to leave your food unattended

My Solo Lunch

Lunch was so good that one day, when Bill was just too tired to make the hike to the restaurant, I went ahead on my own. It wasn’t as if I was actually hungry. I just didn’t want to miss lunch. The evening meal was lovely, but far removed from the beach. I preferred to sit in Hispanola, enjoying the gorgeous Caribbean day and the sparkling turquoise water, while I lingered over a delicious meal.

On the other days, when I’d eaten lunch with Bill, there was always another activity cued up right after lunch. On those days, I stuck to water and soda. A glass of wine or beer would have put me to sleep. I wouldn’t have made much of a cheerleader under those circumstances. For my solo lunch, I allowed myself the luxury of cool white wine. It made everything perfect.

Yes, the Meals Were Great

In case you haven’t caught the drift of it yet, one of the best things about Club Med Punta Cana is the spectacular food offerings. I came home with a few extra pounds, but I love my friends at CTC Travel anyway! There’s only a few more things I need to share. Come back next week and we can probably wrap up our stay.

DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Breakfast Choices at Club Med Punta Cana

October 24, 2018October 24, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: TO BUFFET OR NOT TO BUFFET

Mornings came with a choice – Indigo Beach Bar & Grill where you ordered from the menu or Hispanola, a buffet. Both were great and both offered unique experiences.

Indigo

Our first morning, we still didn’t have it all figured out. I didn’t know where Hispanola was or even if it was available, since the day before, our friend in reception said it was closed. We did know Indigo, because we’d had lunch there and I knew it was near the place where the orientation tour was supposed to begin. Decision made.

If you like a great view, a laid back atmosphere and ordering from a menu, then Indigo is the place for you. We had our first breakfast there and our last, with little to complain about. The menu is somewhat limited, but there’s an egg choice, a pancake choice, a healthy choice or you can just tell them what you want. They will deliver a basket of pastries and fixings to the table and/or you can graze from a small buffet with cheese, cold cuts and cereal.

If I was going to complain, I might say the service was a little slow and not exactly four star, but things are so relaxed in Punta Cana that it would almost be ridiculous to complain. One more thing, if you don’t like runny eggs, then you are in trouble. The menu says sunny-side up, so I specifically asked if they could flip it over and cook the yolk hard. The waitress said yes, but the plate delivered said no. Then I looked at the view and decided I could live with it.

Hispanola

Forget everything you ever knew about breakfast buffets! I’ve had breakfast buffets all over the world and never in my life did I ever see such variety.

A grill for the egg, bacon and sausage crowd
A huge table with every sort of bread to slice that you can imagine
The entire front of the facility was one long buffet with everything from the most gorgeous pastries you have ever seen to oatmeal to pork & beans – and everything else in-between – but that was only the beginning.
Another buffet offered sweet breakfast treats, like pancakes, crepes and Belgian waffles. For some reason that’s also where you’d find cheese quesadillas.
Another vast expanse offered toast, muffins, English muffins, bagels – all the stuff you like to heat up before you enjoy and yes they had a toaster.
One section had dried fruits, cold cuts, nuts – probably pickled herring – but I never got very close to that table.
An entire bar of fruits – all fruits, every fruit – juiced, sliced and whole.
A dairy bar with my precious cheeses in a wide variety, as well as milk, cream, yogurt and cold cereal

In other words, breakfast at Hispanola was an event. We’d enjoy our morning repast out on a covered patio, but in reality the whole thing was one huge open-air facility.

And this is where I have to mention the flies. Al fresco dining is a wonderful thing, but there is nothing you can do about the flies. Even though Samana is not actually open air, they leave both sets of double doors wide open all the time. It’s not like the buffets were fly-covered or even that you were pestered by flies, but if you are going to melt-down because a fly might have crawled on your beignet, I’d say you should skip Club Med Punta Cana. I’m no fly lover, but having come from the food industry, Bill is more particular. He just sucked it up and lived with it, but he didn’t like it.

Great Mornings

Whether you choose Indigo or Hispanola, breakfast at Club Med is a great way to start the day. I confess, I did not work out every morning at Punta Cana the way I do at home, but I don’t walk all day at home the way I did in Punta Cana. I have to say that waking up whenever you darned well please and strolling over to a beautiful breakfast is a pretty nice life.

As I said grace over my morning meal, I’d say a little thank you for CTC Travel that had made it all possible. Come back next week and we’ll talk about how we kept ourselves busy during the day.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Dinner is Delightful at Club Med Punta Cana

October 3, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SAMANA, THE INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

I have no complaints about Club Med Food. I liked some things better than others, but there was not a thing available that was anything but good. Meals were delicious all day long, but dinner at Samana was something special.

Bon Jour & Bon Appetite

After our visit to Cielo, we’d stroll across the patios to Samana and climb the stairs. Just inside the doors we’d be greeted by a delightful lady we came to recognize by sight – even if we doubted she recognized us at all.

We’d tell her there were two of us and she’d find us a table. You could sit wherever you wanted, but we discovered we needed the hostess. One night we arrived and she wasn’t standing there, so we wandered around on our own. A bit later we came back to the door, happy to see her waiting, feeling quite silly for having tried to seat ourselves.

As soon as we had a table, a server would appear and offer us a beverage. Bill would get red wine and I would get white. Then we’d disappear off to the many, many buffet table. We didn’t stick to a particular order for our food. We’d wander about and pick the things that interested us most. I think the first night was by far the best, Beef Wellington, escargot, veal and much more.

Confession, I ate more cheese, morning, noon and night, than anyone probably ever should – but it was SO good. There’s a reason I don’t keep a variety of cheeses in my frig – I would eat them. Mozzerella, Blue, Gouda, Swiss, Emmantala, Tontine, Farmers, Feta, Brie – along with amazing breads, dried apricots, nuts and more. I ate enough that it should have been all I ate, but this was vacation, right?

The menu rotated every night. Around the central area,

a huge section for appetizers, mostly fresh seafood and shellfish
cheese and bread
the next section would vary by evening. The section next to the bread would vary with the evening and then the desserts would begin.
An inner circle would offer very international dishes, like tempura, sweetbreads, Mongolian bbq, schwarma, enchildas etc. etc. etc.

The back wall had

a salad bar
a pasta bar
a section for grilled seafood
then grilled meats and other entrees, like the Beef Wellington or Halibut Oscar
one corner had a pizza oven offering fresh slices – very popular with the kids
a section with Dominican foods.

In my youth I went with a group of my college friends to an all-inclusive resort – a Jack Tar Village on Grand Bahama. Eating was no problem. You couldn’t eat all the food they offered, but beverages were a whole ‘nother thing. The beverages were supposed to be included and you could usually manage to get one, but good luck getting refills. Thankfully, we discovered a rum factory nearby and dosed ourselves quite liberally with coconut rum, but could get little of anything beverage-wise from the staff. We also discovered the vending machines had beer. I didn’t have any of that, but I think our group had cleaned out every beer out of every vending machine before the week was over.

There was no stinginess with alcohol at Club Med. All throughout dinner the waitstaff kept our glasses filled – both the wine and the water. It wasn’t fine wine, but it was fine – if you know what I mean. The guest population of the resort was primarily French, if you remember, so I doubt Club Med could get by without the good stuff. I noticed that most people were drinking rose’, something that surprised me. I knew it was becoming a thing over here, but apparently the French like it, too.

After dinner there would usually be entertainment, so come back next week and enjoy the shows with us. I can’t sign off without another thank you to CTC Travel. Thanks so much, we loved Club Med.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Drinks at Cielo Every Evening & All Day Long

September 26, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: ROCKING WITH A TROPICAL RHYTHM

When they raise the traffic gate and welcome you into Club Med Punta Cana, you enter another world. It took me a few hours to slither out of the daily grind and figure that out, but I did. I was still in a bit of a rush as I hobbled back to our room and then headed out again for dinner, but by

dessert, I was on island time.

Dressing for Dinner

Sandra Rubio, my travel agent at CTC Travel, warned me they had themes each night at Club Med. It wasn’t a have-to thing, but something to add to the fun. She’d mentioned a pirate night, but if they have one of those at Punta Cana, it didn’t happen while we were there. Our first night was White Night. I wore a mostly white top and some white jeans, but if you are into themes, be warned, don’t take any shortcuts, especially on White Night. Your fellow members have spent a lot of money on gorgeous white sundresses, white linen suits and all things white.

Saturday was Denim & White, Sunday Red & White, Monday Flowers, Tuesday 45 & Fluorescent – then we went home. The 45 thing requires an explanation, but it can wait.

Meet You at Cielo

Cielo Bar is a large, circular, open air, (wait for it) palm-frond-roofed bar/cafe/coffee shop/living room sort of place that takes central stage in the entertainment section of Club Med Punta Cana. We were wandering in and out of it all the time.

During the day they had salsa lessons and various games. The bar was always open for coffee or drinks. A serve-yourself soda fountain sat at one end of the U-shaped bar. A very convenient restroom was around the back. Though we never quite figured out a schedule, there were often snacks available – pastries in the early hours, chips, salsa and guacamole during the day and at night hors d’oeuvres. Comfortable sofas and lounge chairs hugged the outer edges.

Most of our evenings began on the white sofas of Cielo. A live band would entertain the crowd. We’d try to make conversation with some of our fellow GM’s (Guest Members), but most of them were French. We grew to absolutely love the French Connection. We also discovered we weren’t particularly proud to be associated with the other Americans on the property.

We didn’t usually bother with evening hors d’oeuvres, because the fabulous buffet meals kept our hunger at bay, but we would have a drink. The first night I tried a rum & coke, which was fine, but I’m really a white wine girl and that became my regular. Bill would get a beer with a tequila shot chaser. He really was on vacation.

Many of our French friends would arrive at Cielo in family groups, but unlike the usual situation with American families, the children were not the center of attention and they didn’t sit staring into a tablet or phone. French children of all ages were expected to sit quietly in their seat, enjoying their hors d’oeuvres and sodas, while the adults chatted with one another. We were very impressed by this. Temper tantrums and meltdowns just didn’t happen. Americans are doing something wrong.

Eventually, we’d leave Cielo and head over to Samana, the dinner buffet. Dinner officially began at 6:30, but the Cielo experience began at 7, so Cielo is where we began our evenings. Then we’d wander across to Samana. I’ll tell you about that next week.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Starving in Paradise

September 12, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CAN I PLEASE EAT?

There was no Indian restaurant on the beach. It was a beach bar named Indigo. We found our way back to the reception area and got directions to the nearest place to get food at that moment in time, which was the Indigo.

Finally Food

The Indigo Beach Bar and Grill is an open-aired restaurant, right on the beach. Initially the charm of it was lost on me, because I was starving. We were seated and handed some menus. Speed was not of the essence to them, but my blood sugar had hit rock bottom.

They wanted a drink order. I remembered all drinks were included, which brought a smile. I ordered a margarita on the rocks with salt. The waiter wandered off, so we could peruse the menu. The margarita returned and it wasn’t exactly as I imagined it would be. There would be no cigars, because it wasn’t even close. Scratch margaritas off my drink list. We gave them our food order – hamburgers. The waiter wandered off and I realized if I didn’t get some food soon I was going to start chewing on the palm-frond roof.

I gazed around the restaurant, thinking I might spy some crackers or a basket of bread, but to my relief there was buffet of sorts. It was a salad bar and had a few other edibles. The salad wasn’t all that fresh, but it would have to do. FOOD!

It wasn’t all that long until the burgers arrived. I inhaled that as quickly as I had the salad. I was ready to figure out where we were and what we were supposed to be doing. As the calories from lunch began to connect with my brain, I decided to check into the Club Med Punta Cana app and see if I could figure out what was going on. After all, the welcome crew had told me there would be an orientation tour at 3. I just had to find out where that would be.

Then Everything Changes

This is about the time it started raining. Said orientation tour was not on the app. Bill has his quirks. I have mine. One of mine reared its ugly head. I obsessively need to know my way around and I want to know what’s happening. Bill is much more laid back about that sort of thing than me, willing to wander about aimlessly, not wondering if he’s missing the best activity or not.

After 24 years, Bill and I are getting better at this traveling stuff. I had allowed him to play computer games on the sofa, even though I was starving and he followed me around the grounds to get my bearings, even though I was behaving like a chicken with my head cut off. Isn’t marriage wonderful?

We’re about to take ourselves on an improptu, self-led tour of the grounds. Come back next week and join us as we get our bearings for the coming days.

ART, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Formal Night on Vision of the Seas

June 25, 2018June 25, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: PUTTING ON THE RITZ

I love dressing for dinner. It’s not required on most cruises anymore. They discourage you from wearing flip flops and tank tops, but pretty much anything else goes. Even on formal night dressing up is optional, but I dress up every evening and on formal night I pull out the stops.

The Captain’s Greeting

I can only imagine how much the captain hates formal night. He has to get all dressed up, spend an hour or so shaking hands and taking pictures with skads of people he has no interest in and then he has to get up and make a big welcoming speech. It was probably fun the first hundred or so time, but he does this week after week after week! He probably realizes that most of the people are just there to get the free champagne.

Then after he makes his speech he has to introduce his management staff and let them make their own speeches. How would you like to take the top management out of your organization to entertain a crowd that just wants free champagne? Yeah, who’s running the boat – right? It was almost impossible to hear what they said, but as long as the trays of champagne wandered around the room, they had an audience.

Happy Birthday, Anniversary and Everything Else

Since this cruise was to celebrate Bill’s birthday, our travel agent asked which evening we’d like commemorate the occasion. I chose Formal Night. Bill’s birthday wasn’t the only celebration at the table. The Youth Pastor and his wife also got feted for their anniversary.

Our table mates were a blast, so we were grateful for the delightful company. The food continued in it’s mediocrity. This was the night of the lousy lobster bisque and I followed it up with a steak. Nothing to write home about. One more meal down.

Another Show, Another Disappointment

For formal night the entertainment was Boogie Woogie Wonderland, which was supposed to highlight the music of the seventies. They were a little loose about hitting their target. The seventies were my boogie woogie wonderland, but I have no idea what inspired some of the costumes they wore.

The songs they chose to highlight were among some of my favorites, but the voices just weren’t up to the challenge of the music. Overall, it was an entertaining show, but it just came up short in the quality department.

Awkward!

To top off our night, after the show we headed to the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge for The Perfect Couple Game Show. We were expecting a “Newlyweds Game” knock-off, but instead got the Embarrassment Olympics.

When we arrived Adult Karaoke was still going on. There was a group of drunken bridesmaids dominating the room whether they were on stage or not. I was glad when the spectacle was over.

Instead of a Q&A of martial habits, The Perfect Couple was a series of party games designed to embarrass people who were unwitting enough to volunteer to be contestants. Why pay entertainers when you can get passengers to entertain everyone with karaoke and awkward feats of skill. We made it through a few rounds, but when they started with tennis balls in men’s jeans, we decided it was time for bed.

Come back next week for sure, because we arrive in the Yucatan and enjoy a marvelous shore excursion.o

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Cruising the Nile Like a Queen

June 20, 2018February 16, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE PHARAOH’S DINNER CRUISE

Moksen, my nephew Bassem’s new father-in-law, invited us to be his guest on an early Nile Dinner Cruise. He’d enjoyed our hospitality on a visit to the States and was eager to return the favor. He returned the favor in spades!

An Early Arrival

Since we’d allowed plenty of time to visit the monastery during our trip from Alex to Cairo, we were early to the cruise. Izzat entertained us a little by driving us around the elegant neighborhood near the dock of the boat, but that didn’t take very long and we really didn’t have time for anything else. Hence we arrived at the boat long before anyone else – and what a boat!

I’m telling you Cleopatra would have been thrilled to take a cruise on this boat. The photos really don’t do it justice, but the boat was covered in gilded pharaonic decorations. The waiters wore the same garb as Cleo’s servants would have worn. All that was missing was getting fanned by ostrich plumes and I have a feeling if I’d asked for it, they would have been able to comply with my wishes.

An Excellent Meal

If you remember any of the details about my nephew’s wedding and reception, then you know that no expense was spared. This dinner cruise was similar – the best of the best.

While we waited for our party, I checked out the restroom facilities and they were much improved over our roadside stop. Then we wandered around the boat checking out every elegant detail.

Before long Moksen and his lovely wife Shahira, first on the left side, were coming aboard and the party started. It was a huge, delicious meal and I was thrilled to be with my family once again.

Once we’d eaten our fill (and a little bit more) we all wandered outside to enjoy the view from the decks. Our hosts had invited us to the early cruise – about 2:30 – and this allowed us to see Cairo in all it’s daytime glory. I’m sure the evening experience is romantic, but I would not have traded our daytime views for anything.

I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy this amazing trip. It seems as if every time I travel I say, “This was the trip of a lifetime,” but each time it seems true. From family tours of historic American sites when I was a child to wandering through the English countryside in my twenties to the Danube Cruise I took in 2016, they are all singular experiences many people never get the opportunity to enjoy. This trip was no different. Each day was an absolute wonder. It has taken over a year to share it with you, but it is finally drawing to a close. Only one more full day to share and then we’ll have to see what our next adventure will be.

Enjoy and come back tomorrow for our return to the Fairmont. The second time around was a little more problematic that our original stay!