The Last Trip: An (Eastern) Fantasy Food Adventure-Bonus Feature, Pam & Her Mom Pt 2 Sept 17 the end

[dhorner233]

I'm still here Love your food porn as always! And it's a beautiful restaurant! Love the little details like this

 

[Flossbolna]

I now wish we had done brunch at Remy... It all looks so wonderful. Especially the champagne! And the dining room looks so light and airy during the day. What a wonderful view!

I think someone else commented on it already, but the menu in Palo has now been introduced fleet wide. None of the ships has the display with the dishes anymore. We got the lasagna to share and loved it.

Yeah, in French it sounds fancy. In English, it sounds like a mistake.

Well, beurre noisette actually literally means "nutty butter". So the French does not only sound fancier, it is fancier. They just call the butter "nutty" because it has turned brown and is the color of hazelnuts (which is the "standard nut" when you talk about nuts in Europe). And it is actually a true art form to burn your butter to the correct point where all the butter solids are nice and roasted, but not too burned. Like fried onions.

 

[Steppesister]

At about quarter to 10, I woke up again and felt like I'd had enough sleep

A respectable vacation wake up time!

I got her two of these cinnamon scrolls.

Cinnamon rolls are hard to argue with.

She picked later and we relaxed a little more.

Later's always better IMHO. Especially if there's relaxing before it.

Drool...

and he asked her if she would rather give the talk. “Please feel free to come up here.” He said.

“So it could fit your pocket!” He looked at me, and asked the same question, gesturing to the side as if to make room for me.

I hope he was mostly joking around with you guys. I think I'd have been a bit put off.. was it a casual atmosphere that promoted banter and discussion?

And also mentioned that I can not drink sparkling wine that is not made in the “traditional” method, as the additives give me a headache.

Funny you should mention this! I had white wine for the first time in a LONG time the other night and it totally gave me one. I suspect it was the additives in there that were to blame as it was the only unique thing I'd had at dinner. I won't be having white wine for a while again. Unless I know there aren't the sulfites in there.

We were served a truffled brioche, some butter and sea salt.

Same bread I had at V&A. Soooooo delicious!

However, I have learned that when English peas are served fresh, I've enjoyed them. I gave this one a go, and I wasn't disappointed. It was very good and both Fran and I cleared our plates.

That is totally something I think I'd enjoy! YUM!

Next up was another dubious dish. It was a cauliflower Panna Cotta with lobster meat topped with caviar. Some house made mini potato chips were served with it.

Again this surprised me, I wasn't sure what to think but it was very good!

Same 1st course I had a V&A. Absolutely perfect. In fact, it was quite possibly my favorite dish of the entire night. Just so delicious.

Then they poured a sauce of pancetta infused cream combined with buerre noisette (burnt butter, sounds better in French).

Oh. MY. Goodness! That looks so yummy!

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with Lemon sorbet in the center, coated in a dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings. It was small but intense, and I was definitely stuffed by the end of this meal.

That's a combo I have always liked. Sounds weird at first, but it's surprisingly good.

Then they brought us these little cake morsels. They had a vanilla filling, the cake exterior was cooked until it was crispy, but the center was buttery. Then they were coated in sweet glaze. We had then wrap most of them up to take with us.

Mmmmmm! Those would certainly top off a perfect meal!

 

[chunkymonkey]

It was so late that the smoothies place was open, so I stopped by to ask if they were included in the cruise or extra. He said they were $4.75. Wow! I'm not paying that much for a drink without any alcohol!

Haha in NYC smoothies are like 10 bucks, those fresh juices are bordering on that too. It's insane how much this stuff costs! 4.75 is actually a bargain, but I'm sure it's not organic non-gmo certified vegan with yogurt from grass-fed cows.

And also mentioned that I can not drink sparkling wine that is not made in the “traditional” method, as the additives give me a headache.

I get headaches from wines too. Aged wines tend to do that to me. It sucks since I really like them.

We were served a truffled brioche, some butter and sea salt. I do have to say that it was a most interesting taste combination.

I love that truffle bread and truffle butter!

We were served a green pea soup, with green pea Ice Cream, topped with house made crisped rice. Now normally I am not a fan of peas. I pick them out of my fried rice, I don't do mushy peas with my Bangers and mash, and don't even try me on split pea soup. However, I have learned that when English peas are served fresh, I've enjoyed them. I gave this one a go, and I wasn't disappointed. It was very good and both Fran and I cleared our plates.

Looks delicious! I pick out peas too unless they look like that. That looks amazing.

Next up was another dubious dish. It was a cauliflower Panna Cotta with lobster meat topped with caviar. Some house made mini potato chips were served with it.

OMG this looks like the caviar course we had at remy too! Amazing you had it at brunch as we paid an upcharge at dinner.

The next course was a tortellini carbonara. All the staff kept saying that this was their most favorite dish and I can see why! This was absolutely delicious. We were served the little pasta purses.

This looks amazing!!!!!

The main course was a Chicken Oscar, it was the same main course as had when we ate brunch at Remy. However that was in no means a disappointment, in fact it was quite the contrary!

Yum, think we had this or something close to it at Remy brunch too.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with Lemon sorbet in the center, coated in a dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings. It was small but intense, and I was definitely stuffed by the end of this meal.

Yum yum yum!

Then they brought us these little cake morsels. They had a vanilla filling, the cake exterior was cooked until it was crispy, but the center was buttery. Then they were coated in sweet glaze. We had then wrap most of them up to take with us.

Canele! They are delicious!

 

[QueenJen]

Hi Alison - I am enjoying reading about this cruise. I'm hoping to mix in a Disney cruise in our next WDW vacation (not yet planned) and it's nice to get some ideas of what they offer. I'm thinking of going to WDW first and finishing off with a relaxing cruise. Any thoughts/preferences when you've done both?

I was a bit confused starting from the beginning and reading about no more trips and seeing the countdown in your siggie. Of course as I read on, it became clear as to why. I think I'll read some of your completed reports to get some more ideas.

 

[rentayenta]

Remy looks AMAZING!!! Michael would flip.

Not spending $4.75 for a drink without alcohol? I feel ya! And I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[franandaj]

Yummy!!! We were going to try brunch on our last Fantasy cruise but ended up skipping it. They confirmed they could do a vegetarian meal for mom, and I went to look at reviews for gluten free and it looks like they do it. We absolutely loved the dinner we had there.

I imagine that they would be happy to cater to all eating challenges.

I am starving now after reading this update. Everything looks so amazing

Oh, my gosh, it was! I can't wait to eat another dinner like this again!

Wow that Brunch looked really good! Very interesting flavor combinations. I'm usually not too terribly adventurous but I have branched out over the years. Although DH is not a seafood fan this menu sounds do-able for us.

You can tell them that you don't eat seafood, and they will work it out for you. Places like this are usually very accomodating.

Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!

It totally was! I am for sure doing this Brunch again when we're on the Fantasy in 16 months!

Yes. It's always a fun thread to hang out on, especially for the Red Carpet.

Fran doesn't like the Red Carpet and she would certainly object to me talking to folks online while watching it!

Hmmm. Why ask questions if you don't want anyone to answer??

I think it was the "funny" part of the opening monologue.

That sounds delicious!



That sounds even more delicious!





Ooh! I bet that was delicious too.




OMG! Pure deliciousness.

The whole thing was deliciousness!

Finally! He asked a question where he expected an answer.
Full marks to you.....but did you score an extra drink for answering it correctly???

I didn't think of that! It would have been nice, the champagne they were pouring was quite nice!

OMG!!!! I'm rolling down the hallway here....that sounds like the best ending to an awesome meal.

Lucky you!!

It was a fantastic dessert, just wait until we are nearing the end of the cruise though.

I'll have to get back to you, Alison.
But I will give it some thought....

Okey dokey. You know where to find me if you decide to!

Huh.
Probably because no kid knows who he is.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Terrible!
That's why I'm here reading everything you write.
Just so I can point and say how awful it all is.

I knew it!

Ah. You take the more vocal approach.

Always

Because Fran was feeling frisky.

Yeah. Don't I wish.

Personal Video Recorder.

So does everyone get one? Are they portable, like a phone? So many things that I don't understand.

Will come back to read the update later.

Okay.

 

[rndmr2]

You can tell them that you don't eat seafood, and they will work it out for you. Places like this are usually very accomodating.

Good to know for DH's sake

 

[franandaj]

OMG, I need another cruise on the Fantasy again!!! I miss Remy!!! I'm drooling!

Jill in CO

Yes, you do!

Not surprised.
I hate that time change.
I much prefer the other, when you get an extra hour of sleep.
(Unless I'm working through it. Then having to work that extra hour on the midnight is torture.)

I can see that. I like an extra hour of sleep!

Awww... poor Fran. All tuckered out.

Poor Fran is always tuckered out.

Nice! Is Fran like me? Not a coffee drinker?

When she does drink coffee she puts (as she puts it) "way too much cream and fake sugar in it". But mostly she prefers a hot chocolate.

And I'm thinking $4.74 for a smoothie? Not bad!

Well if I wasn't on a floating hotel where most everything was supposed to be included I'd have no problem paying for it. But I'd just shelled out a couple bucks each for a coffee and a hot chocolate. I know that I have to pay for alcohol on the ship, and I understand that the fancy restaurants have an upcharge, but really? I shell out a few grand for this cruise and you can't make smoothies inclusive. It wasn't so much the price, it was the principle.

Why? You had to be paired with someone? Or?

Because of the little "talk" we got from the chef and sommelier, they only wanted to give it twice, not three times. I guess.

My mom always says "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

I get that people are enthusiastic, but...

Maybe she thought no one else had done a champagne tasting before?

You probably scored points there.

Thank you for shooting that with the lid off the butter!
Did you do that before or after the conversation about Victoria and Albert, butter dish?

Actually that was totally dumb luck. I think the waiter took the top off the butter. Maybe so no one thought it was a bell to ring for service.

Whoa!!! Now that is a combination!!

When they described the dish in the wine room, the chef made sure to mention that they made their krispy rice in house and that it was not out of a box!

I'm not. I've made a... well... cauliflower puree. (close enough) And while I don't care for cauliflower, I did like that.

If you remember, I don't care for cauliflower, so I was quite afraid. In fact when we were doing the low carb thing, I tried the mashed cauliflower since everyone said it worked well as a mashed potato substitute.

It did not.

I'm with Fran!

Figures!

Really! Would not have guessed.

Would not have guess what?

That it was a tortellini carbonara?
That it was the staffs favorite dish?
Or that it was really delicious?

That looks super thick!

It was, but it went perfect with the chicken.

You could tell because of the accent? Or the tiny beret he wore?

I need that drummer icon, you guys are always posting on each other's threads. <Super groan>

That good, huh?

No, it was that full. No burger required!

Interesting. I certainly would not have known that...

You would have known it if you were listening in the little talk that they gave in the wine room.

... but I definitely wouldn't have said that!!

I don't know why anyone would give that answer.

And you do an amazing job of it, Alison.

First you say terrible, then you say amazing! What are you Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Really nice detail!

And that's why I love the Disney ships. Imagineers do not work for Princess or Royal Caribbean!

That brunch is amazing! I love how creative they are with their dishes and you can tell the chefs really want to make a great experience. I'm glad you both enjoyed it so much! Too bad some people weren't paying attention to the talk at the beginning!

Everyone in that entire restaurant works so hard to make sure you have a fabulous time. Our waiter Stephen was the best!

Aha! Don't worry, I wouldn't be able to hold back, either.

At least it's a long ways away. We've gotta be finished by then.

Spoken like a true Disney veteran.

Thanks!

I'm still sad I missed that show at DL.

You guys did get a lot done though!

I never bother watching. They never nominate movies featuring exploding helicopters, which, of course, are the best movies.

I totally chuckled at this, which then caused Fran to ask me what was so funny. Suffice to say after explaining your entire backstory of the horseback riding trip, and subsequent references to exploding helicopters on the DIS. She didn't find it nearly as funny as I did!

for free coffee!

And not that vile stuff they serve at the beverage station.

Let's call him the Passive-Aggressive Sommelier from now on.

I like that!

Hey, me neither! I know you're shocked.


You're braver than I am. I would have passed. Again, I know you're shocked.

What would shock me is if you actually set foot in this restaurant!

I'm with Fran!

That line has been taken!

Yeah, in French it sounds fancy. In English, it sounds like a mistake.

Only to have jerks like me who don't understand it anyway. I'll show myself out.

Just kidding, you really do a great job!

Thanks!

Cool!

Imagineers at work!

Hey, you stole my line!

Gotta be quick around here!

 

[jesterrific]

FINALLY got a chance to start reading this and got all caught up!

I just LOVE the photos of the two of you together. Very cute photos !!!! Can't wait for more!

 

[franandaj]

I'm still here Love your food porn as always! And it's a beautiful restaurant! Love the little details like this

That's why I like DCL so much. All the details and the service!

I now wish we had done brunch at Remy... It all looks so wonderful. Especially the champagne! And the dining room looks so light and airy during the day. What a wonderful view!

I do have to say that I think I prefer Remy in the daytime. I'm just so glad that I have another Remy plan in the books.

I think someone else commented on it already, but the menu in Palo has now been introduced fleet wide. None of the ships has the display with the dishes anymore. We got the lasagna to share and loved it.

Well that's too bad about the fleetwide menus, but I'm glad you enjoyed the Lasagne. I liked it too!

Well, beurre noisette actually literally means "nutty butter". So the French does not only sound fancier, it is fancier. They just call the butter "nutty" because it has turned brown and is the color of hazelnuts (which is the "standard nut" when you talk about nuts in Europe). And it is actually a true art form to burn your butter to the correct point where all the butter solids are nice and roasted, but not too burned. Like fried onions.

Thank you for the clarification! I will not attempt beurre noisette, but I do make a mean beurre blanc!

A respectable vacation wake up time!

Well I wouldn't mind waking up a tad bit earlier, but for when we got to bed, it worked out well

Cinnamon rolls are hard to argue with.

I didn't taste them, but I think she liked them!

Later's always better IMHO. Especially if there's relaxing b

Well we did have somewhere to be, but I'll get to that in the next update.....

I hope he was mostly joking around with you guys. I think I'd have been a bit put off.. was it a casual atmosphere that promoted banter and discussion?

Oh, they were totally joking around. I tried to get that out in the open when I said that the chef was badgering the sommelier for drinking all the time. But they were also trying to fit the American stereotype of the French as they did their schtick.

Funny you should mention this! I had white wine for the first time in a LONG time the other night and it totally gave me one. I suspect it was the additives in there that were to blame as it was the only unique thing I'd had at dinner. I won't be having white wine for a while again. Unless I know there aren't the sulfites in there.

I was actually referring to champagne and "Methode Champinoise" which is the natural method for fermenting champagne. Cheap champangne houses don't go through the traditional method which alludes me right now, but the other folks put something into the bottles to make it bubble, something not so natural. That's what gives me the headaches. I'm sure that it's very similar to whatever you had in the white wine that gave you a headache, but I mostly drink white wine and don't have the same kind of headaches I have when I drink bad champagne or sparkling wine.

Same bread I had at V&A. Soooooo delicious!

So it seems that they are repeating a lot of stuff. I wasn't so big on this at V&A's and wasn't here either, but that's OK the rest of the stuff was great!

That is totally something I think I'd enjoy! YUM!

I was surprised that I liked it so much!

Same 1st course I had a V&A. Absolutely perfect. In fact, it was quite possibly my favorite dish of the entire night. Just so delicious.

Huh. I didn't realize they repeated things so closely.

Oh. MY. Goodness! That looks so yummy!

It totally was!

That's a combo I have always liked. Sounds weird at first, but it's surprisingly good.

I enjoyed it too!

Mmmmmm! Those would certainly top off a perfect meal!

If we weren't always so full I would enjoy them. I never really did since I was always so full. Fran always finished them off in the middle of night when she was hungry.

 

[Flossbolna]

I was actually referring to champagne and "Methode Champinoise" which is the natural method for fermenting champagne. Cheap champangne houses don't go through the traditional method which alludes me right now, but the other folks put something into the bottles to make it bubble, something not so natural. That's what gives me the headaches. I'm sure that it's very similar to whatever you had in the white wine that gave you a headache, but I mostly drink white wine and don't have the same kind of headaches I have when I drink bad champagne or sparkling wine.

The traditional method uses yeast to produce the bubbles. You can tell by looking at a bottle of sparkling wine whether it was made with the traditional method or by just putting carbon dioxid into it. For the traditional method the fermentation can create a lot of pressure. That's why the bottle needs to be so thick and heavy. And it needs the domed bottom. Round surfaces can withold far more pressure than flat ones. A sparkling wine that just has the carbon dioxid added can have a flat bottom (like a regular wine bottle) as they know exactly how much pressure there is in the wine due to the dissolved gas. Of course they can fool you by putting the cheap wine into the expensive bottle. But why spend so much more on the bottle when you are after making the biggest profit possible.

Actually, there are many sparkling wines that are made with the traditional method. Just if they don't come from the Champagne region in France, they are not real champagne. But for example any self respecting Italian prosecco or Spanish Cava should be made in the traditional method, too.

I am not sure why the carbon dioxid being added would give you a headache. Cheal sparkling wine is nothing else than wine soda. They add just the same thing that they add to coke to make it bubbly. I think it might just be the fact that the wine used for that is of a lower quality and might have more sulfur than you are used to. That seems to be what causes headaches for people when drinking white wine.

I do have to say that I think I prefer Remy in the daytime. I'm just so glad that I have another Remy plan in the books.

I wish we had another Remy opportunity in the plans, too! Michael and I both agreed after our second Fantasy cruise that we actually prefer the Magic and the Wonder, but Remy is what would want us to book the Fantasy again!

It is interesting that you preferred daytime. I think @dizneeat has the same preference and was strongly encouraging Michael and me to go to the brunch there.

 

[pkondz]

I knew it!

The truth... it can be painful, can't it?

Yeah. Don't I wish.

So does everyone get one? Are they portable, like a phone? So many things that I don't understand.

No. In Canada it's called a PVR. In the US it's called a DVR. But it's the same thing.

I can see that. I like an extra hour of sleep!

I could use an extra year of sleep.

When she does drink coffee she puts (as she puts it) "way too much cream and fake sugar in it". But mostly she prefers a hot chocolate.

Sounds like me then.
Except I use real sugar.

Well if I wasn't on a floating hotel where most everything was supposed to be included I'd have no problem paying for it. But I'd just shelled out a couple bucks each for a coffee and a hot chocolate. I know that I have to pay for alcohol on the ship, and I understand that the fancy restaurants have an upcharge, but really? I shell out a few grand for this cruise and you can't make smoothies inclusive. It wasn't so much the price, it was the principle.

Okay. That I get.
And I agree. Include the smoothie. There's free ice cream isn't there?

Maybe she thought no one else had done a champagne tasting before?

Well, I haven't so...

Actually that was totally dumb luck. I think the waiter took the top off the butter. Maybe so no one thought it was a bell to ring for service.

Isn't that what we were all wondering before?

When they described the dish in the wine room, the chef made sure to mention that they made their krispy rice in house and that it was not out of a box!

Oooooh. Fancy rice.

If you remember, I don't care for cauliflower, so I was quite afraid. In fact when we were doing the low carb thing, I tried the mashed cauliflower since everyone said it worked well as a mashed potato substitute.

It did not.

No. It most definitely is not.
But... compared to regular cauliflower... I much preferred it.

Would not have guess what?

That it was a tortellini carbonara?
That it was the staffs favorite dish?
Or that it was really delicious?

That it was the favourite dish.

I need that drummer icon, you guys are always posting on each other's threads. <Super groan>

You would have known it if you were listening in the little talk that they gave in the wine room.

But that would require a minimum of effort.

First you say terrible, then you say amazing! What are you Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Depends on the time of the month.

 

[franandaj]

Haha in NYC smoothies are like 10 bucks, those fresh juices are bordering on that too. It's insane how much this stuff costs! 4.75 is actually a bargain, but I'm sure it's not organic non-gmo certified vegan with yogurt from grass-fed cows.

As I said to another poster, it's not so much the price. I haven't purchased a smoothie in a few years, but I'm sure $4.75 isn't a bad price. It just irks me that we shell out all that money for the cruise, and they can't make smoothies part of the quick service offerings?

I get headaches from wines too. Aged wines tend to do that to me. It sucks since I really like them.

It's not the wine, it's the CO2 that they inject into cheap champagne that does me in. Sorry you can't do aged wines, I've got a cellar full of them.

I love that truffle bread and truffle butter!

It's an acquired taste, that I'm not sure if I've properly acquired it!

Looks delicious! I pick out peas too unless they look like that. That looks amazing.

I was surprised that I liked it so much.

OMG this looks like the caviar course we had at remy too! Amazing you had it at brunch as we paid an upcharge at dinner.

Wow that's great to know. I think we skipped the caviar at dinner.

This looks amazing!!!!!

I love Pasta Carbonara in general and this was a totally amped up version of it.

Yum, think we had this or something close to it at Remy brunch too.

I'm not surprised, they said that they rotate meals from the Dream and Fantasy, we had the same thing on the Dream in 2015.

Yum yum yum!

So good!

Canele! They are delicious!

Is that what they're called? I'll have to remember that!

Hi Alison - I am enjoying reading about this cruise. I'm hoping to mix in a Disney cruise in our next WDW vacation (not yet planned) and it's nice to get some ideas of what they offer. I'm thinking of going to WDW first and finishing off with a relaxing cruise. Any thoughts/preferences when you've done both?

to the TR!

My suggestion would be to end with WDW if you can only do WDW on one side of the vacation. The reason I say this is that on the last night of the ship, you put your suitcases outside your cabin and you don't see them until you're off the ship. I always like to have another night in a hotel to switch things back around because most times you can't carry on some of the stuff (on a plane) that you have to carry off the ship. Also another reason to book a few days at Disney is that it is really hard leaving the cushy cruise environment. The crew members do everything for you on the ship (well almost) so going right back to daily life is hard. Going to Disney for a few days eases that pain until you have to go back to reality.

I was a bit confused starting from the beginning and reading about no more trips and seeing the countdown in your siggie. Of course as I read on, it became clear as to why. I think I'll read some of your completed reports to get some more ideas.

We booked the Panama Canal Cruise so that we had something to work toward and motivate us to get the old house cleaned out.

Remy looks AMAZING!!! Michael would flip.

Not spending $4.75 for a drink without alcohol? I feel ya! And I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm sure Michael would love it and he'd also love the pairings and stuff. And there's so much else that IS free on the ship, why would I pay extra for a smoothie? Especially when there is an ice cream machine right next to the smoothie counter!

 

[chunkymonkey]

they can't make smoothies part of the quick service offerings?

I totally agree with this. Although during breakfast at Lumiere/Royal Court they do have that smoothie bowl thing...Morning tugboat I think it's called? It was yummy!

Sorry you can't do aged wines, I've got a cellar full of them.

Oh...that doesn't stop me from indulging, haha. I just pop a pepcid and take some advil if I need to later. I just make sure to drink them at night only so I can sleep any headache away.

Wow that's great to know. I think we skipped the caviar at dinner.

I'm sure it was a different type of caviar that we paid and upcharge for, and it also included some champagne.

Is that what they're called? I'll have to remember that!

Yup, with an accent on the last e....so you pronounce it cah - nell - lay
I hope I did that right. hahaha.

 

[QueenJen]

I tried the mashed cauliflower since everyone said it worked well as a mashed potato substitute.

It did not.

Thank you for the real description. I cannot bring myself to try it as I just can't bring myself to believe that it would be even close.

Going to Disney for a few days eases that pain until you have to go back to reality.

Hmmm...good point. Perhaps adding a couple nights after the cruise.....and trying a new resort....would be a win win.

Thanks to your photo in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that has made it into our next trip - as well as the house from A Christmas Story (thx @pkondz). I was looking for something to break up that section of our road trip.

 

[pkondz]

as well as the house from A Christmas Story (thx @pkondz).

 

[franandaj]

Good to know for DH's sake

They can work with almost restrictions there. I think they might even find it a challenge.

FINALLY got a chance to start reading this and got all caught up!

I just LOVE the photos of the two of you together. Very cute photos !!!! Can't wait for more!

I'm glad you made it over here! Of all the TRs I read before going on the trip, yours was the most helpful. Even if we didn't repeat much of your activities, it helped give me a sense of timing for the cruise. It also got me to look up excursions and stuff, otherwise we would have probably just toddled around the ports which seemed pretty boring.

The traditional method uses yeast to produce the bubbles. You can tell by looking at a bottle of sparkling wine whether it was made with the traditional method or by just putting carbon dioxid into it. For the traditional method the fermentation can create a lot of pressure. That's why the bottle needs to be so thick and heavy. And it needs the domed bottom. Round surfaces can withold far more pressure than flat ones. A sparkling wine that just has the carbon dioxid added can have a flat bottom (like a regular wine bottle) as they know exactly how much pressure there is in the wine due to the dissolved gas. Of course they can fool you by putting the cheap wine into the expensive bottle. But why spend so much more on the bottle when you are after making the biggest profit possible.

It's been a while since I've been to a champagnery. Now I remember they add the yeast for the second fermentation.

Actually, there are many sparkling wines that are made with the traditional method. Just if they don't come from the Champagne region in France, they are not real champagne. But for example any self respecting Italian prosecco or Spanish Cava should be made in the traditional method, too.

I haven't been to France's Champagne region, my only experience is in Napa. We toured Chandon and I think one other place there, we got to see the place where they hand riddled the bottles and such. They even had an example of an old fashioned ridding "machine". Meaning wood panel with holes for the bottles to stay at the right angle..

I am not sure why the carbon dioxid being added would give you a headache. Cheal sparkling wine is nothing else than wine soda. They add just the same thing that they add to coke to make it bubbly. I think it might just be the fact that the wine used for that is of a lower quality and might have more sulfur than you are used to. That seems to be what causes headaches for people when drinking white wine.

Keep in mind that I can't drink soda either. I drink it in such small amounts that the headache doesn't kick in, but since I like champagne more, I'll drink more of it. I just learned that the cheap ones cause problems for me. And it's not the quality of wine, because I actually drink cheap white wine at home as my "house wine". I have awesome reds, and a few whites that are good, but for the most part, I drink box wine at home.

I wish we had another Remy opportunity in the plans, too! Michael and I both agreed after our second Fantasy cruise that we actually prefer the Magic and the Wonder, but Remy is what would want us to book the Fantasy again!

It is interesting that you preferred daytime. I think @dizneeat has the same preference and was strongly encouraging Michael and me to go to the brunch there.

The Wonder is definitely my favorite ship as well, but I'd say the Fantasy comes in second based on the fact that there is Remy!

The truth... it can be painful, can't it?

Truth hurts.

No. In Canada it's called a PVR. In the US it's called a DVR. But it's the same thing.

So essentially you have the same boxes in your house, but you call them a different name?

I could use an extra year of sleep.

Yes. I'm sure you could. If I could help you get it I would!

Sounds like me then.
Except I use real sugar.

I didn't realize you would even consider drinking coffee. I will try to point out in the TR when she does actually drink some coffee.

Okay. That I get.
And I agree. Include the smoothie. There's free ice cream isn't there?

Yes there is, right next to the smoothie, so why would you pay $4.75 for a smoothie when you can get soft serve ice cream right next door for free. Just let it melt a little and you have a smoothie!

Well, I haven't so...

You need to hang out with me more!

Isn't that what we were all wondering before?

Yes, so now we know it is not a bell, it is the butter cover!

No. It most definitely is not.
But... compared to regular cauliflower... I much preferred it.

But I still don't like cauliflower!

But that would require a minimum of effort.

You can't even listen to a 10 minute talk?

Depends on the time of the month.

Okay, I get that.

 

[franandaj]

Will catch up with the couple responses that just came in as I can but I’m going with the momentum of the next update.


After we left our Remy Brunch, we decided to go down to Guest Services to take care of a small issue. Instead of booking our return transportation to the Boardwalk, they had us going back to the airport. All they needed to do was change one small letter on our Key to the World which indicated we were going back to a resort and not the airport. He printed us new keys and we were on our way.

We stopped to take some pictures in front of the mosaic.





And then I realized I was not properly attired for our next activity, so I went back to the room to remedy this. I met Fran in the line and soon we were on our way to Arrendel. When I noticed that my P&S camera was not in my pocket.











The sisters immediately noticed that I had adorned myself with snowflakes and thought that was quite an appropriate gesture. I was glad that I took the time to go back to the room and put them on. We had a nice visit.











Then I bolted out of there. I was headed back to the room to look for the camera, while she went to Guest Services on deck 3 to see if I dropped it after she took pictures of me. Turns out it was on the bed in the room, so I ran down three flights of stairs to catch her and let her know I'd found it. While reporting the loss the CM, (who was just about to give her a form to fill out) had told her about a second mosaic on the other side featuring Gus and Jaques (who we affectionately call the gay mice) so she took some pictures of them.





Then we went back to the room. I had a massage coming up and wanted to spend a little time in the hot tub beforehand.



She insisted she wanted to put stuff up on eBay, and said she could be anywhere in the ship, as anywhere but our cabin had a better signal. She would nap a bit and then go in search of a signal.

The hot tub was nice, but the jets didn't seem to work. Even so I got a nice relaxing soak before I headed off to my massage. It was nice, and I even fell asleep for a bit. I took my shower and got dressed in the spa since their facilities are a little larger.

I came back to the room at around 6PM to find Fran fast asleep and complaining of massive indigestion. I gave her some tums and let her sleep. After the camera scare I decided that I better transfer my pictures to the computer. While I had the computer out I decided to connect to the Internet and check email. We gave our tenants our email addresses and told Naked Jim to contact us via email if he had any questions or problems. Luckily no problems, so I disconnected and went back to watching Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and working on the TR journal.

Dinner was at 8:15 and at one point when she was coherent, Fran asked what was on the menu tonight. I did my best to remember as I only knew the things I planned to order. She thought she could manage, but when it came to 7:45 when we needed to get ready to leave she asked if she could skip dinner. I told her it was OK, then she asked if there was any ice cream available. There is always soft serve ice cream on Deck 11, so I took her little tupperware container up and got her vanilla ice cream.



I went to the Enchanted Garden and was seated with our tablemates. They were both sad to hear Fran wasn't feeling well. Some shots of the room.




I wasn’t sure how hungry I was so I just ordered an appetizer and main.





I did want to save room for another of my favorite desserts. I started with the Lobster Ravioli in a tomato broth. It was a pretty large portion and I really enjoyed it.



For my main course I ordered the Prime Rib. When he asked how I liked it done, I told him to bring me the rarest piece of meat he could find. It was a huuuuge piece, you could even say bigly. It was really good, all stupidity aside. Nice chunks of fat to pair in each bite of lean meat. I did my best, but could only eat about ⅔ of it.







For dessert, I ordered the Creme Brulee drink that Fran had the other night. It paired nicely with my Date pudding, while it’s not quite a Grand Marnier Souffle, it is pretty darned good!



I said “good night” to our dinner companions and we learned that we would not see each other until the final evening, as we each had plans to dine at the adult restaurants over the course of the next three nights.

When I got back to the room, I found Fran worshipping a god no one wants to honor. When she was done, I immediately started her on the Antibiotic regimen (that I always pack on trips after the Mississippi river fiasco) as well as an extra strength Mucinex, her breathing sounded very labored and I was afraid that she might aspirate and it would turn into pneumonia. Spoiler alert: She did not.

I continued watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but evidently fell asleep before I saw the ending.

See next page for Navigators for tomorrow.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oh no! Sorry to read that Fran wasn't well. Hope it passed quickly.

Loved the pics of you and Anna/Elsa....and the mosaics. Beautiful.
Sounds like a great spa afternoon.
And that 1/2 cow on your plate looks nice.