Nancy's Notes From Florida

Gratitude and Grapes Wine Pairing Dinner
December 2, 2024

I greatly enjoy wine pairing dinners, and this one at Bonefish Grill met my expectations. The starter course was Pumpkin Whipped Feta on garlic-herb crostini topped with pepitas and honey along with Rombauer Chardonnay. I enjoyed the wine and the honey-dripped appetizer.

    

   

Next came Kung Pao Shrimp fried and tossed in savory Kung Pao sauce with vegetables and jasmine rice topped with toasted macadamia nuts. This was accompanied by Prati by Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon. The shrimp were crispy and savory although this dish was almost a meal in itself. I liked the accompanying wine choice.

For an entree, we had Winter White Salmon wood-grilled and topped with cranberry glaze and crumbled goat cheese served with bacon-pecan stuffing and green beans. This dish was interesting with a different topping than usual. I enjoyed it and the Rombauer Zinfandel.

   

Dessert was Apple Pecan Cheesecake with a warm apple cider glaze topped with candied pecans and diced apples. This came with a Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc, not one of my favorite wine varietals as it’s too fruity for my taste. The cheesecake was rich and creamy.

All in all, this was an enjoyable evening.

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Wonder of the Seas 2024 – Day 7
November 30, 2024

Today we arrived at Coco Cay in the Bahamas after another amazing sunrise.

 

 

On the island, we browsed among the native craft market shops, sipped our favorite drinks (a rum punch for me), and lazed in a lounge chair while admiring the ocean view. This island has lots of attractions but Ann and I had been here before so no need to explore.

    

   

The barbecue lunch is always a treat. Not long after, we headed back to the ship to indulge in the air-conditioning.

 

 

Dinner tonight was in a specialty restaurant at Chops Grille. I had the goat cheese salad, the petite filet, and apple pie a la mode.

 

 

That night, we finally saw The Effectors II Crash ’N Burn Show. It was amazing. What impressed us was that it had an actual story. Four superheroes battled an evil villain who sought to capture them. Lasers and drones upped the intensity and added to the fun along with aerialists and the singers and dancers. This show was a great finale to our cruise.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed vicariously sharing my adventures. Now it’s time to plan the next voyage!


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Wonder of the Seas 2024 – Day 6
November 29, 2024

Today was a sea day. I had my early morning croissant then watched the sunrise. We had a full breakfast in Johnny Rockets.

   

Then we walked around looking for ducks and exploring the ship. We discovered a card room on one deck and a shuffleboard court along the jogging trail on Deck 5 along with a hidden spot with a great view. My favorite hangout is still the Solarium in a lounge chair facing the ocean.

 

  

Lunch was hot dogs at The Doghouse and dessert in the Windjammer.

 

At 2:30 in the Schooner Lounge, we attended a Taste of the Caribbean Tasting Experience where we learned how to make six different rum cocktails. My favorites were the Goombay Smash and the Rum Punch.

 

We had dinner in the Main Dining Room. My choices included Shrimp Cocktail and Onion Tart for starters, Lobster Tail for the entrée, and Baked Alaska for dessert.

 

 

The Crash ’N Burn production show was postponed due to rocky seas. Instead, the six vocalists performed with a live orchestra in a show that we liked a lot better than “Voices.”

Coming Next: Day 7 on Coco Cay


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Wonder of the Seas 2024 – Day 5
November 27, 2024

Today we visited St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for our cruise on RCCL’s Wonder of the Seas. First we awoke to another glorious sunrise with the island in sight. I had my early morning coffee with a chocolate croissant in the Promenade Café before a full breakfast in Windjammer.

     

This may have been my umpteenth time visiting this island, but it was the first visit to this particular pier at Crown Bay. Shops waited for us along with a bevy of iguanas on shore.

 

 

Rather than spend our limited time shopping, we opted for a food tour. This was hugely fun and well worth the cost. An open-air vehicle took us to the center of town where our guide began a walking tour. We viewed several historical buildings and entered the post office that had an impressive mural on the wall.

 

 

Our first stop was the Sugarcane Grille in the Bunker Hill Hotel. Up the steps we went with no elevator available. At an inspiring outdoor setting, we had chicken curry, fried plantains & rice and beans. It was delicious.

 

 

We made an impromptu stop downtown by Main Street in a jewelry store. They had a bar where we sampled different rum varieties. The chocolate rum was the best and also had a risqué name that I won’t repeat here.

 

 

Then we went to The Tuck Shop for conch fritters and to learn how to make our own Painkiller rum drink. That was a fun experience.

 

 

In a jolly mood, we headed next to the Banana Split Sweet & Savory place for dessert, which was baklava and a chocolate cupcake. The guide gave us the option of staying in town or getting a ride back to the ship. We opted for the latter since all aboard time wasn’t far off. We did have time to browse in the shops along the pier before heading to our cabin for a rest.

 

Back on board the ship, we did a backstage tour for elite loyalty members before changing for dinner. My menu choices tonight were Caesar salad, shrimp in garlic sauce, and pineapple cake.

 

 

Following, Ann rose the Rising Tide bar that rose from Deck 5 to Deck 8.

We attended the “Intense” Aquashow that had been postponed from Day 1 due to windy weather. This was a glittery, high octane show with high divers, swimmers and dancers performing to loud music. It rained, and everyone fled under cover while stewards handed out towels. Then the skies cleared and a full moon came out for us to admire.

 

Coming Next: Day 6 and a Taste of the Caribbean Mixology Class


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Wonder of the Seas 2024 – Day 4
November 24, 2024

We arrived at the port on St. Maarten on Day 4 of our cruise on RCCL’s Wonder of the Seas. Ann and I had been here before, so we chose to take the water taxi into Philipsburg to shop around and have lunch. After another spectacular sunrise, we ate breakfast in the Windjammer Café. Then we went to our cabin to gear up for our shoreside adventure.

 

The water taxi cost $7.00 round trip. We bought tickets ashore at the shops directly by the port and were given a plastic wrist bracelet to wear for the return.

 

The taxi surprisingly dropped us at a pier I hadn’t seen before at the far end from the center of town. We trekked a short distance to the next pier over that’s been our normal stop. Facing the courthouse, we turned right on Front Street. Shopper’s Haven is a store I’ve frequented before, so we had to stop in there. Ditto for Mr. Tablecloth and other favorites. Unfortunately, the Guavaberry Emporium that is mentioned in my cruise mystery, Killer Knots, was closed today. We aimed for the Amsterdam Cheese Store at the end of the block. Their almond cookies were recommended by our cruise director, so I bought a pack of these and some individually wrapped gouda and edam cheeses. I can verify that these are tasty items and merit a return visit.

 

We lunched on mahi mahi sandwiches with fries at the relaxing open-air Ocean Lounge Restaurant in the Holland House Beach Hotel off Front Street. We sat in the shade and admired the ocean views as we ate facing Great Bay Beach.

 

After lunch, we headed back to the closest dock for the water taxi. We saw evidence of hurricane damage to structures along the way. We still had time to shop around by the port before heading back to the ship.

 

At 4:30, we went for cocktails and appetizers in the Crown & Anchor member lounge. As a Diamond member, I got four drink vouchers per day. Ann exceeded me by one more. Then we went to dinner in the Main Dining Room where I had shrimp cocktail, chicken and broccoli, and coconut cake. We’ve been disappointed that they eliminated the alternate choices that used to be offered every night on the menu. It’s clearly a cost-saving measure but not one that benefits guests. The ice-skating show came next and was as amazing as on other ships. I liked the theme of changing seasons. It was a pleasant end to a long and exciting day.

  

 

 

Coming Next – Day 5 in St. Thomas

 


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