happenin2you
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2009
The wine tasting is something we always do on Carnival cruises and we always have a great time. On this cruise, the tasting seemed like there was something missing in the planning. We still enjoyed ourselves, just not as much as we have in the past with carnival. We tasted five wines. The picture only shows four because the last one was a dessert wine that they brought out last.
After the tasting they gave us a pin for having been there. I thought it was a nice touch. There was a truffle for each of us to enjoy with our last glass of wine.
Just for comparison purposes, this is from a Carnival wine tasting. They include food and have you taste each wine, then instruct you to taste it with a specific food so that you can understand how they influence each others flavors. At this one there was salmon, filet mignon, crackers to clear the palate, blueberries, strawberry, sugar, brie, salt, limes, and lemons. The other difference is that the Carnival tasting is done by the Sommelier on board, whereas the Disney tasting was done by three wine "experts" from the ship who kept passing the mike around and didn't seem to have solid answers for questions that were asked. I guess I'm kind of a wine snob, but if you're offering tastings, they should be informative.
We had a short break and then it was time for our bloody mary tasting. I had no idea what this would include, but I was excited. After having done so many wine tastings where you get a small sample of the wine, I was pleasantly suprised and scared at the same time to see five full drinks for us to sample. I felt like I was really getting my money's worth for the value on this one, but if you've ever had a bloody mary, they're like meal. I can usually only drink one.
Check out the difference in color between these.
Like I said, I didn't really know what was going to be different about each of these, but once it got set in motion, I feel like Disney really dropped the ball big time on this one. The first one (if you notice in the picture they are numbered, you can't see the 1, but it was the one at the bottom of the photo) was a regular bloody mary, the second was a bloody caesar. The guy leading the tasting, Jesus, was trying to have people guess the differences between the drinks. Well, if you know what a bloody caesar is, then you know it's made with clamato instead of tomato, which is a blend of tomato and clam juice. Big problem for people who are allergic to shellfish. There was one guy in the room who was allergic and super pissed that instead of being warned, we were playing a guessing game to see what was in the drink. It just seems obvious to me that with a food allergy as major as shellfish, that it would occur to someone to warn people they may encounter it. The guy was very angry (understandably), but I feel like it kinda put a damper on it for the rest of us. It went from a good time to a very tense time. All could have been avoided if they would have warned for allergies. The next drink was a bloody maria, which is a regular bloody mary but with tequila instead of vodka. Next was a michelada, which are super common in our area and my husband loves them, but it is beer with clamato and spices. The last one was a regular bloody mary made with salmon flavored vodka that is specific to Alaska. The flavor was very good and smokey. Afterwards, Jesus offered us samples, basically shots =), of the salmon vodka. It was soo good! I enjoyed tasting all the variations, but I probably wouldn't do it again. It was just too much since these are such heavy drinks. Although, talking, or typing haha, about it makes me want a bloody mary right now. Just hold on while I go make one =) Ah, the perfect spicy blend of Svedka Citron vodka, Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy's Cajun bloody mary mix, Tabasco, celery salt, and fresh ground black pepper. It's a spicy one, so I think I'll be sipping on this for a while.
My next missed whale spotting opportunity came here, where Chris was seated across from me with his newly purchased "binocs" from our favorite South African Lee from Shutters. We saw her everywhere and she remembered us each time. Anyway, Chris saw a whale, but they are so quick, I missed it again.
Some obligatory porthole pictures.
Minnie was out, but she had a huge line...
We went back to our cabin to get ready for formal night, which was kinda hard without my blow dryer and the sad imitation for one they have in the room... oh well.
The progression of Mickey as you walk in.
After all those tastings from the day, I was a little buzzed, so I failed on the food pics a little. I still got them, they were just partially eaten sometimes before I figured out I should be taking pictures. Sorry... Menu descriptions are from allears. Chris started with the Crispy Cheese Ravioli - Breaded envelopes served with Tomato Concasse and Lemon Zest.
I had Caramelized Bay Scallops - served on a Leek and Sun-dried Tomato Risotto
And after the amazing strawberry soup earlier, how could I pass on Sangria Bisque - chilled Fruit Puree lightly flavored with Red Wine?
Although what I really wanted was Chris' Broccoli and Maytag Blue Cheese Soup - topped with crushed Walnuts, but I didn't want to duplicate orders when we could try something new and share.
I wasn't that excited about most of the entree options, so I went "safe" with Jumbo Shrimp and Porcini Mushroom Tagliatelle - with a Garlic-Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce topped with Parmesan Shavings.
Chris also had a "safe" night Oven-roasted Tom Turkey Breast - Green beans, Sweet Mashed Potatoes, Rosemary Stuffing, Giblet Gravy, and Cranberry Relish.
What's left of my Golden Mickey's Sweet Temptations - A trio of Creme Brulee, The Golden Chocolate Award, and Raspberry Cheesecake.
And Chris' (I'm totally guessing here based on the lack of food in the photo ahaha!) Baked Apple and Blueberry Pithiviers - Almond Cream, Puff Pastry, and Cider Cream.
After dinner we went to the Golden Mickey's, which was amazing! We found this towel creation in our room after the show. We had gone back to grab jackets so we could take some pictures outside.
Up next: Some outside shots, Cove Cafe, and Wavebands
Love the pictures!
