Showing posts with label Chops Grille. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chops Grille. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- Cozumel

  Chops Grille Never Disappoints
June 4, 2024
Cozumel, Mexico


Another great day onboard the Independence of the Seas. 

Morning
We booked this cruise fairly last minute in February due to probable scheduling concerns for my job. By that late in the booking game, Galveston cruises had skyrocketed and prices were MUCH higher than we wanted to pay. So we looked at Miami prices and found several options but this cruise on Independence of the Seas was the best option calendar wise PLUS it went to Perfect Day at Coco Cay which we had been eye-balling for the past 2-3 years. HOWEVER, it also went to where else but Cozumel, Mexico... Our home away from home. No kidding... We have been to Cozumel 20 times on a cruise ship. They say some things "never get old" but I beg to differ. We are pretty much DONE with Cozumel. With that in mind- We chose to stay on the ship on this port day! 

TIP- This may not always be the case but we ended up saving $274 total by taking this cruise out of Miami. The Galveston 5 day option (Mariner of the Seas) inside cabin was so much higher that we were able to pay for the flights to Miami AND the hotel and still come out CHEAPER than sailing 80 miles from home. It is really sad that the cruise industry has figured out that Texans will PAY to cruise. I enjoyed the old days of cheap cruises out of Galveston! I miss those days! 

We woke up shortly after 8AM and got ready for a very relaxed port day onboard the Independence of the Seas. We ate breakfast in the Windjammer and enjoyed another made-to-order omelet plus our favorite, freshly squeezed orange juice from the Plaza Bar. 

How is it already Tuesday? 

We then spent the next 6 hours, literally, in the Solarium. We were able to enjoy the Solarium pool all to ourselves for a brief time and the hot tubs too. The sun was out but the "swim up bar" area of the Solarium pool was still in the shade until nearly 11:30AM so we stayed there for a while. We also enjoyed the gorgeous cantilever hot tubs with very few other people. 



Great way to spend the day! 

Afternoon
We took a break from the Solarium, sun and cocktails to grabbed lunch at Fish and Ships on the Lido Deck. Once again, this was not a fantastic lunch option but it was better than the Windjammer. TIP- Chris and I both agree that the actual fish and chips is the best option of this menu. Once done with lunch, we went back to the Solarium for a few more hours. 


I love that Royal Caribbean serves the ice cream for everyone. 
TIP- This means there is usually a line, but it's worth it! 

Around 3PM we decided to get out of the pool and shower/ get ready for my favorite part of any Royal Caribbean cruise... dinner at Chops Grille. We got ready and then went to the Star Lounge for The Office trivia. This is a trivia we had won on a Carnival cruise so we were ready to maintain our trophy... But that was not the case. We missed one too many questions and were stuck with 2nd place. 

We then stumbled upon a True or False trivia in Schooner Bar and we teamed up with another couple but once again, we did not win. Chris went back to the stateroom to take a nap while I got ready for dinner. We then went to listen to live music by the orchestra in Boleros. TIP- This is another win for Royal Caribbean. They do live music and jazz bands INCREDIBLY well. 


I am ready for dinner... Let's do this! 

The live music from these musicians was AMAZING. 
It made me miss my gigue days! 

Evening
We made our way to Deck 4 to watch for pier runners around departure time. We arrived right at all aboard time and were able to see the Mariner of the Seas set sail for Galveston. This was SO MUCH fun as we knew this ship was LOADED with Texans so we flashed the "horns down" sign and made a few people mad. It was GREAT! 


The Carnival Valor sailing back to New Orleans.
(Been there done that... TWICE) 


Hello Mariner of the Seas... one of our "Home Ships" right now in Galveston. 
We do not have any cruises booked on her... for now! 


This was SO MUCH fun. Once we knew people were seeing us and then yelling at us from the ship... We started having way too much fun! 
saxeT still SUCKS! 


I have never seen this from any ship but this was cool! 

We learned the Independence of the Seas was waiting for 2 people who were on their way to the ship via taxi. We were getting so excited to see them run down the pier in disgust when all of the sudden... The taxi actually drove onto the pier and delivered the couple straight to the gangway. C'mon... Where's the fun in that! The ship still booed the couple but it wasn't the same. The Independence set sail for Miami shortly after 6PM. 


In 24 cruises... This was a first! And just not as much fun! 


My how the turn tables have... It used to be people would RUN from the terminal to the ship but not any more! 


The wife literally got out of the car and ran on the ship. The husband had a little more trouble! 

We made our way to inside the Windjammer to Chops Grille for our favorite night of the cruise. TIP- Chops Grille is offered on Voyager, Freedom, Quantum and Oasis class ships as a specialty restaurant offering American Steakhouse options. It is quite easily the best food I have ever had and the experience and ambiance is second to none. You can choose Chops Grille as a single dining option or the Chops +1 for an excellent price. It is also MUCH cheaper to book before you sail but since our onboard credit did not load until we were on board, we had to wait to book this dining option and it ended up costing about $40-50 more than if we would have booked ahead of time.  


This is my FAVORITE! 


The Chops Grille menu! 

This meal was incredible and we enjoyed and savored every bite. The service was exceptional and we enjoyed a relaxed evening together. TIP- The pretzel bread is THE BEST! Also, the menu states ONE salad OR soup but we have always had success with ordering BOTH! 


Tuna Tar-Tar- Chris 3.0


Crab cake- 4.5
This was the freshest crab meat I have had in a LONG time! 


Cream of Mushroom Soup- 5.0+ (Chris 5.0)
We both agree this is the STAR of the entire meal.
Chris- "No need for a salad, just bring me more of this" 


Goat Cheese Salad- 4.5 (Chris 4.0)
I will never understand how they FRY cheese and accomplish such a lite fare salad but this hits the spot every time! 


Ribeye (Chris- 5.0) 
"One word- Unbelievable" 


Petite Filet- 5.0
This was cooked PERFECTLY! 


Side Dishes (Family style) 
Mac and Cheese- 4.0 (Chris 3.5) 
Creamed Spinach- 2.5 
Gruyere Tater Tots- 3.0 (Chris 3.5)
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes- 3.5 (We both agree Carnival is better on this side dish) 


The Chops Grille dessert menu. 


Red Velvet Cake- 4.0
This is just too rich for me but WOW, so good! 


Bavarian Coffee- 3.5
This was very pepperminty! 


The Haute and Steamy- 5.0
Chris talked about this NON-STOP and LOVED it! 

The side dishes were not the best on this trip but the experience was still second to NONE! We LOVE Chops Grille so much and look forward to it on every RCCL cruise! 

After dinner we walked Deck 4 and then went to Vintages for post-dinner drinks and then to the Royal Theater for the Love and Marriage show with Cruise Director Mario. TIP- This is a great show hosted by the CD on most cruise line ships. This show varies by sailing but is usually an adults only show as the topics are often sexual in nature. Chris and I jokingly talk about getting on this show but we never have. We didn't even try to get on the show this time- maybe we're getting too old! This was a funny show and we enjoyed it. 


This time of day (7:30PM) on a cruise ship is my favorite! 


This would be my biggest complaint on Independence of the Seas: 
The luggage racks were stored at the aft on Deck 4 which blocked the gorgeous views of the Wake. It sincerely dampened the ambiance of the aft and wake views! 


Day #4 is a wrap! 

After this show we went back to Vintages to enjoy the live DJ on the Royal Promenade. For whatever reason the promenade was BUSY on this night (even more so than the 70s party the night before) and everyone was having fun. We enjoyed it all from Vintages before heading back to the Royal Theater for the adult comedy show. This comedian was not great but this show ended up better than expected. 

We ended the night in where else but Vintages. Martiguea, the cork master, had received a large sample of a new dessert wine as we were in Cozumel and allowed Chris and I to try this wine before they placed it on the menu for the following sailing. It was a great German Riesling and they ended up giving us a bottle to take back to the room. Thank you Marti! We grabbed a few slices of pizza at Sorrento's and called it a night around 12:45AM. 

It was a great day on board and we didn't even miss Cozumel. 

Up Next... Our last day onboard the Independence of the Seas! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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Friday, August 11, 2023

The Allure of Royal Caribbean- Roatan, Honduras

The Best of the Best
Wednesday, July 5th
Roatan, Honduras 


Coxen Hole, Roatan is truly a GORGEOUS port! 

Morning
We woke up around 8:45AM and got into our swimsuits for the day. We have been to Coxen Hole, Roatan a few times when sailing with Royal Caribbean so we decided to stay on the ship in hopes of fewer crowds at all of the venues on the ship. 

Hello Wednesday! This always means that the cruise is HALFWAY OVER! NOOOOO! 


The elevators on Allure of the Seas were SWANKY! 

We made our way to the Solarium Bistro for breakfast as we knew the Windjammer would still be busy since we were not able to dock until 10AM. This proved to be a GREAT choice at the Solarium Bistro was not crowded at all, offered the same variety of food PLUS an omelet station. It was also much quieter and cleaner than the regular Windjammer. TIP- Be sure to check this place out, especially on busy port days! It is Deck 15 Forward in the Solarium. 

We then lathered up with the sunscreen and spent the next several hours in the Main Pool of the Allure of the Seas. We kept the drinks flowing and really enjoyed the empty pool scene. TIP- If you have been to the port several times, this is a great opportunity to stay on board and really enjoy the ship as most often the ship will be at 30% capacity or less; especially on the 1st port day!  We went back and fourth from the Main Pool to the hot-tubs. But despite putting on a TON of sunscreen, I still ended up burnt on my shoulders and back.


Hello gorgeous! 


The Sports Pool- Deck 15 Midship.
This was at 10:30AM on a port day! EMPTY! 


And our home for 3+ hours.. The MAIN POOL! I seriously LOVED this pool! 
It was HUGE and offered walk-up water like an actual BEACH! 

Afternoon
We took a break from our swim time and went to the Windjammer for lunch around 1PM. We had reservations at Chops Grille at 8:15PM but we wanted to eat as little as possible as Chops is always our favorite meal of the cruise. The options for lunch in the Windjammer were plentiful and we each found a small plate of options before heading back to the Solarium to try and lay out. 

It's time for lunch! 


We love Coxen Hole- just not enough to get off the ship this time! 


Selfie time! 


A view of the Coxen Hole port area. There's lots of little shops and a few restaurants! 

The Solarium on the Allure of the Seas is HUGE but is not shaded hardly at all. We ventured up one deck to Deck 16 in the Solarium and found a HUGE bar and about 20 chairs IN THE SHADE! It was PERECT and we laid out here for about 3 hours before realizing it was time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner. 

It's time to LAY OUT! I loved this area of the Solarium! 

Evening
We got ready for dinner and then tried to call the kids via signal from the nearby port WIFI but it was not successful. We were able to get a few texts but could not re-send them. We then went down to Vintages for our Pre-Dinner wine and cheese. This turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the entire cruise and we loved meeting new couples and trying new (and our favorites) wines every night. 

We left Vintages a little early to go to the 80s Trivia in Dazzles on Deck 8. We sat at the bar due to lack of seats but had a GREAT spot to see and hear all the songs. We only scored 18/25, which is very low for us but we still had a GREAT time. We left Dazzles around 8PM for our reservations at Chops Grille. 

Chops Grille is my absolute favorite dining experience on a cruise and perhaps EVER in my life. The food, service and atmosphere are phenomenal and cannot be beat. TIP- This is Royal Caribbean's most popular Specialty Restaurant and a great value of $49.99/ per person. We used this as one of our 3 Night Specialty Dining Package. It is a GREAT value! 


The Chops menu 
They say one item per section but they have allowed us to order a soup AND salad every time we have asked including this time! 


Chops Signature Pretzel Bread- 4.5
Try not to eat more than ONE BITE! (Seriously, you'll need the space)


Jumbo Lump Crab Cake- 5.0
This is PERFECTION! It tastes as if it had been caught THAT DAY! 


Wild Mushroom Soup- 5.0
Easily the BEST soup I have EVER had! Creamy, rich and velvety perfection! 


Crispy Goat Cheese Salad- 5.0
And perhaps the best salad I have ever had as well. The goat cheese is a surprise and just a perfect addition to the crispy apples and crunchy pecans! WOW... SO GOOD!  


Chops Filet- 5.0
HOLY MOLY this was cooked PERFECTLY and melts in your mouth! 

We tried incredibly hard to go into chops "hungry" and we thought we did. But 5 courses later and we left food on the plate and needing a wheel Barrell to get back to our room. In fact, we were SO FULL that we opted to get our desserts to-go! 

TIP- When you book a cruise, the cruise line will ask what you are celebrating. We almost always answer "Anniversary" as we do celebrate this on our cruises but this also means that the cruise line will help you celebrate one night of the cruise on board. This is usually a cake or dessert of some kind and singing. On our last cruise on the Adventure of the Seas we learned that we really don't need the cake or singing. I forgot about this and Chops asked us if we were celebrating and I explained we had already celebrated. But at the end of our meal while we were waiting for the ticket and our desserts to go, our waiter brought over a plate decorated and they all sang to us. It was so sweet and even though we didn't need it or really want it, it was really special to me. Thank you Chops! 



The Chops Dessert Menu 


Our Anniversary dessert! CHOPS DID THIS SO WELL! 

After dinner we walked around Central Park (just one small lap to the opposite elevators this time) and then went back to the stateroom for Chris to take his medication and of course, we passed out! In fact, we slept right though our reservation for "Blue Planet" in the Main Theater. We did wake up in time to go and see Iputu in Schooner Bar and once again shut the place down shortly after 1AM. 


Our 2nd towel animal of the cruise! 


Our nightly tradition... we LOVE this bar and the live music! 


PERFECTION- Made by Iputu


It's 1:30AM and we are still smiling! 

It was a GREAT day on board the Allure of the Seas experiencing the BEST OF THE BEST with not only the Main Pool and Solarium area but my favorite experience of them all at Chops Grille! 

Up Next- Massages on the Beach in Costa Maya 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Adventure of the Seas- February 2023




 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 



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