Top Chef: The Cruise

Unbelievable.

Amazing.

Unforgettable.

Those three words pretty much describe the incredible long weekend that Hubby and I just experienced...as we cruised in the Caribbean with some famous chefs and TV personalities from "Top Chef."

I'll soon be writing a full-length review of the cruise (which will be posted on CruiseCritic.com, where all of my previous reviews have been posted)...but in the meantime, I thought I'd hit a few highlights....


Hubby and I...on formal night...



First off, the food. OhMyGodOhMyGodOhMyGodOhMyGod. The food. Every night, the dinner menu would feature three different chefs - and of course, not wanting to miss a thing, Hubby and I ordered EVERYTHING. And it was incredible...delicious...mouth-watering...and to die for. I sampled items I've never heard of - nor will likely ever hear again - and it stretched my palate in ways unimaginable. The offerings truly lived up to the anticipation of cruising with some of America's best chefs....

Second, the chefs themselves...they were SO friendly, and SO approachable, and SO appreciative of the fans. They took pictures, they autographed cookbooks, they partied right along beside us during the events...and it was too much freakin' fun. World-Famous French Chef Hubert Keller put on an amazing show one night, spinning records as a DJ...and the look of pure joy on his face was incredible. A lot of people can say they've eaten Hubert Keller's amazing food...but how many can say they've danced to his tunes??!!


Getting ready to embark on a trip of a lifetime!



Third, the other cruisers...we met so many people onboard, whether at dinner, at the Martini bar, or in port...and being that we ALL had at least one thing in common - our shared love of food and "Top Chef" - it gave us something to talk about and argue about (in a friendly way, of course!) and rave about. Certainly the most homogenous group of travelers I've ever explored with, and again, it was too much fun.

And finally - the BIGGEST highlight for me was getting checked out by the "Italian Stallion" himself, the famous Fabio. If you don't know who Fabio is, I'll be brief and say that he is the darling of the show - with his charm, good looks, and genuine passion for cooking - as well as the ladies. While walking one night to dinner, I passed Fabio, who was walking in the opposite direction.


Chef Fabio Viviani...yummy...



Fabio's eyes swept down my dress...then back up my dress...and he then looked me in the eye, gave me a slow smile, and a nod. Outwardly, I was calm and cool and collected, giving him a smile and a nod in return...while inside I was screaming, "OH MY GOD, FABIO JUST CHECKED ME OUT!!!!"


This will forever now be known as my "Fabio" dress....!


After a few steps, I turned around to see if Hubby (who had been behind me) had just seen what transpired, and before I said a word, Hubby said, "I saw that...he just totally checked you out."

Hey...I'm 50 years old...the days of me getting "checked out" are few and far between anymore. Pretty much non-existant, unless you count getting my books checked out at the library...which is HARDLY the same thing. Hee.

So...all in all...a WONDERFUL experience.

Be looking for my upcoming review...but I don't when I'll be starting it, as I go "under the knife" tomorrow for my sinus surgery. Which I'm actually looking forward to, in a weird way, as it means I'm just THAT much closer to FINALLY getting to go home to Kansas City, after a VERY long absence.

Peace.

If you want to read a review of our European cruise last summer, click HERE.

A review of our Mother/Daughter review last summer in the Caribbean, click HERE.

And finally, for a review of the World's Largest Cruise Ship, in which I cruised solo, click HERE.