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RCCL offers solid -- and 'improved' -- cruise experience on Vision of the Seas

Having cruised for 20 years, it is refreshing to see that Royal Caribbean has maintained, if not enhanced, its level of service and cruise experience. A recent 12-night cruise of the western Mediterranean out of Barecelona offered a refreshing resurgence in service, food and organization. To be fair, this cruise may not be for everyone for several reasons.   The itinerary originally included Nice, France, Rome, Venice, Salerno, Bologna, Italy and Kotor, Montenegro. Due to port conditions in Bologna, Split, Croatia was added to the itinerary. While the itinerary is outstanding, several of the ports are 60 to 90 minutes from excursion sites.   Rome is a prime example as the port of Civitavecchia is easily a 90-minute ride depending on traffic.   Also, as is the case with Mediterranean cruises, excursions are generally geared around historical sites including cathedrals and government buildings, so young children may not be interested in many of the excursions. Itineraries c
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A big fat Greek disappointment

You know you’re in for an interesting Greek dinner when the restaurant doesn’t have Greek wine.                 And so it was at Yanni’s, 2601 Navy Blvd. in Glenview, Illinois.                 Centrally located in ‘The Glen,’ Yanni’s offers a spacious environment that provides a pleasant dining experience.                 Unfortunately, the service and food doesn’t quite measure up.                 Yanni’s menu offers the usual and customary Greek selections as well as some that seems to be a bit more unique – which is OK.   Several entrees are wrapped in Filo dough including salmon and chicken breast. While entrees are nicely presented, flavor is lackluster at best. Food, while presented fairly well, could also be served a bit warmer. Portion sizes are ample.                 Yanni’s offers fresh fish, but it seems they double label some entrees. For example, branzino was on the menu as was fresh Mediterranean Sea bass. They are, for the most part, one in the same.   I
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545 North: An underwhelming dining experience

One of the online descriptions of 545 North Bar and Grill in Libertyville describes it as a "Chic eatery & bar for modern American dining in an intimate, upscale room or patio with fireplace." Another reason you can't believe stuff you read online. 545 North Bar and Grill,    545 N Milwaukee Ave, in Libertyville, may offer a  "chic" bar, but in terms of providing a "upscale" dining experience, it falls short.  Our recent dinner there was, as all four members of our party said was average at best. The menu offers a modest selection with some items that may be of interest, but overall, the bill of fare is, well, average at best.  Perhaps what may contribute to this blahness are the descriptions that fail to shout uniqueness about a menu item.  It would be going into a Rolls Royce showroom and having Rolls described as "Made in England.  Includes wheels, seats and a dashboard."  The menu break things down by "small
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Ballaro: Service trips up a great menu

Think about this. How is a restaurant like a football team? If their performances are not in synch, the outcome is less than desirable. Which was the case during my recent visit to Ballaro, 214 Green Bay Road in Highwood. While the food was really quite good, the performance by the staff along with the less-than-ideal atmosphere would have, had this been a football team, resulted in a loss, or a failure to make the playoffs. Ballaro, which is approaching its second anniversary, offers unique selections from pizza to sliced Bavette. Entrees are in the mid-$20 range and are presented nicely. I had the wild Alaskan salmon, which featured Fava beans, glazed baby carrots, shaved carrot & parsley salad. A nice dinner portion with the flavor of the salmon augmented well by the fava beans, etc.   My wife had Pappardelle, with short rib bolognese, parmigiano Reggiano, which was flavorful. Available in a large and small portion, we opted for the large portion and found it mor
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A review: RCCL scores big on Scandinavian cruise

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned about cruising, it’s don’t let online reviews set your expectations. One of the challenges of reviewing a cruise is that there are so many variables involved, not to mention individual expectations. Keeping things in proper perspective is a real challenge. In the case of our recent cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas (our ninth on RCCL and third on the Navigator) )exceeded my expectations – by a long shot. The atrium at the entrance of the Navigator of the Seas' promenade   Why?   Because in many ways Royal Caribbean continues its Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde approach to cruising. The Dr. Jekyll (who was the nice guy) was seen by the service and outstanding friendliness of the ship’s staff, service, food, entertainment – in other words, the cruising experience. Royal Caribbean continues, so it seems, to take on the role of the evil Mr. Hyde in its policies and miserable ability to communicate with its customers. The resu
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Nothing to whine about at this winery in Long Grove

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My wife likes to takes walks in the afternoon or early evening.   Most of the times they are around our subdivision, which if you like walking in a one-mile circle, is fine.   Boring, but fine. So when she recently asked me if I wanted to walk with her, I commented on the lack of excitement of walking in a one-mile circle and suggested we walk into the nearby Long Grove instead. She liked the idea and enhanced it with the idea of stopping at a “wine place” she had seen.            I may start walking every day. It turns out the “wine place” was Broken Earth Winery, which has a wine bar in Long Grove (219 Robert Coffin Road).   Much to our surprise, it was far more than a tasting room or boutique of stuff with wine as an afterthought. Broken Earth Winery:  219 Robert Parker Coffin Road in Long Grove Its main focus is wine from their own winery.   Rest assured, however, it’s not a couple of guys who started growing grapes in their backyard and wanted to be trendy.   Br
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