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Started on Celebrity Constellation
In 2001 we sailed on Celebrity Constellation to the Baltic - at least we began the cruise. We'd spent two nights in London pre-cruise and boarded the ship. We had planned a private excursion in St. Petersburg, Russia with folks we met online. Shortly after sailing, the phone rang in our cabin - it was my niece with bad news. My mom had passed away. Our cruise was about to end abruptly. BTW, this is an excellent reason to purchase travel insurance.
Since we had the tickets for the Russia excursion, we contacted the others that were going with us. We broke the news to them that we'd be disembarking at the first port of call, Oslo. Immediately, they said, come meet us for a drink in the Martini Bar. I'd never had martinis before, but agreed.
This is where I had my first chocolate martini. I don't have any pictures - we weren't really in the mood as you might imagine. From that point on, I've tried chocolate martinis on most cruises. I think to myself "Mom this one's for you." I'm pictured above 3 years later when we concluded our trip on Constellation.
Most Memorable Martinis
We sailed on Celebrity Century in 2007, right after it was refurbished. An ice bar was added which served martinis. Once again we met a group of passengers online and we'd meet with them each night before dinner.
We'll never forget the bartender, Leo, and his assistant, Enrico. The first night I ordered a chocolate martini and I told Enrico that I liked them to be creamy. Leo made the perfect chocolate martini. They wrote our names in the ice bar and from then on, they knew us by name each evening. We didn't even have to give them our room key - they already would have the receipt filled out with our information. The tables and chairs would be arranged for our little group, awaiting our arrival.
One night, we didn't show up for our pre-dinner cocktail. When they saw us later that evening, they told us they were all concerned. It turned out that we'd made dinner reservations at one of the specialty dining venues at our usual meeting time.
Sometimes we'd arrive early and Leo wasn't there. Enrico would try to make the chocolate martini but he just couldn't get the proportions correct, and he'd say we'd have to wait until Leo arrived. Memories like this are priceless. Their friendly service has stuck with us all these years. Enrico had previously been a butler, but when there were no openings when his contract was renewed, he took this new role. We are so happy that he did.
Some Top Contenders
Here are some of our favorite chocolate martinis. Three of them are from the Royal Caribbean family of cruise lines - Royal (Allure of the Seas), Celebrity (Century), Azamara (Journey). The final entry here: Carnival Triumph.
We've started a Pinterest board,
"Margaritas, Martinis, & More" where we will post some of our favorite martinis and other drink creations from our cruise vacations.
What's Your Favorite
Do you like chocolate martinis as well? Perhaps you'd like to join us in our quest to find the perfect one onboard a cruise ship.
New Favorite Is Born
Celebrity Edge had an extensive martini menu but they didn't have my favorite milky Chocolate Martini. We did try the Snowflake Martini which is made with Grey Goose Vanilla, White Chocolate, Heavy Cream, Liqueur, and Creme Cocoa. It was a close second to my traditional choice. If you ask, they will make the traditional martinis that aren't on the menu as well.Since we had the premium drink package, martinis were included. Each night we experimented with several different martinis My new favorite is the Coconut Cream-Tini. It's made with Bacardi, Coco Lopez and Vanilla. Other favorites included Bananas Foster and Toffee Apple. The image to the right has just a sampling of the many choices on their martini menu.
Make sure to check out the rest of our Martini Bar pictures from Celebrity Edge.
(Updated 10/16/21)
In less than a month we will be sailing on Celebrity Apex, sister ship of Edge. We can't wait to be sharing martinis with our friends in their atrium bar. Be sure to watch our blog and social media platforms for our latest quest for the best chocolate martini at sea.
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