Yacht StarShip Cruises & Events

Several years back as part of a work event, I had the opportunity to experience the Starship Yacht Cruise in Tampa Bay. I had such a wonderful time that I wanted to return to Tampa and share it with Doris. We had been in the Tampa area a few times over the past years, but each time there had been time constraints precluding us from doing the cruise. On this particular occasion, we had planned a 5 night stay in St Pete Beach. This was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the cruise and celebrate Doris’ Birthday.

The entire cruise from start to finish was handled with the utmost professionalism. It began with the check-in process, the boarding photograph, boarding the ship, and being welcomed aboard and ushered to our reserved seats, so smooth and utterly professional. Ash, the dining room manager for the evening, greeted us and introduced us to our server. Emil, our server welcomed us and told us about the drinks available and the drink specials. Shortly after that, he took our drink orders, Doris ordered a Moscow Mule and I, an Old Fashioned. He then presented us with the appetizer menu for us to order. By the time Emil returned with our drinks, we finally decided to experience the Mushroom Au Gratin which was a Medley of Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onion & Garlic Spinach baked in a Brie Cheese Cream and topped with Gouda and Fontina Cheese. The taste and textures were served with a small loaf of Garlic Bread, which we used to make sure that we were able to enjoy every morsel of this deliciousness. The Mushroom Au Gratin was more than enough to share between us.

We went up to the buffet to start helping ourselves. It was a beautifully displayed hot buffet. We served ourselves Chicken Marsala, which is sautéed Chicken Breast with a Marsala Mushroom Wine Cream Sauce. Next was the Lemon Dill Salmon prepared with pan Seared Salmon over Lemon, Capers, Dill Mustard, and Beurre Blanc, followed by Shrimp Scampi made with sautéed Tiger Shrimp in a Scampi Garlic Cream Sauce. Then, the Braised Beef Napoleon made with Beef Short Rib, Roasted Peppers, Prosciutto & Red Wine Demi-Glace, followed by Gnocchi Florentine that are Potato Dumplings with Spinach, Wild Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Asparagus, Yellow Bell Pepper, Fresh Basil and Sage in a Garlic Broth, Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables. Everything was amazing! A culinary delight on the bay! Chef Kadeem, you did an excellent job!

Dave, the DJ, asked if we had any special occasions to announce and invited us upstairs to the dance floor and outdoor lounge. After dinner, Emil took our dessert orders. We both opted for the Raspberry Cheesecake that was creamy and complemented by a hint of whipped cream. After dessert, we went upstairs to the dance floor and outside seating area, to take in the sights and sounds of beautiful Tampa Bay and we took some pictures for our SoFlo Y Mas FB page. It was a beautiful night, the weather was perfect, and Captain Wade kept the boat cruising at a steady speed. I’m sure anyone who suffers from motion sickness will not have a problem on the boat ride. I highly recommend this dinner cruise if you are in the Tampa St. Pete area. As I mentioned previously, I had been on the cruise years ago, and I will tell you now, that this will not be my last. Don’t forget to tell them that their friends at SoFloDining sent you.

Ash, Emil, Chef Kadeem, Dave, and Captain Wade, great work and thank you for another wonderful evening.