Being a massive musical theatre fan (much to my family and colleagues annoyance) means I’m humming along to some form of soundtrack pretty much on a daily basis. So of course, when I found out Marella Cruises had started offering the Great Musical Afternoon Tea, I just had to check it out, especially once I found out Marella Explorer 2 could offer a gluten free afternoon tea! I’d already discovered from other dining venues it was generally easy to eat gluten free on Marella Explorer 2 – check out that blog post too!
Marella’s Great Musical Afternoon Tea is the perfect sea-day treat, taking place in the super sophisticated venue, The Dining Club.
While there’s plenty to choose from around the ship, from pizza and pasta, to surf and turf, to Asian fusion, this fine dining restaurant is perfect for foodies who like the finer things in life! By evening you can find the venue serving up high-end treats like seared scallops with Champagne butter, or a succulent chateaubriand, perfectly paired with fine wines and finished off with a scrumptious cheese board.
On sea days however, the venue is transformed into the perfect musical setting. The venue is subtly decorated with easels displaying posters for some classic musical theatre favourites, with the tables adorned with props perfect for a photo opportunity!
We were entertained for the afternoon by the musical stylings of Marella Explorer 2’s musical director, Rob, who provided the perfect subtle piano music. I spent most of the afternoon testing how much my parents had absorbed any form of musical theatre recognition from the amount I play around the house – spoiler alert, they didn’t recognise much!
We also had a surprise performance from two of the incredibly talented show cast, performing classics from Little Shop of Horrors and Beauty and the Beast amongst others.
And now, the Dining Club proudly presents….the food and drink!
Our afternoon tea was perfectly started off with a choice of cocktail – not one to part with my favourite tipple, I opted for the G & Tea Time – a blend of gin, club soda, fruit tea, berry liqueur and spices.
The first gluten free round of food was, well, Food Glorious Food! No really, that’s what they called it – a chilled strawberry and Cointreau soup served with perfectly salted popcorn.
Next up, a procession of cake stands laid out with a selection of beautifully presented goodies (with my gluten free versions served up seperately) – you are served with a selection of savoury and sweet items.
On the savoury side, we were served with treats including:
- Thank You For The Music – a sandwich of infused watermelon with feta mousse (sounds like it shouldn’t work, really does! )
- Ooh La La – a raisin and caremelised onion compote with brioche toast
- Vietnamese Melody – beef tenderlon yakitori with teriyaki sauce
Over on the sweet side were treats such as:
- A Spoonful of Sugar – an Eton mess in a brandy snap basket (brandy snaps always make me think of Hull Fair! Yum!)
- I Like To Be In America – a New York Cheesecake
- Homemade Scones with jam and cream
We were originally given jam and cream to share between the three of us, but the staff happily brought a second helping for me to avoid any self inflicted cross contamination. I have to say though, no amount of jam was saving those gluten free scones (you know when you can tell it’s gluten free just from looking at it?)
Overall thoughts!
If you’re not into musical theatre, don’t be put off by the title. While there is a bit of singing involved, most of the music is just gentle piano, making it a really classy sea day activity. I’d recommend smart casual dress, it’s not the sort of venue you want to wear shorts in!
As is often the case with gluten free afternoon tea, the breads leave a little to be desired, however it’s still a really nice way to spend your sea day.
When does the Great Musical Afternoon Tea take place?
On Marella Explorer 2, the Great Musical Afternoon Tea took place on our first sea day (the only full sea day of the cruise)
How much does Marella’s Great Musical Afternoon Tea cost, and is it worth it?
At £15pp, the Great Musical Afternoon Tea is pretty cheap as afternoon tea’s go – whilst I have had nicer ones on land (like the gluten free afternoon tea at Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel) I’d still recommend it for those not wanting to sit and bake in the sun on a sea day!
Check out some of my other blogs on cruising gluten free!
- Eating gluten free on Marella Explorer 2
- Eating Gluten Free Afternoon Tea at Marella Cruises’ Great Musical Afternoon Tea
- A gluten free guide to Scarlet Lady’s restaurants (Virgin Voyages Menus)
- A first glimpse of gluten free treats on Virgin Voyages
- Eating gluten free on CMV Magellan (Ship no longer in service)
Oh my gosh the food sounds divine! I’ve never had afternoon tea before, crazy I know! This sounds like a great first afternoon tea experience xo
Makeup Muddle