My Disney Cruise Diary - Nassau Excursion

My Disney Cruise Diary - Nassau Excursion

Chef Josh points out bottle of Champagne served at Prince Charles and Diana's wedding.

Graycliff Inn, Restaurant, and Cigar Company

Day two on the Disney Cruise Ship "Wonder" and what a wonder it was… We arrived around 8:30am into port with the storm winds finally shielded by the island and a light breakfast via room service on the balcony. I knew today was going to be special, today was about me after all. Our trip to Nassau included Vanessa and her friend venturing off on-their-own to discover the island via scooter, while Mom would stay on board and swim with Sarah. I, on the other hand was off to the Graycliff Inn and Restaurant for an exclusive tour of the grounds, wine cellar and cigar factory.

After meeting my fellow shipmates, Retired Sheriff Deputy Harley Arrants Jr. and his long time friend, fellow retired officer Dennis Nixon, the three of us made our way off the ship headed for the tour rendezvous spot. Upon arrival at our pick up location, we were greeted by none other than the owner of Graycliff himself, Cav. Enrico Garzaroli. Enrico insisted that we join him for a brief tour around the city in his Land Rover. Usually a limousine would meet the guests and drive them to the Inn,

Check out the dates on these bottles.

but today was to be a special treat indeed.

Upon arrival at the Inn, we were greeted by Graycliff's head chef and Director of Cuisine, Josh Campbell. After quick introductions, Josh whisked us away to a plush seating area to enjoy the house special, a fruity concoction made with fresh fruits and Champagne. Just as Josh was discussing our tour, Enrico presented each of us with a "fresh role" cigar right from the hands of the rollers. Enrico explained that his cigars were all hand rolled Nicaraguan fillers and wrappers steeped in rich Cuban heritage.

Before our descent into the award winning wine cellar, Josh included explanations of the collector cases in the dining room - one case even displayed a bottle of the very Champagne served at Prince Charles and Princess Diane's wedding.

The Graycliff's wine cellar has over 250,000 vintage bottles of wine, one of which Josh was quick to point out was one of the cellar's prized possessions - a bottle of German dessert wine, circa 1700s, valued at over $250,000 - thought to be the oldest bottle of wine owned and preserved in a collection.

Next stop, the cigar factory - with our "fresh role" in hand, Josh led us through the grounds to the Graycliff Cigar Factory. With a quick tour of the process and the raw leaves, Josh introduced us to our personal rollers so we could fashion a "fresh role" of our very own. Raul took his time to explain and demonstrate the meticulous process involved in the art of hand rolled cigar making. This event alone proved to be a true cigar lover's delight.

Enjoy table service in the Graycliff award winning cellar.

At this point, I'm thinking the hospitality couldn't get any better, but upon completing our cigars, Josh escorted our threesome to a table darned with place settings for the final event. The Graycliff is known for their prized collection of the finest rums in the world and we were about to sit and taste from all parts and beyond. There were rums from Brazil, Haiti, Tortuga, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and even Cuba. There were rums for fruit drinks, spiced rums, and rum that deserved to be consumed neat or on the rocks alone. This part of the tour was truly the piece de resistance.

If you are thinking of taking a cruise this coming year, go Disney and go to the Graycliff Inn and Restaurant. Be sure to book this excursion while spending the day in Nassau - this excursion alone made my trip. You can swim with dolphins and hit a casino anytime, but visiting the only four star restaurant in the Caribbean and enjoying some of the finest cigars and rum this hemisphere has to offer first hand, doesn't happen every day.

Chef Josh shows us a German dessert wine from circa 1700s.

A special shout out to my new friends Harley and Dennis, and special thanks goes out to our hosts Enrico Garzaroli and Graycliff's Head Chef and Director of Cuisine Josh Campbell. My trip was made extra special when I had the chance to meet Enrico's son Palo who is responsible for the Graycliff Cigar Brand and their distribution. It was a special coincidence to find out that Palo and I were linked by a common friendship in the cigar industry state side. A fantastic afternoon, a destination worth repeating in the near future.

For more information about Graycliff Inn and Restaurant and Graycliff Cigars, go to: www.graycliff.com  or call toll free from the U.S. or in Canada at: 800-476-0446 and be sure to tell them David sent you from www.FloridaNewsDaily.com

 

Raul shows me how it's done.

Now it's my turn to role my own "fresh role."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dennis takes a turn rolling his cigar.

Harley can't wait to enjoy one of his own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chef Josh and owner Enrico point out the different rums.

Chef Josh reveals the secrets to great rums from the region.