February 11, 2010

• Food, Glorious Food!

  (This one’s for you, Jessica!)

  When one mentions a cruise, many people immediately think of the food. And those people are totally justified. The food on a cruise is top-notch, plentiful, and included with the price of the ticket, so you eat like mad. All the time.

  First, I shall tell you about the most boring part–drinks. You could get water, soda, lemonade, coffee, and tea for free, but if you wanted a soda, you had to pay. Peep and I chose to purchase the unlimited soda plan for $34 for the duration of the cruise. No Diet Cokes for a week? I think not.

  The first day at lunch, we wanted a refill, and asked one of the waiters for one. (In the causal buffet, the waiters just wandered around.)  But she never returned. So, we asked a different waiter. And then, they all came at once. (Yes, I did drink all of mine!)

  

  But, perhaps I should back up a bit to tell you about the places we ate and how it worked. There were four ways to dine (five, if you count being fed intravenously): The Windjammer (a buffet), The Great Gatsby (sit down dining, more formal), snack bars, and room service.
  
  The Windjammer

  The Windjammer is where we ate most of our meals. It was arranged in a semi-circle. You entered to be greeted by a very cheerful waiter. Next, you’d pass the salad bar/fruit. A soup and bread bar was the next. Then, you’d come to the middle section which was where the majority of the food was.  You can see the middle section in the upper right side of this photo. (I won’t make this one a Where’s Waldo find it!)

  

  And here, the middle section is in the middle!

  

  It was usually pretty crowded in the Windjammer and not easy to find a seat. Several times we wound up sitting with other people, which turned out to be fun, too, as we made some friends.  It was fun to sit and look out the window (when we were docked!).

  
  

  

  There were all sorts of yummies to be had at the buffet. Here was my breakfast the first day. (I felt very English, even though I passed on the baked beans and they had no cooked mushrooms.)

  

  In the evenings, the buffet and the formal dining room had the same food. It is just that you were elegantly served in one and got to be a hog in the other! The night Peep was sick, I didn’t want to go to the formal dining room myself, so I went buffet. I do not think I had any cause to be disappointed in my grilled-to-order steak.

     

  You know, pictures of food aren’t as good as the food itself. Oh, well.

  Peep and I had chosen the late dinner seating for the formal dining room, which meant we did not get to sit down until 8:30. We did not last that long. So, we would go to the buffet around 6:30 and have our appetizers–brie cheese and rolls, fruit, and maybe we would try out some of the desserts.

  

  I tried to choose something new each meal since there was such variety. Green tea mousse, lentil salads, cold grilled zucchini–and more! It was neat to be able to try one taste of everything. They had Asian, American, and unknown cuisine. And the desserts…oy. The desserts!!!

  The Great Gatsby

  The formal dining room was called The Great Gastby. When I put on my formal gown, Peep said, “Oh, you look like something out of The Great Gatsby!” I said, “Ironic that we are dining there.” She had forgotten the name of the dining room! So, I had to pose under the name. (Yes, I look ill. I was ill. That was my queasy night.)

     

  We were assigned a table and a seating time, and we had the same waiters every night. The first picture is the “assistant waiter” who got our drinks. It was nice not having to ask for refills all the time. He just showed up with them! He even knew that I had the Diet Coke option and brought me one without my even asking.  The “thumbs up” waiter was our main waiter. He was a bit facetious but was very efficient. The night I was so queasy, he took one look at me and said, “I am bringing you some soup. It will help with your stomach.” You’ve got to like that!

  

  As I mentioned, we were assigned a table. Here is who showed up for our first night. There was a father and son (Bing and Chris) and three brothers (John, Bill, and Mark).

  

  The brothers had optional seating times, so they only joined us the first night. The rest of the time, our table looked like this:

  

  We had another mother/daughter combo with us. The daughter had an 18 year old daughter and 12 year old son and also was a cheerleading coach. It was fun to visit with them.

  

  The Snack Bar

  My beloved solarium played host to the snack bar. I already mentioned pizza, burgers, and fries were available. Also, they had a small buffet set up next to it with cookies, blueberry pound cake (which I never did get to eat. Sniff.), some fruit, and more. 

  Here I am, enjoying a cookie. HA HA HA!

  

  
  Room Service

  The night poor Peep was so very sick, we ordered room service for her: chicken broth and a banana. We got both of them delivered to the door on separate plates covered with silver servers. I didn’t think to take a picture of it, but you get the idea. It was a banana.
  
  The Midnight Buffet

  Okay, so it wasn’t a dining option, and as a matter of fact, I was too full even to eat anything there. But it was pretty neat!  The last night at sea, they set up a buffet on the pool deck (okay, it was at 11:30, not midnight). They had a live band and some people were dancing. Peep and I even went out for the last song. Fun!

  All of the decorations were edible. These were just gorgeous! These were fruit and veggies carved into flowers.

  

  I am not sure what this is? A peach?

  

  Soooooo many pretty things! Brought new meaning to “You look good enough to eat!”

  

  

  And some things were just fun!

   

  Butter Dragon anyone?

  

  

  Ice sculptures aren’t easy to photograph–flash or not? This one was with a flash.

   

  You know, eventually I will have to write an entry for when we got OFF the ship!

  • 12:53 pm
  • 11 Comments