At Sea - January 27, 2016

Lisa doing the line dancing class 

Busy day today…. Well busy to us.  After such a relaxing day yesterday with no set plans today we have a few things scheduled. 

We wake late, around 9 but then again we didn’t get to sleep until late.  Bernie heads out to get the coffees and we watch a bit of tv (watched the movie Trainwreck). 

We slowly get showered and dressed and head down the Atrium to mix with passengers a bit.  Yesterday we barely left the cabin and today we need to get out and mix and mingle. 

Our cabin is so lovely it is hard to leave.  But it is always nice to meet new people too.

So we relax and enjoy people watching and I head to the Atrium floor to check out the beautiful costumes at the Cast Costumes Presentation. 

We run into Lynette and Dan and catch up with them and how their cruise is going.

It is noon and we make our way to Sabatinis for the Most Travelled Luncheon.  This is the top 40 cruisers on board!  We were actually just past the top 40 but because a few are singles and didn’t invite guest it was extended to a few on the standby list.  Cut off was 557 and we are just over 500 days. 

We are sat at Michael Prasse’s (Hotel General Manager) table again.  Bernie is next to him and I have a couple from Ohio beside me.  The first thing the guy mentions is “who do I talk to about the grammar errors in the menu”.  Oh no… I think this is going to be interesting.  Then the woman asks me what I think of our new Prime Minister.  I tell her that I make a point of not talking politics at the table.  She agrees and then asks again what I think of him.  I stop her and then just try to focus on the rest of the table.  Overall it was a great table and we were so happy to be sat with the Tounsends again. 

The menu for the luncheon was:

Chilled Blue Crab Margaritas -- avocado, mango infused with tequila and lime topped with micro leaf salad and a crisp lotus chip

Or

Turkish Orange and Grapefruit Carpaccio Salad -- Mascarpone Flavored with Honey and Chopped Pistachio Nuts Drizzled with Clove Syrup

Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna “Nicoise Style” -- Warm Grilled Salad of tomatoes, green beans, olives, red onions, fennel and egg dressed with lemon and Segesta olive oil emulsion, aged balsamic

Or

Seared Lamb Loin with Truffles and Morels -- Fried Herbed Polenta Discs with baby vegetable melange infused with porcini and madeira jus

Or

Mediterranean Vegetable Mille-feuille -- baby artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and grilled vegetables stacked with phyllo pastry, red pepper coulis and basil oil

Dessert -- Sauternes Jelly with Lemon Verbena Panna Cotta Raspberries, meringue and honey tuiles

Amazing meal - spectacular service and an honour to be invited.

After lunch we head back to the cabin to change into more casual clothes and an hour later we are down in Allegro dining room to attend the Wine Tasting.  We haven’t been to one in a while and thought we should try it out.

It is interesting to be in this aft dining room.  This dining room is used as the Traditional Dining room and it is a bit different than the other ones.  The big Chef’s Table is there and it is beautiful.  We are sat right at the back on a bench and I am right up against the wall.  I can’t see much and the waiter pouring wine for me needs me to move my glass to the middle of the table so he can reach. 

I don’t see the head waiters at all while they are talking and in fact I feel kind of cut off - hey no one puts baby in the corner - okay my movie lines are coming out.

Overall it was a nice event, the wines were nice too.  I like that they have changed them up a bit too.  The cost for this wine tasting is $9.50 (free for Elites - I think at least 60% here are elites too).  Personally I think coming to this event is well worth it but I am glad I didn’t have to pay for it.

Around 4 pm we leave and we are back in the cabin relaxing - but soon Bernie is sleeping and I am writing the blog.

Tonight is formal night and it is also the Captain Circle Parties.  There are three parties tonight and ours is scheduled for 7:30 - 8:00 pm (short).  We don’t have formal attire but we have agreed to attend.  So we will put on the fanciest outfits we have and attend.  I really wish they would not hold the event on formal night.  We like that we don’t have to dress formal on formal nights if we don’t want to and we just stick to the buffet and try and stay away from public venues.  But I don’t like that to attend the Captain Circle Party I have to dress formal.  Okay I have vented.  We will attend tonight and see how it goes.

Lots of other things happening tonight:  Princess Theater is featuring Vocal Group the Unexpected Boys at 6:45, 8:15 and 10:30, Russian Spirit with the Liberty String Quartet, MUTS is showing Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, Discovery at Sea Trivia Space, Perry Grant is in Crooners, Are You Smarter than the Cruise Staff, Steel Pan with Tyrone, Marriage Match Game, Steve Mehaffey in Wheelhouse.