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.

Super Tuscan Wine Tasting

New to the Royal and Regal Princess is the Super Tuscan Wine Tasting.  

We did this on the last leg for a cost of $40.  Read all about it in my blog here

Friday – Ah a Day At Sea

dolphins

It is so nice to know we don’t have to get up early, we can relax all day, we don’t have to go ashore – cause it is a sea day.

I am still full from dinner last night and Bernie heads up to get a bowl of oatmeal.  Horizon Court is busy he says when he returns with a latte for me.  That is all I need to get me going.

We shower and take our time getting going.  The main thing today is we want to see the Cooking Demonstration at 10:30.  The place is packed when we arrive at 10:15, so I suggest you head there early if you want to get a seat up close.

Mario and Douw

tasting chef and his family being interviewed by Conrad 

Now Mario the Maitre D and his staff doing the best show of all the ships I have been on.  You will love it, and you will laugh and you will be entertained.  Right from the start when Conrad comes out and gets the audience warmed up and then introduces Mario, and then the Executive Chef and then Douw we are laughing.  Mario is a character, but trust me he runs a tight ship.  You can tell his staff have a lot of respect for him and they get the job done.  Mario and his team I feel are the best in the fleet.  When he joins a ship their numbers go up. 

Mario, Douw, and Conrad

I have some video of the show that I will put up on my Youtube channel and will post a link to in when I get back home.  But I don’t want to post too much because I don’t want to ruin it by sharing too much, you have to go and see for yourself.

We don’t do the galley tour, we have seen the galley on many ships and the crowds are long.  But if you have never been take the time to see the galley.

The big sale is going on in the dining room on deck 5 from 10 until 1 pm and it is packed in there.  I don’t even attempt to go in.  I always go in and get frustrated by the crowds and  lines to cash out that I usually walk out with nothing anyways.  Plus there is nothing I need anyways.

We take a seat in the International Café and grab a drink and I do Suduoku and Bernie reads and we are content to watch everyone. 

For lunch we head to the dining room.  This is the first time they are offering lunch in the dining room as every day has been a port day and the dining room is closed normally.  It is rather quiet in the dining room.  I have a feeling that not a lot of people know that it is open.  Plus they are doing Pub Lunch in the Crown Grill so many people are going there too.

Bernie heads back to the cabin and ends up watching the latest James Bond movie in the cabin.  He is happy.

I head down to Vines and enjoy two glasses of wine – yup two!  They were good too. 

At 3 pm is the Wine Tasting which is complimentary for elite passengers and for others it is $9.50.  We are sat at a table of 8 and we notice all the wines are the same from the last voyage.  The Sommelier (yup this ship has a sommelier still but they are phasing them out) and he does the entire wine tasting.  Have to say it was rather boring.  We have enjoyed the wine tastings that have been conducted by the Head Waiters recently.  Normally three different Head Waiters will take part and they bring a bit of their own personality to the tasting.  Today though it just drags on and his voice is so monotone and I am falling asleep.  Bernie is really bored, and considering he rarely even comes to the wine tastings normally he is sorry he came to this one.  We end up giving our dessert wine glasses away to two ladies that are travelling for the first time on Princess.  We don’t need more and we are trying to downsize and they were tickled pink.

When I come out of the wine tasting the cookies and milk guy is walking around and well that must be a sign – so we stop and get some cookies and I grab a latte and we chat with some other passengers.

I picked up the picture from formal night – the one I won from the welcome aboard/sailaway party.  The photo department is busy but not crazy (trust me try to go early if you can cause it only gets crazier as the day goes on).

I also get a print out of my bill – again print out your account from the machines located near the purser’s desk and save yourself the time of not having to line up to see someone at the Purser’s desk.  Oh and everything on the bill looks fine.  It has been a few years since we have noticed any errors in our bill.

I decide to head up to the Lido/Sun deck to sit out in the sun.  The weather this voyage has been amazing and there are a lot of people in the pool and hot tubs.  Lots of people sun tanning, hard to believe it is late September.  Ferris Buller’s Day Off is playing on Muts and a lot of people are watching it.  I decide to find a quieter place to sit out and read.  But I can’t keep my eyes open and actually nap for a good half hour up there.

Dinner tonight is in the Palm Dining room and Douw and our Emerill our waiter take very good care of us.  It is not one of my favorite menus but I do enjoy the Tom Turkey dinner.  We enjoy some great wine, chat with the table next to us and wish them well.  We enjoy the Baked Alaska Parade and we leave stuffed.

Service in the Dining Room, well actually everywhere has been amazing.  Probably one of the best we have ever had.  From our dining staff, breakfast, International Café, Vines and even the buffet.

We also want to see the Production Show tonight which is the Piano Man.  I haven’t seen this show in quite a while and I don’t think Bernie has ever seen it.  We get seats right up front for the 10 pm show.   The theater is rather quiet, guess with it being the last night and last show a lot of people have gone to bed already.  But I will say the casino is packed again tonight (another non smoking night).

The show is amazing…. Alberto doesn’t disappoint again.  And this time I brought my camera so I have pictures of the show.  Make sure you get to this show, you will not be able to not sing along.  They feature songs from Billy Joel, Elton John and Barry Mannilow.

The stores close early tonight for inventory so get your stuff before dinner. 

We head to bed, and look forward to a restful sleep because we know we will be woken early.  Thankfully we gain an hour’s sleep as our clocks go back to New York time.