Jul

30

The Moveable Feast

Filed under Alaska 2008

FYI: I have more photos to share, but the wireless internet while on a ship in the middle of the water isn’t wanting to load the Flickr website.  Please stay tuned for more photos in the near future, hopefully.  Also, I wrote a very long entry last night but have broken it into more easily digestible segments, so be sure you catch them all!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
11:30PM
Somewhere along the Alaskan coast

One always hears about the quality and quantity of food served on a cruise ship. Indeed, this is one moveable feast! I wish I was on board for a month just to be able to try all of the edibles available to us. Today, they had a big sushi bar set up for lunch. We watched as two chefs carried in a ginormous (as in 3′ in diameter, at least) platter of more sushi as another one emptied. The breakfast buffet itself caters to all various tastes. Fried rice for the Filipinos (and other cultures I’m sure), baked beans for the British crowd (yay! I miss my Full English). I beelined to the sushi for lunch, but I also eyed the caprese and Greek salads, croque madams, and other foods that I can’t even remember. In the end, my lunch consisted of salad, sushi, apple sauce, fruit tartlet, Diet Coke, water, and hot tea.

Speaking of Coke, many less things are not included (or “free”) as I’d thought. If a beverage is bottled or contains alcohol, pay up. This includes carbonated beverages and fancy coffees, which completely blows my plan to enjoy a “free” latte every morning. In fact, if you really like your Coke, you can spend $30 and enjoy unlimited Coke beverages for the rest of the cruise. Internet is not free, even if you bring your own laptop. Of course, you can save money if you do; wireless time is $.50/minute rather than $.55 (IF you buy a package of 100 minutes up front). The ice cream bar sounds really tasty, but I saw today that ordering a tasty treat means coughing up the dough. Of course, the ship makes it very easy to spend away your hard-earned bucks. Before boarding the ship, everyone sets up a spending account with their credit card. Our room key then also acts as our spending ticket. Want a soda or a souvenir from one of the many on-board boutiques? Just give them your cruise card and they’ll put it on your rolling tab. There is no need for cash, checks or credit cards here—just the cruise card.

Now I must speak of the suppers here which are the fanciest and most formal of meals. A new menu is printed up for each evening and everything is fair game. The menu is broken down into Small Plates, Soups and Salads, Signature Dishes, Large Plates, Vegetarian Options, and a few Always Available plates. Tonight, I went with the Kiwi and Grapefruit Raspberry Coulis, followed by the Tea Infused Wonton Soup, Two Beef Filet Mignons, and capped with a Hazelnut Soufflé and coffee. It’s like eating at a five-star, break-the-bank restaurant every evening! I should have weighed myself before boarding and then compared it to when we disembark.

Related posts that might interest you:
—

Comments

2 Responses to “The Moveable Feast”

  1. Maria on July 30th, 2008 7:43 pm

    I just looked through your pictures. My only comment is that your dad is wearing an awesome hat. Oh, I guess I have another one. There’s one of an older man standing against a sign with a blue background. He reminds me of Rich. So all your pictures remind me of the Norway tour. :)

  2. admin on July 31st, 2008 10:55 pm

    Haha, he reminded me of Rich too. :) And yes, the hat has proven a good conversation starter.

Leave a Reply