One of the main attributes of a cruise, according to my friends who are frequent cruisers, is the constant availability of food. In my mind, it sounded like an endless buffet. Frankly, that worried me, because I’ve been on a much stricter eating regimen this year. Amazingly, after two weeks of traveling, I stepped onto the scales and had not gained an ounce. Woohoo!!!! But, I certainly COULD have done a LOT of damage. Oh mercy, at the culinary offerings.
The reality is that you truly can eat as much or as little as you want. After all, no one is standing there forcing you to overindulge. I’m not a fan of buffets, but that was the best option on several mornings because of shore excursion schedules. And lunches were often included in the excursions. Dinner each evening, however, was in a beautiful dining room with uniformed servers, white tableclothes and gleaming silver and crystal. When we had time, we opted for a seated-with-a-menu breakfast, too. So much more elegant and relaxing.
Before one of the formal night dinners began.
Let me share just a FEW of the beautiful salads, entrees and desserts that were set before us for dinner.
Fresh salad with mozzarella
Trout.
Thanksgiving dinner, cruise-style.
Steak and veggies.
Pheasant.
Fish, fish and more fish.
Colorful fish dinner.
Oysters Rockfeller.
Pasta dish on Italian night.
Have you called your travel agent and started packing yet? Oh wait, here are the desserts. These will push your decision over the edge.
Creme brulee.
Chocolate pistachio dome.
Apple strudel with homemade ice cream.
Baked Alaska — I wasn’t leaving without having some.
On our last day at sea, Steve and I attended a cooking demonstration session presented by the ship’s executive chef and then took a tour of the galley. Imagine having the responsibility of preparing food for 2000 people each day. People of all ages and from many countries of the world. People with disabilities. People with severe allergies. People with sensitive digestive issues. Just having a few people over for supper is tricky these days. How in the world can a cruise ship satisfy all of the appetites and needs of their guests?
Demonstration by the Executive Chef and some of his staff.
Gleaming, efficient galley.
Looking behind the scenes in the galley
The galley was a picture of efficiency and cleanliness. Through the tour, we learned some amazing facts:
- 220 lbs. of pasta is prepared and served each day.
- 88 lbs. of tomatoes are used in sauces every day.
- 4 tons of vegetables are prepared each day.
- 3527 lbs. of meat and 1543 lbs of fish and seafood are cooked every day.
- 7000 assorted pastries are created every day.
- 194 crew members are assigned to the culinary department of the ship, and 55 people are employed scrubbing all of the pots and pans.
I am truly astounded at the logistics involved in the sanitary preparations on top of the creative presentations of the meals served.
Pizza is available almost around the clock, but we never tried it. We saw many young people taking advantage of that choice. In contrast, I was in the mood to be pampered. When someone pulls out my chair and puts my napkin in my lap, I’m a happy lady.
Beef Wellington.
These photos were from the Coral Princess. I suspect that other ships are very similar.
The pizza option is for the young on Carnival who have also purchased the weekly alcoholic beverages package.