Cruise Food & Over Indulgences

The thing about cruises is the food. There is a lot of it and it's available almost 24 hours a day. We did find a few hours here and there when there was no food available (much to Carey's dismay!)

We elected for fixed dining. On the Princess cruise, we had open dining. We thought we would enjoy the flexibility, but once on board, we found there were many more benefits to the fixed option. The wait staff learn your names and your preferences and, if you have pleasant people to dine with, it's fun to share your day's activities over dinner.

Our servers were Jay and Arya. Jay seemed to me to be the most personable of all the servers. He learned our names the first night and used them frequently the rest of the cruise. He laughed at our jokes and even joked back. Arya was slower to warm up, but soon caught our jokes. I don't know how these guys pull off the serving as well as they do. We didn't take a tour of the ship so I don't know how far the galley was, but I know it wasn't just next door. Arya had very well developed muscles in his arms from carrying trays full of heavy dishes. Each plate was covered and then other plates stacked on top. I saw one server walk past with a tray piled with 12 plates.

Our dining companions were MJ from South Carolina, Cher and her 89 year old father Danny from California, and Nick and his son Alex, also from California. Toward the middle of the cruise MJ found Verner from Copenhagen and invited him to join us to fill out our table. The first night Verner joined us, Carey convinced the entire table to order two desserts. Everyone was in fine form that night, and I remember laughing a lot. Verner asked MJ later if we were always like that. I think we had just finally reached that level of comfort with one another that we were no longer strangers, but were becoming friends. Double desserts will do that to you.

We tried to eat in the formal dining room as often as we could. The food was better there than on the Lido deck. We could also order off a menu instead of going through the buffet line. By eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, we were able to sit with new people and expand the possibility of meeting new friends. This is how we met Phil and Colleen from Darwin Australia. This is how we met Melanie and Aunt Dee. This is how we heard about the foul German (more on that at a later time.) We were also able to meet up with others we had met like Diane and Dev.

Of course, when you agree to dine with others, you're opening yourself up to the possibility of encountering some less than pleasant people. Thankfully, we were never seated next to the foul German or any other unpleasant fellow travelers. But we did hear stories from others!

Carey tried to get the most from the available dining options. The morning we had breakfast with Phil and Colleen, Phil ordered two breakfast entrees. (Phil is a very large man and probably needs the extra fuel to power his towering body.) Carey hadn't considered the option of two entrees, but Phil revealed the possibilities to him. After that, Carey would always order two breakfasts (after a danish starter): an egg sandwich on an English muffin, and his choice of pancakes, french toast, or waffles. (Carey is NOT a large man. In fact, he's rather slight. I have no idea where he put two breakfasts, but he did clean his plate at every meal.) For lunch he would have the full complement: appetizer, entree, and desert. In the mid-afternoon, you could find Carey at the pool-side grill having a burger or hot dog, or sometimes a large plate of nachos, loaded with whatever toppings a man could desire. For dinner, appetizers, soup, one or two entrees depending on the options, and always two desserts. In Carey's defense, the desserts were a little on the smallish side. Even Danny felt they were being quite stingy with the ice cream.

Oh, but wait! There's more! Every night at 11:00, the Lido deck would open their late night snacks. Every night at 11:00, Carey would be on the Lido deck having not one, not two, not three, but four, yes, FOUR pieces of pizza. And more ice cream.

Carey thought he would outsmart his cholesterol test by taking it before we went on the cruise. When we got home there was a message from our doctor's office. She needs to see Carey regarding elevated cholesterol levels. That was before the cruise food fest! I wonder what it is now!

Now Carey wanders through the house seeking double entrees and double desserts.