© irene waters
Before boarding I researched how to survive the amount of food I was going to be presented with. There were lots of hints: ask for half serves of everything, sit with your back to the smorgasbord or avoid them altogether, don’t eat between meals.
I was set to try all of these but I ended up trying none. We had opted to have anytime dining which meant that we would be allocated to the first available table when ever we turned up. Our dining companions would alter each night – or we could choose to sit alone which we did the first night on our anniversary where we got a barbers quartet and a super yummy cake.
© irene waters 2017
Every other night we sat at a round table with six people. As everyone wanted to have a good time most nights were very jolly. The waiters also went out of their way to make each meal memorable. The quantities of food served in the two dining rooms we could use was not massive. In fact I would say they got it just right. I never walked out feeling I had overeaten, nor did I leave feeling hungry. The quality of the meals was always good, a couple of times above average and less often superb. Never were they bad. After eight days, although the menu changed they developed a sameness about them.
© irene waters 2017
© irene waters 2017
© irene waters 2017
But that was okay as you could go to one of the three gourmet restaurants, or try the crab shack, the smorgasbords or simply have a hamburger at the bar (first photo). You could even get ice cream cones.
We ate at the smorgasbord every day for breakfast and lunch but after a few days where you did try everything and find that your eyes were bigger than your belly you tended to just become normal again and have healthy choices. My favourite for breakfast was a baked apple, a little natural muesili and plain natural yoghurt. But there was simply everything. These were open 24 hours a day. Hygiene was a big issue and they placed a hand disinfecting policeman at the entrance to the smorgasbords. We did not hear of anyone getting sick and we certainly didn’t.
In the aftermoon or morning if your were into teas (or coffees) you could go to the coffee bar where you could get salads, pies and lots of sweet pastries. They also served a continental breakfast which I did not try. I was amused as in the afternoon a waitress would wander amongst the tables offering milk and cookies.
Of course there was room service if you didn’t want any of these options but again we didn’t take up the experience. One experience a veteran cruiser told us about that we made sure not to miss was the last night on board. He told us they only do it at the first sitting so on the last night we fronted up at 5.30pm to eat. A little early for us but we weren’t taking the risk. Roger took on the excitement of the occasion, still giving me instructions which I ignored whilst the fellow we were dining with was unimpressed although he did glance up at one stage to see if Roger was for real. I of course took a video which your can watch below.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Oh my! Quite entertaining! I wondered what the food would be like! I don’t think we have a smorgasbord on the ship we will be cruising on. We sign up for the restaurants at the end of March! Hmmmm………..
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I bet they do have a smorgasbord as I’m imagining the places you are going London, France, Spain, Portugal will mean that you are travelling on a fair size ship. I’ll wait for you to board to hear your experiences. What line are you going with?
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Regent Explorer, I know they have five restaurants because we have to pre-book to eat in them!
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Sounds as though it will be quite different to ours. We did have 3 gourmet restaurants on board that you had to book for but you also had to pay an additional charge. We didn’t try any of them. Maybe next time.
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Only 750 passengers though!
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That sounds perfect. We had 2,500 and although you weren’t aware of the numbers most of the time there was the odd occasion you were.
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That looks like so much FUN! I’ve never been on a cruise. We don’t travel often and it’s usually to visit our younger son’s family. Some day, maybe when my ship comes in, maybe it will be a Princess liner, ready to sail me off to the islands. Seems like it was substantial but not particularly inventive. What was your favorite meal?
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HA HA … fun. I love twirling the napkins. My hubby thinks it’s silly. He likes to eat. I don’t.
We took the Princess Royal for a 14 days cruise through the Panama Canal ending in San Francisco; then, a five day stay there. I was exhausted. It sounded better on paper.
I adore cruising we’ve been on 16. Our favorite line is Celebrity. Since I don’t like eating I don’t gain weight. My hubby who is always hungry eats half of what he’s served but does eat 3 meals a day.
Afternoon coffee and a small pastry is our only treat besides a well-made Martini.
Hope you’d had a GREAT time ….
Isadora 😎
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You’re an old hand then. We have a long way to go to catch up but I’m dreaming. We had a great time thanks and hope to repeat the experience some time in the future. I’ll l0ok at what cruises celebrity lines offer. Cheers Irene
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An interesting and useful post, but I love catching your humorous insertions, such as in the credits of your video…Disinterred Man!
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Haha – I have a great vision of a disinterred man.
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Ha, my typo… Actually, more likely my smartphone’s bleak autocorrect humor…I did mean disinterested, but disinterred is better! 😀
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