Cruise Day #33 - Sea Day, 5 of 8

 Last night’s dinner at The Catch was another big hit! 🎣 

We both started with the Olé Prawns, which instantly took us back to a similar dish we enjoyed in Madrid a couple of years ago. 

For our entrée, we both went with the Branzino — absolutely delicious! Oh, and the Parmesan fries were impossible to resist.

For dessert, I had the Chantilly Lace profiteroles, while Debbie opted to finish her vino and cheer me on. 🍷 

The service was, as always, fantastic! After a month onboard, the staff knows us — and we know them — quite well.

As we left The Catch, the White Brilliance Party was in full swing in the Piazza! ✨

We moved the clocks back another hour last night, so we’re now 5 hours ahead of PST. There will be two more time changes before we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale. I wouldn’t be surprised if they save the final one for the very last night of the cruise — that seems to be the pattern on our recent crossing. 

Well, last night’s time change had the exact result I expected — I was wide awake at 5 a.m.! At home, I’m usually up before 7 a.m., no matter what time I go to sleep, and my body clock seems determined to stick to that rhythm no matter the time zone. It sure would be nice to sleep in once in a while — a 9 a.m. wake-up would feel like a luxury! ☕😄

I took advantage of my early wake-up call to snag our favorite Sanctuary Club lounges. I got there just before 7, and two sets of lounges had already been claimed. Do people come up here during the night? Luckily, our favorites were still open, so I “homesteaded” them and caught up on the news on my phone. We are hoping our flight home on Sunday is not affected by the government shutdown. 

Debbie arrived around 7:45, coffee in hand and two egg-and-cheese “McMuffins” from the International Café. I’d planned to hit the Fitness Center this morning, but my left knee (torn meniscus) decided to act up last night before dinner. The right knee isn’t exactly in better shape, so I figured I’d give them both a break today. 🙄

It’s a calm, sunny day with temperatures in the mid 80s! Perfect weather for a little lounging and people-watching. 😎

For lunch today, the Sanctuary Club buffet was much more friendly to us non-meat eaters. I enjoyed cheese empanadas, mini salmon and scallion quiches, tabbouleh, guacamole, and salsa. 

I hope you’re not getting bored with all these food updates—but when you’re at sea, culinary adventures are the main event! 😄

Tonight, we’ll be dining in the Sanctuary Restaurant. The past couple of nights we tried to grab a pre-dinner glass of wine at Crooners, but no luck—it’s been packed! Same story at Bellini’s. We’ve ended up instead at the horribly placed Wheelhouse Lounge, which honestly feels like it’s perched on an off-ramp of the 101 Freeway back home. And don’t get me started on their wine selection—just awful! 🍷🚫