Cruise Day #5 - Sea Day 4 of 6

Last night we started our evening in the Observation Lounge and met up with our new friends C & M from Florida. The previous evening they had asked if we’d tried the caviar onboard yet, and we admitted we hadn’t. So as soon as we sat down, C casually told us she had already ordered some for us. Now that is how you make friends on a cruise!

I hadn’t had decent caviar in a very long time, and I’m happy to report it did not disappoint. It paired perfectly with my champagne 🍾. C & M then introduced us to their fellow world cruisers, J & O, and a great time was had by all. The Observation Lounge is a piano bar, and the solo pianist/guitarist was very good. We also had another nice conversation with Sean, the ship’s Bar Manager, who always seems genuinely happy to chat with guests.

We left the lounge around 7:00 and made our way to Solis for our dinner reservation. All we can say is… wow. The food and service were outstanding. We were seated next to a lovely solo traveler, R from Arizona. We chatted throughout the meal and it felt like we were dining with a longtime friend. She is a wonderful lady and is now officially our friend. This is one of the things we love most about cruising—connecting with like-minded people.

As for dinner, I started with the tableside-prepared Panzanella salad. 

We both chose the seafood risotto for our second course and lobster for our main course. 

Then we completely lost all self-control when it came to dessert. We usually skip dessert, but seeing what was being served around us made that impossible.

Debbie had the Vacherin Glace, 

and I went with one of my all-time favorites, Affogato. 

Everything was delicious! We can’t wait to return next week and work our way through the menus. The Solis manager explained that they rotate three different menus weekly, which gives us a very good excuse to keep coming back.

After dinner, we headed to the Grand Salon to see comedian Cory Kahaney. We immediately recognized her from her many talk-show appearances and America’s Got Talent. 

She was very funny, and we’ll definitely be attending her next show.

Before turning in for the night, we set our clocks back one hour. Our first stop on this voyage is Hawaii, which is currently two hours behind PST, with one more hour to turn back tomorrow night.

That extra hour of sleep this morning was very welcome 😴. After getting ready for the day, we stopped in The Restaurant for coffee and toast—our usual breakfast at home. The crew is always surprised by how minimal our breakfasts are, but we enjoy being served and taking our time while discussing plans for the day.

One more Princess comparison: the crew demographics onboard are noticeably different. We’re seeing many crew members from Indonesia (especially Bali), South Africa, several other African countries, and Peru. We’ve seen very few from the Philippines or India, which is quite different from our Princess sailings. 

We are now by the pool, where we plan to spend the day. The seas have calmed down and it is now quite pleasant. 

Lunch at the Colonnade was again a big hit. We continue to be very impressed with both the quality of the food and the level of service. With the expansive rear outdoor patio open (I’ll have to take a photo mañana), finding an empty table is never an issue. Our attendant even remembered us from a couple of days ago and immediately brought over an iced Pellegrino for me—nice touch.

Another comparative observation: the public restrooms are very nicely appointed and even provide soft cotton hand towels. It’s another classy touch that really reinforces the feel of a high-end boutique hotel. I love it — Debbie, on the other hand, is worried that I’m loving it a little too much! 🤣

That’s it for today. I’ll recap our evening in tomorrow’s post.