First Night Aboard: Great Music, Great Food, and a Great Start

Prior to dinner last night, we made our way to The Club for pre-dinner drinks. Before the band started playing at 6:15, there was a digital jukebox that allowed guests to select the music for the room (I’ll grab a photo tonight). The band was very good—they had just boarded with us—and we danced along with several other couples. 💃🕺

While seated in The Club, the Entertainment Manager stopped by to introduce himself and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. A bit later, the ship’s Bar Manager, Sean, came over to make sure everything was to our liking. He’s from Cape Town, and we ended up having a 30-minute conversation about our recent time in South Africa. He’s promised to provide us with information for our next trip there (likely in 2027). Shortly thereafter, another group of officers entered and warmly greeted us. Very impressive to see and interact with so many officers on our very first evening!

We finally made it to the restaurant around 7:45 and were promptly seated. We had one of the best meals we’ve had in quite some time—and the service was outstanding as well. 

We both started with the grilled octopus appetizer, 

Followed by a Caesar salad. 

For our entrées, Debbie had the Petrole Sole, 

and I opted for the grilled Sea Bass. 

I'm posting last night’s menu and dishes, but I won’t be doing that regularly.

We also enjoyed two red wines with dinner: starting with a Pinot Noir from Oregon, followed by a Chianti with our entrées. Both were unfamiliar to us but turned out to be very good choices. 🍷

For dessert, I had a cheese plate, and we both enjoyed the nightly petit fours. 

After dinner, we returned to The Club, where the dance party was in full swing! We stayed and danced until the band took a break at 11:00 pm.

During the evening turndown service, they leave you the next day’s activity information, called the Herald, along with the menus for the following day—and two chocolates! 🍫🍫 The chocolates immediately reminded us of the “old” Princess, a nice little touch of nostalgia.

We both slept extremely well on a very comfortable bed, complete with three pillows each—always a win. Another item worth mentioning is the plush bath towels. We’ve been complaining to Princess for years about how far the quality of their towels has declined. The towels here are huge bath sheets, which is a very nice touch. Debbie also added that even the toilet paper is nicer! 😄

There were very nice toiletry items provided; however, we always travel with our favorites from home. That said, we really do like the Ferragamo soap bars and the soap dishes conveniently placed next to each sink.

This morning, we had breakfast in The Restaurant. It was very quiet, with only a dozen or so couples. Once again, the food and service were outstanding.

Today, we’re planning to really explore the ship—and I definitely need to locate the Fitness Center! 🏋️‍♂️🚢