West Coast Cruise Day 7
HOORAY! The day has finally arrived. Today we get to set sail on the Star Princess. Shelly & I booked this cruise 2 years ago. A sort of vacation via layaway. A few months before we were set to leave, her parents, brother & aunt decided they wanted to join us. So our couple's trip was transformed into a family vacation.
As we pulled onto the pier, we passed by what I believe is the USS Iowa. I never saw any markings, but my Google search tells me that should be the name of the ship.
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| Getting excited now that I see our ship! |
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| Almost there! |
Once we boarded, I sort of had tunnel vision as we dashed straight to our room to drop off our "carry-on" luggage. I'm so happy that we sprung for a suite stateroom! It had an exceptional amount of area to move around in. At no time during our cruise did we ever feel cramped.
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| door tag & mail box |
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| heading into the room |
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| living room |
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| TV #1 facing the living room |
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| fully stocked bar |
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| desk/make up area |
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| TV #2 facing the bed |
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| dresser & safe |
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| closets |
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| entering the bathroom |
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| walk in shower & bathtub |
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| toiletries & sleep aids |
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| just got here & already lots of paperwork |
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| suite guest perks |
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| loungers on the balcony |
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| table for 4 |
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| 2 sliding doors |
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| ample room on this corner balcony |
Next, we set out to find the main dining room in search of lunch.
Shelly & I ended up ordering the same entree & dessert:
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| Avocado & Bay Shrimp - lemoncello aioli |
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| Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli - homemade tomato sauce, parmesan (appetizer size) |
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| Princess Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger - traditional garnish, French Fries (honey mustard > ketchup) |
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| Orange Souffle - Grand Marnier-vanilla sauce |
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| Main Dining Room lunch menu |
After our well deserved nap, we walked around the ship a little before going to dinner. As a bonus, on the first night of the cruise, suite guests receive dinner at the Crown Grille, GRATIS!! Typically, it would be a $29/ per person extra charge.
(Pro tip: my wife & I like to create our own Surf n' Turf dinner by one of us ordering a steak, while the other orders the lobster. Then, we share both entrees.)
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| Black Tiger Prawn and Papaya Salpicon Mustard Seed Aioli |
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| Meat Selections |
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| Bread basket on each table |
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| Bay Scallop Timbale, Cajun Crawfish Cream Toasted Corn, Crispy Okra, Grits Beurre Blanc |
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| Shrimp and Pancetta Bisque Chickpea Croutons |
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| Black and Blue Onion Soup Fresh Thyme, Jack Daniels, Roquefort Crust |
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| 14 oz. Rib-Eye Rich with Heavy Marbling |
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| Perfect medium rare |
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| Crown Grill Gourmet Salt Selection: Hawaiian Black Salt (Hiwa Kai), Smoked Applewood Salt (Yakima), & Himalayan Mountain Pink Salt |
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| Maine Lobster Tail 6-7 oz. Split and Grilled with Garlic |
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| Grilled Asparagus, Sautéed Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Herb French Fries, & Red Skin Mashed Potatoes all served "family style" |
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| Molten Dutch Chocolate Fudge Obsession Rich and Warm with a Soft Center Vanilla Ice Cream |
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| The Crown Dependence The Executive Pastry Chef’s Sampling of our Featured Desserts |
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| Crown Grill Menu |
With our bellies full, it's back to our room, as we have an early morning port day in Santa Barbara, CA. I'll tell you all about that in the next installment. Stay tuned.
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