2019 World Cruise - Day 3

Saturday 01.05.19 - Embarkation

Alright folks, today is THE day. Today we finally get to board the Pacific Princess & begin our cruise. To say that we are excited would be an understatement. It begins with another Uber ride from the hotel to the port.

After dropping off our luggage with the porter, we head inside to start the boarding process. We enjoyed a culinary masterpiece of a breakfast via the vending machine in the waiting area. I had a honey bun & Dr Pepper, while Shelly chose a bag of chips & a Dr Pepper. We needed one last Dr Pepper since the ship doesn't carry the "nectar of the gods".

Once on board, it was lunch time and the ships try to push everyone to the buffet. We happened to enter right by the main dining room and lunch was open there. I like this option as it is full service.

I had the avocado & shrimp app. This was different than I expected, but still pretty tasty. I’d probably order this again.

Avocado and Bay Shrimp
lemoncello aioli

Followed by the bacon cheeseburger, fries & a side of honey mustard. I simply LOVE burgers. This one was already on my mind as we boarded the ship. It was delicious as always. The only thing that would make these burgers better, is if they served pickles with them. For some reason they only do that outside at the "BBQ" area.

Bacon Cheeseburger
traditional garnish, French fries, honey mustard

Shelly started with the salad, "a light refreshing option served with balsamic vinegar dressing."

Limestone and Baby Oak Leaves with Cucumber Carrot and Red Onion
selection of homemade and low-fat dressings

Then she moved on to the raviolis, which she thought were good, with a nice amount of filling, and the tomato sauce was tangy.

Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli
homemade tomato sauce, parmesan

For dessert, we both had the Orange Souffle, which was was a nice sweet treat to end the meal. Shelly loves souffles and Princess offers them quite frequently at dinner.

Orange Souffle
Grans Marnier-vanilla sauce

After lunch, we found our room, unpacked & read all our mail, before heading to the muster drill in the Cabaret Lounge (Muster Station A).  This is our first time being on such a small ship, only 680 passengers, and so far we are loving the quick access to everything.  There is only two muster stations on this ship.

Welcome to the World Cruise letter, plus 2 magnets.

Shelly got us a Scratch Off World Map

I had to bring some spice with us

After the fun of the muster drill, Shelly had her 1st cup of specialty coffee at the Club Bar. Plus we shared a slice of cake.

We decided to venture around this small ship and take pictures before attending the Sailaway Sounds party with The 2 Cool Duo, Poolside, deck 9. 

Grand Staircase in the Atrium

The shops

Piano Bar

cocktails

We happened to sit next to where they were unpacking boxes & the staff handed us free water bottles.

The 2 Cool Duo

 We ventured to the card room that is next to the Lotus Spa. They happened to be doing a talk and raffle about the Spa so we entered, sadly we didn't win.

Now it was late afternoon / early evening and we were getting hungry, so it was time for a snack. The perfect solution came in the form of the Exclusive Elite Lounge. This is held daily from 5pm - 7pm in the Pacific Lounge on deck 10. It is reserved exclusively for Elite, Suite & Platinum guests. When we were chatting with another couple, Liz & Tim, she referred to it as "nibbles". We thought that was a perfect nickname for the daily event & borrowed the new title.

Shelly making her plate

tomato bruschetta

Shelly's plate

#thehungryheath's plate

We left Nibbles to attend the preshow dancing & the Welcome Aboard Showtime where we met the cruise directors (Neil & Toby) plus a performance by the hilarious comedian Steve Caouette. He was so good, I laughed till I cried.  

After the Welcome Aboard show, we went to the dining room to find our table. We were assigned to a table with 3 other couples, making it a table of 8 people. We have Jim & Donna from New York, Gail & Carl from New Jersey, Steve & Betty from Florida, then Shelly & I from the great state of TEXAS. This made for some very entertaining conversation. It was nice meeting fellow passengers that are on for the full 111 days. We got our first glimpse as to how cool these folks are.

bread basket

dinner menu

Shelly started with the crispy vegetable spring rolls. "These come 2 to an order served with a peanut dipping sauce. They were crispy, with good flavors, but a bit oily. The peanut sauce was a bit lacking in the peanut department and a little thin."

Crispy Hand-Rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls
with hoisin-peanut dip, lemongrass and cilantro

For her entree, she chose the Prime rib (medium) with baked potato and corn on the cob. "It was a good prime rib made better with horseradish, the corn had nice charred areas, and the baked potato would be better fully dressed, they only offered butter and sour cream."

Slow-Roasted Corn-Fed Prime Rib with Natural Rosemary Jus and Horseradish Cream
carved to order with corn-on-the-cob, char-grilled tomato and baked Idaho potato

I started with the red snapper mojito. This was delicious, light & refreshing. 

Red Snapper Mojito
ceviche with mint, mango, avocado and a splash of Bacardi Superior rum
winning dish of the 6th annual Bacardi bartender & chef cruise competition awarded to Princess Cruises

Next was the shrimp cocktail. This is a easy decision app that is offered on their everyday menu. It's shrimp cocktail, what's not to love?

Shrimp Cocktail
an American classic with horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce

Followed by the chili (app size). This was as listed as being “Texas” chili, but then it had beans. True Texas chili has no beans. Plus it was served with rice. Nope.

Home-Style Cuisine; Cumin-Spiced "Texas" Beef Chili
with a choice of sour cream, Monterrey Jack cheese and spring onions

For my entree, I had the Crawfish Étouffée. This was another good try lol. It wasn't awful, but I've certainly had better. I'm privileged to live near Louisiana. We have a strong Cajun & Creole presence in the Houston area.

Cognac-Flamed Crawfish Etouffe with Louisiana Hot Sauce
served with rice and vegetable medley

After our dinner it is time for dessert!  Every night they offer 2 desserts, a sugar-free option, and a couple ice creams; plus, they offer several Princess Favorites that are always available.

dessert menu

Shelly decided on the milk chocolate souffle. "This was a lovely finish to the meal with light chocolate notes in a creamy sauce."

Milky Chocolate-Hazelnut Souffle
amaretto sabayon

 

I had the chocolate chip ice cream. Finally, my ice cream wasn't half melted when it arrived, which is common on other cruises I've been on. No matter how full I am there is always room for ice cream!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

We said goodnight to our new friends & returned to our cabin ready for an exciting day at sea tomorrow.