2019 World Cruise

March 03, 2019

2019 World Cruise - Day 11

Sunday 01.13.19 - An Exciting Day At Sea

Most of this day was spent eating & listening to different lectures. We started off with a snack in the breakfast buffet. (I wanted to save room for the Sunday Brunch in the main dining room, later on today.) We sat with our friends Jim & Donna, got to visiting with them & I forgot to take pics of our cereal with bananas.

After breakfast, we attended the 10am Destination Presentation: Huatulco, Mexico.

We stayed in our same seats to hear the 10:45am Enrichment Lecture: The Madrid Bombing

Since the beginning of the cruise, I kept hearing other passengers talking about the Sunday Brunch. I was a little skeptical, as usually brunch is not really my thing. I was expecting some lame menu with only a few items to choose from. Oh man was I wrong! Turns out, it's a HUGE buffet that takes up at least a quarter of the dining room, plus there's 3 tables devoted to desserts. I was really impressed with the spread they put out. There were too many people to get any pics of the whole buffet. Everything we loaded on our plates was delicious. We sat with our friends Gail & Carl, & they too were in awe of the amount of options on this buffet.

I had: boiled shrimp, langostino, ham, roast pork, stuffed goose, onion focaccia bread, cheeses, tuna stuffed egg & a danish (stuffed with chocolate then topped with a strawberry & pistachios)

Shelly had: arrabiata penne, grilled veggies, salami, 2 different pates, stuffed tomato, tuna stuffed egg & a danish (stuffed with chocolate then topped with a strawberry & pistachios). The danish was the star of the meal.

After that terrific brunch we went to the 1pm Future Cruise Presentation: Repositioning Cruise

Then we went back to the room to work on my blog & watch TV. Around 4pm we got hungry before Nibbles was actually open, so we went to the “BBQ” stand, where I had a bratwurst & Shelly had a cheeseburger. They call it a BBQ, but it’s really just burgers & hot dogs on a flat top grill.

condiment station

The bratwurst was too small for the bun, but it tasted great. Next time I‘ll just order the jumbo hot dog. I asked for twice fried French fries and they did as requested resulting in crispy fries.

Shelly says, "My cheeseburger was very good. The patty was grilled and topped with American cheese, the bun was brioche."

We also grabbed dessert from the buffet.

cupcake, brownie & chocolate layer cake

Princess's dress code says that shorts are not allowed in the dining room during dinner. They are fine for breakfast or lunch, but dinner has a snobbish air to it. I find it silly. I'm on a vacation & it would be nice to be comfortable throughout my time on board. So we went back to the room so I could put my leg prisons AKA jeans on. Then we visited the photo area.

Then it was off to the pre-show dancing with Derek and The Pacific Princess Showband. We don't participate, but it's nice to watch the folks that do. Plus it helps us get better seats for the upcoming show.

Comedian Richie Minervini, put on an awesome show. I found him to be hilarious.

Next it was time for dinner.

I once again started with the always tasty shrimp cocktail.

Shrimp Cocktail
an American classic with horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce

I'm not normally a big soup eater, but the Pasta e Fagioli is one of the few soups that I look forward to on every Princess cruise.

Pasta e Fagioli
simmered red bean and pasta soup with ham hocks and parsley

For my entree I chose the Tuscan-style steak. This was cooked to a perfect medium rare BUT there was A LOT of gristle that I had to cut off. Fellow passenger, Jerry recommended it, but I found it a little too tough. Also I ordered the veal vegetables.

Tuscan-Style Beef Striploin Steak Chianti Red Wine Sauce
green beans, cherry tomatoes and creamy mashed potatoes

Shelly started her meal, with the super soft, perfect eggplant Parmesan.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana
grilled eggplant topped with tomato sauce mozzarella cheese and basil leaves

Followed by a mixed greens salad, that was topped with crispy bacon, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese creating a great blend of salty, crunchy, and pepper.

Mixed Greens and Baby Spinach with Crisp Bacon Pecorino Cheese and Pine Nuts
choice of homemade and low-fat dressings

For her entree, she trusted our waiter's recommendation of the spaghetti & meatballs. "I asked for chili flakes for me to add and make this dish much better. There was 4 meatballs all good size and tasty."

Spaghetti con Polpette in Salsa di Pomodoro Fresco
spaghetti with meatballs in fresh tomato sauce

For some reason, Shelly wasn't in the mood for dessert.

This did not stop me from ordering a wonderful ice cream cake, that I hope is on the menu again soon.

Cassata alla Siciliana
ice cream trilogy, candied fruit

After dinner our whole table (minus Jim & Donna) attended the Panama Nights Deck Party. It was fun watching everyone else dance. Plus the band sounded great.