Tom’s dinner of tender steak, broccoli and fried potatoes.  In addition he ordered a starter and a dessert.

There are no rough seas, no notices of Norovirus or signs of the cruise cough. We’re as content as we can be.  Tom’s attending the “Shed” meetings each afternoon at 3 pm and finds me when he’s done, usually close to 5 pm. 

At 5:00, we head to the cabin, freshen up for dinner, check our email if we can get online and by 6:00 pm, we’re out the door heading to the bar. Tom has a cocktail, his usual cognac and Sprite Zero on the rocks while typically I sip on my mug of hot tea. Last night I ordered white wine with dinner.

With a tea pot in our cabin and a few spots onboard where I can reload at no charge, I’m reminded about the many complimentary perks aboard the ship which are included in the cruise fare as opposed to the many extra charges we mentioned over these past few days.

Every evening they serve me a plate of cut up avocado. I never have asked for it to be cut this small and suggested cutting it in half would be fine with me, but they continue to cut it in tiny pieces which is fine.

The single biggest perk included in the cruise fare, not surprisingly, centers around food. It’s everywhere. And, a vast majority of it is “free.” Sure, there are a number of areas where there’s a charge for certain items; specialty coffee drinks and shakes in the coffee bars; fancy cupcakes in the cupcake decorating center; and specialty restaurants which we mentioned a few days ago.

With several buffets at various times of the day along with the Windjammer Café on the 11th deck, always open, at least in part for anytime dining and the main dining rooms open for meals at specific times of the day, there’s never a shortage of venues for full meals or occasional snacks. 

Whether it’s a burger, hotdog and fries or a slice or two of fresh baked pizza, Chinese or Indian food, it all there for the taking included in the fare. For those with a sweet tooth there is a decadent array of every imaginable dessert including soft self serve ice cream. 

Although this may not look appetizing, it was a delicious steak dish suitable for my way of eating.

On the Promenade deck, a boulevard that runs through the center of the ship on deck 5 with many shops, there’s the popular Café Promenade with cases filled with baked goods including doughnuts, cakes, cookies, pies and pastries.  

In addition, there’s a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps and Panini to fulfill the tastes of most passengers at one point or another (present company excluded). Today, Tom had two chocolate covered glazed doughnuts after a big breakfast. Piglet. I keep my mouth shut and let him enjoy himself.

For sun worshippers and swimmers, there’s a complimentary grill by the pool with burgers, fries, hotdogs and more and a “healthy food” café by the spa (nothing there works for me).

Occasionally, the ship hosts social functions for Crown & Anchor members all of which include free beer, wine and appetizers for the guests. Many passengers partake in these free events for the complimentary alcohol and snacks.  Others choose to partake for the socialization.

Magically, the restaurants aboard the ship are the perfect venues for meeting people. We can’t believe how much fun we’re having each and every time we sit down for awhile in one of the eating establishments aboard the ship.

This, dear readers, is why we love cruising!

Photo from one year ago today, April 21, 2015:
Due to the poor wifi signal aboard the ship, we’re still unable to post the year-ago photo.