Eating (at the) Salty Dog for lunch

With our bellies full from such a glamorous breakfast, we headed down to a new event I'd never seen held on Princess. It was listed on the Patter as "Welcome to Princess Event." What that turned out to be was a panel of Enchanted Princess' officers gathered in the Piazza and passengers asked them questions to ascertain what their titles were. If a passenger guessed correctly, each officer had a prize for them. Prizes ranged from On Board Credit (OBC), use of an upcharge item like internet or photos, and one woman won elite benefits for the rest of the cruise. 

While we hung out in the Piazza after running into some trivia friends, I got to meet one of Princess' newest celebrity faces, Stanley! In case you were wondering, he has really soft hands..err paws.

What better way to work off that breakfast than get dragged in by Jayson to participate in a round of Junk in the Trunk where we had to dance and bounce around in order to force ping pong balls out of a box with a small opening strapped around our waists. Thankfully there's no video proof of my performance. Then it was the adorable Jody's (incoming cruise director for the next sailing - check out her Instagram for some behind the scenes fun) turn to compete against a passenger. Let's just say I wish I was as flexible as Jody. That performance could have been dubbed Princess Piazza After Dark. When no one else chose to "volunteer, " Jayson and Cruise Director Marcus challenged each other. I'm pretty sure both Jody and I got an extra workout this morning laughing with each other at their efforts. Here's my perspective from our table:

I ended up becoming cameo famous as "girl in a green shirt also filming the fun" in Jody's video featured on the Princess Cruises' Entertainment Instagram account. I've submitted my work in Jody's video for consideration and will let you know when the award nominations start rolling in. ;P

After spending some time enjoying the games around the ship, we headed up to the pool deck and checked out the glass walkway featured on these Royal Class ships. It was interesting to see the change since the Regal Princess where on this ship, the walkway space was enclosed with a seating area in front of the windows. Could be good for some people watching in hopes of catching someone's reaction to walking on the glass. It is completely secure and makes for some cool photos. That was another first on the schedule for me, a time on the Patter devoted to Princess SeaWalk Photographs with the professional photographers on board. Who doesn't grab a photo proving that they stepped on the glass?

All that bouncing around for balls finally made us hungry for a late lunch. Perfect time to check out the Salty Dog Grill - the included poolside grill where you could have always gotten food easy to eat on a lounge chair like cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and fries. Princess recently upped the offerings while keeping the included price the same by adding a BLT Burger, Street Tacos, and a couple more upscale grilled sandwich options if beef wasn't your thing. There are also some vegetarian options such as a veggie burger, Chili Cheese Fries (made with house 3 bean chili), and a Sweet Potato-Green Chili street taco filled with smashed black beans, cheddar cheese, and maple syrup. I'm not sure if this option was no longer but one of the new items added was a Lobster Roll for an extra charge. Unfortunately, that was not listed on the menu for this sailing surprisingly enough for a New England cruise. I also no longer see it listed when you view the Salty Dog Grill's menu on Princess' website.

Despite the freezing cold temperatures on deck, we ordered a variety of items from the grill and ate al fresco. Or should I call it al frozeco. We both ordered a BLT Burger which is described as a beef patty, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and port wine onion marmalade. The crew seemed a little overwhelmed with our order so I'm pretty sure this port wine onion marmalade missing burger was meant for the woman in front of us who asked for it to be left off. I was glad to see that the burger was fully cooked through - sometimes a tough task when cooking en masse. Dad also ordered the "Salty" Dog which is their standard 100% all-beef hot dog. There was condiments available for self service and in pre-dispensed paper cups but if you wanted any other toppings, it was unclear whether we should ask the crew or serve ourselves since those bins were under the glass cover but reachable from our side. 

We shared an order of Bacon & Cheese fries which are described as nacho cheese sauce, bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar. I've seen other cruisers' pictures of getting fries with just cheese sauce but I'm not sure if that was a special request or something only available when ordered through the medallion app. I'm also not sure where the shredded cheddar was unless it gets melted into the nacho cheese because there was only one scoop of melted cheese on my order. Never been a fan of super crispy bacon and the larger chunks of it on here would have been better fitted for a salad than a basket of thin fries. Take off the bacon and add more even coverage in the cheese and I'm all for this option again.

Lastly, I tried the Grilled Chipotle-Lime Chicken tacos which are described as corn and black bean salsa, cilantro vinaigrette, and avocado lime cream. Not the greatest presentation. Not the easiest item to eat either because the contents made the taco shells disintegrate quickly. As I picked them up expecting to roll up the taco to eat, my fingers poked through the now wet shell and what would have become a mess on the table instead landed back into the parchment paper lined bowl. I picked at the contents best I could out of the bowl and was surprised to find the chicken pieces covered in cream to be the spiciest tasting of the whole dish.

Verdict - I'm interested in trying the Grilled Chicken and North Carolina BBQ sandwich options next time because I think those will fare better in terms of something to be taken away and eaten by hand poolside. They, along with the hot dogs, burgers, and fries would be more practical for items you can make and serve quickly but still stay fresh and easy to eat with your hands. 

After exploring the Concierge Lounge which was definitely busier with the addition of an evening cocktail hour, I stopped in the elevator bank to check out the game options on the interactive screens. It was cool to not only play but see how your score stacked up to an all time, daily, or weekly score of everyone else playing on board. I played tons of puzzle rounds and noticed that there was one name who had a monstrous amount of points at the top of the leaderboard. I thought by the picture that someone had used their child's photo as an avatar but then later saw a family intentionally going to the large screen in the corner by the Ocean Medallion display to let their kid spend time playing the games. Good idea if you have young ones with energy to burn.

I may have intentionally switched off the puzzle and card matching games to the more critical thinking required word scramble game so I'd have more of a chance to be in first on the leaderboard. Yes, I was the only player of this game but it still counts, right?

We once asked a cruise staff member why there wasn't more variety in the music themed trivias and events. There are passengers like myself who would just as soon participate in country music trivia as much as TV theme trivia, or Broadway songs trivia, or 80s songs trivia. We were told that it's the Cruise Director who makes the schedules and if he/she doesn't like/want to do a theme, it doesn't make it onto the schedule. I can count on one hand how many cruises we've sailed on any line that included country music in their themed trivias. I'd like to thank Cruise Director Marcus and his team for including all music representation during this sailing. For the record, the country music trivia was as well attended as the other themes.

After enjoying the country music themed trivia this evening, we weren't really hungry so decided to check the buffet options rather than a full meal in the dining room. Not finding much that appealed to us, we ventured down to the International Cafe hoping to recreate the wonderful late night paninis that hit the spot back in 2017. While there are still sandwiches available of multiple flavor combinations, the panini press seems to be a thing of the past. My caprese sandwich (left) and cuban sandwich were lightly heated in a small toaster oven. The thick crusty bread became rock hard and barely anything changed inside the sandwich. Unfortunately, I don't think this type of roll would have been any better untoasted. Turned my dinner into a low carb meal by eating just the contents of the sandwich. Please bring back the panini option!

Breakfast in Boston

With our latest morning arrival into port of the trip today at 11AM and no excursion plans, we decided it was the perfect day to schedule our included Deluxe Balcony Breakfast. This special private breakfast experience is something any cruiser can book for a cost of $45 total for two diners. While it's meant to be enjoyed on your balcony, I don't think it's restricted to only those with a balcony or above cabins. Both the breakfast and dinner upcharge experiences would be a great way to splurge for groups traveling together. In case of inclement weather, as we had, a table is set up inside your cabin to enjoy. In our case, we had the permanent dining table to use. 

Our view of Boston when I woke up this morning

The base menu offered; Half Bottle Sparkling Wine, Oven Fresh Breakfast Pastries, Cold Smoked Salmon, Medley of Fresh Fruits and Forest Berries, and Quiche Lorraine. Those without a blessing named April catering to their every whim will be prompted to call once on board and discuss a date/time and menu options. This is when you can make changes for allergies or requests for other foods. 

The crew arrived right on time for our 9AM scheduled breakfast and quickly set up our substitute balcony table with a white tablecloth, flower arrangement, and the first round of dishes. I'd heard that the main difference between the breakfast and dinner experiences is that when it's breakfast, the crew bring the food, set up the table, and fully leave. Thus, the breakfast came back post COVID faster than the chance to book dinner did. Perhaps because of the Sky Suite, our assigned crew stayed out in the hall between courses. The door was kept propped open and they appeared in the cabin the second they heard any sign that we might need assistance. The other Sky Suite across the hall, also had their breakfast scheduled for today and April ran back and forth directing all the crew. 

They offered to open the Sparkling Wine but once we told them we didn't want to drink any, they moved it off the table. Instead, we added ice water, hot chocolate, and orange juice to the menu. Note the regular size glasses of orange juice this time, yay! They still were fresh squeezed with pulp but I was really happy to have a full glass of it. Water glasses were filled promptly and frequently. The offers to refill my hot chocolate were also plentiful. The crew during both these experiences was so delightful and so efficient, I wish I could have folded them up and carried them with me to each venue.

Quiche Lorraine with Bacon, Shallot, Tomato, and Fontina Cheese Gratin. Mr. Picky Eater approved - though he stopped eating the zucchini & carrot spiral salad on the side when he learned they were vegetables.

Dad requested bacon and I added the hash browns. That's our untouched embarkation champagne bottle in the ice bucket on the counter behind the table.

A whole carafe of hot chocolate to myself as Dad opted for his "fizzy water." Anyone have some mini marshmallows?

This is the Cold Smoked Salmon from the Sabatini's breakfast menu. Dad made the extra request of bagels to go with this salmon instead of the Salmon with Dill Cream Cheese on Lemon Brioche listed on the menu. I next was asked if I wanted salmon and I said "sure I'll try it" thinking it was the menu item. Turns out we got two plates of the Sabatini's option so I just left it alone. The funny thing is that of the few things they chose to leave in the cabin that we hadn't finished, this plate was one of them. Thankfully the top had been put back on when stacked to the side. Got quite the odor when I forgot and opened it later thinking it was some new surprise. We left a note for our steward to remove the plate when he came for turndown service.

Medley of Fresh Fruits and Forest Berries- that is paper thin sliced cantaloupe folded over circling the berries on the plate. Delightfully fresh and tasty! Menu has a description with this of Honey Chantilly Cream. Not sure where that was but the fruit was perfectly good without it.

Was this the Honey Chantilly Cream or extra cream cheese since we added the bagels? Either way I used it as cream cheese. 

Oven Fresh Breakfast Pastries

While I did find myself wishing I had ordered something more substantial like the pancakes April suggested, what I had was completely filling and we couldn't finish it all. This upcharge activity is just as much about the experience as it is the food so it took 1-2 hours to finish. Keep that in mind if you have mid morning plans as this is not a grab a quick bite at the buffet before running off for an excursion kind of moment. We let the lingering hallway crew know when we were finished and they swooped in clearing everything from the table in minutes. If you don't have the crew waiting on you, then you can use the medallion app to request the room service tray removal.

Newport, Rhode Island - not a new port to us

 

Today was our first port stop of the cruise, Newport, RI. On our first visit here, Dad rode electric bikes and I visited Belcourt Mansion on separate Princess ship excursions. Dad's bike excursion is no longer available and nothing else seemed interesting to either of us. Our visit did coincide with a seafood festival that many on the roll call showed interest in checking out but I decided it wasn't worth the tender ride. As this was our first port and a tender port, April checked in the night before to confirm our plans and offered to make any arrangements for giving us priority tender access. According to Thor pre-cruise, Sky Suites also had the option of getting priority tender access on the return trip too which is something I've never seen Princess offer. Any suite cabin and/or elite passenger also has priority tender access as a perk. Some ships will tell you to simply get in at the end of the line currently heading onto a tender. This time, those passengers were directed to their own waiting area in a dining room and led down in groups. Since we did not get off the ship at all in a tender port, I can't speak from experience on whether the return perk is true. It was also mentioned that we got returning to the ship priority but the two times I got off to explore I either saw no sign of that or it wasn't long enough of a line to bother seeking out the option.

Not too shabby of a view from our balcony this morning

We enjoy playing trivia on cruises so soon started planning our days around the timing of these trivia sessions. We learned that there was always a morning trivia which varied from around 9:30AM to 11AM and an afternoon trivia around 4PM each day that was general knowledge based. If this hadn't been such a port heavy cruise, there would have also been a Progressive trivia where a session is held several days throughout the cruise and you play with the same group of people on your team with cumulative points until the end of the cruise. Each of these daily trivias was a one time, play with whomever, winner at the end of every session. 

With today's morning trivia scheduled for 10:30AM, we started off the morning by heading down to one our favorite perks any suite passenger can enjoy. There are many breakfast options for all passengers - the buffet, the International Cafe, room service continental breakfast, and the MDR. Suite passengers get the extra option of dining in one of the specialty restaurants on board, most often Sabatini. If your ship doesn't have Sabatini, then you'll most likely have it in the Crown Grill. While it's not the rich multicourse meal you'd be getting at dinner, it is a smaller space with more attentive service. Sabatini has its own breakfast menu but the choices don't differ much from what you would get in the MDR. 

We love using Sabatini for suite breakfast in the mornings because it is a smaller venue and thus a much more attentive wait staff. We often get a kick out of the little shot glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. As with water during meals, we could easily drink a lot of orange juice at breakfast. I appreciate the extra effort but I'd much rather get a tall glass of regular orange juice than keep getting little shot glasses of fresh squeezed. At one point in the cruise I changed it up to get a break from the pulp with apple juice and it still came in a little shot glass. But then I comment on the tiny orange juice every cruise.

What I found a bit disappointing on this cruise compared to all the other experiences at suite breakfast, is the lack of service. Most of it was based on long stretches between and/or non existent drink refills which is always a pet peeve of mine. Especially in a venue like this where only about 3 other tables were in use at the time. This first morning, after we were seated, I overheard the host tell a waiter to take good care of our table because we were Sky Suite. I stepped away at one point after ordering to run back to the cabin and came back to my meal having arrived and getting cold. No wait staff returned to the table to offer drink refills or check if we needed anything else. I miss the days of having a second juice show up at my table because they saw mine was getting low or the attention to detail like when a host took back my banana order because he insisted on finding one that was fresher.

I wanted to make sure that I got to fulfill my desire to try eggs benedict on every cruise so I walked in to breakfast this morning already knowing what I wanted. I'll give this dish a 6 out of 10. Could have used more hollandaise sauce and had started to turn cold so it was tough to cut.

After trivia, we had some down time so I reached out to April to see if now was a good time for us to meet up and discuss options for the Deluxe Balcony Breakfast and Ultimate Balcony Dinner that we had scheduled for later in the cruise. April came to our cabin and we poured over her provided menus discussing modifications to placate Mr. Picky Eater and learning about options and additions we could have that weren't on the menu. While getting these unique meal experiences was only included because we were in the Sky Suite, the option to swap menu items and add other items is open to all passengers who choose to book it.

What's that? There's a dolphin springing out of my head on the #EnchantedPrincess? Unique photo ops happen when you're 5'7" tall. 

After checking out the mini golf course and participating in the first of a few Goofy Golf sessions and Ring Toss Challenges, we took advantage of the port day to visit a much less crowded Gigi's restaurant. I had planned to try the salad options and pasta along with the pizza I already enjoyed on previous sailings but we never bothered to try this venue again. The pepperoni pizza I ordered was overly saucy and not a favorite but the adorable waitress tending to our table was amazing! Everything was like the old Princess level of service I loved and we had a great time interacting with her during the meal. 

We  ended up sitting next to a couple already in the middle of their meal at what seemed like a four top table versus two two-top tables close by. Our waitress tended to both tables and facilitated the easy flow of conversation between us by suggesting we answer their questions since she remembered us from dinner in the Crown Grill. It was great conversation as we covered past and future cruise options, the various onboard restaurants we've tried, and what staying in Princess suites are like. We ended up running into each other several times throughout the cruise and teaming up to play games together. While it's great to travel with a large group, it's just as great to make these random chance meetings with other cruisers and hang out with each other throughout the sailing.

After more trivia and some scenic photography from our balcony, we decided that we were too tired to drag ourselves to our first planned evening in Club Class dining. This burn out usually happens more mid cruise where we hunker down in the cabin and opt for room service. 

Did I mention my love of lighthouses yet this trip review?

Dad wasn't ready to eat yet so I headed over to the pool deck to see about trying the new items from Salty Dog Grill. It was a cold night so while some were out on the lounge chairs watching the movie, there wasn't much activity at the grill or the pizza counter. I walked up to place an order at the Salty Dog Grill and just my luck, the crew members picked that moment to head back inside. I next headed over to the pizza counter and settled on a slice of pizza to take back to the cabin. Note to future me - Calabrian flavored pizza is not a good choice if you would like to keep your taste buds from catching fire. I briefly browsed the dinner options in the buffet to try and supplement the pizza slice but nothing caught my eye.

A short while later, Dad was hungry too so we used the interactive TV screen in the cabin to place an order from room service. While suites can order from the MDR menu too, we kept it simple with choices from the regular complimentary room service menu. There were some upcharge items but we stuck with all free options. Unlike some cruise lines, Princess does not charge a service fee for room service delivery and only recently with the introduction of Ocean Medallion, start charging for anything other than whole pizza delivery. We did, of course, tip the crew member who brought the food to our cabin. Once you place the order via the TV, it shows a progress bar and estimated time of arrival. Our order showed up right around the estimated wait time. 

Chef Salad - I chose ranch dressing and it comes in a little cup on the side

We both ordered the Double Decker Club Sandwich. This was a little confusing on the TV menu because it reads like you're choosing condiments to be included. I chose mayo and the sandwich arrived with plentiful mayo on it but also a little cup of mayo on the side. Not sure whether by choosing it, I chose to get extra or because I chose mayo, they added it and included extra. Something to watch out for if you're not a fan of mayo or are allergic. 

You know I had to get traditional cheesecake at some point didn't you? I ended up having to wait until bedtime to eat my dessert as the salad and sandwich were so filling!

And of course Dad doesn't get through any cruise without sampling the cookies! We weren't sure if one order of cookies meant one cookie or one plate of cookies so Dad changed the number to four. As it turned out, that brought us four total chocolate chip cookies. Dad ate two and put the rest aside to snack the next day.

With bellies full and tired bodies, we curled up in our respective bedrooms to partake of the on demand programming Princess offers on cabin TVs. Would it really be a Princess cruise if you don't spend time in your cabin watching this show?

A Princess gets her Crown

One of the wonderful perks for any suite guest on Princess Cruises is the perk of having an included specialty restaurant meal on embarkation night. One of the caveats though, especially with the new Dine My Way part of the Medallion app, is to manage to book the reservation for the restaurant and time you want without being made to pay for it at the time of booking said reservation. Some cruisers have had success using the app by having it say $0 total when they got to the page for confirming the charge. Others have been charged and spent a few minutes once onboard at Guest Services to have the charge refunded. If you, as a suite passenger, get to the payment page while booking pre-cruise and it says anything other than $0 total charge or a discount of the usual charge making $0 total, it's better to wait until you are on board to make the reservation. My efforts on the app to make a reservation in the months leading up to the cruise yielded both results so I opted to wait knowing that we had the help of Thor to make arrangements. 

The Enchanted Princess has three main specialty restaurants that would cost extra to dine there. The cost is a blanket cover charge with the exception of a small cost if you choose to order a second entree. And just like the Main Dining Room (MDR), any drinks besides tap water, milk, lemonade, iced tea, or regular coffee will cost extra if you don't have a beverage package. Even if you have an included dinner as part of your booking or this suite perk, you will be charged for drinks without a package. One of the little known pluses in Princess' alcoholic beverage package is that while you can get regular size water bottles at any time included, you can only get the larger one liter bottles of water included while dining in a specialty restaurant. On RCL as Star Class, we noticed that when we asked for water in a restaurant, they automatically brought us bottled water while serving non Star Class passengers from a communal pitcher. We drink tons of water, especially at meals, so as long as something keeps getting refilled in our glasses, we don't normally care where it comes from. I was surprised though that once we asked for water, we weren't offered either bottled or tap. Of course, if I'd bothered to stop them before pouring and ask for bottled instead, it would have been no issue. Dad chose sparkling water so by default, he always was brought a bottle. The Crown Grill (Steakhouse) and newer addition to the Princess fleet, Bistro Sur La Mer (French restaurant) each cost $29 per person to dine there. The third option is Sabatini's (Italian) which saves a few dollars by only costing $25 per person. 

There's no limit to how many nights you can dine there, as long as there is reservation space and you pay the cover charge each time. I've heard from cruisers who hate the MDR so much that they intentionally book specialty dining for every night. Then again, others who say why pay extra when the MDR food is perfectly fine. 

One of the other upcharge options if you prefer something a little more intimate is the Salty Dog Gastropub. At last check, a meal here cost $18 per person and featured a more limited menu of small plate options. If you're into trying unique drinks and craft beers, this venue also has an extensive drink menu that you can partake whether you dine in the Gastropub or not. This often gets confused with the poolside grill that serves complimentary burgers, hot dogs, and a few new options always known as the Salty Dog Grill. 

Having sailed on several ships in the Princess fleet and having seen three different iterations of the Sabatini's menu, we were in agreement that if we could only do one specialty dining experience per cruise, we'd want it to be The Crown Grill. I craved the formerly named truffle fries (now called garlic and herb fries on the menu) and I wanted a redo from the last time. The last time we dined in The Crown Grill, I ordered the entree called "Maine Lobster Tail" Over the years, we've seen both small dishes per person of the sides and larger dishes to share. I chose to get the lobster entree by itself expecting to have plenty of food with the sides added. When this lobster tail came, my plate looked so empty with just the tail and a halved lemon. The halved lemon was physically bigger than the lobster tail. Dad's steak took up the entire plate and he graciously offered to share. This time I went from having adamantly decided to get the biggest steak entree listed to deciding to splurge and spend the extra $10 charge to the "Surf and Turf" option which is listed as the lobster tail and filet mignon. I'd heard of other cruisers switching it up to get the other steak cuts with the lobster tail and I was tempted to do that as well. 

With delivery of our drinks, the new presentation of bread arrived. Instead of a variety basket of bread options, all tables at The Crown Grill now get this pull apart cheesy garlic bread. Cheesy, Garlic, and Bread are three magic words to this Italian American but honestly, the bread's consistency seemed a little too tough. We each tried some and declined getting anymore. 

I only wish I could remember the name of the lovely gentleman who was our waiter this evening. He was delightful to chat with, gave great suggestions and recommendations, and was on the ball with our timing of service and drink refills. 

As we sat waiting for our food, a kind and funny gentleman by the name of Silvio Zampieri stopped by our table. At first we thought he might be the manager or Maitre'D of The Crown Grill dropping by each table to make sure all was well. Then as we chatted, we learned that he was actually the Director of Restaurant Operations for all of the eateries onboard. He surprised us with an offer to have a specialty dinner comped or as he put it "a gift on behalf of the company." It took us blockheads a bit to understand that he wasn't referring to tonight's dinner or the other one we had booked for later as part of the sale we booked under. Good thing I packed the stretchy pants! I'd like to apologize for any time Dad called you Sergio instead of Silvio. I also apologize to the crew who had been at the front podium when we stopped on the way out to ask for Silvio's name (we wanted to be sure to get his name right when we wrote up crew commendations) and their first instinct was of concern that we wanted to report a bad experience. When we returned to the cabin, we discovered the little papers that come with any gifted item detailing the item, the gifter (in our case it says Compliments of Princess Cruises), and a message to contact the dineline for reservation. 

Now back to the food porn everyone wants to see. For my appetizer, I chose the Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops, Salmon Caviar, Herb Beurre Blanc with wilted fennel and leeks. The scallops were a truly jumbo size and nicely seared. The sauce was tasty and helped with dipping the tough garlic bread. 

Dad's appetizer was the Hand-Cut Beef Filet Tartare with plancha sear, fried quail egg, smoky dressing, and crispy polenta sticks. He seemed to enjoy all of his dish. I tried a bit and just can't seem to get used to the taste and texture of a tartare style dish. However, I'm not sure I'd eaten quail egg before so bonus new food try!

And of course you have to try the Black and Blue Onion Soup with fresh thyme, Jack Daniels, and roquefort crust. We both enjoyed bowls of our own until I made myself save room for the rest of dinner. I managed to not end up with any dripped on my shirt so double win! Dad was pleasantly surprised that he liked this soup but was convinced he'd never had it before. 

For an entree, Dad went with the regular 8 oz Filet Mignon with a peppercorn sauce. He chose mashed potatoes as his side. I've taken to requesting my meat cooked medium after too many dried out meals but Dad is still choosing to go for medium well.

And the aforementioned Surf and Turf- 8 oz filet mignon, Maine lobster tail 6-7oz, served with drawn butter and your choice of sauce. I ordered béarnaise sauce (which also makes for an interesting fry dip), the garlic and herb fries, and asparagus as my sides. See, I threw some green veggies in there. Dad and I have a love/hate relationship with asparagus. Dad only likes it if it is thin and slimy out of a can. I only like it if it's prepared fresh like below so it still can be cut up without sliding across the plate. Unfortunately, even though it was served family style, the rest of my family wouldn't try it. I must say though, this was quite the redo from last time because that Maine lobster tail was so huge, I couldn't even tell the filet was underneath at first. The lobster tail was tastier than the filet but both were enjoyable. In all transparency, the $10 charge never showed up on my account. Whether that was a Sky Suite thing, a travel blogger gift, or the luck of someone deciding not to bother processing it, I can't say. While it was a charge I would have happily paid for such a wonderful entree, I thank you for the savings. Especially since it goes right back into the next cruise fund. :)

The infamous truffle...err..garlic and herb fries were actually a bit of a letdown. It seemed like they were fried too long and had the texture of matchsticks. I think we'll be going for the Roasted Marrow Bone & Shallot Crushed Potatoes rather than these fries next time.

When it comes to sweets for dessert, I didn't like the first three newer options since I don't love apple, key lime, or caramel in desserts. Having seen tons of other cruisers share photos of the new Chocolate Journey addition called the Warm Chocolate Mousse Trifle, I felt like we had to try it. Little bit of Princess factoid we learned later is that after spending quite a hefty sum to partner with Norman Love for a few years, Princess bought the rights to the name and the recipes from him. So now, what used to be listed on menus as "Norman Love's Chocolate Journeys" just says Chocolate Journeys and he is legally not allowed to make the dishes for anyone else. 

This dessert is described as "Warm Chocolate Mousse layered with light and airy cinnamon sponge cake, spiced cream, cookie crumbles, and creamy vanilla gelato. Fresh grapefruit segments add a tangy accent." I've watched enough food competition shows to know that the weirdest sounding ingredient combinations can actually end up being really tasty; and not only if you're having a weird pregnancy craving. My first impressions of this dish - if you're a chocoholic, you'll be in dessert heaven. Dad polished his off. After he was done I asked what he thought of the grapefruit segments. "There was grapefruit in this?" Me, who is more of an occasional chocolate eater, found it surprisingly enjoyable taste and texture wise. Once I'd consumed enough that it seemed like I was getting nothing but chocolate sauce for several spoonfuls, it became too rich tasting for me. I intentionally sought out the grapefruit to taste and found it such a contrast that I couldn't eat the entire grapefruit piece. I'd order this again if there was 1) no more grapefruit and 2) a kids size version. Or even, if you could add creamy peanut butter to this to balance out the sweetness. A fishbowl (as I affectionately call this and the other dessert from Sabatini's) of vanilla gelato covered in the flavors of a Reese's cup with those other non grapefruit items would be delicious - feel free to add my suggestion to the menu Princess' culinary team! 

After dinner, we headed to the Princess theater to enjoy the first show of the cruise. Usually these Welcome Aboard shows the first night introduce you to the Cruise Director, maybe feature some cruise officer/staff introductions and then provide a medley of the future entertainment you'll be seeing as the cruise goes on. Tonight's show was simply devoted to a little introduction from the Cruise Director Marcus and a full set performed by comedian Robbie Printz. We actually prefer the non straight singing/dancing shows so this was a nice change.

We also enjoyed taking advantage of another Sky Suite perk, reserved theater seating. April was always great about messaging us via WhatsApp to check in and confirm whether we'd need the seats saved. Then she'd meet us at the seats shortly before showtime to ask about our day and if we needed anything for tomorrow. I appreciated that the seats were up a bit from the front center floor seats and that Dad got to have the aisle seat he prefers. Having April to handle issues also comes in handy when other passengers take your reserved seats. The "reserved" seat toppers stay on those spots all the time as we found that they were there during an afternoon event as well. However, the extra touch of having April watch out for those seats until we arrived was only for the evening shows. One evening she offered to grab drinks and we agreed to her suggestion of water. Each time after that, she'd come back after we were seated with water bottles for all her two rows of reserved seating group. 

When we returned to the cabin this first night, we discovered a surprise left on the couch. The Katie Loxton bag held a cute clutch purse and the two boxed items are collapsible water bottles from the onboard shops. Later in the cruise, April asked Dad if he liked the hat she got him because the clutch purse was meant for me and the hat for him. Sorry Dad, but I'm the one with the cruise ship branded baseball cap collection, that's mine now! ;) I may have worn it with my medallion and a medal from winning Pictionary as my "Cruiser" Halloween costume this year.