Escargot and Au Revoir!

Today was our last full and only originally intended sea day as we made our way from Halifax back to New York. Sea days can be great because it gives a cruiser a little more freedom to be as lazy as they wish. No port tour to wake up early for or be rushing to get ready for dinner when you return. While some may opt for sun worshipping by the pool (we finally got a day with sun) we opted to partake of the ship's scheduled activities. 

Stanley is very proud of the medal his designated putter won for him at Goofy Golf.

After a fun round of TV Theme Tunes trivia (don't worry Corey, we won't tell the Captain about your Baywatch impersonation), we decided to check out Deal or No Deal. We opted for the four card deal and was charged $50 to our account. The cards have a bar code that is scanned at purchase so it gets associated with your name. A bar code is selected by the computer program determining who gets to come up on stage to play. Even if your name isn't selected, you use the same cards to play along at your seat. If the numbered case on your card that is called by the player on stage matches the amount that was also in their case, that counts as a single match for you. The more matches you make during these several rounds of on stage play, you move up in the ranks earning bigger prizes. It can get a little confusing when you use the same cards over and over so it was nice to have the computer program reveal the match rankings after each round for you. After the games on stage are all done, you can line up to get your card scanned by the bar code again where the crew will tell you and dispense what you've won. Between our four cards, we made enough matches to move up to the free bingo card pack. Due to this being our last day, the only bingo game to use the card left in the cruise was happening minutes after Deal or No Deal ended. I don't normally participate in bingo and despite not winning anything at Bingo, I wish we had the option of choosing the lower rank item instead. We did learn that the reserved theater seat covers our SEM marked for us during the evening shows stays there during the day as well. We just so happened to choose to sit there for the game but the SEM doesn't normally save seats for daytime events.

Tonight we took advantage of the specialty dining credit that Silvio and Princess Cruises gifted us back on our first night. When we planned our reservations with Thor pre-cruise, we decided to use our then two dining credits on restaurants we loved in the past rather than try the new options. Now with this extra gift, we made sure to choose the new to us specialty restaurant called Bistro Sur La Mer. Another great asset of having our SEM April is that there was no issue getting a restaurant reservation once on board. We normally don't jump for joy when we think of visiting a French restaurant, especially Mr. Picky Eater, but we appreciated the opportunity to try something new. Check out the menu on Princess' website here. The cover charge would have been $29 per person for this sailing. 

One of the things cruisers complain about the Bistro Sur La Mer dining experience is that it is located right along the open Piazza so your meal's musical accompaniment is whatever is being held in the Piazza. It is also open to the walkway for that deck so if you don't have a window table in the back, there's routinely people walking past your table. Except for having to repeat myself occasionally when music kicked up, it wasn't that bothersome. We were seated at one of a couple round tables that could seat several people versus the two to four top tables closer to the center of the space. It reminded me of that center of attention table for the bride and groom at weddings but it also had us just enough out of the way that we'd have spurts of great service and then ignored for a while. We'd stop a passing waiter who had to go past us to the crew doors and service would be more attentive again for a bit. A couple times we stopped whomever walked by to ask for more bread or a drink refill and they said sure only to not come back. The crew was very attentive to the close tables in the center and back by the windows so I'd suggest asking for one of those instead. 

The premise of Bistro Sur La Mer's menu is that it features a seafood themed list of options (shown on the menu as La Mer)  for each course and a land based list of options (La Terre). Good for seafood and meat lovers like myself and seafood avoiders like Dad to dine together. Everyone gets a welcome dish to start that is composed of Frites de Polenta Aux Herbes (polenta fries with fresh herbs) and Comme des Olives Vertes et Noires Chèvre (fresh goat cheese "olives", black and green.) The fact that the goat cheese is rolled in something that makes it look like a whole green or black olive does get to some diners who assume they won't like it because they don't like olives. Two dipping sauces are also provided. I tried all three items and the only thing that I didn't like was the black olives because they had some sort of spice coating them. Those polenta fries were delightful! Another plate worth was offered but I forced myself to turn it down so I'd have room for everything else. 

One of the things I did ask for seconds on was these amazing breadsticks! They were soft and airy but also buttery with a little sea salt. Can we get a case of these shipped to my house?

I first tried escargot on a cruise and loved it so I was really interested in trying the Cromesquis d'escargot ail et fines herbes (Crispy escargot in panko bread crumbs, garlic and fresh herbs). This appetizer hasn't been getting many rave reviews but I give it an 8 out of 10. It is a bit of a texture difference where you have to crunch through the coating to get that burst of garlic butter taste. Some of the pieces had less garlic taste than the others but I could easily see myself partaking of a whole bowl worth of these little poppers. 

Dad went with the Salade de Saison (hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, black olives, extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette, optional: ahi tuna and/or anchovies). He asked to leave out the black olives and of course opted out of the ahi tuna and/or anchovies. He enjoyed the salad but wished he could have had his typical ranch or blue cheese dressing instead. Have to make it so he can't actually see or taste any of these vegetables after all.

While the menu instructions direct you to choose one choice for each course with a note at the bottom cautioning that any extra mains chosen will incur a $10 charge just like the other specialty restaurants onboard, I once again was able to try two main dishes without the extra charge. That may not be the case for anyone else so don't be surprised if you see a charge. I love scallops so I wanted to try the St. Jacques roties, aux petits legumes beurre citron (Roasted jumbo scallops, assorted garden vegetables, lemon butter sauce) from the La Mer side of the menu. Other cruisers have hated this dish because they felt the scallops were too small and the diced up vegetables on the side reminded them of school cafeteria food. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my experience was not like theirs. The scallops were truly jumbo sized, cooked to the point of tasting caramelized but still have a bite to them. The vegetable medley was fresh and the little side of rice that unexpectedly came with it was tasty.

The other main that Dad chose as well was the Filet of Boeuf Poele, compotee d' oignons doux, jus au vin rouge, frites (Beef filet mignon, sweet onion saute, red wine jus, and hand-cut fries) from the La Terre side of the menu. It was at this point of our meal that April stopped by to check in and we got to enjoying our chat so much that she had to remind me to eat. Before I knew it, our plates were empty and I'd completely forgotten to take a picture first. You'll just have to picture a plate of beef and onion sauce yumminess that was so tender it melts in your mouth in your imaginations until you can experience it for yourselves. :)

One of the items we discussed, other than how to sneak April home in our carry on luggage, is our plans for debark the next morning. All suites on Princess get the perk of priority debark on the last day which normally means sitting in a pre-reserved lounge with light refreshments until you are led to the front of the line to scan out for that last time. After COVID, that became more of being able to wait in your cabin until your disembarkation zone was called so no one was congregating in a crowded space. As Sky Suite passengers with the use of our SEM, we were instructed to keep our luggage with us (no leaving it outside your door for pickup by a certain time the night before like everyone else) and meet her in the comfort of the cabin when she came to get us at our chosen time. We chose not to try and find breakfast this final morning so we stayed in the cabin. Shortly before our agreed upon time, crew members were waiting out in the elevator lobby with luggage carts for both of the Sky Suites to be ready to leave. Once they saw me open our cabin door, they hopped right up offering to take the bags. The other Sky Suite, which had several inhabitants, wasn't quite ready yet so April asked us to relax in the cabin for a few extra minutes. Soon they were ready and once again April pushed to have us let her carry our other items. All of us Sky Suite guests climbed into the elevator with April and she used her key card to bypass the other decks. Once in the terminal, she led us to another elevator where we all crammed inside. One of the other gentleman made a joke about how they can't possibly fit all the people listed on the max capacity sign in this elevator. April joked that they could if all of the people were her tiny size. Once on the main level of the terminal, April led us straight to an open customs station which turned out to be simply a facial recognition scan that we used one by one. The crew rejoined us outside with our luggage having taken another elevator and April insisted on staying with us until our rides arrived. Once we spotted the Uber we had ordered, April rushed over to get the driver's attention and help again with our bags. 

While the medallion did have its issues with ordering via the app, it worked great in all other aspects such as saving time at embark/debark purchasing items in the shops, and getting on/off in port. I would gladly cruise with this technology again, perhaps next time seeking out the clip or recycled sports band so I don't risk dipping the long lanyard into my food anymore. 

Was the Sky Suite worth the price and would I sail in one again? Yes and yes! It's a great option for multiple family members or even multiple couples as was the case in the other Sky Suite on this sailing. If another opportunity comes around, I'd choose to splurge on such a cabin during a sailing to a warmer climate so there is more opportunity to enjoy the balcony and those included balcony meals. I'd also like to have the chance again to partake of the Enclave because next time I won't let someone forget their bathing suit! 

A big thank you to April, Silvio, Thor, Florin, Alice, Marcus, Corey, Niki, Jayson, Rafael, and all the rest of the Princess crew who work so hard all over the ship to keep the passengers happy. While we didn't get to meet and chat with everyone to thank them in person, please know that we appreciate all that you do to make cruising such an enjoyable experience for all the guests. 

As the sun sets on another cruise report, I thank you, the reader, for sticking with me until this point. I've got several cruises booked over this new year and next trying new lines, new ships, new ports, and you better believe new restaurants and foods. I hope you'll continue to join me on these adventures and share these tips and experiences with your friends and family to help plan your next trip. Until then, Bon Voyage, safe travels, and enjoy the journey.