Luxurious Day at Sea ~ August 31, 2007

Good Morning from Sea! Early this morning, the ship's clocks were pushed back to GMT-2, so we received and extra hour of sleep (considering bedtime was after 1:30 a.m.). I got up early though to take my third and last yoga class. However, before heading to class, I went to save two deck chairs poolside. (You wouldn't believe how quickly they get snatched up.)

After yoga, I got breakfast and ate poolside. I am sure going to miss how I have been spoiled on this vacation. Simply, I know I will not be eating this healthy at home. The amount of fresh fruit and vegetables was unbelievable. For example, this morning I had fresh papaya, pineapple, watermelon and a variety of melons. Every day, I always tried something that I would normally not eat or even have at home. I have to give the Princess staff high accolades for providing healthy choices to eat. Dinner portions were not overwhelming which always left plenty of room for the fabulous choices of desserts.

After breakfast, I met Liz in the Princess Theatre to watch a Culinary Demonstration with both the Executive Chef Michele Cozzoli and Maitre D'Hotel Generoso Mazzone. It was a comedic event where they demonstrated making an appetizer of Gnocchi with a Cheese Sauce; main course of Pasta with Pesto Sauce; and a Ceaser Salad. After the demonstration, we took a tour of just one galley of the seven on the ship. Here are just some of the amounts of food prepared each day.
Average amount of meats cooked daily:
Poultry: 1,800 lbs. Beef: 2,100 lbs. Veal: 400 lbs. Pork/Pork Products: 1,000 lbs.

Average amount of salads served daily: 1,600 lbs.
Average amount of pastas made daily: 500 lbs.
Average amount of butter used daily: 500 lbs.
Average amount of fresh fruits served daily: 7,000 lbs.
Average amount of coffee consumed daily: 470 gals.

Plus, could you imagine this:
Average amount of dishes washed daily: 70,000
Average amount of glasses washed daily: 21,500
Average amount of detergent used daily: 58 gals.

Phew! But that's not all. After all of the passengers are served, then it's time to feed more than 1,100 crew members!


For the rest of the day, we enjoyed the beautiful, sunny weather poolside. There was a nice breeze, so it did not get too warm. We had ringside seats for the ice-carving demonstration. The finished sculptures were that of a horse and the Princess icon. Total time to complete each of these sculptures was about 20 minutes. Amazing!

Tonight was the second formal night, so it was a grand opportunity to take some great pictures around the Emerald. During dinner, we passed through the narrow Messina Straits. This is the channel that separates the island of Sicily and Italy's mainland to the west. We were then on our way to Naples via the Tyrrhenian Sea.

I could not continue without saying "Thank You" to just a few of the people who made our holiday all that more special. Our cabin steward Alfonso who brighten each of our days; our dining team: Samai, Mihai and Guillermo who provided us with such great service, conversation and laughter. We looked forward to dinner every night and will miss your company and your smiling faces.

The evening ended with the Champagne Waterfall Party, accompanied by the band OPUS. Here, everyone had a chance to create the waterfall and dance the night away. I couldn't tell you how many bottles of champagne they did end of using, but it was a lot and it took quite a long time as when they stopped, the bottom glasses weren't even filled. It was fun to watch though!

Well, it's been a long day and we look forward to our full day in Naples tomorrow.

Until we arrive in Naples...Buona Notte!