It took five months of planning. On November 19, we finally flew to Singapore where we stayed overnight before boarding the ship the next day. Then, the feasting began. Feast for the tummy, feast for the senses, feast for the mind. The ship is named Legend of the Seas in the fleet of the Royal Caribbean – ten decks, 867-foot long with a gross tonnage of 70,000 and a passenger capacity of 2,067.
We boarded the ship at noon on November 20 and a scrumptious buffet lunch was awaiting us at the Windjammer Cafe on Deck 9. Between lunch and the 5.00 p.m. sailing time, we whiled the hours beside the pool, glasses of Singapore Sling and cognac in hand. By sundown, we were at sea.
As the ship pulled out of port, I barely had time to take photos of the sunset as it was time to get ready for dinner. Unlike the casual buffet set-up at the Windjammer Cafe, dinner at the Romeo & Juliet dining room was a sit-down affair.
It was hard to choose which appetizer was best, the waiter suggested we leave everything to him and I must say it was a wise decision.
He brought us plates of escargot swimming in pesto and cheese for starters…
…grilled fish for the main entree and a souffle which he pierced to pour in some custard for dessert.
The thing about cruising is how the food parade never seems to end and you don’t pay for anything extra because, except for the alcoholic beverages and the soda, everything is included in the package.
You can have an early breakfast at the Windjammer Cafe and a second breakfast at the main dining room, and do the same thing for every meal, and live the life of a glutton if you can manage to digest everything before the next meal. Above, a tiny sampling from the usual breakfast buffet.
And dessert? Sugar coma if your digestive system can handle it.
Pizza, burgers and hotdogs are served all day until around midnight at Deck 10, coffee and tea are free-flowing, and there is a frozen yogurt dispenser near the pool.
If you still feel hungry after all that or if you don’t feel like leaving the comfort of your cabin, there’s room service.
I had room service on two occasions. The first time because I was nursing a bad hangover; the second time because I got ill after a day in Phuket.
The truth is, you spend nine days aboard a cruise ship and, after a while, the sheer amount of food becomes overwhelming. My last breakfast aboard the Legend of the Seas?
Like I said, you keep seeing and smelling fo much food all the time and your senses start to filter everything out. If you overindulge, your digestive system gets overworked and it’s physically uncomfortable. In the end, you want something easy to digest. Just so you can zip up and button your pants.