October 2nd, 2026

On the ship, I normally start my day with a small serving of some kind of protein like corn beef hash with an egg on top and some fresh fruit such as chunks of cantaloupe and honeydew melon, along with a cup of decaf coffee. On other mornings I have enjoyed two tiny egg white bites from the International Cafe. A couple days ago I discovered chia seed parfait cups and they are my new favorite. I’m obsessed!

I pat myself on the back for starting my day on a healthy note and then return to my cabin using the stairs instead of the elevator.

Lunch is most often eaten at the Horizon Court, the enormous buffet on deck 16.

One of the many wonderful perks of interacting with people from across the globe, is the different influences on the onboard cuisine. There have been daily themes at the buffet, combined with popular favorites.

Can you imagine wandering around multiple area, offering up Indian, Italian, American, Mexican, and Asian dishes? Choose from a variety of pasta plates, build a healthy big salad, make a taco, pick up a poke bowl, get a burger hot off the grill, or pile on basmati rice and a chicken curry. Maybe a slice of pizza, mashed potatoes with sliced beef roast and gravy, a big bowl of fresh fruit, a variety of fresh baked breads, a sandwich, a cheese and cold cuts selection, a warm bowl of soup or steaming ramen noodles might catch your eye instead.

And don’t get me started on desserts. There is an entire room just dedicated to tempting your sweet tooth.

As someone who LOVES to eat, to try something new, appreciates what goes into fixing a good meal, and has long battled my waistline, this presents both a blessing and a challenge.

Some days are better than others. I’ve been known to simply build myself a big, beautiful salad with a combination of greens, fresh spinach and arugula. Add on chopped egg or a few pieces of roasted chicken for some protein, and then pile on a variety of veggies. Maybe add a bit of hummus or guacamole on the side with some slices of cucumber, carrots or peppers.

Other days I’m more tempted to walk down one or more rows to see what catches my eye and try something different. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Indian dishes they have offered. And my bowl of Ramen noodles the other day was delicious.

On average I’d give myself a grade of “B” for breakfast and “B-“ or “C” for lunch depending on if I have a dessert or not.

OK, now let’s talk about dinner. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – this is my Achilles heal.

We have a set dinner reservation nightly in the Symphony dining room for 5:00. This allows us to have a leisurely dinner, enjoy nice conversations with my sister and brother-in-law and otherwise catch up on our day. Then plenty of time to attend the evening show. Afterwards we can wander about the ship to watch or join in other performances or games, or return to our cabin to watch a movie, read or get a nice nights sleep.

The menus in the dining rooms have been trimmed back noticeably from what was offered on our last Princess cruise to Hawaii less than a year ago. That being said, they still offer a good selection of soup, salad and appetizers to choose from to start the evening meal.

I was very disappointed that they have removed the cold soups as an option as that was one of my favorites.

There are always several new main entrees each night, as well as the standard steak, grilled chicken or salmon to choose from. They also include at least one vegetarian and/or vegan selection.

And of course, dessert at the end of the meal. There is often a soufflé, a cheesecake, some chocolate specialty, as well as a rotation of favorites. I’ve done better at night in just having a small scoop of sorbet while Tim enjoys a gourmet selection of fresh fruits.

For the past 10 days, I’ve taken the occasional snapshot of one course or another so that I could give you an idea of the various offerings, as well as show how beautifully presented they have been.

Bon Appetit!

GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I’m grateful that I am not a picky eater and that I truly enjoy trying something new. Eating the same foods over and over again (for me) would get boring. I also appreciate that the staff has made an effort to prepare meals specifically for Tim, working with his complicated food allergies.