I love food. That could actually be the reason it took 3 years to lose the baby weight from my first pregnancy. I love trying new foods, and I love eating the ones that I already know. So I’m gonna talk about the food and drinks for a little bit.
The very first thing we did when we got on board was go to the Grand Dutch Cafe. I love that the cafe is right in the main atrium so it is super easily accessible. Great for people watching. This cafe is staffed with people from the Netherlands and offers some local favorites. This is also where I saw the officers hanging out most often. My first question: “I see you have chips and mayo. Is this American mayo or Dutch mayo?” If you are ever in the Netherlands you simply must try the chips and mayo. You will be blown away. I have no idea what the difference is, but it is a huge difference. Dan got a herring plate and also some chips (I don’t share well with others). We both got coffee. It was amazing. They do charge for coffee there, but the food was all free. Every day we would find ourselves at the Grand Dutch Cafe at least once.
The buffet was huge. Each meal was unique and the choices seemed limitless. I was very impressed with their salad station, as well as the quality of the food served. Usually buffets are a last resort or a breakfast place for me. I would have eaten every meal here if the other dining venues hadn’t been so appealing :).
The main dining room food was for the most part pretty great. Only the salmon dish didn’t seem to excite anyone. I love that the menu features one of the chefs and their selections. The appetizers were “pretty food” but delicious. The main plates were hearty enough that you didn’t need a second, but still very aesthetically pleasing. In a time when the food on a Caribbean cruise would be described as “cruise food” (meaning that you might love it or it might be inedible…even the same ship on different days could vary that much), this was definitely a step up.
Tamarind – I could eat there every night. Especially now that I know how to find it. Seriously, I felt like we were never going to get here, so scope it out before hand or you WILL be late for dinner. There were a few down this elevator to go up this other one moments… But then we got there and WOW. It was beautiful. From the walls to the table settings, everything just seemed to fit really well. When you sit down the give you a basket of shrimp chips which I had never tried. Luckily for me, Dan doesn’t eat shellfish, and they brought him a basket of his own “chips” (I can’t remember for sure, but I think they were made of rice)! First course… sushi. Super fresh and delicious!!!! Here are some images of our food choices.
Wow. There is way too much for one day. To be continued…
Boca Express Travel 