Dining at Sea - What's Your Favorite Food

National Plan a Cruise Month

In honor of National Plan a Cruise Month let's take a look at dining at sea.  Depending on your food requirements, you may select one cruise line or itinerary over another.
 

What's Your 

Favorite Food 

on a Cruise

Whether you have cruised before or not, I'm sure you are aware that there's plenty of great food to be had on a cruise ship.  The first thing you'll find when you get onboard is that your cabin is not ready, but don't worry, dining venues are open and ready to serve you.  But that is just the beginning of what lies ahead.   We'll take you on a culinary journey onboard several cruise ships over several posts.  If you can't wait, we've posted some similar stories previously as well.

Myth #4 – All There is to do is Eat – I’ll Gain Weight

While it is true that there are several dining options on every cruise, we've examined this myth about nothing to do but eat previously.  Now, let's focus on the second part of that myth - that you'll gain weight.

It is possible that you could gain weight on a cruise, but if so, that will not be the cruise line's fault. There are healthy menu options on the main dining menus and while not every venue serves food for the health conscious, there are plenty of options for you to chose from.  In addition, there are full service health and fitness facilities on each ship so that you can continue your exercise routine.

One of the things the cruise line pays close attention to are any dietary requirements of their passengers. 

We took this picture during a galley tour on Azamara Journey.  The special requests consist of some religious requests, because it was during Jewish holidays, and also some specific ingredients that needed to be avoided for another passenger.

Be sure to let you cruise specialist know if you do have any special requirements so that it can be noted on your reservation and advance preparations can be made if necessary.

What's for Dinner 

You might want to start with our previous What's for Dinner article  In addition, visit our Pinterest Board where we'll be sampling some of the food and venues that we've had the pleasure of dining at in the past.  

Tell us about your favorites - send us your pictures as well and we'll share them in a future post.  (Post on our FB Page)

(Updated 10/13/2021) 

Le Petit Chef ™ offered on Celebrity Cruises® is simply one of the most unique dining events in the world. Join me on Celebrity Edge, as these tiny chefs prepare a meal at my table, to celebrate my birthday.

 

Since the pandemic lockdown in March 2020, you may have been missing dining at your favorite restaurants.   As restaurants reopened, you may have visited your favorites, or even tried some new ones to support your local businesses.    

On a cruise ship, you have the possibility of frequenting your favorites and also trying new ones.   If you don't like something you ordered, the wait staff will gladly bring you something else.   So, eat your favorite foods, or find some new favorites while cruising.

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

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Where have you explored? 

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Keeping Cruise Ships Clean and Sanitary

Click images to enlarge

(Updated 10/8/21)

Ship Sanitation is Nothing New

While many business and industries have added sanitation methods to their daily routines after the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, cruise ships just continued with business as usual, with extra frequency.  Signs have always been posted educating the passengers to wash hands frequently and use the sanitizing dispensers available in the public areas of the ship.

Keeping cruise ships clean and sanitary has always been a top priority for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) members. While this longstanding cruise line practice may sound minor, COVID-19 has reaffirmed the critical importance of hand hygiene to protecting public health. 

Additionally, the industry has a longstanding collaboration with the CDC and the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) to make sure ships meet strict sanitation guidelines. As part of the program, cruise ship crews are trained in sanitation and health practices and ships undergo unannounced inspections twice a year, with scores made available to the public. No other travel and tourism or entertainment industry has this type of federal program or oversight.

CLIA cruise lines go to great lengths to support the health and safety of all onboard. From cleaning practices to passenger screening and robust oversight over onboard health and safety practices, the cruise industry is one of the most vigilant industries as it relates to safety, sanitation and public health protocols. Read latest CLIA Health & Safety Report.

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Connect With Us On

    
    

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Remembering D-Day 77 Years Later

D-Day Landing Beaches Then & Now

77th Anniversary

D-Day

June 6, 2021

On June 6, 1944, D-Day, my father landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. He never spoke much about that day, other than to say that his tank had sunk, he had been rescued, and was redeployed. He was in his early 20s at the time.

Today marks another anniversary of D-Day, the day that the allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin to take back Europe.   The generation that fought that battle are slowly fading away, leaving only written accounts in their place.

My father is among those who are no longer with us. He and his comrades live on in our hearts as we honor them today during the commemoration of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.  On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary (2019), a few surviving soldiers gathered to participate in various events.  Since then, there have been few able to return there due to the pandemic.

77th Anniversary - New British Monument

For the second year in a row, anniversary commemorations were marked by virus travel restrictions that prevented veterans or families of fallen soldiers from the U.S., Britain, Canada and other Allied countries from making the trip to France. Only a few officials were allowed exceptions.

Socially distanced participants gathered at the site of the newly-built British Normandy Memorial near the village of Ver-sur-Mer. Bagpipes played memorial tunes and warplanes zipped overhead trailing red-white-and-blue smoke. 

The new monument pays tribute to those under British command who died on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy. A text carved on the wall writes: “They died so that Europe might be free.”

 

“These are the men who enabled liberty to regain a foothold on the European continent, and who in the days and weeks that followed lifted the shackles of tyranny, hedgerow by Normandy hedgerow, mile by bloody mile,” Britain’s ambassador to France, Lord Edward Llewellyn, said at the inauguration of a new British monument to D-Day’s heroes.

 
  Retracing History

My parents went back to Normandy many years later for the 40^th anniversary observance.  He visited the grave of his commanding officer in the American Cemetery (shown to the left). Despite all his bravery, that sight moved him to tears.My husband and I returned to Omaha Beach and several historic sites in Normandy, France for the 60^th anniversary.

This was a very moving experience for us as well and it brought to life events which until then was just something we read about in history books.

That trip was in conjunction with a 12 Night British Isles / Norwegian Fjords cruise.   We arranged for a private tour with a local guide during which we walked on the beaches, visited all four of the cemeteries and other memorial sites.

Normandy Then & Now

The benefit of using a local guide was that we not only visited the various sites, but were also provided historical background, through images from 1944 so that we could experience Normandy in a totally different way.

Must See Sites

Our guide picked us from our ship in LeHarve early in the morning and returned us there in early evening.   He could have gone longer, but we were tired and decided to return to the ship instead of having dinner in Honfleur.


77th Anniversary Links:

D-Day 77th anniversary - 2021 - Normandy commemorations

Battle of Carentan (101st Airborne)

National D-Day Memorial

Commemorative Photos

 

More Coverage  on Twitter      @ChrisPappinMCC

D-Day Landing - Arnhem (Groesbeek) - Liberation Museum

 

Powerful interactive exhibit on #DDay and #Normandy Invasion from @USNatArchives & @Google is available here: D-Day and the Normandy Invasion   

 

Explore artifacts, oral histories, and more from The National WWII Museum D-Day

In honor of this Anniversary of D-Day, we have verified links in our previous blog articles.  Visit our Shutterfly Share Page for our Normandy (D-Day) Photo Albums.

Read More on our Blog:

Normandy, France - Retracing History

Our tour started with visits to all three cemeteries:

The British Cemetery (Bayuex War Cemetary)
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
German Cemetery (La Cambe German Cemetery)

Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 2)

Not far from  Normandy Beaches we stopped at:

Le Grand Bunker Museum 
Pegasus Bridge
 
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 3)

We concluded our Normandy visit with three destinations:
St Mere Eglise
Pointe du Hoc
Honfleur, France

D-Day      6 June 1944

The beaches were quiet the day we visited the Normandy Beaches unlike the early morning hours in 1944. I encourage you to include a visit to Normandy should your cruise call in LeHavre, France.  Bring the entire family, especially children, so that they can bring history to life.

 D-Day - A Critical Moment In History



Utah beach    Pointe du Hoc   Omaha beach    Gold beach   Juno beach   Sword beach

Some More D-Day References on the Web

Tuesday June 6, 1944 : minute per minute
Normandie Mémoire
National D-Day Mermorial Foundation

 

Connect With Us On

       

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat