There is something to be said for the tranquility of the open water. This was the sunrise as seen from the front of the ship one of the mornings in the Windjammer buffet. Because this was an Atlantic Ocean crossing, we had a lengthy stretch of sea days providing some wonderful views from the ship
For breakfast there were several options available, making it possible to be as reclusive or social as you wish to be. A couple of the mornings I enjoyed having a light continental of cereal, breads/pastries and hot tea brought to my cabin.
Most of the mornings, however, I had breakfast with my sister Pam in the Main
Dining Room (MDR) and solo in the Windjammer. The best thing about the
buffet breakfast was that they would make omelettes to order, so you
were guaranteed hot, fresh eggs!
Another option was the Promenade Cafe, where you could pick up light
dining options throughout the day. Their breakfast choices didn't seem
to fit my tastes, so I only did that once. But their pizza hit the spot especially if hungry in the middle of the afternoon or late night after time in the casino.
The MDR, however, was more often than not, our main "go to" for dinner. With an early 5:00pm seating (i.e., standing reservation), we had a great group of 10 ladies assigned to our table. Prior to the cruise, I had posted on social media inviting other solo travelers to join Pam & me as part of our seating. On any given night, there were between 4 and 9 of us, given individual schedules (especially on port days). It was nice to gather, talk about our day's activities and make new friends. Throughout the cruise, many of us spent additional time together at shows, in the casino or at the speakers' series sessions. It was really nice to make personal connections with this group of outstanding women!
Explorer of the Seas, as well as all of the ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet offer additional dining options . . . aka "specialty dining" in themed restaurants. We have previously enjoyed Chops Grille for lunch on embarkation day, and once again booked that for this cruise as well.
New for me was the Japanese restaurant Izumi. I'm generally not too adventurous with my food choices, so this was out of my normal comfort zone. Pam & I booked Izumi for lunch on a sea day when it was on sale a couple of months before our trip, so had it been not to my liking, I didn't have a lot of money invested in it. It was nice to have our new friend Marie join us, as it provided for more delightful dishes to sample. I LOVED IT! So much so, we've booked additional dining experiences at Izumi's on future cruises. We will also be sampling the Italian specialty restaurant Giovanni's next month on Rhapsody of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean (RC) is known for their on-board entertainment and
production shows. On most nights, the shows take place twice to provide
everyone a convenient opportunity to attend. The shows have plenty of singing
and dancing, with an awesome orchestra providing the music. I enjoyed
all of them, especially those that included familiar songs from well
known musicals and Broadway plays. Speaking of Broadway, some of the bigger ships have large theatrical
productions of shows seen on stages around the world. Momma Mia, Cats,
Grease and Hairspray have all appeared on RC ships. I was looking
forward to seeing Grease on Independence of the Seas in February, but
have read they have discontinued that show after a nearly 10 year run.
So I'm curious what they will replace it with.
The most unique show on the ship, was the "Spirits of the Seasons" ice show in Studio B. It was well produced and very entertaining. I cannot imagine doing an ice skating routine involving jumps and lifts on a ship crossing the rough Atlantic Ocean! Here's a short video of one of the Halloween themed performances during that show.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the dining options and meals on this cruise. I also found the evening shows to be well done and entertaining! I look forward to my future cruises to see what more Royal Caribbean has to offer.
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