Allure Day 1 - Detached and Unwired

Back in the stateroom, and Chris is right at home in one of his favorite places on the planet.  A balcony overlooking nothing but ocean.

It is Casual night on the ship tonight, but Chef's Table requires "Smart Casual".  We cleaned up and strolled to the Library about 7:20.  There, we and our 12 table mates were presented with champagne.  At 7:30, we were led into the Concierge Lounge above Dazzles (it was fun to see this), and up some stairs to a table waiting for us.  We overlooked the Boardwalk and Aquatheater while we ate.

We had place cards at our seats.  A quiet experience at first, but there were wine pairings included, which means things got increasingly more energized.  Chris and I were seated in the middle of the table, so he got to know the people on his end (two couples traveling together and a couple from Austin) and I got to know the people on my end (another two couples traveling together).  Across from us sat Andrew Jackson.  Yes, really.  Except he was Bahamian, not Tennessean and he was not 245 years old.

The Jacksons were neat.  They would be leaving the ship the next morning when we docked in Nassau, to go on a fun shore excursion home and do laundry.  We thought it was pretty cool that they went on a cruise to go home.

We were presented with customized menus, complete with a table map with names of our fellow diners.  Here is the menu:

Spinach and Ricotta Blini

with Graved Lax and Smoked Halibut

 Domaine William Fevre, Chablis, France

Soup Trio

Potato Cream, Asparagus Consomme and Tomato Soup with Basil Foam 

Cakebread Cellars, Napa, California

Miso brushed North Atlantic Black Cod

Sauteed Baby Corn, Bok Choi, Parsnip Puree, Candied Meyer Lemon

Belle Glos, Pinot Noir Blanc, Rose, "Oeil de Pedrix", Yorkville Highlands, California  

Pink Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Black Truffle Spaetzle, Asparagus, Yellow Baby Carrots and Port wine Reduction

Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa, California

Orange Crunch Parfait

with Mascarpone Fruit Zabaglione

Chilled Disaronno, Amaretto Liquor

The chef came out to present each course, and a sommelier presented each pairing. The food was delicious.  The parings were perfect.  The company was engaging and fun.  We finished up at about 10:30.

I think it will be fun to compare the plans and calendar I prepared before the cruise to what actually happened.  Tonight, we were scheduled for Chef's Table at 7:30 and Ocean Aria at 10:45.  Apparently some of our table mates also had reservations for Ocean Aria.

After a quick stop at the restroom, we headed down to Deck 6 to the Boardwalk and out to Ocean Aria.  10 minutes before showtime, they release the reserved seats.  We ended up getting there after the seats were released and had to sit on the benches in the splash zone.  But that was fine.

The show was about 30 minutes long and included divers, acrobats and high divers.  It's a great show, very similar to the Ocean of Dreams show on Oasis.

So today, we met all of our goals from pre-planning.  Chef's Table and Ocean Aria.  We're 2 for 2.

After Ocean Aria, we decided to check out Blaze, the night club.  Tonight was the "Traffic Light Party".  Drinks were served in cups with flashing lights in the bottom that were either green (available), red (taken), or yellow (it's complicated).  It was like Facebook on the dance floor.  Except not really.  Either nobody had read the Cruise Compass about the Traffic Light Party, or there were a bunch of complicated people on that ship.

The club was not very busy, and the DJ changed songs too often for our liking.  Between flashing lights and shifting music, we felt like we were in fast-forward mode and it was just our first night.  We wanted this cruise to last as loooonnnggg as possible.

So we took a walk on the upper decks.  Just like we had on Oasis the first night.  The pool deck was empty.  The Viking Crown Lounge was empty.  6300 passengers on this ship and it was just midnight.  Where was everyone?

We did get to take a peek into the chapel that night.  It is nicely done.

Ahhh...breathing in the salty air, ship drifting slowly toward the Bahamas.  Detached and unwired from cell phones and internet.  We were pretty close to Heaven.  And soon, it was off to the comfy Royal Caribbean bed and linens for us.

Tomorrow - Nassau.  We have plans to hop over to Senor Frogs to watch people.  How will that turn out?