As we would not be arriving into Lerwick until 1:30pm, we decided to have a leisurely day on board the ship. Breakfast runs from 7am until 10am, which for those who still see 9am as the middle of the night, it can be a struggle getting up in time! Nevertheless, we headed on up to the Lido buffet at 9:40am. The selection of food is decent, however not as much selection as other cruise ships. There is plenty of fresh fruit and pastries to choose from and cooked to order omelettes. The hot selection is somewhat limited, however there is still the basic breakfast items, such as sausages, bacon and beans. Cereals range from Rice Krispies to Muesli. The sausages were very tasty, however I was left disappointed with the sautéed potatoes, as they seemed undercooked.
After a quiet and relaxing breakfast, we went down to the Purser's Desk to collect our passports, which they had kept during check in, due to the malfunction with the passport scanner. We relaxed on the ship watching us sail along the south east coast of the Shetlands. By now, it was time for lunch. As we had eaten out in Edinburgh yesterday and only had a quick snack the day before, this was our first time having a full lunch on board. It was parsnip soup, which was tasty. There is a wide array of breads to choose from, all in different sizes. The pasta is by far the best I have ever had on any cruise ship. There seemed to be a lack of choices at the hot buffet. Fish or meatballs with rice. There were a selection of desserts to choose from.
We watched us approach the harbour at Lerwick and the views from the ship were impressive. For me, cruising is all about ultimate relaxation, and that is what we intended to do today. By this time it was approaching 3:30pm and we decided we would try out the afternoon tea. There were a selection of nibbles including chocolate brownies and cheesecake. Warm scones with cream and jam were also available.
It was time for evening meal once more and tonight's dress code was informal – jacket with trousers, with or without tie. To start, I had a delicious rustic style tomato soup, which was followed by a succulent leg of lamb with potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert was a black forest gateau.
Tonight's show was performed by the Discovery show team as they became dancing queens and performed songs by ABBA. It was a fantastic production and well performed on such a small stage in the Carousel show lounge. Although there were a few minor hiccups during the performance, such as a singer forgetting her words and a dancer forgetting their props, the show was still fantastic.
Tomorrow we will arrive in the small village of Scrabster at 0700 and depart at 1630.
After a quiet and relaxing breakfast, we went down to the Purser's Desk to collect our passports, which they had kept during check in, due to the malfunction with the passport scanner. We relaxed on the ship watching us sail along the south east coast of the Shetlands. By now, it was time for lunch. As we had eaten out in Edinburgh yesterday and only had a quick snack the day before, this was our first time having a full lunch on board. It was parsnip soup, which was tasty. There is a wide array of breads to choose from, all in different sizes. The pasta is by far the best I have ever had on any cruise ship. There seemed to be a lack of choices at the hot buffet. Fish or meatballs with rice. There were a selection of desserts to choose from.
We watched us approach the harbour at Lerwick and the views from the ship were impressive. For me, cruising is all about ultimate relaxation, and that is what we intended to do today. By this time it was approaching 3:30pm and we decided we would try out the afternoon tea. There were a selection of nibbles including chocolate brownies and cheesecake. Warm scones with cream and jam were also available.
It was time for evening meal once more and tonight's dress code was informal – jacket with trousers, with or without tie. To start, I had a delicious rustic style tomato soup, which was followed by a succulent leg of lamb with potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert was a black forest gateau.
Tonight's show was performed by the Discovery show team as they became dancing queens and performed songs by ABBA. It was a fantastic production and well performed on such a small stage in the Carousel show lounge. Although there were a few minor hiccups during the performance, such as a singer forgetting her words and a dancer forgetting their props, the show was still fantastic.
Tomorrow we will arrive in the small village of Scrabster at 0700 and depart at 1630.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived blog series written in March 2014, originally appearing on our sister site, rcifans.com. Some content and references may be outdated.