Sailing on to the Portuguese mainland

After one nice day in Sao Miguel, and promising ourselves to come back soon, we left for Lisbon. It was nice to have another day at sea. Jim loves to sketch. He is partial to Michael's Library but decided to join me in the lounge (Looking Glass) where there was more light. Michael's is located at the other end of the ship from our cabin. The good news was that if you went frequently to the Looking Glass to work by the floor-to-ceiling windows, we were close to the stateroom elevators.

On the other hand, if one went to Michael's, that would put you in the close proximity to all the eating places onboard. So each location has it's advantages. This cruise, we dined almost exclusively in the Discoveries Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When we sailed on the Journey last November and December, we ate breakfasts and lunches in the Windows Cafe, a self-service buffet with a wide selection of tasty food. We were looking for the complete service one gets in the Discoveries Restaurant this time. There are two specialty restaurants on the ship, the Prime C and Aqualina, and we did eat at those on the last voyage. They were in great demand with the passengers on this sailing, and we heard great things about those restaurants as well during this voyage. Many people commented that they needed more time to enjoy meals in the specialty restaurants and that it was not uncommon to spend 3 hours from the moment they were seated until the meal was over. Both Jim and I like to savor our meals in the Discoveries Restaurant. We did notice a lot of people who preferred to "eat and run". They didn't want to miss the early show or their favorite bridge game.

I must also mention the grill located outside the Windows Cafe near the pool. They had the very best grilled lamb that I have tasted in a long time, and I very much enjoyed having a few slices of grilled lamb with a side of guacamole! There is an afternoon tea with small sandwiches, cookies, and other sweets. Just to say we had tried the Tea, we did go a couple of times. If one dines early for dinner, it can spoil the appetite. The Tea is more suited for those who dine late (830PM).