Monday, 7 April 2025

At Sea:  Ft Lauderdale to King's Wharf, Bermuda (2)

A second lovely sea day as the Nieuw Statendam sails closer to Bermuda. And another day to laze about and enjoy another three meals.

The two glasses of wine last night and the fresh sea air knocked me out really well, so after breakfast in the main dining room, I settle in for a good morning nap. The dining room provides a more leisurely eating experience, and the peace and quiet is superior to the noise and hurry in the Marketplace. I enjoy low-fat Greek yogurt with fresh berries, eggs Benedict (note the plural of "eggs"), and a hot Cappuccino.

I awake just in time for lunch in the Lido Marketplace--I warned you that sea days would mostly be about food!--where I am served a large mixed salad with Italian dressing and a large portion of really good meat lasagna, with lots of sauce. Alongside the lasagna is a very interesting garlic and tomato-sauce roll.

All this food reminds me that I need to return to my daily walking routine. Three times around the Promenade Deck is equal to one mile. Today I split my exercise between one walk after breakfast and a longer walk after lunch.

My afternoon walk ends just as the cruise director's talk on visiting Bermuda starts. The theatre on the Nieuw Statendam is very large and very well raked so even sitting very close to the back I am able to see and hear everything. Since I have been to Bermuda twice, I don't learn anything particularly new; but I am happy to be reminded of the logistics of visiting on one's own.

I return to my reserved table in the main dining room for dinner. While the food is plentiful and beautifully presented, the art of fine dining has gotten lost in the rush to get everyone served. The servers have no time to establish relationships with passengers and everything feels rather assembly-line. Tonight I have only one glass of wine--a Pinot Grigio. The main course, Parmesan Crusted chicken breast served over vegetables and mashed potatoes, is excellent and tender, even though it is the thickest chicken breast I have ever seen. Dessert, blueberry bread pudding with warm blueberry sauce, is much too sweet, but I force myself to eat it all anyway.

Unfortunately, the Caesar salad is a disaster--the same disaster as last night. The dressing tastes like and has the texture of water; there is not a hint of garlic or parmesan. I kept silent last night, but tonight I tell the waiter about the dressing and ask him to convey my complaint to the chef--as if that's really going to happen.

I spend a few moments admiring the sunset and then I am ready for an early bed time, looking forward to tomorrow's adventures in the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda.