Travel day

January 21, 2026

Sailing the Spanish Main

Weather mostly sunny, windy, high 70’s. Sea’s moderate, 2.5 meter swells.

Sunrise on the Spanish Main

We have a very relaxing sea day today. Not much is scheduled as far as immersive activities but there are a number of lectures and then of course there is food. We have a taste of the Caribbean themed food today. So the chef bought a mess of coconuts at Port Limon and some of us partook in the cold refreshing nectar of the coconut.

Coconut!

The first lecture was about Simon Bolivar, the George Washington of South America. I knew of him, but this piqued my interest enough to research a biography of this singular minded man. We eschewed the second lecture about the discoveries of America. Bob and Anna did go and reported that there was no new information except that sweet potatoes native to South America were found in Hawaii when James Cook “discovered” those islands.

During our usual promenades, the wind was very fierce as the ship faced a headwind along with its 16 knot speed. The spray as the ship plowed through the moderate seas left deposits of salt on the decks and even on the fourth deck veranda. We really enjoy these walks, breathing the sea air tends to clear the head and enhances well-being, at least the perception of well-being.

At 3:45 we queued up for the Galley tour along with 50 others. Executive Chef Wayan held forth about the 15 food prep areas in the ship, the staff and hierarchy of the food service chain and answered a variety of questions from the curious. He did not say how many eggs were consumed but he did say that all waste food is incinerated (after making the joke that all leftover food was given to the Carnival line.)

The Galley tour was really interesting.  He took us through the main galley that preps food for the Restaurant. The World Café, Manfredi’s, the Chef’s Table, the Pool Deck and Mamson’s have their own kitchens. We saw the cooking class kitchen, where the orders come in and are delivered to the line, where the broths are made in giant pots, where the desserts are plated, coffee brewed, gelato made, liquor stored, room service plated and more. Chef Wayan introduced all the line cooks and their specialties. They seemed like they are a tight group who work well together.

All the Chefs

The Cooking Class Kitchen

The Coffee prep area

The Broth Kettles

Introducing the Line and the Drill

The Liquor Cabinet

The Gelato Machine

Ending Q&A in the Board Room

We ended the tour in the “Board Room” next to Manfredi’s restaurant. Bob, Anna, Shirley and I ate in that room during our Crossing cruise when Manfredi’s gave our reservation away and we were accommodated in that room.

After the Port talk about Mahogany Bay, we met in the world Café for the taste of the Caribbean offering which was very tasty and fun. Then off to more fun through the ship,  the cabin and a great end to a restful day.