Day 17 - An Extra Day At Sea
Ship: Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess
Itinerary: 16-Night Transatlantic - Southampton to Fort Lauderdale
Today is the day we were supposed to disembark Sun Princess and fly home to Dallas. However, Mother Nature had another plan. Hurricane Milton has delayed our return to Fort Lauderdale. The Captain is sailing in calm waters off the coast of Cuba as we wait for the hurricane to run its course. Looks like we will end up with a couple of extra days aboard Sun Princess.
To Princess Cruises’ credit, they are extending the Plus/Premier Package benefits at no additional cost to Premier and Plus package guests. They are also offering complimentary WiFi to all guests so that they can make alternate travel arrangements. And, guests are not being charged for additional crew appreciation (gratuities) for the extended time onboard.
Guests who booked their air transportation through Princess’ EZ Air are supposed to have new airline bookings taken care of automatically. We hope to be getting information from EZ Air soon so we will know our return air arrangements.
We spend the day on our balcony enjoying the sunshine, until some large rain clouds appear in the distance.
This evening, we decided to try a new (to us) bar for a before-dinner cocktail. We went to Deck 17 forward to Cascade Bar. This bar is located just behind The Dome and when we arrived, it was practically empty. While the Cascade Bar has one wall of glass from the starboard side of The Dome, the space seems to lack any real personality. It feels a little cold and impersonal.
Rickee orders one of the specialty drinks here called Flowers In Bloom. It was a little strange looking, almost gray in color.
For dinner this evening, we are returning to Umai Hot Pot. We really enjoyed the food here on our first visit. However, our first visit was much different than our visit tonight.
On our first visit, our timing must have been perfect. We arrived after the adjacent Teppenyaki diners had been served their dinner. They were busy quietly finishing their meal. Tonight, however, we were seated right as the “show” begins with four Teppenyaki chefs, and 40 diners all singing and howling through most of our meal. It pretty much ruins the atmosphere for the Hot Pot experience. Or, at least for us.
There are so many noisy and chaotic spaces on Sun Princess, and Umai Hot Pot is another one, unfortunately.
The Hot Pot experience begins with the waiter delivering a choice of sauces that can be added to the broths to make them more spicy or sweet.
A divided pot containing two broths (you get to choose from three different broths) is placed in the center of the table. Rickee chose the Miso broth while I chose the Lemongrass w/Kaffir Lime. There is an induction heating plate under the pot that quickly brings the broths up to a rolling boil.
Broths at Umai Hot Pot
The waiter then brings platters of raw meats, seafood and/or vegetables. You can choose any two of the three. We chose meats and vegetables.
The meat(s) and vegetables get cooked in the boiling broth. It should be noted that you, not the server, are actually cooking your meal. Tongs and ladles are provided so that you can add meats and vegetables to the broth.
They will also deliver side items of fried or steamed rice. Udon or Ramen noodles are also offered.
The final product is when you ladle the broth with the cooked meats and veg into your bowl, to which you can add noodles if you wish to make it into a Ramen dish. You can further garnish your dish with sesame seeds, scallions or ground ginger.
The cost to dine at Umai Hot Pot is $45 per person, which seems a little pricey for what is ultimately a bowl of soup that you cook yourself. However, it is a very unique dining experience and probably one that guests should try at least once per cruise. If you are not adversely affected by raucous, noisy environments, Umai Hot Pot delivers.
Tomorrow, we hopefully will be docking in Fort Lauderdale for disembarkation on Friday morning.
