Hi everyone!  I’m back from the 5D4N Isles of Southeast Asia Cruise on the Legend of the Seas organised by Omy and Royal Caribbean Cruise.  This is the first installment of the 5 part series which I will blog about in the Omy Royal Caribbean Cruise Contest to win the 7D5N Western Mediterranean Fly-Cruise onboard the Liberty of the Seas.  Do support and vote for me in this contest on the Omy website.  Public voting starts on the 20th December!

Day 1: On Board the Legend of the Seas 

It was an exciting Monday morning for me as I left home with my luggage and head down to Harbourfront Cruise Center to meet the other bloggers to embark on the 5D4N Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Legend of the Seas.

After we have checked our luggage and completed the paperwork at the Royal Caribbean Cruise desk, each of us received our Sea Pass which will act as our “passport” for identity purposes, room key and “credit card” on board the Legend of the Seas.

The Sea Pass also indicates the dining time and table number reserved for us at the Romeo & Juliet restaurant and also the Muster Station to assemble in case of any emergency. (Read on to find out about the Muster Station & Romeo & Juliet restaurant.)

After getting on board while waiting for our rooms to be ready, everyone was hungry and can’t wait to have our first meal on board to recharge ourselves!  We headed over to the Windjammers Cafe which serves International buffet 3 meals daily which is located at deck 9 of the ship to have a fill up our starving stomachs!

At the entrance of the Winderjammers Cafe, all of us were totally “wowed” by the presentation of fruits and watermelon carving to welcome us aboard.  Looking at the huge spread of buffet counters with food laid out of us, it’s a feast not only for the stomach for also for the eyes too!

The generous spread of food at the Antipasti counter is good enough to make me drool all over!

I have a sweet tooth and I couldn’t resist the wide range of fantastic desserts on the buffet tables.  Anything that is colourful to the eyes, pleasing to the palate which gives me sugar rush is totally my kind of thing.

It’s an International buffet and we can’t forget the lovely sushi and the Indian delicacies.  Buffet lovers definitely can’t miss out the Windjammers Cafe as there are a wide selection of food to feast on.

Saw the carving of the “Welcome Aboard” earlier on?  There is a demonstration by the chef himself at the Centrum which is located on deck 4 of the cruise.  Look at all those delicate carvings with the chef’s skilful hands.  I’m sure even if you’re hungry, you won’t want to eat those beautiful carvings!

After lunch, it’s time to check out my stateroom as my checked-in luggage has arrived at my doorstep.  It is a standard stateroom for 2 persons but with the ocean view.  The queen size bed is actually made out of 2 single beds which can be separated apart upon request.

Oh, wonder who my roommate is?

He is none other than Yee Leong who is a Chinese blogger and a talented photographer too.

Earlier on, you saw the number “13” on my Sea Pass.  It is not an unlucky number but it’s the number of the Muster Station I have to go to for the compulsory ship evacuation drill for all guests known as the Muster Drill.  This is to ensure all guests know what to do in case of any emergency.

The friendly staff on board demonstrated how to put on the life jacket and how to react when the emergency alarm sounds.  All these have to be taken seriously as we briefed on what to do.  All these ended within 20 minutes and the Legend of the Seas sailed off from Harbourfront Cruise Centre!

I guess it’s the same for everyone to explore around the cruise on the first day and plan what to do for the next few days.  Same for me, I was walking up and down exploring the different amenities and I happen to see this beautiful picture at a stairwell.  I guess it can very well be used to personify “the Legend of the Seas”.

I love the view of the top deck of the ship as I can enjoy the sea view and the breezy wind.  I just love to hang out here a little more to catch the sunset.

It’s so beautiful to catch the view of the sunset on the open sea!

On deck 10 of the cruise, it is the tallest open area with a jogging track, mini golf course and a rock climbing wall (stay tune for highlights on the rock climbing wall in the later blog post!)

Very soon, the sun began to set and it’s about time for dinner soon at Romeo & Juliet restaurant.  Our dinner is at the second seating which is at 8pm.  If you’re an early diner, you can request for the 1st seat of dinner when booking your cruise tickets.

For dinner at Romeo & Juliet restaurant, it is a fine dining 3-course dinner with a Starter, a Main and a Dessert.  Children below the age of 12 are not allowed in here and there is a strict dress code to follow for every dinner seating.

The first menu presented to us includes the starters and mains.  Although it is a 3-course dinner, we can order as many choices as we like.  However, we are advised not to order excessively as to avoid unnecessary food wastage.

At the start of the meal, a variety of bread will be served.  Over here, it is a poppy seed bun which we won’t get it in Singapore.  It taste like sesame seed with that similar texture and taste.

I had the Sopa De Tortilla for starter which is robust Mexican tomato soup garnished with fried julienne tortilla.  It is very appetizing and with the tortilla, it makes the soup interesting with crispy bits to chew on.

For the main, I had the Chicken Breast with Seasonal Herbs.  The chicken is so tender and flavourful with the herbs infused into it.  It is served with mash and vegetables to create a balance meal.  I am sure you must be drooling at it right now!

After the main course was over, we were presented with a dessert menu, it’s very difficult to make 1 choice everything on the menu is so tempting!  Right here is the Chocolate Cherry Cake and topped with a scoop of luscious vanilla ice-cream.

On the Legend of the Seas, the desserts are the best as the pastry chef is professional at making mouth watering desserts which I can’t help but to ask for more to satisfy my sweet tooth.

After the meal is done, it’s good to finish it off with either coffee or tea.  There are so many choices of English and Chinese teas available too choose from.  I guess a hot Pu-erh Tea will be great to wash down a sumptuous meal.

After dinner, it’s showtime at the That’s Entertainment Theater at deck 4!  There will be productions and artistes performing every night.  For the first night, professional world class juggler, David DiMuzio wowed the crowd with his stunning moves.

He is also a very talented musician and surprised the audience with 2 Chinese classics, 《月亮代表我的心》 and 《童话》!  Don’t believe it?  Click on the link and watch him sing on YouTube!  If you love his songs, follow him on Twitter too!

Here is a video of David DiMuzio singing and juggling in his demo audition tape for America’s Got Talent 2010.

That’s near the end of the first day on board the Legend of the Seas.  I was very lucky to have a photo with the wonderful and friendly David DiMuzio before calliing it a day.

That’s all folks for the first series of my my 5D4N adventure on the Legend of the Seas.  Do stay tune for part 2 as I share about my exciting adventure as the ship dock at Port Kelang, KL!

*This is a contest entry for Omy - My 5D4N Royal Caribbean Cruise Adventure. 

**Do visit and support me on my Omy blog!