Day 6 - Leaving Bermuda and a Day at Sea - Oceania Insignia - September 2023

​I was up early enough to see the sun rising and the Insignia leaving Bermuda in the distance.  I went outside to take some pictures of the beautiful sky.  Since Chris was still sleeping, I went to Baristas to have an almond milk latte and do some writing.  About an hour later, Chris found me and we decided to try breakfast in the dining room.  I wanted to have the avocado toast as well as the green apple muesli made with almond milk.  Chris opted for eggs Benedict.  My breakfast was decent and a nice healthier option for people on a plant based diet. 

I wanted to do some more writing and Chris wanted to read so we headed up to the pool deck.  Once again, tons of items but no people to be found.  We did find some chairs but it was slim pickings at 9am.  The cruise director even made an announcement to not save chairs as a courtesy.  It literally made me laugh out loud as I was surrounded by tons of beach bags.  I appreciate the audio for those passengers who could not read the sign posted on every pillar at the pool but honestly the best action would be to have attendants move these items.  To leave your stuff for three to four hours is ridiculous.  

We met our team for trivia at 11:15 and I asked them if the passenger dynamic is different on longer cruises.  They said very much so.  The activities are pretty lacking on this cruise and they said there are more on the world cruise as well.  We scored 11.5 points earning another third place.  We have one more day to nail that win! 

For lunch, we scoped out the buffet but nothing seemed to tempt me.  We went outside to the Waves Grill for a surf and turf sandwich.  It was crowded but we managed to snag a table people just vacated.  I am not sure if they have enough servers in this popular area as that seems to be the jam up.  Our sandwiches while more towards well done, were still tender. We thought about going to the pool but not one seat could be found.  So we spent a good part of the afternoon in the casino instead.  

Every day at 4pm is tea time in Horizons and we have yet to experience it.  We arrived at 4:05 and most seats were taken so it is pretty popular.  The pastries were out of this world!  It is probably a good thing that we skipped it so far.  If you do not want to wait for the trolley, there is a buffet to get your selections.  The string quartet was playing soothing music and it definitely is a refined experience.  

Since we were meeting the delightful Cory for dinner, we went to shower and change.  We were ready early so we headed to Martinis which had a good crowd.  I think it was a little lighter due to the party for repeat cruisers happening.  We had one more cocktail when Cory arrived before going to the Grand Dining Room for dinner.

The menu looked really nice this evening.  We all started with caviar and a glass of champagne.  It was a decent starter but maybe a tad too salty but it might have been from the potato.  Next, Chris and I had the beet root carpaccio which was a fun plant based starter.  Chris and Cory also ordered the foie gras and both enjoyed it.  It was a very interesting presentation.  I had a simple salad that was crispy and fresh.  Each of us chose the Beef Wellington for our main.  The beef part was on the thinner side and mine was a little tough.  I think the problem was it being cut too thin.  The pastry was light and the duxelles and gravy were rich and flavorful.  The potato they served was a dry twice baked style and I think a creamy mash would enhance the dish better.  For dessert, I had the molten chocolate cake with caramel and Chris had the key lime pie.  The key lime pie was excellent, very close to how Chris makes his.  My dessert was a true disappointment.  The cake was so hard and dry with not much caramel to be found.  It was a nice meal though with truly wonderful company.  

We said our good night to Cory and decided to have some casino time.  The show tonight was Broadway in Concert which is not my favorite genre.  We did go up to Horizons for some dancing with the show band.  The set ended at 11:30pm so we returned to our cabin for the night.