The food is inclusive in the cruise package, so all you need to worry about is where to eat. Drinks are not included though so you can imagine the huge bill my hubby racked up ordering beer hehe! ;p The "free" restaurants are the Mediterranean Buffet (International buffet restaurant), Pavilion Restaurant (Chinese family style restaurant), and the Bella Vista Restaurant (Continental main restaurant). They serve food for breakfast, lunch, tea time (merienda), dinner, and even supper (midnight snack). If you get sick of the "free" food, you can choose to eat in the other restaurants (there's Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc.) but you have to pay for it separately.
The Mediterranean Buffet is probably the most popular restaurant since they serve international food. It's like a cafeteria style place where you line up with your trays and just get whatever you like. I like it here since there are so many choices, except that it can get kind of crowded and noisy. Sometimes, there are also rude people who cut in line! It can also get nakakasawa after a while since they serve practically the same food everyday.
Mediterranean Buffet |
cafeteria style |
busog! |
Our favorite would have to be the Bella Vista which is a fine dining restaurant serving continental food. This is also the main dining hall so it's huge and very spacious, so it hardly ever gets filled up.
They have a set menu and you just choose your appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert. Then they serve it to you beautifully plated. Here's just some of the food we had ranging from salads, pasta, chicken, sausages, sandwiches, and of course yummy yummy dessert!
There's a formal gala on the last night where everybody gets dressed up for dinner at the Bella Vista. There's also cocktails beforehand where they serve free beer and champagne. The ship's crew is also there and you can get your photos taken with the Captain and the other officers.
photo op with the ship's main crew |
hubby's favorite part of the cruise - free beer! |
There's 2 schedules for the Gala Dinner, since not everyone will be able to fit at the Bella Vista all at the same time. Hubby and I took the earlier time at 6PM while the rest of the family watched the kids. It was so nice to be able to have a "date" since this was probably the only time we got to be alone the whole cruise haha! Just a little trivia, during our honeymoon 5 years ago, we were one of the couples chosen to sit at the Captain's table for the Gala Dinner. It was an honor since we were the only Asians out of the 4 other couples who were also there (we were seated beside a couple from Australia and the USA). Nosebleed lang nga haha! ;p
Gala Dinner |
table for 2 |
Hubby and I always make it a point to order something different so we could try as much on the menu as possible. Here's what we got during the dinner:
APPETIZER Left: Captain's Spring Salad Right: Smoked Duck Breast Carpaccio |
SOUP Left: Cream of Forest Mushroom Right: Double Boiled Chicken Consomme |
MAIN COURSE Left: Roasted Beef Tenderloin seasoned with Orange-Pimiento Flakes Right: Grilled Chicken Breast Filled with Cream Cheese |
DESSERT Strawberry and Pineapple Yogurt Parfait |
Now you can see how we all gained so much weight after! ;p
Thanks for sharing. The large and clear photos shown bring back memories of our trips, twice, the last being more than 10 years ago. Going through your posts is like taking a walk down memory lane.The dinners and lunches at Bella Vista, the Pavilion and the Mediterranean and the Gala Dinner. Wonder when I will be packing for trip on Virgo again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. The pictures are large and clear. Viewing them bring back memories of my 2 trips on board Virgo, the last being more than 10 years ago. Memories of Bella Vista, Pavilion, the Mediterranean, Noble House, Blue Lagoon and at that time, Out of Africa. The Gelato is still there and so is the Taverna. Thanks for the nice photos. Wonder when I will be making my next trip on Virgo
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It was really such an enjoyable experience!
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