Dashing Dish

Hello Everyone!!! I just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Epic Ship, where we traveled to Cozumel, Rotan, and Costa Maya! It was amazing- to say the least!!! I went with my husband, my younger sister Emily, and my parents, and we had a wonderful time! We did a lot of eating, relaxing, and of course~ playing under the sun! This Daily Dish will be filled with the week’s worth of meals and activities I enjoyed on the cruise!

In general, it is very difficult to eat healthy on a cruise ship, but I tried to make healthy choices when possible. Breakfast usually included an egg white omlette, a high fiber cereal of some type, a low sugar yogurt and fruit. For lunch I had some type of salad from the salad bar almost every day, and chose turkey or chicken as a topping (for protein). I almost always followed it with an soft-serve ice cream cone for a ‘snack’ which was definitely a highlight, (especially because it was self-serve frozen yogurt!!!) :) And for dinner I had whatever I wanted…Meaning it generally wasn’t healthy, nor was the dessert…But I was on vacation, so I enjoyed myself! :)

I did work out, however not every day, and if I did it was generally a quick 30 minute cardio workout, (which I figured was better than nothing!) I also did a quick weight workout one day with my sister, and we even did a class called TRX suspension training one day, which was a body-weight workout using suspension straps, (it was tough- but fun!) We also danced almost every night, which was a fun way to move our bodies after laying around all day!

Overall, it was one of the best vacations of my life so far, and I have to say, one of the reasons it was so fun was because I truly let loose and enjoyed myself! I also cherished every moment with my family, which I realize more every day is so important!

This is my second  time taking a cruise, and I truly do recommend ‘cruising’ as a vacation, because it allows you to do so much, and see so many neat places! I hope you enjoy the pictures and get a taste of how awesome cruising can be!!!

We took our trip on the Norwegian Epic Ship, one of the largest cruise ships in the world!

I was so excited to board the ship!

It was a huge and beautiful ship!

We started our cruise with self-serve frozen yogurt of course!

I was enjoying every bite!

That night we went to Tappanyaki for dinner, which was a Japanese restaurant where they made the food on a grill right in front of you! It was amazing food, as well as awesome entertainment!

We were all very excited for our first meal on the ship!

We started with a mushroom soup.

And salted-soybeans.

We enjoyed watching our chef do some amazing tricks while our food was being prepared!

We all got some veggies…

And our choice of meat! I chose Chicken and Tofu which was cooked in a teriyaki-soy sauce!

I finished the meal with a fruit plate!

Afterwards we went to get a ‘special dessert’, freshly made crepes!

Mine was filled with fresh whipped cream and caramel sauce! Mmmm! I was clearly on a mission eating this one! Haha!

We spent the next day laying out in the sun, and for dinner we enjoyed our meal while watching a murder mystery show! It was great entertainment and wonderful food!

The third day was filled with more sun, when we ported at Rotan! We spent the day at a beach called Fantasy Island, and it was apparent immediately where it got it’s name~ It was like a dream!

The water was clear, and the sand was white!

We met a friend there~ a peacock!!! It came right up to us, and had some of Sean’s chicken nuggets and fries that he left on a chair!

I had never seen a peacock in the wild before, so it was really neat!!! Such a beautiful animal!

When we got back on the boat we danced the day away!

For dinner we went to Moderno, which was a really neat restaurant on the ship that offered different types of meats and cheeses.

Everyone had a card with a ‘red’ and ‘green’ side, which allowed you to tell the server if you wanted more food to be brought to your table, as well as letting them know when you were done. As long as your card was green, they would keep bringing different types of meats on large skewers to your table, and you could try as much or as little as you wanted!

They also offered a huge salad bar which I really enjoyed!

My favorite type of meat was the bacon-wrapped chicken breast!

For dessert we enjoyed the cream puffs! They were like a really light doughnut with a vanilla frosting for dipping!

After dinner we went to do some karaoke!!! We sang ‘Isn’t it ironic’ by Alanis Morissette~ It was hilarious.  We aren’t exactly American Idol stars, but we had fun!

The next port was Costa Maya which was a blast! We went on ATV’s for this excursion, which was fun and scary at the same time!

We hung out at the beach for a while afterwards!

We spent the rest of the afternoon laying out in the sun and relaxing on the boat!

For dinner we went to a restaurant called ‘Taste’. I ordered the salmon with a side of veggies. It was delicious!

I also got the fruit plate which was light and refreshing!

We went up to the main deck for dessert…frozen yogurt once again! :)

My breakfast was usually included an egg white omelet, some bran cereal, and/or some fruit and yogurt from the buffet!

My lunch was generally a huge salad with all sorts of veggies and chicken or turkey on top.

Followed by frozen yogurt! :)

That night we got chosen to be in the Newlywed Game (which is our second time being chosen to be the newly weds on a cruise ship!)

We ended up tying with the couple that had been married for 35 years!

The next day we ported at Cozumel, where we swam with dolphins…Hands down one of the best experiences of my life!!!

We ate lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant. It was amazing!

We got fresh (still warm) tortilla chips…(they were unbelievable!)

With fresh pico de galo for dipping!

I ordered the Chicken Fajitas, which came with fresh tortillas!!!

We then swam with one of the most amazing creatures on earth~Dolphins!!! They are so smart, and they each have such different personalities! Interacting with these animals gave me a new appreciation for them for sure!

They did all kinds of tricks for us as well! :)

They were so cute!!!

We found a Starbuck’s afterwards, and we felt like we were in heaven! It was one of the most amazing days of my life!

That night we saw Cirque Dreams, which was an amazing acrobat-style show that we watched while eating yet another amazing dinner!

We went out afterwards to dance the night away, which was the typical way we spent the nights on board! There were all kinds of dance-themes such as 80′s music, Caribbean music, etc. It was a blast~ not to mention a good workout! ;)

I have to say that one of the highlights of the trip, however was watching my dad propose to my mom again after 30 years of marriage! Their role model of marriage has been amazing to watch, and they always tell us it’s all because of the Lord that their love continues to grow with each passing year!

God is so good, and truly the author of Love~ so naturally the more time we spend with Him the more we will love like Him! :)

I hope you all had an amazing week, and a great start to the week ahead!!!