Interesting Cake Making demo on board the Legend of the Seas

There are quite a lot of activities on board the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas cruise, one of which is the "Cake Making" demo. Why the inverted commas? Mainly because the cake is already made, and you're just only putting the finishing touches on it. It helps though that you get to eat free cake at the end of the demo.

It is interesting though how the cake finishing is done, and how many layers are there within it. Below are some pictures I managed to take of the process. Maybe it'll help trigger some ideas on your own cake making. :)

The prepped table before the demo started

The ingredients for finishing the cake.

Pour the sauce over the first layer of the cake. You can put wine inside too if you wish.

Cream time. :)

Put some chocolate cherries if I remember correctly on top of the cream

Cover it and do the same process for all the layers (total 3 layers).

After that, cream the cake fully. :)

Add chocolate flakes on top of the cake

Add chocolate flakes on the side too.

Put some decorations on top of the cake

Cherries again, and if I recall correctly, basil leaves too on top of the cake.

That's it. And being a cake demo show, they prepared one tray of cakes for everyone who was present at the demo. :)

Food time in the Legend of the Seas

No way anyone can forget about the food once you're on a cruise, especially when you in the cruise from the Royal Caribbean. Just a couple of things to note on the ship as it may not be that obvious for the first timers.

There are only 2 places where you can go for food. One is the Windjammer cafe which provide meals in the buffet style, and Romeo & Juliet Restaurant which provides meals in an À la carte style. Food wise, I felt that Romeo & Juliet restaurant provides slightly better food than Windjammer cafe which is usually the case if you compare buffet and À la carte meals, but in terms of variety, Windjammer cafe wins it hands down, mostly because it is a buffet. Note that Windjammer cafe sometimes provide snacks during tea breaks. I've never visited it though during that time.

Couple of things to note of the above 2 eating areas. You can dress casually at any time if you're going to the Windjammer cafe for your meals but for Romeo & Juliet restaurant, you'll have to take note of the "dressing of the day" which will be mentioned in your Cruise Compass. However, at no time will you be allowed into the Romeo & Juliet restaurant in your bare feet, shorts or tank tops during dinner, even though it's "casual day". Guys, do note that smart casual equates to shirt and tie, and pants. Formal equates to those dressing that you see for Emmy awards (e.g. Tuxedos). :)

For snacks, there are also 2 places that are open during certain timings. One is the Pizzas, Burgers and Hot Dogs at the Solarium, and the other is Ben & Jerry's Cafe Latte-tudes at Deck 6. I've not tried the former but it seemed that at certain times, it provides free snacks. Snacks however at Ben & Jerry's is chargeable. However, this is the place where I think provides food quite cheaply. A medium cup with 2 scoops of ice-cream only costs USD3.74, inclusive of service charge. A soya latte costs also the same. Personally, I think its cheap.

If you're thirsty at any point in time, you can go to the Thirst Quenchers right outside the Windjammer Cafe for a drink, or the water point inside the Solarium, right outside the Gym. FOC of course.

Now... Pictures time of the yummy food I ate on board the Legend of the Seas. :)

USD3.74 Chocolate Mint Chunk & Chocolate Medium Cup ice-cream

USD3.74 Chocolate Mint Chunk and Blackberry Sorbet medium cup ice-cream

Lemon poppy seeds loaf & Seattle Soya Latte, also from Ben & Jerry's

Quich appetizer from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Grilled fish mains from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Not so sweet chocolate cake dessert from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant.

Tortilla soup appetizer from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Slow roast beef, medium rare, mains from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant.

Strawberry Pavlova dessert from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Roast Turkey sandwich from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Catch of the day fish from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant

Classic breakfast from Romeo & Juliet Restaurant.

Looking out of the Legend of the Seas

Having recently went on the Royal Caribbean cruise, one of the must do most will not miss out is being out on the deck, looking out towards the big blue sea, and experiencing the strong winds and the scenery. :) Yes, the winds are quite strong, and cold if you're out at night. The night sky is also quite amazing, if there are not many clouds around. You may not be able to see those kind of stars in Singapore. Light pollution at work.

Below are some of the pictures I took of the "scenery" at sea.

Star Cruise Virgo docked beside Legend of the Seas

Expensive houses near the Habourfront Cruise Centre

Waiting for the Sun rise. In the end, it was blocked by the clouds.

Trail of waves at the back of the ship.

Star Cruise Libra docked outside Malaysia

Look of Penang from Legend of the Seas

The other side of Penang, taken from Legend of the Seas.

Night view of Penang

Another cruise ship docked near Legend of the Seas

Interesting activities on board the Legend of the Seas

Compared to Star Cruise, it seems that the 3 nights Royal Caribbean cruise that I recently went have more interesting activities on board. There are always activities around the clock, even if you're not disembarking the ship for your shore excursions. There's even a library on board. Having said that, not all activities are interesting though. :) Always take note of the Cruise Compass, the daily "newsletter" that you'll get in your room. It will show you all the activities for that day, including most importantly, your meal timings. You can get an additional copy at the Purser's Desk at Deck 5.

One thing to take note is the terminology of main seatings and second seatings, especially important as it involves eating. :) This mostly applies to the À la carte Romeo & Juliet Restaurant. Main seating refers to the first timing of the dinner reservation and second seating will be the next timing. They are usually around 2 hours apart (e.g. Main seating: 630pm, Second seating: 830pm). This is important if you are timing yourself for the shows that are shown at night. Sometimes the shows indicate that it is "For Second Seating Guests". This means that if you watch this particular show, you'll be going for your dinner after the show, in time for the "Second Seating".

The evening shows seem to be different from the ones provided by Star Cruise, as it is very musical in nature, and dance related. I thoroughly enjoyed it though due to my interest in these areas, but some may not. I still encourage people to go for it, especially when Gordon, the cruise director is hosting it. He is a very good host, and very hilarious too. :)

By the way, you should do some channel surfing if you have time in your room. The shows there are quite up-to-date. I saw the last Harry Potter movie, and Captain America on their special movie channel. :)

Let's use the pictures to do the talking for the main activities I went on board the ship.

You will see this every floor near the main lifts. They show you your current location and the other areas in the ship

Centrum at Deck 4. Many of the activities are held here, including the farewell party

Christmas tree in the Centrum. The lifts you see goes all the way to Deck 11.

If you want to know the time, just look up from the Centrum. :)

Interesting art near the lift at deck 7

That's Entertainment Theatre, where all the shows are being held. The timing is not standard so remember to take a look at the cruise compass.

The rock climbing wall at one end of the ship at deck 9. It is not always open, due to safety reason

Mini golf course, just behind the rock climbing wall at deck 9.

Indoor swimming pool at Deck 9, within the Solarium. The water is very salty by the way.  There are also jacuzzis with hot water. The pizzas, burgers and hot dogs station are behind the indoor pool.

Outdoor swimming pool at deck 9. There are jacuzzis too with hot water.

The Windjammer Cafe at Deck 9, the place where you'll have your buffet. This is the place where you'll have your lunch on the first day of the cruise.

Interior of the Windjammer Cafe. Take your time to walk around. Food is so so.

Take this "package" after you get your meal. You'll find it in front of the each buffet station. It includes the napkin, a fork and a knife.

Christmas decorations within the Windjammer Cafe. Seems to be made from some candies.

Zoomed in picture of the Christmas decorations within the Windjammer Cafe.

Romeo & Juliet À la carte restaurant at Deck 4 and 5. Food is slightly better than Windjammer Cafe. Do note of which deck to go by referring to the Cruise Compass. It may be different every day.

Viking Crown Lounge at Deck 11. The place where most of the Karaoke happens at night. :)

Interesting towel decoration on my sofa after I came back from an activity

The Rock n Roll party on the last day of the cruise. A MUST go. :)

Interesting Royal Caribbean Cruise

Updated 20 Dec 2011: Added information about the toiletries within the room, and how to DIY the cruise.
Updated 28 May 2012: Added the zoomed in picture of the power plug

I've managed to find time to go off for a short holiday to Malaysia on the Royal Caribbean cruise, Legend of the Seas. I was curious on the differences between the cruise on the Royal Caribbean and Star Cruise. After 3 nights on the ship, I can see where the differences lie, in terms of the experience on board and the friendliness of the staff. Even the rooms are slightly bigger. :)

One thing to note is that if you wish to DIY your cruise on the Royal Caribbean, it is slightly different from Star Cruise. Other than the listed price, there is something called gratuity, otherwise known in Asia as tipping. The 15% tip enforced by Royal Caribbean, can be prepaid when you register for the cruise in their website here. At the end of the cruise, you will have envelopes left on your desk together with gratuity vouchers. Just tear the vouchers, seal it in the respective envelopes and deposit it in a box near the Purser's Desk in Deck no 5 at the end of the cruise.

You can do an online check-in at least 3 days before the departure date. Once you have done that, just print the SetSail pass for everyone and show the passes and the passport when you check-in at Habourfront Terminal. It will only take a few minutes. You will also need to fill in a health declaration form for everyone which you can get at a counter near the queue-up area.

A couple of things to take note on board the ship. Below should be a typical setup of a room in the ship.

The soda cans you see and the evian water bottles on the table are chargeable. Only the small corner on the right side of the table is FOC. Do take note of the power connectors. It's unique and may not be compatible with your power adapters. Below a zoom in picture of the power connector.

In case you're wondering, towels, soap, and I believe a shampoo dispenser (which I did not try) are provided in the bathroom. You'll need to bring your own toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Personally, I brought my toiletries set along.

Another thing to take note on board the Royal Caribbean is that all prices you see on the ship is in USD, and not everything is expensive. Personally, I think the coffee and Ben and Jerry ice cream are cheap, even with the 15% gratuity. :)

There are a couple more terminologies you'll need to get used to on board the ship, but I will post more on it once I sorted out the photos. Stay tuned...