Food Porn!

Hello Everyone!

Today (Monday 2 Feb 2026) was a sea day as we continue sailing toward Sydney, Australia. We're due to arrive there on Thursday the 5th, and we'll stay in port overnight.

Milestone Brunch

WARNING - IF YOU ARE ON A DIET, CLOSE YOUR BROWSER NOW! 😹

The executive chef had a surprise for us today. We're approaching the one month point of our cruise, and he and the staff hosted a magnificent, over-the-top "milestone brunch" for us today. They converted the pool deck into a gargantuan buffet loaded with every kind of food you could imagine. The food was beyond compare, as always, but the best part was the artistry of the displays. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds! 

Since that was the highlight of the day, today's post will be mostly pictures of the various treats. If you'd like a 90-second video walkthrough, click this link. Bon Appétit!

After walking around and viewing everything, here's the plate of food I chose. OK, ok, yes, I went back for seconds! The bloody Mary was the bomb.

My Humble Plate

I spoke with the executive chef to compliment him and his crew for such an incredible sensory feast. He told me that this brunch had been in work since we left Hawaii, and that he and the staff have had several planning meetings between then and now. He said that work on many of the displays began as much as 8-10 days ago, because some of the sculptures take as long as 3-4 days of work to create. It gives each of his chefs a chance to show off their creativity and culinary skills, and the cooks get some unrivaled training and experience. 

I heard through the grapevine that they have similar feasts planned at each one-month anniversary throughout the rest of the cruise, and that each is supposed to outdo the last. I can't imagine anything more opulent than this!

Magic and Comedy Show

Our comedian/magician Phil Cass was back tonight with another incredible and side-splitting performance. There were tons of gags and mind boggling tricks, but the capstone was when he cut off a guest's tie, then magically restored it later in the show. He had the guest come up on stage early in the show and, after some banter, used a large pair of scissors to cut off the bottom portion of the man's tie, just below the knot. He had the man sign the back of the tie with a silver-inked pen, as a "souvenir" for the magician. The man left the stage and returned to his seat with what remained of his tie still tied around his neck. He walked right past my seat, and I swear, the tie was indeed cut off.

Later in the show, the magician had the man return to the stage where the magician performed a number of classic rope tricks to demonstrate that he really could (appear to, at least) cut things in pieces and put them back together again. He asked the man if he now believed that his tie could be restored, and got a tentative "yes". He had the man remove what remained of his tie and give it to the magician, along with the signed, cut off portion. The magician wadded up both pieces in his hands. After a bit more banter and misdirection, he suddenly produced the man's intact tie, complete with signature. I have absolutely no idea how he made it happen.

Batten Down the Hatches!

The captain come on the PA system this evening to give us a heads up about some rough weather we'll go through tonight as we cross the Tasman Sea. Winds are forecast to exceed 50 knots (about 58 mph) and we'll see waves of up to eight meters (26 feet). In nautical terms, that translates to storm force winds (just below gale force) and very rough sea conditions. Could be an interesting night!

Cheers,
Jim