Tea at Sea

Our cruise on the Emerald Princess was one of the best vacations we’ve ever experienced.  A highlight of the trip was the Chef’s Table dinner.  There is much to share, but I’ll start with afternoon tea that was served by white gloved waiters between 3:30 and 4:30 each afternoon.

The Da Vinci dining room was a lovely setting for tea.  The tea itself was served from silver teapots and was a bagged black tea, with a nice brisk flavor. 

I was pleasantly surprised with the finger sandwiches, which included a wonderful variety of breads and mini rolls – even the traditional cucumber sandwich.

One of my favorite teatime treats is scones and I was not disappointed with those served on this ship.  They had plain and raisin and both were delicious with a nice texture.  That is apricot preserves in the photo.  There was also a lovely raspberry jam, as well as the thick and rich cream.

The only problem we encountered with afternoon tea was trying not to indulge too much, since dinner time was approaching quickly.  The waiters were quick to refill your teacup and offer more sandwiches and sweets.  We did meet several other couples having tea over the course of the cruise.  Some of them were enjoying afternoon tea for the first time.  All of them really seemed to relish the experience.

I’ll share more soon, but for now it’s off to play catch up with the overwhelming amount of email, laundry, shopping, chores, etc.  I hope to get back to visiting my blog friends shortly.