Alaska Cruise Day Two: Galleys and Games

Day two of our Celebrity Infinity "Excite the Senses" cruise was spent at sea, which meant we had all day and night to explore more of the ship and the other activities offered.  Our ship newsletter announced the highlights of the day which included a "Dancing through the Decades," party, boot camp at the gym, trivia games, a Texas Hold'em tournament, a presentation about whales, wine tastings, dance classes, volleyball, and more.  Our culinary activities included the art of making crepes, "Clean Cuisine" demo, a silent auction of wines, a "Heartbeat of the Operation" galley tour, and "A Taste of Infinity" culinary showcase featuring the specialty dining rooms of "Qsine" and the SS United States."

The galley tour began around 10:00 where we met in the Trellis dining room, and were given some interesting fact sheets about the ship's food.   One of the most asked questions on board is how much food is consumed.  Here is a partial breakdown during an average 7-day cruise:

-Tenderloin- 1500 pounds
-Whole chicken- 1800 pounds
-Chicken breast- 900 pounds
-Rack of lamb- 2700 pounds
-Pork loin- 1200 pounds
-Salmon- 700 pounds
-Tuna- 300 pounds
-Heavy Cream- 2100 liters
-Fresh eggs- 3000 dozen
-Butter- 2400 pounds
-Potatoes- 9000 pounds
-Onions- 2100 pounds
-Carrots- 1500 pounds
-Romaine lettuce- 6300 pounds
-Cookies- 1500 pounds
-Ice Cream- 500 gallons
-Fresh fruit- 5000 pounds

We asked why there was so much rack of lamb.  The chef said that many people like lamb, but never prepare it at home, so it's a luxury to have it on the ship.  He said the reason many people don't have it regularly at home is that they are afraid that they will cook it incorrectly and don't want to take a chance on such an expensive item.  The lamb dishes we had were wonderful.

Before the tour, we met some of the chefs.  We met Executive Chef Robert Sauer, and again saw Chef John Suley.  You could just see the pride and excitement on their faces.  They all work so hard to make sure the guests enjoy their culinary experiences.

 

The first stop in the galley tour was the bread area.

Recipes and food photos are posted on walls.  We enjoyed all these breads and more throughout the week, all made fresh daily.

Next came the hot kitchens and the cold kitchens.

In the cold kitchen, we watched the chef work his magic of carving fruits.

For the kids!

Gorgeous!

The swans are Parmesan cheese!

At the end of the tour there were plates of cookies waiting.

From the kitchen, we entered a beautiful dining area where the "Taste of Infinity" specialty restaurants had cooking demos of "globally influenced" foods from each of restaurants.  Tables were beautifully set right next to portholes with stunning views of the ocean.

Some of the beautiful dishes, cookware, and glassware from the SS United States were on display.

After a leisurely lunch, we were headed back to the room and noticed a large group of people waiting outside the door to the auditorium.  We found out it was Bingo time and decided to join the group.  After all, we heard there was a $1,000 jackpot.  After purchasing the cards and finding seats, a huge Bingo board appeared on the stage and the host started calling out numbers.  We got close, but no $1000. 

We returned to our room to relax and sit out on the balcony.  Tomorrow we would dock at Ketchikan, and we wanted to read about the town and look over the map.  Celebrity Cruises offers many excursions at each port, and for Ketchikan one could choose from boat tours, sea plane tours, canoeing, hiking, fishing, and more.  Since the excursions are an extra cost,  Kristina and I decided at the beginning of the cruise that we would rather explore the towns on our own and report our culinary finds, and also do some shopping.  After another wonderful meal at Trellis (lamb!) we went to bed very excited about our first port, and of course were once again rocked to sleep by the gentle waves, even with an extra hour to enjoy because we had to turn the clocks back for the time change.  The time change also meant the sun would rise at 4:10.  But what a way to greet the day...