Monday, August 12, 2013

ITALY - Rome & Cruise Ship Fun


Our cruise on the Norwegian Epic!

BTW's I'm not typically a "cruiser" in fact.. I'm not a fan of cruising at all but I have to admit I was extremely impressed with Norwegian Epic.. the ship was HUGE, tons to do, the food was surprisingly delicious, the staff extremely pleasant and helpful, our room was very new and modern - and while it was small it was extremely functional.







They had Indian food everyday at the buffet!




Crepe station with a bajillion filling/topping options!

Chicken Fingers, Mac & Cheese, Cake, Bread Pudding, Oranges & Broccoli Salad

Yeah I eat like a kid.

WHAT?!





I had a TON of buyer's remorse RIGHT after I purchased the Valentino studded cuff's in both black and nude.

In fact my entire flight from London to Barcelona I was stressing because I felt so guilty.  But on the rest of the trip I found that I actually wore both colors pretty frequently so WOOHOO! lololol!

Blazer: LAUNDRY BY SHELLI SEGAL, Dress: ROMEO & JULIET, Shoes: YSL, Watch: CHANEL, Cuff: VALENTINO, Handbag: CHANEL




Cheesy Broccoli Soup & Tuna Tartare


Even though it was a sit down restaurant you were allowed to order as many appetizers/entrees/desserts as you wanted!  It was sort of insane.. I had to try REALLY really hard not to over eat.. luckily we were out and about a lot.. some days I walked a good 6 to 8 hours straight.. and whenever we were on the cruise ship we purposely skipped the elevators and made a point to take the stairs.. yes even when I was in heels (very proud of myself hahaha.) 

Our room was like on the 9th floor and we would walk up to the 15th floor which is where the buffet and other restaurants were ::patting myself on the back:: Every little bit counts!!

Seafood Paella, Surf & Turf, Pork Tenderloin

This particular place on the ship was our favorite place to eat.. the ship had two main sit down dining rooms that were complimentary... ie. on the house.  One was very dressy (like ball gowns and) and this one which was a lot more relaxed which we preferred. They had some restaurants you had to pay a supplementary fee.
I typically find that Surf & Turk on cruises/hotels/weddings etc. generally speaking is HORRIBLE.  I was expecting the steak to be tough and bland and the lobster like a giant piece of rubber.

I was however surprised their Surf & Turf was DELICIOUS!!!!

The steak was cooked perfectly and seasoned well and the lobster was SOOOO soft, juicy and sweet.. I can't tell you how amazingly sweet the lobster was.  SO GOOD.


The ship also had quite a few complementary Vegas shows.  

We caught the Blue Man Group.


Has anybody else seen the Blue Man Group?? 

Can someone explain it to me?? because...


I just don't get it. HAHAHA. I dunno. Honestly if I had had to pay for it I'd probably have been pretty upset hahahah luckily it was free.  Give me Jersey Boys or Wicked any day!

Dress: ROMEO & JULIET, Necklace: ANN TAYLOR. Cuff: VALENTINO, Handbag: REBECCA MINKOFF, Watch: CHANEL, Shoes: F21 

Since we were on a cruise and our trip was about 10 days long and they didn't have laundry machines (and I'm too cheap to dry clean my clothes on the ship.. seriously it was like $10 a dress WTF!).  I made a point of trying to at least get 2 wears out of my clothes.  So as you can see I wore this to dinner w/ the blazer earlier in this post and then here I wore it the day after as a more casual outfit. 



Is it just me or did my buffet plate get exponentially bigger here than earlier HAHAHA.


Still amazed at the watch the Hubs surprised me with!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3!!

Couldn't stop staring at it on the ship hahahaha.



Or taking pictures of it for that matter :p


I live for Bingo! 

Ok maybe I don't live for it.. but I really like it hahaha.


Blueberry cake & Pistachio w/ Chai Tea Masala

Afternoon coffee break :)


We tried out one of their supplementary restaurants.  You paid a per person fee (I think it was like $20 bucks per person).  The ship honestly had SOOO many complimentary restaurants that if you didn't want to spend ANY extra money on food you really wouldn't have to but we just wanted to try this restaurant because we love Brazilian Churrescaria's! 

Basically if you've ever been to Fogo de Chau or anything similar this is basically the same exact thing. 


I just loved having dinner by the window.. it was so nice having dinner overlooking the water. 


Basically there's a salad bar with all sorts of meats, cheeses, salads and a few hot items. 

And then these waiters would come out with different types of meat that are skewered on swords. And they give you a red and green card.  Red for "Stop" and Green for "Go".  When you have the Green side flipped over the waiters will completely bombard you with different meats.. and when you turn it over to the red side they'll skip your table. 




Honestly you could make a pretty amazing meal out of just the salad bar.. but where's the fun in that?? :p


Sides - Rice, Mashed Potato's, Beans & Fried Banana's




Sooo good.  

Omg the sausages were Chorizo & Linguica.. it seriously took me back to Hawaii!! 

Coconut Cream Brulee, Papaya Cream, Mango Pudding

The server without even asking just brought out all 3 desserts hahaha. 

WOOT!! :p


I could seriously get use to this.


The Pantheon in Rome







I admittedly could not help but think about Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" as I was walking around in here HAHAHAHA.

I know I know.. I'm so pedestrian.





So touristy hahaha.




18 comments:

  1. aww you two are my favorite blogger couple :) hehe I lovee your mint dress! Oh and the Chanel watch OMG.....o_o!!

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  2. how can you not eat a lot when the food looks that amazing?! and of course, i am loving the outfits, lisa! :D

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

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  3. Nice trip , Love Rome . I was for 2 times , but I wanna go back :)) is amazing everything <3

    kisses dear

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  4. Looks like it was an amazing trip!! Rome is fantastic!!! Glad you had a great time!! Now, I'm hungry!!

    Best, Mree
    www.twinlivingblog.com

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  5. Looks like you had such an amazing time! i love the mint dress you were wearing

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  6. Looks like you had an amazing time! That Chanel watch is gorgeous! It looks like you two always have a great time! You look gorgeous too!

    Francesca

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  7. Wow, looks like a fun and beautiful cruise!!

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  8. I really love Italy! The stylish people, the pasta, the ice-crem, the pizza, the art, the sea...all time favourite :)

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  9. you look great and the food looks delicious!

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  10. Here she is again with her fun time and food time photos!!! :-) I was smart this time though, and I ATE before I visited your blog :-) These pics are great, I bet you had so much fun.

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  11. Looks like a fun time! I usually avoid cruises, since I prefer staying in the city though. I like how your cruise had so many nice complimentary places to eat at.

    Last time I was in Rome, I was 7, so I don't really remember much other than the fountains, the Vatican, and the Coliseum. However, I do know that I'm very glad that I hadn't watched Angels and Demons before my trip. It probably would've freaked me out.

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  12. Lucky girl! I've always wanted to go on a cruise but my BF went once when he was younger and now refuses to go again, bleh!

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  13. Yum! You are actually convincing me to try out a cruise some time! The crazy options for food are really enticing!

    xoxo,
    Chic 'n Cheap Living

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  14. i have never been on a cruise but your pictures have convinced me to go on one! it looks really fun!

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  15. So lucky ! It must be wonderful :)

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  16. Oh my word! I don't know how you guys ever left the cruise ship with all that glorious food! Seriously making look at cruises right now! And I love your studded cuffs! You know they're not going out of style any time!

    xx, julie
    //obsessed//

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  17. After reading your post, I feel like I just took a mini vacay! I've never wanted to take a cruise, but this post has definitely helped me see why people rave about cruises once they've been on one. I hope it's not too weird when I ask how/what products do you use for your hair? It's so healthy and shiny and straight-but-not-too-straight! My ends are flying towards different directions :( By the way, your watch is just to die for!!!

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