Take Me Back is a phrase my friend Heidi and I have spoken to each other several times since we sailed on a Princess Cruise a few years ago. We have such fond memories from our cruise, from the food and friends to the destinations we were taken to during our 4 days onboard. Memories of a lifetime!

Princess Cruises recently announced that one of their newest, most elegant ships – the Royal Princess – will be setting sail on the West Coast from Los Angeles for the first time in 2019. The ship’s itineraries will include sails to the Mexican Riviera, California Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska.

If you didn’t already know (or could have guessed), the Royal Princess was officially named in 2013 by a real life princess – Her Royal Highness, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge.

The California and West Coasts

Something that always impressed me about Princess Cruises is their attention to detail when it comes to selecting ports and experiences to offer their travelers.

One of the stops on our West Coast cruise was in Santa Barbara. Being from Florida, I haven’t spent a lot of time on the West Coast so this cruise was especially enticing for me because of its destinations. Seeing another side of the country with all the comforts of cruising was a highlight of my experience.

Santa Barbara is absolutely beautiful and rightfully earns the reference as the “American Riviera”. Boats, mountains and palm trees greet us as we take tenders from the cruise ship into the port, it’s a welcoming sight to see.

One of the excursions offered while in Santa Barbara was a wine tasting experience at a family owned local winery. An opportunity to experience wine country is always something I look forward to and this excursion did not disappoint. The winery we spent the afternoon at was Fess Parker Winery where we tasted a sampling of wines paired with the most amazing menu of food cooked by a local chef.

This wine tasting excursion was one of the most memorable parts of my cruise. It was such a treat to be completely immersed into the scenery, the wine and the food for an afternoon.

Additional stops on the Royal Princess along the West Coast include Cabo San Lucas, San Fransisco and Vancouver. Vancouver has always been on my travel bucket list!

Beautiful view of Vancouver skyline with Stanley Park at sunset, British Columbia, Canada.

The Royal Princess

This month, the Royal Princess will undergo a multimillion dollar program of refurbishments, including upgraded luxury beds as well as new equipment in their spa and gym. Their Camp Discovery Youth and Teen Centers will welcome new experiences for younger travelers.

Check out this incredible overwater SeaWalk on the Royal Princess – a 60-foot long glass walkway standing 128 feet above the ocean!

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We never miss it and the last couple of years we’ve tried to go several times because there is just so much to taste it’s impossible to do it in one day. One of the major perks of having annual passes is definitely to be able to visit often. We’ve been to this year’s festival twice so far – once with my family and my daughter’s friend and once with my just my husband to celebrate our 16th anniversary.

My husband surprised me with Disney annual passes 4 years ago and it was honestly the BEST GIFT EVER.

Every year we try to get there early in the festival to start eating our way around all the booths. We were able to go twice this festival so far, and hope to get in one more visit to see Boys II Men when they perform during the Eat To The Beat concert series.

The Food and Wine Festival runs from August 30 – November 12, 2018…plenty of time to get a few visits in. Passholders have incentive to visit several times, you receive a special gift on your 4th visit. This year’s special gift is a festival cutting board. (hasn’t happened yet, #goals)

I wanted to highlight some of our very favorites we tasted and sipped so far this year!

Brazil:

Brazilian Cheese Bread (shown above)

This one is a popular one, we heard about it in passing a few times on our visit and had to try it. It’s delicious! (it’s cheesy bread, how can it not be delicious!?)

Brewer’s Collection: 

Schofferhofer Hefeweizen Pomegranate Beer (left)

Spain:

Charcuterie in a Cone with imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses and Olives with an Herb Vinaigrette (top right)

Seafood Salad with Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Mussels, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and Smoked Paprika (bottom right)

Hops & Barley (at the America pavillion):

New England Lobster Roll: Warm Lobster with Fresh Herb Mayonnaise (pictured above, top right)

New Brunswick Slider: Slow-braised Beef Brisket “Pot Roast Style” with Horseradish Cream and Crispy Fried Onions on a Potato Roll with Pickled Vegetables on the side (pictured above, bottom right)

This is one of our absolute favorite booths – the pickled veggies that come with the slider are spicy and so delicious!

The Cheese Studio: 

Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake with Maple Bourbon Cream, Caramel and Pecan Crunch (pictured above, back)

The Chocolate Studio:

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel (pictured above, forward)

We’ve never stopped in this section of the Festival in the past. I am so glad we did. Both of these desserts are at the top of my list.

Flavors from Fire: 

Piggy Wings (Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ sauce and sesame seeds) (not pictured)

Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue (pictured above, left) – LOVED this!!

Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli (pictured above, top right)

You can’t miss this booth, the smells are incredible. One of our favorites for sure.

Islands of the Caribbean:

Ropa Vieja Empanada with Tomato Aïoli (pictured above left, forward)

Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce (pictured above left, back)

My daughter and her friend were so fun to sample foods with! We shared everything – they are cute foodies, aren’t they?

Photo Credit: Kristen Doyle, Dine & Dish

Coastal Eats:

Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado-lemongrass Cream

Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn, Butterbean Succotash and Chili-chipotle Butter Sauce (pictured above)

We are big fans of both of these seafood dishes!!

Photo Credit: Kristen Doyle, Dine & Dish

Light Lab:

Original Sin Dry Rosé Hard Cider, New York, NY (Cider Flight)

3 Daughters Brewing Blueberry Peppercorn Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL (Cider Flight) —

Ciderboys Zen Berry Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI (Cider Flight)

More food we loved without photos:

Active Eats:

Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions – my daughter loves this dish!!

Australia:

Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies – my husband ordered this and loved it.

Japan:

Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables and a Sweet Teriyaki Sauce

Mexico:

Short Rib Tostada: Corn Tortilla topped with Short Ribs, Black Beans, Salsa Verde and Spring Onion

Smoky Margarita with Gracias A Dios Mezcal, Lime Juice and Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur

Gotta love Figment and all the cute Food & Wine gear!

and of course…Chef Mickey!

Until next year…

More Disney Fun To Read About:

Epcot International Festival of the Arts

5 Ways To Maximize Your Time At Disney World Parks

Walt Disney World In The Fall

Best Restaurants In Disney World

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One of the huge perks of living in the Orlando area is having access to the Disney parks. A few years ago my husband surprised me with annual passes for our anniversary and it was honestly one of the best gifts of my life – he knows me well. It’s been hard not to renew our passes, especially with all the constant new and fun events Disney keeps adding to their parks.

Epcot is my favorite of the Disney parks, I never get tired of it – there is so much to experience! We love visiting when Food and Wine Festival is happening in the fall but my absolute favorite is the Flower and Garden Festival which is just around the corner. The International Festival of the Arts event is fairly new, this is the second year and I was super impressed and am hoping to go back before it ends February 19 to see more.

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Last weekend I flew to Narragansett, Rhode Island to run in the Ocean Road 10k as a part of the Cabot Fit Team with my friends at Cabot Creamery Co-operative. Leaving the Florida heat for a few days to experience true fall New England weather was such a treat that I am seriously considering making this race a yearly tradition. The race course was absolutely gorgeous!

(Disclosure: My trip and race entry were sponsored by Cabot, but my opinions are my own.)

What is The Cabot Fit Team?

You are most likely already familiar with the farmhouse logo found in your grocery store’s cheese cooler, but (like me) you may not have realized that Cabot is not just a cheese company but an extensive community of farm families (1,100 to be exact) that own and operate the business together to produce not just delicious cheddar cheese, but Greek-style yogurts, butter, cottage cheese and sour cream. I was impressed to learn that Cabot is very involved and committed with connecting with their communities – one way they do that is with their Cabot Fit Team. The Cabot Fit Team’s mission is to increase awareness of the importance of wellness through nutrition and exercise. I think if you know me, you know that I was absolutely honored and thrilled to be a part of this experience and mission!

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This post was created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

A few weeks ago I spent a morning at Milk-A-Way Dairy, a dairy farm just a couple hours from my house. In just a few hours I had such an eye opening and educational experience, learning so much about dairy farming, the families and people behind it and the cows themselves.

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Since I first started visiting my sister-in-law in Pensacola, I fell in love with the beaches in Florida’s Panhandle. I grew up 10 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean and it still has my heart, but something about the serenity and beautiful clear water of the Emerald Coast area has won me over.

Today I wanted to share with you some photos from last summer’s family beach vacation to 30A and the Seaside and Blue Mountain Beach area!

Last summer, my family drove up to the northwest part of our state to visit some beaches we’ve never been to before. Scenic 30-A is a small stretch of quaint beach communities up in the northwest area of Florida. It’s literally like driving through small town paradise. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Seaside is probably the more popular town of the cluster and has the most crowd, shops, traffic, restaurants etc. We stayed in Blue Mountain Beach which was a little further north (7 minutes to be exact) and it was perfectly isolated and quiet, just how I like it. Blue Mountain Beach (and the other little towns nearby) is close enough to see it all from Seaside to Destin.

Here are some pics from the week we spent in the area last summer – we are happily heading back to the exact same place in just a little less than a month!

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Disclosure: This Smoked Salmon Frittata recipe post was inspired by and created in partnership with Princess Cruises.

Working out with a friend makes exercising so much more enjoyable, at least for me it does. I don’t normally have the opportunity to work out with friends (although, the trainers at my gym are my friends so I guess I do work out with friends every day). Recently when I was cruising with my dear friend Heidi, we made a promise to each other that we would get up every morning and get some exercise in. I was so happy to have someone on the same page as me, as well as someone who would make sure I got out of bed and got moving, even when I didn’t really want to.

The running deck was the perfect place to start our mornings. It wasn’t overly crowded, but there were a few walkers, runners and coffee drinkers enjoying the fresh morning air and peaceful ocean view.

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This post is part of a series sponsored by Princess Cruises.

One of the many fun parts of cruising is the getting off the ship to explore whatever destination your ship docks at. The West Coast Getaway Princess Cruise I sailed on earlier this fall hugged the California Coast and took us to Santa Barbara and Ensenada wine country. I am smitten with wine country and loved seeing new (to me) places and of course experience their food and wine.

One of our ports during our cruise was Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is just north of Los Angeles and commonly referred to as the “American Riviera”. How enticing does that sound? We docked off shore and took tenders into the port where there were plenty of boats (big and small), people, mountains and palm trees surrounding us.

Really gorgeous. The sky was perfectly blue for us that day as we drove through Santa Barbara and into the Santa Ynez Valley on our wine tasting excursion to family owned Fess Parker Winery where we would be spending the afternoon enjoying local wine and food.

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I know what you are thinking, of all things for me to come home from my cruise obsessed with, it’s this Bircher Muesli, right? Not the mango margaritas, seafood dinners and chocolate journeys desserts I indulged in on the Ruby Princess, but a breakfast I found on the breakfast buffet – this is what I feel the need to share with you immediately. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, even when you’re cruising. Humor me please.

Typically I’m an egg for breakfast girl, but when I stumbled onto the section of the breakfast bar that was holding bowls of Bircher muesli, dried fruits and plenty of nuts I was instantly intrigued. What in the world is Bircher Muesli anyway? That’s what I was wondering! It’s basically overnight oats (or what I sometimes call refrigerator oats, but a little different and invented by the Swiss physician, Maximilian Bircher-Benner (a bonus history lesson for you!). I go on an overnight oats kicks every now and then and needless to say, I’ve been on one since I got home from my Princess Cruise a few weeks ago.

I can not express enough how generally impressed I was with the food on our cruise. When I remember cruising with my husband and parents back in the day, I definitely remember food, but I remember the quantity of it more so than the quality. My friend (and plus one) Heidi and I both ate breakfast and a couple of lunches in the main buffet area and we commented more than once on the selection of food items that were being served. You know how I am with my salad so of course I was seeking out the salad bar on the very first day. Guys, I was loving my salads all week long, especially with whatever fish or sandwich they were serving nearby. I really tried to keep things light (when I could!) and the variety of food and dining really made it possible.

Just a sampling of the many many food items I had while on the ship…

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Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel across the country to board a boat and cruise along the California Coast with friends. Pinch me right? I can’t tell you how incredibly grateful I am for opportunities like this, and that I can call it work. It is not something I imagined at all when I started this blog over 7 years ago.

I’ve partnered up with Princess Cruises over the next couple of months to share with you my 4-day getaway on the Ruby Princess along the West Coast. We boarded our ship in Los Angeles, sailed to Santa Barbara where we spent the day at Fess Creek Winery and were then off to Ensenada, Mexico where we experienced incredible local Baja California food, wine and culture.

Ahhh…take me back.

I hadn’t been on a cruise in over 11 years before this one. 11 years! Since I live in Florida, it’s pretty convenient to cruise off our coast and venture into the Caribbean even for just a few days. One of the things that excited me about this Princess Cruise itinerary was definitely the change of scenery. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beaches and the Caribbean but to experience a different part of our country like this was pretty amazing. Seeing mountains off in the distance, beyond all the water, was a such a magnificent sight – it is hard to truly share in photos.

Can we talk about the food and wine now?

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