radiationman

Recently on Island Princess for 14 day search for the northern lights cruise. Though we have been on many cruises we thought we'd try the chefs table. First off let me say that most of the dinners in the MDR and lunches at the buffet were very good. The evening began with a meet and great with the head of food services, and the headwaiter in the atrium. When the entire group was assembled we were escorted to our table at the back of the MDR. Champagne was poured, with a detailed explanation of the vintage given by the head waiter. Photos were taken. At various points during the meal we were introduced to the chefs. We were then given the menu which was also read to us. We were then treated to an extensive description of the wines to be served with dinner by the head waiter, interesting no sommelier. We were served six what I will call amuse bouche. Some were innovative, delicious, and way off the menu/standard preparations such as beef tartare, and an oxtail bon bon. Others were standard fare for example a coconut shrimp and a samosa with mint chutney. The actual appetizer was an asparagus risotto which was very good but quite large. The plating of the amuse bouche and appetizer was quite nice. Following the palate cleanser the main course was served, this is where the ball was totally dropped. It consisted of a large thick slice of chateaubriand, a small poached lobster tail, and grilled scallops. While prepared well non were anything special. We had chateaubriand in the MDR which was just as good. Lobster tail was available in MDR again nothing special in the protein itself or in its preparation. Scallops grilled on a wood skewer, overly salty big deal! Vegetables were steamed veggies and pommes Anna (a scalloped potato item which was served twice in the MDR) so not so special. Wines were good. Plating was pedestrian at best, with all the proteins on one plate, and potato and veg on another, I get the same presentation at local diner! Ultimately the food did not certainly did not live up to the pretentiousness of the event. What have others experienced?

For me it all depends on where I'm going and what I plan to do with photos. For puttering around the Caribbean I ight just bring my cell phone. I have an older model Samsung (S20). Obviously easy to carry anywhere and good enough for casual photos around the ship or at the beach, which will be mostly viewed on a computer monitor or cell phone. Occasionally I'll bring a "serious" camera because I like to shoot sunsets, but I will not carry it to the beach or to a touristy town. If we are going on a cruise for "sightseeing" I will bring a "serious" camera, with appropriate lenses, and if needed a tripod and flash unit. we also take many non-cruise trips either to national parks or other cities/countries and I will definitely bring a "real" camera. I have been using a Nikon D750 with excellent results for years. Lenses 28-105mm zoom, 70-200mm zoom (sharp as a tack but an absolute brick to carry), and 28 mm prime. Benro tripod, third party flash unit, UV, ND, and polarizing filters, power pack. This line up feels fine weight wise when shooting at a single location, or when driving from spot to spot and shooting from a point near the car. However this line up is getting heavy when walking around cities and parks. Was thinking about trying out a mirrorless system, and was able to acquire a Nikon Z7II with a Z mount 24-200mm zoom, as a retirement gift from my Company (instead of an expensive watch). Have used this camera and lens on my last two trips with excellent results, very sharp images. Comfortable to use both with respect to weight and control placement. One item I don't think was addressed in the above posts was weather and light. When visiting a location for a short duration one is at the mercy of the weather. Cloud cover, fog , rain, smoke etc. can make for dicey shooting conditions, and possibly limiting photo quality. Lighting drastically affects photo quality, sometimes I will be shooting around mid-day with direct sunlight., because that is when I am at a specific location. As I assume for most of us travel photography is an avocation, and one doesn't have the luxury of spending an entire day, or at least many hours in one location waiting for the shot. Just returned from week cruise to Norway for Northern lights. Link to photos. https://img.gg/li99WfI shot aurora photos with D750 and others with Z7II