Harters

We were unable to log on to the survey on board, in which we would have been generally positive. Their loss not ours.

Probably not. At home, Saturday night dinner is important in this household. We always make more of an effort than other nights. Years ago, we decided to cook a meal from a different national or regional cuisine each week. Took us a couple of years to complete it. Great fun. I remember one week we decided to merge a couple of cuisines and did an Anglo/Dutch meal - in recognition of a World Cup football match that weekend between England and the Netherlands. Can't recall the full meal, but I think we did something with herring as a starter, as it was a commonly used fish in both countries.

I havent added salt to my food for decades. The conventional wisdom is that the addition of salt brings out the flavour of the other ingredients. That's probably one of the best bits of product marketing I could think of. My taste buds had adjusted to not having salt within about a month and, since then, anything that was "normally" salted, just tastes salty to me. It ruins the flavour of the other ingredients. I also don't add salt when I'm cooking. Pepper is a different story and is probably my most regularly used spice

I asked a similarish question (airport to hotel) on the Tripadvisor forum. Someone replied with the following charges: The metered rate is calculated at: $2.95 for first 1/6 of a mile. $0.85 for each additional 1/6 mile until 1 mile. $0.55 for each 1/6 mile after that. $0.40 per minute ($24 per hour) wait charge. No additional charge for extra passengers or luggage. In addition: A minimum fare of $15.00 is established for trips originated at MIA or the Port of Miami, regardless of what the meter reading shows. A quick look at Google Maps indicates the distance is 9.2 miles. I'll let you to do the maths.

Thanks. I wonder if it made its way via Eastern European immigrants to America. If so, then it might be more an American/Mexican thing than traditional Mexican. I've had some great food in Virginia over the years. Perhaps my favourite of the several states I've visited and, certainly, the one I've visited most often. I don't think I've ever eaten French toast (or "eggy bread" as it's usually called here) and wouldnt really be sure whether to have it with syrup. It's quite sweet, isn't it? So probably would have it with syrup. Ketchup with eggs? Absolutely. With any breakfasty eggs.

Interesting. Knowing that sour cream originated in Eastern Europe (although its close cousin "creme fraiche" is French), would you have any information about the history of how it found its way to Mexico (using your example of enchiladas)?

Depending on your plans, the Crab House Cafe might be a fantastic lunch spot just off this road, and just as you get to the mainland, in the Wyke Regis area. Absolutely fresh seafood, with much of it fished in the area, including their own oysters raised in the "lagoon" within sight of your table. My review on another site, from last year :- https://www.hungryonion.org/t/wyke-regis-dorset-crab-house-cafe/31389

Yes, according to the link I gave you earlier to the port authority website. It also mentions a drop off point in Weymouth itself but the friends will, IMO, find parking at Portland much easier

Is the ship stopping actually at Weymouth? Reason for asking is that most cruise ships stop at the cruise port at nearby Portland (about 7 miles from Weymouth town centre). Assuming Portland, there will be a shuttle bus from the cruise port which drops you off at Portland Castle. Further details on the port website - https://www.portland-port.co.uk/cruise. The Castle would be the obvious place then to meet your friends. If World War 2 is of interest, there's a nice little museum only a few minutes stroll from the castle. Perhaps oddly, it focuses heavily on the American contribution to D-Day, rather than the British (although many American troops did embark at Weymouth). If you were thinking of starting off your day with a coffee and a chat, then the Jailhouse Cafe is only a couple of minutes drive away. Yes, it's a cafe, open to the public, at HM Prison Verne and is staffed by prisoners. If, on the other hand, the destination is actually Weymouth then it can only be docking at the town's fairly small pier (or tendering to there). I'd suggest meeting the friends at the town end of the pier. Dorset is a lovely part of the world. Last year, we had a week's holiday there, using Weymouth as a base.

My other particular like is a pancake cake. You make 10 or so pancakes and stack them up, layering apple puree (or very thin slices of apple) between each one. Of course, your pancakes will have gone cold by now, so the cake needs to be covered with foil and heated through in the oven for a few minutes. Cut into wedges, as you would for any cake, and serve with cream or ice cream. And a couple of other options that we do occasionally. Smear each pancake with Nutella, jam (raspberry is good) or a chocolate sauce and roll up. Dusting of icing sugar and a short blast under the grill to caramelise the sugar.

No. And no. You?

Sugar and lemon. That's for European style pancakes (the sort the French and North Americans call "crepes") Although, on the occasions when I have the thick American style pancakes for breakfast (I buy them from the supermarket and microwave them), I usually have that with maple or golden syrup (depending on what's in the cupboard). Ketchup with pancakes sounds vile. I'd only consider that with, say, a bacon or sausage sandwich at breakfast.

Completely agree. I've been visiting the capital on day trips or long weekends, usually annually, for the best part of 50 years and still find new things to see and do every trip. Bear in mind that Dover has comparatively little to offer the tourist. Fine for a day if it was your departure port but not worth the schlep from London. If you feel the need to visit Kent, then choose Canterbury instead. Whereas, on the other hand, you could easily spend a week in the Cotswolds. It's a large area, spreading over five counties. And worth noting that the drive time from central London to , say, Stow-in-the-Wold (my favourite small Cotswold town) is two and half hours)

This must be a regular occurrence with citizens on non-Schengen countries who cruise from a Schengen port. I've never heard of it being a subsequent problem - not least as the border control officers in Schengen countries seem to never look back at your passport and will just stamp you in on the next blank area.

Indeed. We've often done a day trip (or stayed overnight) in the run up to Christmas. Nice to do some specialist shopping (generally food treats) and we always build in a nice high end lunch or dinner. As mentioned, Christmas Day will be very quiet. Most retail outlets are required to close by law. Assuming London is similar to my area, then many restaurants will close and many of those that are open will only be offering a traditional Xmas lunch at prices that would be considered to be highway robbery at other times of the year. More reasonably priced options are likely to be found in restaurants where the owners are from a non-Christian ethnic background - Asian or Chinese, for example. Even with those, I would strongly recommend researching and reserving early. Use a reservation website, like Open Table, to find places that will be open. You'll find that, after Xmas Day, many restaurants take the opportunity for a short closure, perhaps reopening for New Years Eve. Don't worry about the cold. I have family members who lived in upstate NY (near Corning) for some years. They'd never experienced cold like there before.

We make it about once every couple of years or so. It's usually because it's been mentioned on an American TV show being shown. It reminds us of that fantastic meatloaf sandwich we bought from a deli in Frederick (Maryland).We ate it in the car park of the Antietam Battle site on our first visit to that National Park. And now you've mentioned it, I'll probably have to make it soon.

It's not an "almost certainly" but an absolute certainly. The extra two grand was for adding on the handful of days we will spend in the USA and Caribbean.

Depressingly true.. And I can sort of claim to have had dinner with Queen's Brian May in a Pizza Express. Well, he was there on the other side of the room, with family- Kingston on Thames branch, IIRC.

I'd have thought it unlikely, as there's no legal mandate for mask wearing. As soon as that was dropped, everyone seemed to ditch the requirement. But checking with Intercruise would be the way to go. Personally, with the current significant uptick in infections, I'd prefer to drive rather than be sat on a coach with a load of unmasked travellers. I have an upcoming flight and, as that's unavoidable for my holiday, I'll be wearing a mask as the best protection I can give myself.

Following on from my post #14, we got a quote from a couple of the specialist "existing conditions" insurers for a one-off trip to cover us for the transatlantic cruise. That was also going to be around £2000, so nothing to be gained over just adding it to our existing policy. It is, indeed, horrendous. I think the transatlantic will be a first and last for us. And general costs will keep mounting up as we get older, with more issues. It may not be long before we have to reflect on our financial ability to travel (or gamble on travelling without insurance, as someone I met on our last cruise was doing)

Ahha. Got it now, I think. So folk who know Ft Lauderdale would know that an area known as "17th St" is bigger than 17th St itself. And therefore the question and thread title were obvious to them. Whereas folk who don't know Ft Lauderdale might readily assume that 17th Street was simply a reference to a street - hence my confusion that it was just down from 21st St in Miami's South Beach. Not least as South Beach's 17th St, which I know reasonably well, is a busy area with lots of restaurants - just the sort of place someone might ask about a best restaurant. As I say, I'll ask my question on Tripadvisor where there won't be any confusion about location. Apologies again for unwittingly taking the thread on a tangent

You didnt come across as hostile. Nor was I confused, simply wrong. But I still have no idea how I would have known this was about Ft Lauderdale when there's nothing to indicate that it was.

My apologies to all if I have made a wrong assumption. There is no indication in the thread title or the OP that Fort Lauderdale was being referenced, so I'm not sure how on earth I was expected to have known. But, as that's the case, then thanks to FOPMan for correcting me. I'll ask my question on Tripadvisor's Miami Beach forum rather than here, so as not to confuse matters further. (FWIW, the first night I ever spent in America, back in the autumn of 1980, was in Fort Lauderdale. I recall it as a pleasant place. Not been back there, although have to the Miami area, most recently in 2015, when we had a three week holiday, staying in various parts of Florida, including a short cruise)

May I take this thread slightly north to the area around 21st St, where we'll be staying at the Plymouth Hotel, for two nights pre-cruise, and ask for restaurant suggestions in that area. For the first night, we will have just arrived on a transatlantic flight and will just want to get "something to eat" and go to sleep. So, somewhere quick and casual. For the second night, somewhere "nicer" for a relaxed three course meal. Not fussed about cuisine. Cuban? Seafood? Steakhouse? Anything else? Any breakfast suggestions in the area? The Plymouth doesnt offer an on-site breakfast but does have an unknown "partner business" a couple of blocks away. I'd prefer to have an idea where I'm going, rather than rely on an unknown place, so any thoughts much appreciated. TIA John

Kirkwall - a small town or large village, as you prefer. And one with not much interest as such. The cathedral has some history in that, until the 1400s, it came under the jurisdiction of Norwegian church authorities. It's interesting in that, today, it is inter-denominational. I'd suggest an excursion here (ship or privately arranged). There's pre-history sites. And Scapa Flow - not much to look at now, but during the Great War the home base for the British Navy's Grand Fleet. Sixteen men from my town left there in May 1916, losing their lives during the two days of the Battle of Jutland. As mentioned, it was also the site of the scuttling of the impounded German fleet in June 1919. That event included one of the scandals of the war, when British forces opened fire on unarmed Germans, leaving the sinking ships and rowing towards shore on their lifeboats. Nine were killed and more wounded.