capncarp

I love it SORRY.

I love it--but NOT sorry.:p

I'm always happy when Indian food is one of my dining selections, especially on a cruise.

Our local Indian restaurant produces food that can be prepared on a sliding scale (3 to 10) of spicy--DW and I like ours around a 5-7--just tangy enough to make your lips tingle, but not burn your sinuses out. This allows those with timid palates or sensitive tongues to try some of the various dishes without becoming overwhelmed.

I've made comparisons between the spice of Mexican or Tex-Mex food and Indian food: some people make their Mexican food HOT--it's like sticking a torch in your mouth. I personally don't enjoy the pain of overdoing the jalapenos or habaneros in my chili.

Indian food, on the other hand, is more like sticking a 1000-watt lightbulb in your mouth--warm,yes, but the sensation is more "illuminating" or "stimulating" than it is necessarily "hot".

Anyone gotten hooked on any of the various pickles/chutneys available? Mixed, Onion, and Garlic pickles and coriander chutney are my favorite. DW loves pickled limes and coconut chutney. I've turned some of my co-workers on to Mixed pickle--I often bring in a large can of it and some flatbread or pita, and away we go!

We have to dumb it down for the MASSES.

We do have very talented chefs on our ships, but when we are serving all of humanity on a mass market ship, we have to reach down to the lowest common denominator.

 

It's not only the food. We also must "dumb down" the drinks, entertainmant, tours, and events so that they all appeal to everyone from Joe Six Pack to the Simpsons.

If we offered real Indian Food, or real Japanese Food, most of the passengers wouldn't eat it.

When we offer top flight wines and top shelf spirits, nobody buys them.

Hairy legs contests are standing room only; the jazz trio plays to an empty room.

The best quality tours rarely sell.

 

Nobody ever lost any money UNDERestimating the taste of the North American public.

That's why McDonalds and WalMart are king.

One wonders if one of the specialty restaurants aboard would think to offer "real" Indian or Japanese food? That way the masses can obliviously slurp their gruel at the troughs and we who are in the know can get a decent meal.:rolleyes:

BTW, I consider myself part of the "masses", and am appreciative of whatever efforts a line makes toward expanding the horizons of those who might never try something different. There is always feedback and input to influence a line to tweak their menus where you think improvement might be made.

Bruce, perhaps you'd be happier working for a more upscale line?

When we visited in 2005, Franco allowed DW and I back into his back room, where he showed my wife (who has exquisite taste in jewelry (and nowhere near the funds to fullfil that taste) some of his private works. Franco also does some scuba diving (in Roatan??? Imagine that! :rolleyes:) and he handed me a 6-pounder cannonball to look at that he had brought up from an old wreck--probably about 350-400 years old or more. Wow. History in my hands.

But his workshop is right in the front of the building, off to one side of the display area. DW says the cameos themselves are worth the price, and I trust her judgment.

Go there just to see the artisans at work and to say hello to Franco.

I shocked the poor Indian attendant behind the Indian Buffet on the Dawn in 2005 by asking if he had any achar (Indian Pickle). He did his best for me by bringing out a jar of mango chutney--not exactly what I'd asked for, but I appreciated the effort.

Indian pickle is an acquired taste. My first experience with a pickled lime had me asking the question, "Why am I eating something that tastes like a bathroom cleaning solvent????" But I kept trying and now I have developed a taste for it. And from what I understand, there is a saying--"No meal is complete without pickle."

Never say you'll never eat a particular thing--you may just get turned onto it someday.

Instead of focusing on having their own fun, they keep looking around at others and pointing out how unsophisticated the supposed "virgins" are as compared to their own jaded, world-weary selves.:p

Actually, I find seeing the "WOW!!!" reactions to be refreshing, knowing someone has had a momentously impressive moment on what will hopefully be a cruise PACKED with many more such moments.

At the local Michael's craft store, I picked up a bubble wand that has many varied-sized and shaped holes in it. Next cruise (still not on the calendar yet, sigh) we'll be somewhere forward and on the highest deck we can manage, pouring streams of bubbles back over the ship at sailaway!:)

Cute ideas!

I'll add bubbles for the Sail Away party!

Probably not at the Dollar store but if you can find one of those multiple-hole paddles for bubbles--stand on the foredeck or at the front end of the pool deck at sailaway to produce a huge stream of bubbles!

Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures involve water-based mysteries (Raise the Titanic, Vixen O3, and a host of others) are always intriguing, with a bit of dry humor added, and they lead you through a lot of twisty plot turns that generally have a great resolution. Oh, and Clive often shows up in a brief cameo in the storyline; watch for the description of the silver-bearded older gent who provides an occasional bit of Deus-ex-machina.;)

The Lord of the Rings...I'm currently re-reading for the umpteenth time.

Gee, LotR on a cruise? That must be a B2B2B2B cruise. Add a few B's if you include the Hobbit and the Silmarillion.:D

Maybe we should have a "Friends of Bill(bo)" :rolleyes: support meeting on a cruise, since we'd be double addicts--cruising and Tolkien.

My DW's BFF handed me George Burns' biography of his ditzy wife and comic partner Gracie Allen. It reads just as if George was standing next to you, you can hear his voice in your head. It's a really sweet book, and I'm surprised that a mystery/sci-fi/adventure fan like myself would be so captivated :o.

My DW, remembering our visit in 2005, says that it would depend on what mounting (gold or silver), the size, and the complexity of the piece. At that time, she says, you could in her estimation "get a nice piece" for about $200. Currently, the only way to find out is to apparently drop by Stone Castle Cameos and see what Franco has to offer. And to watch the craftsmen in action making the cameos by grinding conch shell down to the colored interior layers. Pretty neat.:cool:

I would be sorely tempted to make the dear child experience the joys of the balcony by duct-taping his little behind into the chair and facing him toward the wall, amd locking him outside for 2 hours. :eek:

Good thing I never had kids, eh?;)

Forgot? I think if that had been my child he would have been punished- I would have put him on restriction for the next month after returning home. Even if he had innocently forgotten, (which I doubt,)he needs to learn he must take responsibility for his actions, forgetting to do something will not be an excuse he can use with his future employer.

OMG, you are evil - I like you!!! What we're going to do to our two sons (27 and 42) is slip the cabin steward some $ and have him do their room up in honeymoon fashion (beds together, lovebird towel animals, rose petals, etc) and put up a "Just Married" banner in their room. Next night we'll send them "Congratulations on your Wedding" champagne, another night chocolate covered strawberries, another night a dinner for 2 in the Pinnacle, etc. I love doing things like this!

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

Now THAT has style!:cool: Kill them with kindness and sweetness (literally)! And don't forget to have your dinner table mates clink their wineglasses with forks to signify it's time for a newlywed kiss!!!:eek:

This works if you have an early morning excursion.....

 

Start knocking on their door in the middle of the night.

INSIST that they overslept and are late for their excursion.

....snip...

 

Then go back to your cabin and go to sleep!

 

:p

THAT would get you a free tour, face first, of the vacuum toilet system were you silly enough to pull that on me.

Stone Castle Cameos is about 2 miles left out of the cruise dock gate in Coxen's Hole. The factory/showroom makes both traditional and some rather innovative designs. DW, who has exquisite taste in jewelry (and a meatloaf budget:rolleyes:), thought very highly of the work. The prices range from under $100.00 USD to

I just tried to go to stonecastlecameos.com, but I got "Not Found" when I did so. :confused: oh, well.

It's worth just going there just to see the artisans making them. ;)

I would be interested in opinions on where the best place to purchase a box of cigars is? Yaba Ding Ding?

Tnx.

I don't remember Yaba Ding Ding having cigars, but then I wasn't looking for them while shopping there.

My post cruise ritual is spending a week waiting for the rest of my luggage to come home. On my last two cruises, my suitcase has decided to stay behind for an extra week of vacation without me! :eek:

 

Maybe I ought to stay behind with it this time. At least this way I can try to guarantee that we come home together. :D

Just take a BIG suitcase or a steamer trunk and ship yourself home in it. You'll get some free vacation time that way!;)

--Pore over the Cruise Critic boards until my eyes hurt.:eek:

--Whine at my co-workers that "I wanna go on a cruise!!!!" until they are ready to mail me to the nearest cruise terminal C.O.D.:(

--Plot and plan on what my next cruise will be.;)

--Play the lottery so I'll have plenty of cash to spend on my next cruise.:D

On our cruise in 11/05 the NCL Dawn's Sprinkles poolside icecream stand offered something they described as "pumpkin"; my DW LOVES pumpkin desserts, but this, we agreed must have been made from pumpkins concientiously watered with toxic waste!

Also, the much-vaunted Salsa Mexican Restaurant/Tapas Bar scored a big zero with us--the hot foods were served cold and the cold foods were lukewarm. We passed on this venue after a few unpleasing bites and moved on to the Venetian Room for dinner that night.

The Impressions dining room was pretty but the service was a horror--it took multiple tries to get the orders right, and one of our party had his Manhattan cocktail served with two olives:eek: --definitely a taste adventure!

On the positive side, we managed well on our excursions to the buffet deck, and enjoyed the Indian lunch which offered four entrees and warm naan. They even managed to produce a jar of chutney for me when I requested it--I recommended they try to keep some standard types of Indian pickle on hand. The Venetian dining room (aft) was well-served, the waitstaff was very helpful, and the food was quite acceptable. My dw, who is vegetarian, did manage with the assistance of the helpful Venetian Room waiters, to find enough items to make a decent meal out of on a regular basis.

Also, I found the Bimini Bar and Grill overlooking the pool to have some fairly good munchie-type food--fries, fish, burgers, etc.

1--Watching the swirling colors of the water as churned up in its wake.

2--Marvelling at the "liquid blue coal" appearance of the wide open ocean.

3--Meeting new people from all over, and learning their stories--believe it or not, the buffet dining area is GREAT for this!

4--Calling two very interested Gurkha ship's security officers to track down the little B@$+@&3s who were running down the hall knocking on all the doors on our deck. :mad: And contemplating what surprises their parents were subjected to by ship's security....(heh). :D Actually happened, and will happen again if need arises. Be warned.:cool:

:D how about not getting security called on you at all:D sounds like the best plan all around...if someone cant find anything to do on a cruise ship that doesnt disturb others, perhaps home is the best place for them anyway

Here is a list of books that I have read that I really enjoyed (couldn't put down)

 

 

 

Frank Herbert

Dune

 

 

J.R.R Tolkien

The Hobbit

Lord of the Rings

 

Isaac Asimov

Foundation Trilogy

 

 

Stephen King

The Stand

Night Shift

Bag of Bones

 

NOTE: some snippage may have occured in shipping:rolleyes:

These are good conversation starters for those who have read them. They are also meaty enough to hold your attention when little else would.

To add to the list:

--The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett--but be ready for the involuntary snorts/chuckles/pun-inspired groans it will evoke.

--The Hornblower Series by C.S. Forrester

--A journal to write your cruise/shore experiences in, to capture the nuances and impressions that may fade once the cruise has ended.

My .10 pesos on the topic,

CapnCarp

NCL Dawn 11/05 Thanksgiving cruise

One of the things you CANNOT get onboard are dryer cloths like Bounce

And don't throw away your used dryer sheets, reuse them: they absorb the static in the clothes even when the softener has been depleted.

Oh, and a GOOD clothes steamer (heavy-duty Con-Air) will do wonders on even stubborn wrinkles, but be patient and go over the areas several times slowly. MUCH cheaper than having ship's laundry press them.

CapnCarp

NCL Dawn Western Caribbean 11/05