capncarp
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Posts posted by capncarp
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Sharing tables in the buffet has more often than not been a good social experience. It's a more relaxed atmosphere than the MDRs, and this helps break down some of the more formal barriers between folk. I met several very interesting people during buffet meals, including one gentleman who was Jamaican working in NYC and our first port was Ocho Rios, his home town; he said he was going to walk into his Mom's house for lunch unannounced:eek:. I also found that a lot of my initial social anxiety about awkwardness in conversations really never materialized. Most folks were quite ready to engage in discussions of what looked/tasted good in the buffet, and whether one had discovered a possibly hidden corner of the culinary offerings or not. This often led to other topics and exchanges of cruise experiences.
Capncarp says, "Go for it!";)
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on my last cruise, some guy was in the hot tub with me, DW, and 4 or 5 others. She clearly had just gotten a new pair of...you know....he was drunk and started motorboating her in the hot tub...my brain hurts just remembering that.
You could have politely mentioned to him that the ship's engines were quite powerful enough that he need not provide any auxiliary motoring actions.:rolleyes:
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I just checked two KitKat sites online: Hershey's KitKats do not include a mint version.
https://www.hersheys.com/kitkat/en_us/products.html
Nestle's Kitkats, manufactured in Canada, do.
https://www.madewithnestle.ca/kit-kat
Seems Amazon might be the most direct and fastest way of getting them.
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Just got off Carnival Splendor...ate at the Tandoor buffet every day and enjoyed the food. It was welcoming to have choices other than burgers, fries, pizza, sandwiches etc. which I can very easily get at home. It was wonderful to see so many people giving Indian food a try and then going back for seconds. I was very disappointed when my last two cruises did not have the Mongolian Grill because of my own poor research. This time I selected a ship which had the Mongolian Grill which would be my first choice and the Tandoor as a backup dining option, but I quickly abandoned the Mongolian Grill for Indian food. Everything tasted so good and was so flavorful; the butter chicken was great and so was the cheese and peas with the sauce, and lets not forget the naan. It would be great if it was also opened for dinner and I hope Carnival will extend this dining option to more ships. I loved it!
Another happy culinary discovery experience!:)
BTW, the Cheese and Peas dish is known as Mattar (the peas) Paneer (the cheese). Other terms to watch for are Palak or Saag (spinach), Aloo (potatoes), Gobi (cauliflower), Dal or Dahl (several kinds/colors of lentils), Rajmah (kidney beans), Chana (chickpeas), Gajar (carrot), Murgh (chicken), Bhindi (okra) and Baingan (eggplant). Often you'll see several together or one combined with a term usually describing the style--Korma (a milder-yet-complex cream-based sauce), Vindaloo (very hot spicing technique), Biriyani or Pilau (rice dish--think "pilaf"), Masala (a spice combination), Jalfrezi (a sort of spicy stir-fry), Tandoori (cooked in a tandoor oven) and Makhani (butter). Please note: This is a _VERY_ short list of the possibilities. Time to head to your local Indian/south Asian grocery store to do some homework, to savor the complex smells of the place (if you can't smell the spices, it's not a real Indian/south Asian grocery), and to pick up some things to try at home--they have lots of pre-cooked dishes both frozen and in pouches--great for lunch with a pouch of pre-cooked basmati rice or naan; you'll definitely attract the attention of your coworkers or a curious friend, or neighbor, or one of your kids. Make enough to share, you may find another fan of the cuisine!;)
Oh, and be careful, or soon you'll be trying out Indian recipes at home!:eek:;)
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Moving walkways? Can we make the average cruiser any more lazy?
Sure, wheel us up through the buffet, so we don't have to waste eating time and energy walking and carrying. :p
Oh, and perhaps we could get our food, pre-chewed? Thanks, that'd be a wonderful service!
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Hooray! American tourist dollars and Cuban culture, rum, cigars, and lobsters, plus interaction between the peoples of our two countries will hopefully enrich both parties economically and socially! To the opening of a new vacation spot in the sunny Caribbean, and the eventual passing of over 55 years of distrust and conflict.;)
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One ship you might want to avoid:
the SS Poseidon.:p
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Well, crap, I sailed on HAL in May/June and didn't know this! Never visited the buffet at breakfast but would have!
Then you simply have to book another cruise to check out the buffet at breakfast!;)
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I'm down with the Blue Mtn Coffee: but go into the local grocery store and buy it retail; you'll get a much better price than from the guys on the corner hawking it to gullible turistas.:rolleyes:
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Ice cream in the little shop at the back of the Paris Renault showroom.
Big Mac in the McDonald's on the Champs Elysees next to the Lido.
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Thank you everyone for the feedback! We are one month away from the trip!
CapNCarp...love your avatar! Looks like our Jack!
That's my Earl, sadly passed over the rainbow bridge some years ago now. He was a cuddly, lovey, constantly purring buddy. He rarely "meowed"; instead, he went "Urrl!", so we figured he was telling us his name:rolleyes:.
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Seems like this is the thing to do on Grand Cayman, and it looks great, but I am concerned that the water will be too deep for a 3 year old and a one year old. If so are there other alternatives that you would recommend? How is Star Fish points?
Sooo... mapsmom: seeing how your cruise went off in _April_ , and I'm pretty sure you're back from it by now, what was the end result? Did you take the kids to play with the 'rays, or was another activity chosen instead?:)
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Spend some time near a railing, I prefer my balcony, with your arm around your love, watching the moon glisten on the sea, but I try to do that expvery night on a cruise anyway.
Finish the day that way and it doesn't really matter what else you do.
I gotta second this most strongly. In addition to whatever festivities or activities planned, being together in a quiet moment looking at the sea and the stars will last forever.
Also, you could propose to her again....:)
Happy Anniversary.;)
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My husband and I are taking our family on the Norwegian Dawn in December. Our package includes excursions. Is is best to book through the cruiseline for tubing through the caves in Belize or private booking? This is our first cruise.
:confused:
Not a strange question at all, but a better place to get a quick answer may be on the Ports of Call board, under Caribbean, then under Belize (click on the link following)
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109
for info on specific offerings at that port. Folks who post and read there would have more readily-available info and opinions.
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Thanks all , we have finally booked ... and got the free drinks package too ! :):)
And I see you have already put up your cruise countdown clock. May it heighten the anticipation of adventure and enjoyment as the numbers tell you "Fun is coming!" and give you ample notice to complete the more mundane preparations, paperwork, and packing.
I've skipped mostly to the end of the thread but a golden chestnut of advice here has always been: After you have decided what to bring, take out and leave behind half the clothes, and put in twice the fun money. And possibly, do it again.:D
Go forth, matey, and seek ye adventure on the High Seas!;)
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Just got home from an amazing vacation. Everyone had a great time, even with our whale watching excursion being canceled due to the weather. That left us with money that my daughter and I both enjoyed a couples massage.
Welcome back! We were wondering how it turned out.
In the happiest, warmest, and nicest way meant: Told ya so!!!!!:D (Us? Steer you wrong? Never...well, hardly ever:p)
And also, "Good on ya!";)
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What notentirelynormal said: many late nights will be spent poring over the arcane knowledge of these boards. You will foolishly start a long thread at its beginning, intending to read for only 15 minutes: 4 hours and several cups of coffee later, you will be struggling to stay awake to read "just one more post!".:eek:
Boards to check out:
--Roll-call (if you already have a cruise booked)
--Cruise Lines (to get the skinny on your particular ship, or to choose the most appropriate line or ship for you)
--Ports of Call (to arrange your shore time for the most enjoyment)
--Cruise Discussion Topics (which you've already discovered. Check out Ask A Cruise Question for other basics)
--and just about every other board can lend you facts and opinions.
Keep an open mind and remember that this is going to be FUN!:)
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Howdy, pilgrim! Here's some free advice that'll be worth every penny you paid for it:
You will find lots and LOTS of info for the asking or the searching. You've got the roll-call for your specific cruise, the Cruise Lines for your specific ship, Ports of call for the places you'll be visiting, and plenty of people willing to give their opinions (some may have very _strong_ opinions:rolleyes:, but as always Your Mileage May Vary).
Keep a cautious but open mind, get all the info you can, and make your own decisions. Sometimes take the Road Less Taken. Most of all, use these forums (fora? :confused: never could get the Latin plurals right) to have the most fun you can have on your cruise!;)
BTW, if you are lusting after one of those cool countdown-to-your-cruise clocks to thrill you with your ever-approaching sail-date every time you come on the boards, here's a link to other threads,
or, just scroll up to the yellow toolbar and in the middle, click "Countdown Clocks" for Cruise Critics' version.
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<SNIP> an over easy fried egg...."Fried Egg over grits"....spicy Chinese sausage.... and you can't beat it. :D
Over-easy fried eggs and spicy sausage with grits: doesn't sound so foreign to _me_!:)
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<snip>
Sorry. Not w very good photo as the ship is swaying! There's congee egg scallion & seaweed plus some soy. Also fried rice & lentils & puri
Sounds good to me! Being an unlearned Westerner, I'd probably need a little card in front describing what the items were and how to combine them, but heck, once you start me off on something, I'll explore the possibilities.:D
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I have the feeling that some are forgetting or ignoring the fact that the captain is the LAW aboard his ship by maritime law. He/She is responsible for the safety of all his passengers and crew. He/She gets to call the shots and make the hard decisions. He is not just the driver of a 100,000+ ton bus. If you don't like their decision, bring it up with them. But you'd better be polite when you do it.
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The nerve! White people problems.
That just about says it all.:D
Of course, any student of wine knows that just about all current French wines are being grown on root stockss from American disease-resistant plants, because the US saved France's wine industry when a root-blight descended upon it in the latter half of the 19th century.
Don't immediately dismiss wines from newer growing regions. Some have been deemed equal or occasionally superior to some of the classic vintners.
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So the only method to medically evac a dying passenger is to turn the ship around vs sending out a rescue boat or helicopter?
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
During our cruise an older passenger was medevac'd off the ship by helicopter. At night. The chopper doesn't actually land on the ship; the crew prepares a litter for the patient with cargo lifting straps on a clear area on the upper deck of the fantail, the copter lowers a cable with a hook, the patient is attached and the copter winches the patient up and away.
This would be a pretty hairy operation in the daylight. I am not aware of what conditions the ship with the pediatric emergency was experiencing. If a rough sea is running and the ship is rocking and rolling, I'd be leery of attempting such a pickup.
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On the last leg of our cruise, from Cozumel to Nassau, the Captain hove to when a small boatload of Cuban refugees was sighted in the straits between Key West and Havana. The US Coast Guard was notified, and our ship stood overwatch, just in case the boat started sinking in the meanwhile, until a cutter came out to tow the boat in. This was in accordance with maritime custom of lending support to a fellow ship at sea. Our Captain announced his intentions to us passengers, and explained that it would delay us only an hour. _Still_, although most of the reactions were copcetic with his decision, I did hear a couple of people grumbling about the time it took. Really? You can't afford an hour basking in the Caribbean sunshine onboard a floating hotel/casino/mall/amusement park/tavern/pool/restaurant quarter/spa/gym/disco/theatre, whine a bunch of poor bastards are risking their live to cross open ocean to escape to a better life?????
Whats your favorite Caribbean ports to just stay on the ship?
in Ask a Cruise Question
Posted
It's your time, your vacation, your cruise, your money.
Me? I'd get off every port I came to; if I ever get to the point where I'm bored, I'd go out and start making acquaintances with some of the local restaurant owners, etc. If youdon't feel like adventuring, get off to say "hi" to some friends you've made there.
And, for the bazillionth time, read up on your stops, listen to what people tell you about the port, then get off and see for yourself. Make your own opinion about it.