KenzSailing

Ah, you're right of course. I'm mired in the past! Anyway, that leads me an even better idea for both ships: A Fifth of Crystal Penthouse!

Well, I've thought a lot about this important topic, and this has occurred to me: since, on Symphony, there are two CPs, they should have named it Crystal Penthouse the Third. Very classy.

Oh my gosh, cannot imagine circulating around, much less having dinner, on a Crystal cruise after being prominently outed as a Doctor-Doctor. It would be like seven days(or more) in one of Dante's Circles of Hell.

Serious question: does anyone know the status of our own @BWIVince? Initially I figured he was buried by work, but it's been forever and a day since he's dropped by this silly little neighborhood. I miss the insights and sanity of the Voice of Reason.

Well, that certainly explains what happened after I made a quick lunch of the five day old Wiener Schnitzel I had saved on my last cruise.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy, another great squashed chicken meal tonight. Winner winner chicken dinner! Think I'll go roll some coal...

Beav, you have cracked the code at the Chez, I'm in back keeping the orders moving, OloPP is FOH keeping our clients happy. I get the high heat scars, she gets the kisses. Such is life in the industry. Oh simmering this weekend is a protein backup caused by the fires(we were Marroon yesterday.) Anyway it the sacred steak night Saturday followed by Burger Night in America Sunday(not our typical) Sunday, but we're going for it. Then there will be a spatchcock chicken and some sausages. I have back ribs in the freezer, just need to find the courage

Ooops...

I agree completely with your first sentence. It's just that I've taken a number of OC cruises when NYK owned Crystal, and I never encountered an atmosphere in the casino that seemed in any way undesirable. Then that other company(I won't use their name) took the reins, and we got a high rollers room and, IIRC, some of the high rollers from their other properties (all basically casinos) started getting comped with Crystal cruises. I'm suggesting it's that crowd NC wants to lose. Pure speculation on my part, however.

OK, it was a clear plastic baggie full of all those cords that connect all the electronic devices that increasingly rule our lives. You were sitting one row over from us, but facing our row. I happened to glance in that direction as I saw you put the baggie on the floor directly under your seat so you could use both hands to adjust things in your carry-on. You then moved seats to one that was right on the main thru-way of the seating area, leaving the baggie behind. I retrieved the bag and returned it to you. I thought that person was you based on meeting you at the M&G (I introduced myself by asking if you were Texas Tillie, you replied "I sure am.") If I'm the one who's confused, my apologies. Anyway, maybe you remember OLoPP from the M&G. Short brunette, never met a stranger, slightly tart tongue.

Well, just got off the agency webinar on NC that a lot of you were on. Asked about the casinos. The answer is, yep, they're gone for good(I had that one wrong.) Explanation was interesting, from the head of hotel ops for the line(this is a paraphrase, but close:) "management felt that the positioning of the product was not congruent with certain of the clientele attracted to the casino amenity." I read that as translating to "prior ownership's focus on gaming and comps from other parts of their empire was a relationship we wanted to clearly and completely sever."

Well, that's understandable, it was a while ago. Although I am a little disappointed that my obvious charm and suave manners did not leave even the trace of an impression. OTOH, maybe I saved the cord bag of another extremely distinguished looking(in a Texas royalty sort of way) solo traveler and I'm confused. Don't think so, though.

Huh? No insult, she was sitting nearby and I happened to notice a cord baggie left behind on the floor when, for whatever reason, she moved seats in the terminal. Sheesh, a guy does his one small kindness per decade and he gets accused of a hygiene issue. Let's forget I mentioned it.

Yep, the semi-famous(or infamous) 8218. That was a great cruise! BTW, I'm the guy who retrieved your gizmo connection bag after you moved seats in the cruise terminal.

I remember a few years ago we flew into SFO to get on a Crystal cruise. We were delayed a couple of hours by flow control caused by wildfire smoke.

Yeah, today is a Code Purple day. I didn't know there was a Code Purple. Turns out, that's not even the worst rating. That's Code Maroon. I do not want to find out about code Maroon.

Hoo boy, just want to express sympathy from the US to our neighbors to the north, whose country seems to be on fire. Meanwhile, our northeast to the mid-Atlantic seems to be on a ten pack a day habit. There was a ground stop today at LGA due to smoke. Really, never experienced anything like this.

Oh, trust me on this, you didn't want to find out.... This paragraph from NC is so poorly constructed as to be nothing to be concerned about. But this is CC, so concern we must.

Two reactions to this: 1) $1000 doesn't cover much of a biz class fare flying intercontinental 2) This smells of soft bookings Hmmm....

OK, alright, your Friend of the Chez status is restored(it was never revoked, you know that.) Speaking of crab, have you noticed the price of the stuff lately? From Alaska King to Chesapeake Bay soft shell, it's hard to make a buck serving that stuff. And, back here on earth, my char grilled flattened chicken turned out very, very well. Not a single order came back to the kitchen tonight.

Hmmm, seems our very own @BEAV is a closet oligarch. No more friends and family discount at the Chez for you then. Full freight, and you better order the lobster.

Well, we're hard upon the Memorial Day weekend here in the US, a day of solemn remembrance. The traditional start of summer. After that however means one thing: Hot spatchcock summer! I exaggerate, I'm on my third squashed bird of the season. To be followed by my second batch of no-churn chocolate ice cream. The Chez is rocking. Also: RIP Tina Turner. She deserved to live forever(although she is immortal.) Let us rock: Dayum.

Feast or famine: water in the American west is a story older than the American west. I'm just glad to see an agreement looms on the apportioning of the Colorado river. This story gets covered back here and while it doesn't make much of a dent with the general public a lot of things that river feeds are impactful to keeping the whole economy running. Side note: I find it interesting that Las Vegas, for all its PR campaigns valorizing excess, is a very responsible and forward thinking steward of its water resources. Seven-come-eleven and I'll take my Scotch neat, thank you very much. I'm doing my part.

Ditto for port stops.

Yeah, and you're better looking too, you rascal.