billc23

Sous vide is a cooking technique that involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag and cooking it in a precisely regulated water bath. This low-temperature, long-time cooking method produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method. It kinda takes the fun out of cooking but can achieve great results. The key is having a water bath at a precise temperature. Great results with chicken, pork, etc. Worth reading about if you enjoy cooking

Rainbows over Honolulu...

Serious Eats is a great resource for cooking but check out Helen Rennie. I have used the reverse sear method with sous vide for years and have recently changed to using a 225 degree F oven pre sear with great results. A little more work because you need to keep an eye on the internal temperature, but with a 2 to 3 inch thick rib eye it is pretty forgiving and after a few times is second nature. Costco prime beef is really good and my local butcher has great beef at pretty low cost - used to be 9.99/lb pre covid and now almost $13/lb!!!

I had the Turkey Club also and mine had broccolini as shown in the picture - sort of like Chinese broccoli - sweet taste. Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) is a very leafy somewhat bitter vegetable that is used in Italian cooking. The bitter taste is a key component to the flavor when combined with other ingredients - yet some recipes recommend boiling first to remove the bitterness and IMO removes the unique flavor. Simply sauté with garlic, sausage, and beans with a splash of broth and red pepper flakes. Typically served with orecchiette pasta.

To the OP - Tomorrow is a port day and there is pickle ball listed in the daily. We are on a crossing with many sea days with no pickle ball listed in the daily on sea days. Perhaps people are playing anyway but I don't know.

Yes, I did it last month and was picked up at the port by a tours by local guide. The time off the ship was 9:00 for a 9:30 meet up which worked well.

See 4 pm. Port day on the Solstice:

I am on the Solstice and have seen pickleball in the daily but not in person. It is not listed every day so maybe port days only but I never paid attention.

In this isolated transaction X got less additional revenue because no-one is giving back what they already paid and for some reason their algorithm did not give the cabin to the highest bidder who may have been someone other than you. I would think they are going to try to maximize long term profit and any single transaction is not telling the whole story. I also think that the algorithm is very complex and uses AI to maximize revenue overall.

Yes, Royal's Anthem Class has indoor pickleball in a multi use space.

Totally agree. The math below is not correct because - as you said - they already have that money. The complete chain of upgrades is what matters. They were booked with a AI fare so there original cost was about $6900 vs ours at $4400. The lower bid ultimately got X more revenue $6900 +$2200 = $9100 compared to us $4400 $3600 = $8000.

I'm a new Zenith member and prior to Covid was elite with around 500 points. Since the post covid restart we spent around $380,000 with Celebrity staying in upper suites - usually PH at 18 points per night. We will end up with 3726 points when we complete our current B4B on the Solstice. So, if you are starting with zero points, then $190,000 per person would bring one to Zenith status by staying in upper suites. Staying in other cabin would take more days and I am not sure if the cost would be more or less. We enjoyed our Zenith celebration on this cruise but achieving the status was nothing we sought out and it will not make a material difference in our bookings. We are willing to pay the price asked for our travels and expect an excellent experience. Celebrity has disappointed us with small nickel and dime changes prompting us to try other cruise lines and we were pleasantly surprised. Our future bookings are all on other lines for the remainder of 2024 until Spring of 2026 - we will need to add in our free cruise for achieving Zenith. If these sailings were on Celebrity we would be well into double Zenith. I need to thank Celebrity for small irritations - like up charging $2.40 for a glass of wine - that caused me to look elsewhere and realize there are many great options for cruising. I was so comfortable booking Celebrity that I never would have considered trying other cruise line and I thank them for giving me a nudge.

You were mistaken. The M class ships are not the same as each other and the S class ships are not the same as each other either.

What goes around comes around. Is Celebrity seeing lower demand? Will prices decrease and passenger return? Will some Celebrity fans who tried other cruise line - and enjoyed them - return to Celebrity? Will Celebrity resume offering OBC with booking similar to a year ago now that Spa and speciality dining bookings are down? Time will tell...

If you like beef give Tuscan another try - or ask fellow passengers who have. I am finding the quality of the beef at Tuscan on the Solstice much better than last year and even this past January. The filet is excellent. Of course, the sourcing may not be the same on different ships so asking those who have tried Tuscan on your sailing would be worthwhile. It is not on their menu but a wedge salad starter and a baked potato are possible and you may need to ask ahead for off menu items you would enjoy with your beef.