Scrappytraveller

I realize this is a dissenting view but the sushi is silk harvest was so bad, we actually left and ate elsewhere. The rolls were made hours earlier....the nori was soft and mushi...the rice over cooked, unseasoned and mushy. The free sushi is actually better although the rice is unflavored and rolls made in advance.

 

Perhaps we're spoiled having visited Japan many times and making sushi ourselves, but our local sushi restaurants are all better than silk harvest. It's the only specialty restaurant on celebrity that we won't eat at....and we tried it twice, because any restaurant can have a bad night.

 

Your experience may, of course, differ...

Yikes. I was hoping it would be decent if not amazing on the Equinox later this month. I wasn't impressed with the hot dishes on my one visit (Solstice). Maybe I'll just order appetizers...:eek::eek::D:D

(Have to go once since got the 3-dinner package)

We went to Carlsbad Caverns today and I had no problem walking and keeping up with a teenager, so that is a good thing.

That's great, much more important than the number on a scale. Sounds like fun!

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It is stressful and time consuming but there are good ones out there. That's why I cruise with a bunch of my TA's business cards in my pocket because the topic of good TA's comes up a lot lol

 

Hope we have a chance to meet on board. ;)

Hi neighbor!

I don't even bother getting quotes from local agencies anymore, especially not here on the south shore. They give nothing and know nothing. You might get some OBC booking with the big online site with the gnome, but it's usually not much. You can book with a U.S. travel agent with no issues, but this was a lot more tempting when our dollar was stronger. You'll get OBC and/or prepaid tips with a U.S. agency, but these days the foreign exchange and credit card fee for booking in USD can pretty much cancel out any perk. And you also have to worry about the dollar dropping even more before final payment. Doesn't hurt to ask for quotes though.

The weather should be quite warm. The average daytime for Barcelona for the equivalent period in 2013 was 23 celsius (about 73 F). It should be at least as warm at all the ports. The ship is climate controlled so you could wear whatever you enjoy wearing out to dinner at home. The first sea day may be a bit cold, but the last 7 should be pool weather.

I noticed that too. Being on that Oct 27th cruise, it was a tiny bit disconcerting. :D:eek::D

It's still there today, they haven't corrected the mistake yet.

You're all doing so well, way to go! Marsha how great to come home lighter gain when you left! (I consider your second weight the true one, I think you have to give yourself a few days to get rid of all the extra salt.)

I lost a half lb last week but I'm not optimistic for tomorrow. Had a fun weekend with some friends from out of town, which of course involved food and Martinis. :)

Meanwhile my dog has lost about 6 lbs since May, I want to know her secret! ;)

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I'm always looking at other cruise lines. Which did you choose for your next three cruises and was it that the prices were lower, single supplement lower or better perks? And you are totally correct, all cruise lines have both pros and cons.

I have 2 booked on RCCL (Norwegian Fjords & Baltic) and one on NCL (inaugural TA on Escape).

Price was definitely a big issue with the Fjords cruise. My good buddy Mr. T booked on the Eclipse for the same week with same ports, theirs from Southhampton and mine from Copenhagen. For me as a solo the Eclipse would have been double the price for an inside cabin (I booked with RCCL when they were having a buy one get 50% off the second special back in June).

To get ONE drink package with the 123go special, I would have had to pay an extra $1,300 (on top of it already being double the price of RCCL). The value of a 7 night classic drink package is nowhere near that.

To me that cruise is all about the destination, I'm not fussy about the ship. I'm sad that we can't go together though.

The NCL cruise was picked mostly for the experience. NCL is a lot more fun at night (at least the new big box ships). The price was right though, since I could book a studio. They've recently had a sale though with a lower single "supplement" so a lot of people have upgraded from their studios. It's nice to not be considered the cruising pariahs like most cruise lines do.

Best Things:

Meeting loads of nice people (even arsenal supporters :cool:)

Mmmmmm.... Guacamole. Avocado is good for you so really it's a healthy snack. ;)

Weekend was ok, nothing exciting. This coming weekend will be more fun but also bad for the diet. Couple of friends coming to town, which means my sister will be baking up a storm. I've been pretty good this week so I'm anxious to see if I've lost anything on Wednesday.

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Way to go Deanna.

I've never been very good about pool exercises, too boring alone. Maybe you guys will have better luck with a group.

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Not easy to lose weight when you have chronic pain. I hope here's a solution out there for you.

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I agree, was more the shock of the water than the cold. Hey, last week I was walking barefoot in glacial water trying to get a picture of a waterfall. Now THAT was cold!

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Oh please, the Saturday high is 16C, that's not winter! ;)

I'd be wearing T-shirts in that temperature! :)

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I'm not a fan. Of the sampling of sushi we had, only one roll was fresh and tasty. On the non-sushi side, I only enjoyed the appetizers. Mains (pad thai, couple of other szechuan) were dull and pasty IMO.

I much prefer Qsine since I now know what I love there and don't feel the need to order tons to taste everything.

I do know people who have enjoyed SH though, so I'm going to give it another chance on my next cruise. Different ship, hopefully better kitchen. I'll go in with low expectations and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

:eek::eek::eek::D

Sorry Mate, didn't even occur to me that it's winter over there!

Yes folks, I'm the evil nominator...

Up one pound, I'll take it for post vacation. Now I have to find the motivation to try to lose a bit more before my October cruise.

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Lost less than a pound this week. I was disappointed because I did everything right. Oh well. I'll just keep at it. I will try increasing my walking and cutting alcohol. I am getting stronger.

Sometimes you can do things too right. Dr Oz had a theory that you should have a "Faturday", where you can eat some of the foods you love (without going overboard of course) once a week. Keeps the metabolism revved.

I'm weighing in tomorrow after my vacation in Oregon. We were very active so I'm hoping to have stayed close to where I left off, despite the extra alcohol. ;)

I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time Deanna. I hope things turn around real soon for you.

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I leave oct 23 for Barcelona and the equinox TA. So I'll have just about 2 months after Oregon to try to lose 6 or 7 more lbs. The great thing about TAs is that you do walk a lot for those first few days so you probably won't gain as much as on a beachy cruise. I'm a big fan of the stairs, I try to avoid the elevators anytime I can. My other tiny trick is to eat minimal bread. I don't avoid it, but I don't go to town on it.

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I've been in "try not to gain" mode these last 2 weeks. I leave for Oregon next week. I've lost 9 lbs so far, which I'm pleased with for now. After Oregon I'm going to try to lose about 6 more. The jogging went out the window due to various physical problems. I'm hoping 12 days away from my computer will do my aches and pains a lot of good, so I can try again in the cooler fall weather. So I'll maintain my weight watchers account but it's inactive at the moment.

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Don't give up ladies, slow and steady, you'll get there.

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This is a fantastic review. I love your enthusiasm, your family is adorable (your son in his bow-tie is so precious!) and your pictures are great. Looking forward to the rest.

Thanks for your review of the ports and tips about clothing and wi-fi. Very useful.

great topic!

3 off the top of my head: Trinity for Ireland posts, Pompeii for Naples, DaVinci Code for Rome.

Very cool. Unfortunately I've become a kindle addict so I wouldn't have any physical books to do this with.

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