JRG

On 2/4/2024 at 3:39 PM, d9704011 said:

See post #214.

See the Saturday Night Live performances by John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and the venerable William Shatner portraying Captain Kirk for the various Star Trek parodies which rank among the best of SNL.

Especially the version  "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise"

10 hours ago, Korimako said:

And is that supposed to be an amusing conversation starter???

It’s what I might expect from a nine-year-old.

This next conversation starter is more universally accepted. 

And yes,  Star Trek humor is a slice of North Americana TV, Circa late 1960's, so no harm, no foul.

When asked "Where Are You Guys From"....

.........You can answer back with "I am from Venus and she is from Mars"  

On 2/2/2024 at 6:05 PM, JVes said:

Can you imagine attempting to manage sanitation issues with that many people together?
And would you ever be able to get the smell out of the room?

There is a chemical product called "Puke Up",  that claims to be an "Absorbente de Vomito", and comes in Cherry Fragrance, stays soft, is carpet-safe,  and best of all,  comes in a re-sealable container.

There is also a video floating around on the interwebernet which shows exactly what a passenger might encounter in dangerous situations.   

Viking cruise ship evacuation draws investigation by Norway over decision for Viking Sky to sail amid storm warnings - CBS News

It looks like passengers were sent to their muster stations,  as the video shows from the Piano lounge.  I fully expected the Piano to break loose from its moorings but it held fast.   Can't say the same for the furniture or the passengers who were on-board.

The Master must have taken some heat in this case,  as Norwegian investigators questioned why the ship had even sailed in stormy weather to begin.  Not sure how that panned out.

Relatively speaking,  we are cruising lightweights with only 27 cruises in 35 years (55 if you count the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland),  and we have never seen anything like this.

10 minutes ago, Korimako said:

What on earth does this mean???

"Breaking the Ice" is a figure of speech meaning that somebody has to get the conversation started and it might as well be with humor, as opposed to a starting a political debate.

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Like Hank I love hearing the travel experiences of others and am not sure why some regard this as bragging or one-upmanship.

I thoroughly enjoy the travel writings of CC's best authors and never consider it bragging or one-upmanship when they share their experiences.    It may sound like Travels with Charley to some readers but they never make it sound like the Paul Harvey Show.  And when it comes down to one-upmanship,  I'm ranked #144 in California so I know what I am talking about.  (and I am always on the hunt-down for #143).

The danger for those who have written more copy than Tolstoy is in the area of FAQ's.   There can be a tendency to sound like Rush Limbaugh on opioids on certain subjects like "Do I need to Bring a Passport when I Cruise".      I'm not throwing anybody under the bus here or asking them  to fall on the double-edge sword, but there is no need to write the same Novella each time this question is asked, but that may be a function of not having a clearly published FAQ section for newer posters, and I understand that they just trying to be helpful.

I think our best travel writers our outstanding,  and that friends, is the rest of the story.

6 hours ago, MacMadame said:

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I express no value judgments here.

But if it helps Hans Solo find his Princess Leia then it must be okay.

May the Force Be With You

On 11/23/2023 at 6:02 PM, OlsSalt said:

A marketing gimmick perhaps.

Au Contraire Mon Frere.   The Drive-to-Port customer is an Emerging Market.

And it looks like HAL is trying to tap into it.      I was predicting this for some time and I would be surprised if other lines don't follow suit.

9 minutes ago, clo said:

Hold on. I don't confess this to many but I've never seen a single Star Trek!!!! I keep meaning. And I'm old as dirt 🙂

For those who might vaguely remember, Its the TV show that came on before the Geritol commercial and was followed by the Lawrence Welk show.

Who could ever forget Concha and Laura.

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Mmm, maybe better to start with "Which Spider-verse do you prefer?"

That would work too.   

But once I pull out the Greek and Shakespeare angle,   people open up and enjoy themselves in the conversations that ensue.  verses harking it out over the usual minutiae.

21 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

And do not even think to mention you enjoy any new Star Trek lest you want an education as to why you are wrong to like it😂. 

Never. 

That would be a violation of My Prime Directive. 

Some people do not understand that the original Star Trek series is a collection of morality stories,  much like Greek Mythology and Shakespeare.    (They also think that Klingons are things that stick to your Charmin).

Live Long and Prosper

Whatever it was it was...

"Very Interesting"

31 minutes ago, lahlah57 said:

How about......uh......hmmm.....you go first......😵‍💫

I sometimes break the ice with a good Star Trek joke,....

....What Did Mr. Spock find in Captain Kirks restroom?

On 1/31/2024 at 3:07 PM, leaveitallbehind said:

I will continue to check at random and will report any anomalies that support the above concerns.

Major overkill here.  (i.e.  using a sledgehammer to swat a fly)

There is no right answer to beat this conundrum (no pun intended)

I can feel the pain of the solo cruiser and the pricing madness, but I sense the pricing is driven by the revenue matrix,  which is essentially a Profit Maximization equation (i.e.  how much wood could a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck could chuck wood, without losing his axe).   Otherwise known as a linear algebraic equation.   (That's right,  its a word problem).

If there was no equitable solo supplement,  then ships would be booked full of solo cruisers.    Married couples who snore profusely would be booking two cabins instead of one.  Debutantes from Houston would have a field day booking entire decks.  Pink plastic flamingoes would be everywhere.

It makes no sense to grind your teeth on this one.

In other news,   I thought Celebrity began the slow descent when they pulled the free sushi in the Buffet.   It wasn't the best Sushi on the planet but it was a nice snack to tide you over until dinner.

6 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

I am not sure that the decision is so obvious if you are referring to Chateau D’If which I am not convinced is a WHS Now if you are going to Avignon, that is a WHS and I think matches bouillabaisse for being a special part of your day. 

Sacre Bleu @ollienbertsmum  you are absolutely right,  and I stand corrected.

I swear on the grave of Jim Morrison that my search engine has failed me,  and returned the results for another Chateau.

Nevertheless,    the Chateau D'if retains a certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi" that  cannot be Diss'd, and the 1700+ reviews on Trip Advisor tell the story and there is a good description if you are interested.

For a first time visitor with a teenager,  or a lover of Classical Literature ,  it might be a good call.

Edmund Dantes says Kings to @cruisemom42 for demanding integrity in the regular posters.

Language Matters, Integrity Matters.

I once got flamed by a post that said I should "have my mouth washed out with Saltwater",

just because I applauded the concept of E-muster.  (and I spend alot of time in my saltwater pool and jacuzzi).

I wish more posters would follow her example.

On 1/30/2024 at 4:19 AM, chengkp75 said:

I pray that the e-muster is never put to actual use.

It sounds like we are having a Bon Jovi moment here.

Whoa, we're half way there
Oh-oh, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear
Oh-oh, livin' on a prayer

1 hour ago, bEwAbG said:

There was a pretty major overhaul about 5 years ago.

Warning - The Surgeon General has Determined that Sudden Changes to your GUI may be hazardous to your Health.

Based on what I saw in the "What's Going on Thread"   last week I was genuinely concerned for some of the older folks who struggled with the Test Format change; and a warning label like this might be just what the Doctor ordered.

.And please don't ask   "HUH?  What's a GUI"

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We also took the ferry boat over to Chateau d"if to explore and were not impressed. 

Thanks for the tip...we also don't want to spoil anybody's Grey Poupon,  but for us the decision is pretty obvious:

Fish Soup vs.  Unesco World Heritage Site 

On 1/25/2024 at 11:40 AM, karatemom2 said:

We did a tour to the Chateau D'If.

The Chateau D'lf is the legendary island prison from which The Count of Montecristo made his escape in the book by Alexander Dumas.     Its a good movie. too.

The seas were rough and the time short so we missed this when in Provence but will try again next time.

The cathedral mentioned by karatemom2 is also a must-see for first time visitors. 

It's Spectacular.

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

And now the test format is gone . 👍

.... along with the self-respect of some of the Naysayers.

Sad to see.

53 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

But if JRG had written instead something like, "Your post #X <blah, blah, blah - where the "blahs" are "real content">"... except the "real content won't make sense because no one can find *that* post #X, because all the posts have been scrambled.)

deleted

5 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

DOWN.

did you want that on White or Rye bread?

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Really!??

Don't worry.  

My understanding is that this is only a test and will be over before the weekend.

20 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Who is deciding what a "best answer" is?

This seems to be a what is troubling readers the most.

Sure it is subjective,   but I don't see a need to get hung up on that.

Refer to it as the Best Subjective Answer and see if that particular issue goes away.

The threads "Australia" and "Cruises with Amazing Scenery"   are good examples to see how well this may work.

Perhaps the naysayers should go to these posts,   then honestly upvote what you think is the best answer.   (then give feedback to the Mods and criticize if need be)

Right now,  those two posts are showing that the best answers have been upvoted.    This is good for readers who can skip all of the baloney posts that don't get upvoted.

Why don't we show some appreciation for the efforts that our Moderators put in and cooperate.

Try it out naysayers and let's see what happens.