markeb

On your cruise, but haven’t seen you guys. Sad to say, the Manhattan is MIA on the Equinox. Try the Kentucky Calling at the WCB. Candied cherries. Need I say more?

We'll keep an eye out for you in Michael's (or the Retreat Lounge). We can discuss the bottom of 8th of the 2019 NL Wild Card Game... 😇

That would be in Manhattan, not Brooklyn, the subject of this thread... I'd start a new thread with that question. Yes, probably, lots of other questions. Really a different thread...

A few thoughts. I haven't had Knob in a long time, and really don't remember it well. It wasn't one of my favorites at the time. Buffalo Trace. Nothing wrong with it, nothing great about it. Was arguably mostly a mixer until it became crazy allocated in some markets. I buy it and drink it, but there are others I prefer at the price point. Elijah Craig. Nice bourbon and one of my go to bourbons for general sipping. Nice value point as well. Four Roses. The small batch and small batch select are both excellent, IMHO. I've seen interesting reviews from people who don't care for Four Roses at all, but I personally like it. Woodford Reserve. Woodford and Maker's Mark are strangely polarizing. I tend to like a wheated bourbon, so that's Maker's. Woodford is a nice alternative with a different flavor profile. Need to do a tasting again...

Hey Kate! There's a long list of foods that can't be imported into the US, including Alaska. I found a CBP/USDA document that appears to have been produced by the office in Alaska that has more detail, and contact numbers. The link is directly to a PDF posted at skagway.org. Worth a look. Citrus isn't allowed. Bananas in season may be, if the label is on them. Etc. There are items allowed IF in the original container and clearly labeled as from the US or Canada. A ham and cheese sandwich generally wouldn't be allowed. A sealed package of ham with a USDA stamp or Canadian Ministry of Agriculture stamp should be fine. Seeds and nuts may or may not be allowed (sealed packages generally OK). Things like bread really aren't mentioned (including GF bread). https://www.skagway.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/clerk039s_office/page/28831/uscbp_2019_transporting_agriculture_products.pdf

You can actually pay for it online, but not book a time. I think it's a 5% discount in theory (last time you paid based on what you planned to make, so that's a change as well). It's also possible it's one of those things the Retreat concierge can do as you're sitting in port having your first drink!

I'm not sure the city wants to grow the cruise business. And I don't know how they would in that location. I just pulled up the satellite view on Google Maps to refresh my memory, and it's pretty built up around there. You could go vertical, but that would be a pretty major change. In the current market, I can't see taking a "If you build it, they will come" approach. The current location isn't bad for a cruise stop, but it's certainly not great for a home port. Norfolk itself obviously has the infrastructure to home port one or more cruise ships (they're supporting Fleet Forces Command!). I think they'd have to shift operations down river, but clear of the Navy piers, to really create the kind of facility I think you're talking about.

We're on Equinox in a week. DW did the hot glass on our last Equinox cruise and wants to do it again. You can pre-book ("It sells out"), but I don't see any way to book a time, which would be the real advantage to booking early. I know things like the whisk(e)y tastings can be bought ahead of time, but are scheduled onboard, and other than possibly a few % discount, there's no real advantage to booking ahead of time for those (and you could end up with a conflict). Is it the same with the Hot Glass? It's a 5% discount to pre-pay, but I have no idea if that gets her to the front of the line for scheduling, or if we should just go up there on our orientation walk when we get onboard. Anyone booked this ahead of time? Did it matter? Thanks!

I don't know how they stay in business in 2022 with that policy. People "Venmo" each other for everything in the Eurozone. If you have to pull pounds or euros for an excursion (seriously, in 2022 I'd look for a different operator!), then pull the exact amount plus GBP 20 and 50 (max) Euros. Plastic is accepted almost everywhere you're going to go on a cruise tour. Wasn't true 20 years ago. If memory serves you could pay the 1 euro entry fee to the toilet in Amsterdam with Apple Pay. It's not difficult. They all have the same phone apps your local farmer's market uses to accept credit cards. And, yes, we make bank transfers horribly difficult in the US (hence Venmo and PayPal...).

Yes. If you want to take a hit on the primary exchange into pounds or euros, then a hit again selling them back. Or just use plastic...

Nah. It's not lazy. I remember it and just figured I'd never find it! They did use mixology in the thread title, which made it much simpler. So I'm the lazy one for not trying the search and posting the link...

It would be great if search worked better! I know at least one person posted on this a few months ago. I've not done it on Celebrity. I did something similar on HAL years ago and it really depended on your interest and familiarity with mixing drinks. We have a bunch of OBC so this might be on of the things we consider.

Give them a quid if you feel generous! Especially if they’re advertising they’re looking for tips! No, this is not a thing!

Absolutely! I’d like to hope this is an aberration…

We're making one final trip to The Rock before Come From Away leaves Broadway. We're not going to make it to the West End, and our timing didn't work out to catch Jenn Colella. My wife's birthday (one of the uncounted big ones...) is in three weeks. Catching the matinee, and heading out for dinner at our favorite restaurant. As a total outsider to the industry, I'm a little surprised that a show that seems so successful on the surface is closing. I understand the whole marginal revenue needs to be greater than average variable costs thing. You can only fill the house with half price tickets so many times if you're not filling it with full price and premium tickets as well. Junkyard Dog doesn't look like it's ever had anything run this long, and CFA is the longest running production at the Schoenfeld. I guess theater lives up to the adage that the quickest way to make a small fortune in fill-in-the-blank is to start with a large one! (I'm at least going to look at Six tickets while we're in town. We'll see...)

Which only works if they keep the same equipment and don't merge two flights. I'm !K and had United delete an entire cabin on a long haul flight 3 weeks ago. And my seat. And in the process of processing an upgrade, they cancelled my check-in on the connection and put me in a middle seat from SFO to IAD. And all of that was within 12 hours of the flight. Is that an ERJ into Norfolk? A seat choice in July of 2022 does not necessarily equal a seat available in June of 2023. Great if it works out, but no way I'd count on that!

I'd always purchase tickets in advance. Frequently you can purchase them on their app or mobile web page and just show your confirmation number. I've purchased tickets to Windsor Castle while standing in line at Windsor Castle... I assume you mean Westminster Abbey? Westminster is a city. The Palace of Westminster is the home of Parliament. There's an Abbey and a Catholic cathedral in Westminster (and a lot of other things). Hopefully a Londoner or recent traveler pops up on the thread. I don't think any of the attractions you're talking about need to be purchased way in advance, but even the night before should let you go to the "I have a ticket" or similar line. That's almost sure to be worth it, especially if you can make an early morning (ahead of the bus tours) trip to the Tower of London. Google maps says Gymshark is temporarily closed. I'm guessing you've seen that and are looking for confirmation, which hopefully you get one way or another!

I'm all for being proactive, and agree the later flight makes more sense, but I have almost no confidence that a flight booked 11 months early will still depart at the time scheduled today. Or be less expensive than one booked 90-100 days out. Especially in the current air travel environment. For a 90 minute domestic flight, is there a reason you're booking this early?

Do you have the Celebrity app installed? (Assuming it's available in Denmark.) Beers should be listed under the Dining tab by venue. For Reflection (assuming that's the cruise you're looking at), I'd probably look at Cellar Master first, then explore others. On Equinox this month, they list Newcastle, Fuller's (which for some inexplicable reason they're calling a brown porter!), and Paulaner Salvator at the $10 and under point. They also have several very good, but high alcohol, Belgian beers that are over the premium package limit. I don't see anything that resembles a Baltic Porter, for instance. Those are at Craft Social; Reflection doesn't have Craft Social. Reflection "could" be different on a European itinerary, but I've not found RCG to adapt it's beers and wine to location...

Hugging the ground. Something ground pounders do when they call in fire on their own location. Come on Chief! 😀

I didn’t say it was a smart way to do it. There are probably 6-10 threads on this topic going back to April. As I recall, in the UK they raised the price by 18%. I agree with @jelayne that they should have just raised the price and kept the gratuity embedded, but there are 2-3 threads over the last month about specialty restaurant gratuities. if you have a solution, I think X needs a new director of marketing.

It was always part of the charge. Rather than raise the price of the specialties, they pulled out the cost of the gratuity and listed it separately. Would you be happier if they'd just raised the cover charge by 18%? I believe that's what they've done in some markets. You're paying either way.

I'm going to wait for JB and others to correct me, but... If it's your first time in London, I'd tend to Waterloo. There's nothing wrong with the Blackfriars location, but the Waterloo area puts you almost on Westminster Bridge, and you'll be looking across the Thames at the Elizabeth Tower (you can't see Big Ben...). The London Eye will be to your right (from the bridge). There are Tube stops, HOHO stops, Thames boat tours (across the bridge), Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, etc. You're going to walk a lot no matter what, but there's a lot to see and do on that walk. The boat tours to the Tower and to Greenwich leave from the Embankment (actually I think they may still stop adjacent to the Eye as well?). I guess there's a touristy aspect as the Eye and several "attractions" are at County Hall, but it's a very convenient location. Nowhere in London is perfect for all attractions, but there's a lot to like about the Waterloo area

I'm looking at my cruise on Equinox, and some of those are available by the bottle. Not by the glass. There used to be some decent bottle lists online, but they look to be dated. Not by the glass...

Why does every Cruise Critic thread do this? There are 58 pages going back over 4 years. Almost all on the theater, occasionally music, and assorted restaurants. Arguments about the statistical safety of MTA are just going to result in arguments! (You can download vehicular data from the NYPD. You really don't want to drive, ride a bike, or be a pedestrian in NYC if 300 a day is a bad number!)