Emtbsam

15 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

Bought into a land tour to Italy this month, based in Sorrento - tour includes Pompeii and Pasitano, every night return to Sorrento.  Any thoughts from coolers welcome.

 

Returning to Sorrento every night will mean a lot of time on the road and possibly in traffic.  Will you be in a big bus or a smaller one?  Will you get to Ravello and Amalfi in addition to Positano?  It might be better to visit Positano by boat from Sorrento.  The views are extraordinary and there is less traffic.

Regardless of how you go, it is a magnificent part of the world and you should have a wonderful time.

9 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Yes, the Endeavour would be a better choice than the Cloud or the Wind.

I am well aware of that, but due to time constraints and scheduling for some in our group, this is what we can do.  My question remains - has anyone had any recent problems on board,  if so, what kind and what location on the ship.  If it were just up to me, I would be on the Endeavour if I even took this itinerary!

Thanks.

7 hours ago, Grand Duchess said:

Those who should read it don‘t understand what is meant even if they would read it. Our team (aged between 23 and 62 and all with a strong work ethos no matter which generation) had a meeting with our head of department (mid thirties) this week, initiated by her to „feel our pulse“. Probably just required to do this to tick another box in the procedure.

Yes cynical again but when starting in this function, two people were fired in her first week just to show who is boss. She has no banking background, but comes from one of those big consulting firms. Shock and awe tactics and a bit of a wake up call when coming from a perfectly harmless looking woman.

Anyway, we all had our say of what worked and what did not in collaboration with other offices. Could not get through. But there is a brilliant solution: Turns out „core units“ or „backoffice“ don‘t want to be called that any more, we are to call them „experts“ or „specialists“ in our correspondence and then things will go swimmingly. Relabelling will solve the problem of no one taking ownership anymore and they all will become hardworking experts overnight😂

I blame social media…

This makes me so glad I retired 16 years ago before this became the norm.  It is bad enough in the volunteer fire service.

I have seen several over the years, but never during the day nor quite that close!

Glad I sold my Rolex.  I prefer my Apple watch anyway.

We made it through the storm!  Hoping for the best for those affected in other parts of the south.

41 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Lois boarded the Silver Dawn and departed from Southampton today.  Hope that she doesn't have to spend too much time tracking the news during her voyage!

I totally agree.  It does seem as if Jacksonville will not be particularly impacted.  Our little slice of redneck heaven however is another story.  The house survived Denis and Michael, so we are hoepeful.

2 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Looks like between apalach or maybe dog island or carabelle and perry at the moment. Maybe rethink the flight to tal…that gulf is insanely hot perfect fuel for the

 

Our house is at Alligator Point just east of Dog Island and west of Perry.  It looks like it will be a category 2 storm.  I need to see what phase of the moon we are in to see just how bad the tides will be.  Fortunately, we are on high ground, but only 500 feet from the Gulf and right on the Bay.  I think I need to rethink my plans!

I am supposed to fly to Tallahassee on Tuesday, right when the hurricane is supposed to hit!

I like the idea of favorite places in the world.  I will have to give some thought to that, but one thing is for sure, mine will all involve a view of water.

Anyone else care to name theirs?

4 hours ago, mysty said:

 

I'm with you on that JSR!  We're waiting until mid-December but it feels like eons!  We're at 136 days and counting until sail away.  When we originally booked we were at 862 days and counting.  Snail's pace time movement. 

But it will be a long cruise if I remember correctly.

Will you be on the 2026 WC?

23 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

And to think today so many men can’t even travel with a tie, let alone a dark suit. 😉

 

Stupid question… what is the difference between an Emtbsam and Emtbsams, other than it’s plural form?

My original name was emtbsam, but when my login got messed up, someone at cc.com changed it to entbsams.  I answer to either one and haven’t had the courage or the time to try to get it fixed!

4 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

Surely you must try! If they are that fragile then you could never use a movie projector to display them so you may as well try to transfer them to digital. What a treasure that would be!

One of the challenges is that the splices would probably come apart.  Then I need to find someone who could transfer sound on film to video.  Maybe a film student somewhere would know.

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Coolers - polling for suggestions.

 

We are spending 3 days in France just before Christmas (22-24) and flying home Christmas Day.

 

Tix are to/from CDG but we'll take the train elsewhere and at most, spend the last night in Paris if at all. The bulk of the time will be spent elsewhere. 

 

We arrive really early on the 22nd so we have essentially 3 full days to plan. I have 3 general ideas:

 

1. Train to Tours and then maybe spend 2 or 3 nights in the Loire Valley, probably some in Tours and some at a smaller town like Amboise or Bloise, etc. Would probably rent a car for part of the time to see some of the Chateaux. The downside is that the weather may be iffy and obviously the gardens will be dormant. Chris visited the Loire Valley for a day (a few years ago when she was in HS) and I have never been.

 

2. Train to Strasbourg for Christmas markets, Alsatian food, wine, and seasonal cheer. Would probably squeeze in a day trip to Colmar. We've been to Strasbourg before but not much else in Alsace and I love the area.

 

3. (probably my least preferred) Rouen, and car trips to Bayeux and other places in Normandy. We have been to Rouen and Honfleur already and liked them, not to the beaches or Bayeux. I have not fleshed this idea out much.

 

Anyone been to any of these areas in the winter? We do not mind the cold and we definitely like to avoid masses of tourists who crowd these places in the summer months. We'll trade a heavy jacket for solitude any day (and it's easy, as we have those nice SS parkas!).

 

As I type this I suspect Strasbourg's Christmas markets may attract crowds, as they are somewhat well-known. Has anyone been there for the markets?

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who has experience that they can share.

How about Lyon?  You like good food.  Transportation should be easy.  It is on my bucket list.

10 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Does anybody know if a Cravate is a suitable substitute for a neck tie on formal nights? Apologies to any coolers not in the know.

My SO used to wear one from time to time on informal nights but goes the traditional route on formal nights.  

We will be in Tunis later this year for a day.  Can you recommend any “must do” things?  Will I be able to get by speaking French?

Thanks.

1 hour ago, Reef Knot said:

 

Mysty,

I took time away from CC but recently I booked an Antarctica cruise with Seabourn so I find myself looking in on both the SS and SB forums.  Inevitably I’m drawn to the cooler, your jokes of the day along with the many other funnies are a sure fire way to get the day off to a good start, and JP’s trips are always enjoyable keeping up with.  So I for one don't want to see this cooler forum disappearing anytime soon.

 

The older I get, the more “stylish” comfortable shoes are!

JP We had an oxygenated room in Cusco and had no ill effects.  It took a bit more energy to hike around, but I am sure you will be fine. Have a wonderful trip.

Mysty Your patio looks lovely and inviting.  Myster did a nice job.  I hope the condo complex likes it.

1 hour ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

Listen, I know that we don't need to take note of every news item of the day, such as whether someone got indicted for 37 felonies, but I do want to note the passing of Astrud Gilberto, the woman who - in her early 20's, never having recorded before, was asked by her hubby to sing on a recording of "Girl From Ipanema", being recorded by her hubby Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz (song written by Antonio Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes).  She was paid $120, no residuals.  The song was covered by many people, but no one did a better version of it - she was born to sing that song.  This was in 1963, I was a pre-teen, but I remember hearing that voice, that instrumentation, that lovely samba composition, and being transported. More, I was beckoned by it, I wanted to know more about the big wide world, outside of my young experience, that could produce such intriguing and seductive sounds.  She went on to make a career of singing, and moved to the US from her native Brazil.  Around the same time, the Beatles burst upon the scene, and some of their songs had a similar effect, of introducing a view into a more European and grown-up world to my young eyes, shortly after the shock of Kennedy's assassination.  We all needed a lift.  But today, I salute Astrud for her wonderful and truly timeless gift to us all.  

She, as well as Jobim, Getz and Gilberto were the reason I fell in love with Brazil and its music back in the 1960’s.  When I went to Carnival in Rio in 1967, I also fell in love with Chico Buarque and his song A Banda!  I so wish I could speak Portuguese better than I do.

JP and Chris - so sorry to hear about your cat.  Our new to us 15 year old is doing well.  Hope you enjoy your time in PR.

1 hour ago, Lirio said:

Sunday concert at Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro).

 

 

I went to the Carnival ball there back in 1967.  It was a wonderful event in a beautiful setting.

50 minutes ago, drron29 said:

Australia loved Tina Turner. Even devised a dance in her honour -The Nutbush.

 

 

But hat wasn't all. She became the voice of Rugby League one of Australia's football code. A fantastic story. After the early years she credited her later success to her Australian agent. The boss of our NRL had as an administrative assistant the wife of an Australian singer who was good friends with that agent. So he arranged the deal Fantastic success the first year and Tina's agent started a conversation to keep the partnership going. It did until Covid hit.

So this weekend every Australian NRL match will begin with this song. Probably this version.

 

 

Reminds me of the Silversea crew parade.

Coolers - who is the singer whose songs mean the most to you?  For me it is Charles Aznavour.

Very few changes although caviar is now more abundant.  The websites are not merged.  Go to silversea.com.  It is really quite easy.

On 5/21/2023 at 11:05 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I thought that formal nights were formal everywhere and all evening; same with the informal requirements.  [That's what makes me feel that Silversea is over the top on dress codes.  Dinner in the main dining room is one thing; all evening long in every venue is too much!]

You should really try Silversea.  Formal nights are only formal in several restaurants.  The rest are informal to casual.  On Informal nights, the dress code is quite “slippery” in most of the restaurants.