larry_s_taco

45 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Over the years we have modified from traditional Lamb and/or Beef and now use a combination ground Chicken/Turkey ---- Besides that it is pretty basic -    Onions, Carrots sometimes Celery Chicken/Turkey -   and Bisto to thicken.    Just good old comfort food.   

 

He serves it with Bachalor's Marrow Fat Peas. 

 

Stock Photo of what we are talking about -

You got me thinking about it, now I'm making it for supper tomorrow. Lol

On 4/27/2024 at 9:53 PM, Alberta Quilter said:

The article made a reference to the “Crow's Nest Cafe”.  Did the Explorations Cafe get a new name?

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

On longer cruises the dynamics change.   We kinda get tired of eating.   What I would give for a plate of Iain’s Mince and Tatty  
 

 

Does Iian have any "secret" ingredients that he uses for his mince?

On 4/29/2024 at 8:26 PM, thundercrack said:

Just got back yesterday.  Most of the food was good to very good.  A few stand outs in my eyes:

 

• Crab and Scrimp Cake
• Jambalaya Pasta
• Frog Legs
• Braised Beef Brisket
• Baked Alaska

Thanks for the tips. It's been a few years since I've been on Carnival. The last time I really enjoyed the frog legs. Good to hear they are still good.

My thread got lost in the volume of new threads. Anyone have a favorite food in the main dining room on Carnival Vista? 

On 4/24/2024 at 1:26 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

We haven't been back since our last TP in 2012.   Yikes --can't believe it has been a decade.   The biggest disappointment and probably gotten worse is all the small mom and pop restaurants we once frequented have been bulldozed and replaced with Rodeo Drive type shops and expensive restaurants. 

 

I'm sure we will find all of the local foods in Downtown Honolulu and the Ala Moana Mall area.

 

I have to admit I was never a fan of SPAM. 

Please share with us the good local restaurants that you find. We are always on the lookout for local places when we travel. 

On 4/3/2024 at 8:16 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Just about ready to depart.   Showered and shaved. Luggage stacked up.  Just wasting time until I summon Uber. 
 

This morning got an alert from them - We miss you and applying a $10 for your next 4 rides.  I wonder if I triggered it by checking prices yesterday and not booking.  
 

I usually compare Uber and Lyft but the bonus gives Uber a win.
 

Just curious, is that all the luggage you are taking on the trip?

13 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Room service must be lazy on E class.  Yet another reason not to sail those ships.  Trays in the hall on the floor are a hazard to those who must navigate by scooter.

 

It would be a hazard for anyone in the event of an emergency. Some cruiselines even post cards in the room stating this.

On 3/31/2024 at 11:05 AM, Jim_Iain said:

We are off in just 3 days, Wednesday 4/3/2024 to Sydney to begin our next Epic Journey.     I love retirement. 

 

I decided I better fire up this new adventure a couple days early.

 

As a prologue, I'll post a short video that will graphically show you what we are up to.    The mapping program did make one error -  see if you can spot it.

 

 

I just found your post. I've missed following you guys. Mike and I are taking the Solstice next April from Hawaii to Vancouver so I'm anxious to follow along. Wow you are up to 35 pages. It will take a while for me to catch up. Hope everything is going well on your adventure. It sounds great. 

3 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

I don't recall an escalator on the Century

It is funny to think back to those class cruise ships. I had a suite on the Zenith, but there was no balcony, only windows. I still loved those older smaller ships. 

My LRC set came with chips to use. You would be able to play with those since no money is involved. 

I just found your posts. Sorry for being so late. Thanks for posting. We are considering a trip on the Oosterdam in 2025. We are really looking forward to all of you thoughts. 

Great input from everyone. TeeRick, good to hear from you it's been awhile. I'll probably look into the Voyager (1st) & Radiance class ships. I'm not unhappy with Celebrity at all. In fact I have another one booked on them right now. Sometimes it it just nice to shake it up a bit. Lol. I may be easy, but I've never had a bad cruise.

We haven't sailed on Royal for years (1990's). We really like the Celebrity Millenium, and Solstice class. We are considering trying Royal again. For those of you who have been on both, which Royal ships would you consider similar to the Millenium and Solstice class ships on Celebrity? Which ships would you recommend and why? We really don't like the very large ships on any line we have been on. We plan on avoiding prime family travel time as we are aware Royal is much more family friendly. 

For those who have recently been on the Vista: What was your favorite food in the main dining room? 

On 2/4/2024 at 6:02 PM, GenerationX said:

The mind reels that with all my luggage I could’ve forgotten anything I could possibly need on this cruise, but boom, here it is. My white evening gloves are still sitting on top of my chest of drawers at home.  Oh well. 🤷🏽‍♀️

 

Sharing some pics from MDR lunch.  The Andalusian salad was nothing special but I got my veggies in.  The pear raspberry cobbler dessert would have been really good if it had been warm (as advertised) instead of room temp.  The duck teriyaki was more well done than I like my duck but was really good. I cleaned my plate.

 

There’s a duck dish on the  menu tonight too, but is it too extra to have duck twice in one day???

 

The bars around the ship are completely slammed and apparently there’s an issue with the dishwasher by the specialty restaurants and the poor Ensemble lounge guys were running low of glassware, so I’m drinking my Pinot noir from a daiquiri glass…first world problems…

 

More to come later from evening chic night.  For now it’s showtime! 

 

 

 

 

 

Great pictures. It always seems that I invariably leave something behind. Usually nothing I can't live without though.  

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

To assist… link to Menus (tap on Menus with a dropdown to Wine etc) https://www.hhbh.com/ocean-lounge

Enjoy

Very informative. It sounds wonderful. 

2 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

One’s personal favourite….. https://www.oceanloungesxm.com

Request the Chef’s very “Special Seafood Platter” in advance for 2 to share when booking.

Also, their wine list is exceptional, with a Montrachet to complement the Platter.

 

Thanks

Is there anything around the cruise ship port that is walkable and worth seeing in Tortola? We don't have a tour planned and was wondering if we should book one or just walk around. 

Does anyone know of good restaurants in Phillipsburg that you would recommend. We always end up on the French side and have not spent much time around Phillipsburg itself. 

Glad you are on. I agree Celebrity boarding is usually glitch free. We are getting on Reflection on Feb. 17th. We are looking forward to your input. 

This is why I really wished that they had kept the practice of having the ship staff serve in the cafe. It just makes sense when you are dealing with that many people around that much food and that many utensils. I am glad that Celebrity is that diligent about reporting and cleaning. 

You did so well documenting your trip. It has been fun to follow along. We are going to be on the Solstice early next year. What do you think about the ship?

On 6/1/2023 at 5:52 PM, marazul said:

Yes, there are plenty of taxis everywhere.  Your hotel can flag one down for you, call a taxi or point you to the closest taxi stand.

Do the taxis take credit cards?

Thanks

On 9/12/2023 at 6:05 AM, dickinson said:

As the title says we just got back from our cruise ending in Barcelona.  Just wanted to mention a few things.

 

We stayed overnight at the Hotel Colon.  Perfect location and a nice hotel.

We used a taxi when getting off the ship to get to hotel.  At the end of the trip the driver told us how many euros.  I used my credit card on Apple Pay and asked for a receipt.  I noticed it listed both euros and also US $.  Sure enough, he charged it in US $.  I was mad but didn't have time to say anything. Not too much extra money though. On our taxi from hotel to airport we made sure to tell driver to charge in euros.

 

We did a walking tour with Runnerbean tours of the Gothic Quarter.  It was a good tour and I would recommend them.

 

I was very unsure of how much time to allow at the airport for a 6:05 am flight.  Wanted to sleep as long as possible!.  Our first flight was to Rome so inside Schengen area.  Not sure if that made a difference. We ended up getting a taxi at 3:30 am.  He drove fast and there was no traffic on a Sunday at that hour.  We were at the airport in under 20 minutes!  We saw some people sleeping on the floor inside the airport.  Our airline didn't open their ticket counter (we had to get boarding passes there because our second flight was another airline.) til 4 am so there was a a bit of a line.  Having business class seats though let us get through another line where we were the 2nd people.  We actually saw at least one restaurant open at that hour if anyone is looking for a bite to eat.

 

The hotel had a list of things to watch out for because it means pickpockets. Some I have not seen mentioned is to not participate in card and dice games you see on the streets.  I didn't see anything in our short time.  They also said if you are offered flowers in the street and the sellers are standing very close to you, they are trying to pickpocket you.  If someone says you have a stain on your clothing and points to your clothing, they are trying to pickpocket.  If driving a car and you stop at a traffic light if someone says you have a flat tire or car is on fire... don't get out but drive a short distance and lock the doors before making sure it is not true because they are trying to rob you.

 

One last thing.  There are tons of people in Barcelona!!!!

 

Hope this info helps someone!

I have a question about the taxis and credit cards. Do they have card readers in the cab? I don't have apple pay so I would have to use a traditional credit card for payment. 

Thanks

5 hours ago, hcat said:

Received this in advance of our final payment date for ASCENT..( hope not all there is?) Never received this type of e mail before.

 

"As an Elite Plus member in our Captain's Club program, here are some of the benefits you'll receive**:

•	Access to a coffee house-style breakfast and Evening Cocktail Hour
•	Two complimentary bags of laundry
•	35% off Wi-Fi Package or internet upgrade
•	15% discount at The Spa
•	15% discount off specialty dining cover charge (onboard only)
•	20% off Drink Package or 15% off upgrade to Premium (pre-cruise)
•	5% discount on small group discovery shore excursions"

We are Elite getting close to Elite Plus. Gotta book more cruises!