Summit Suite - a former True Believer returns after the Haven, Yacht Club and Viking!

[Dr. Cocktail]

5 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Try an all suite ship.  We did. Skip the big buffets, huge crowds, and lines.  All suite ships cater to all your needs seamlessly.  A travel agent told me if you are booking a suite on a ship that has a huge number of nonsuite guests, you are on the wrong ship. 

If you check my signature, I have!

 

I have been on Ponant's L' Austral and Travel Dynamic's Corinthian II - both 100 passenger ultra deluxe ships. I've also been on Marina, Riviera, Quest and Viking Sun.

 

My partner and I loved the itineraries that we chose on these ships but didn't love the products themselves. We are still in our early to mid fifties and found the evenings to be a total bore. We like the "ship within a ship" concept as we can enjoy the luxury components during the day ("The Country Club") but enjoy all of the big ship amenities at night ("Downtown!")

 

We were also less than impressed with our fellow travelers on Ponant, Oceania and to a lesser extent, Viking.

 

We will both quickly turn around if you come behind us and say either word in my Avatar!  We're very fortunate to have the health and means to cruise. But .... we witnessed just horrible entitled behaviour and  nastiness among passengers towards staff and a need to "prove" your belonging there. In fact, on our last Oceania cruise, I ended up placing my hand if front of a particularly odious individual who was giving a staff person a tough time and said: "Take it down a notch. The fact that I'm standing in front of you pretty well proves that I can afford this as much as you can!"

[Redtravel]

I do not pick a ship expecting to have great entertainment. If I want a great show, I will see a show that I select on land. It is amazing when a cruise ship has a fabulous entertainer. Sadly, most cruises just fill their show lounge with acts from their favorite booking agency. I pick a ship and cruise line for itinerary, type of ship, food, service, type of accommodations, and dates. There are many options. Each person chooses a cruise for their own reasons. If you need big entertainment, you have to go on big ships. On a per guest cost, the big ships can have a show every night. Smaller ships are more low key. They often get local entertainers that enhance the experience of the port. Fado in Oporto, ribbon dancing in Majorca, male chorus in Dublin, wine and tapas in Spain, tribal dancers in Africa, puppet show in Germany, etc. they were timely, interesting, and a nice addition to the itinerary. Celebrity has big nightly shows, some good, some bad. They have production performances which are on all their ships for 5 years. . I have seen many too many times. Entertaining?  Sure. It’s something to do. Unforgettable? No. Most are just ok, nothing special. I have walked out on some shows. They were that bad. I cannot recall any Celebrity cruise that had local entertainment.  They also don’t have local food. It doesn’t matter where you sail, you get the same menus.  I am older than you, retired, and travel frequently. I often do b2b cruises.  When I was 50, I liked glitz.  As you get older, you appreciate different things. Great food, excellent service, interesting itinerary, and pleasant guests please me more than glitz. Have a great cruise on whatever ship you select.

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

  When I was 50, I liked glitz.  As you get older, you appreciate different things. Great food, excellent service, interesting itinerary, and pleasant guests please me more than glitz. Have a great cruise on whatever ship you select.

With all due respect, where did I say that I needed glitz? After 620 nights at sea, I think that I sort of have a vague understanding of how the industry works. I see about a dozen shows on Broadway every year and have ZERO expectation of ship shows. In fact, I saw NONE of the production shows on Summit.

 

My problem on the luxury lines was the paucity of good lounge acts, pianists and combos. It's almost as if they decided that "luxury" was mutually exclusive from entertaining and they could get by on, as you stated,  "Great food, excellent service, interesting itinerary, and pleasant guests". I would love the luxury lines to get rid of the generally awful production shows in order to fund the more low key and sophisticated entertainment that I desire.

 

The food on all of my "luxury" cruises was frequently (but not always) great, same with the service, I picked them specifically for the itineraries and my fellow guests were most definitely NOT pleasant.

[Alsmez]

45 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

 

My problem on the luxury lines was the paucity of good lounge acts, pianists and combos. It's almost as if they decided that "luxury" was mutually exclusive from entertaining and they could get by on, as you stated,  "Great food, excellent service, interesting itinerary, and pleasant guests". I would love the luxury lines to get rid of the generally awful production shows in order to fund the more low key and sophisticated entertainment that I desire.

 

Agreed, although I will say that I am starting to see a trend in this direction in my profession (opera singer). For many years, my colleagues who performed on cruise ships were basically relegated to singing a handful of operatic or "pop-eratic" hits within a larger production, or doing mostly musical theatre stuff with maybe one or two opportunities to throw in a classical or semi-classical number. However, I have had a number of friends lately who have done contracts on higher-end lines (Azamara, Oceania, Regent, Silversea, etc.) as part of a pianist/singer duo, performing thoughtfully-selected programs of American art song, German Lied, opera arias and classical crossover pieces in a more intimate way. I doubt this type of entertainment would fly on the mass market lines or bigger ships, but I am happy to see my fellow singers getting more opportunities to perform the music they really love for new audiences. I hope this trend proliferates on the smaller, upscale ships!

Edited June 1, 2019 by Alsmez

[Dr. Cocktail]

5 minutes ago, Alsmez said:

 

Agreed, although I will say that I am starting to see a trend in this direction in my profession (opera singer). For many years, my colleagues who performed on cruise ships were basically relegated to singing a handful of operatic or "pop-eratic" hits within a larger production, or doing mostly musical theatre stuff with maybe one or two opportunities to throw in a classical or semi-classical number. However, I have had a number of friends lately who have done contracts on higher-end lines (Azamara, Oceania, Regent, Silversea, etc.) as part of a pianist/singer duo, performing thoughtfully-selected programs of American art song, German Lied, opera arias and classical crossover pieces in a more intimate way. I doubt this type of entertainment would fly on the mass market lines or bigger ships, but I am happy to see my fellow singers getting more opportunities to perform the music they really love for new audiences. I hope this trend proliferates on the smaller, upscale ships!

Now why weren't you on our sailing????!!!! (... of course if you were, they probably would have asked the four of us to leave wherever we happened to be .....)

 

I was extremely displeased that we didn't have the much hyped ABT on our sailing - did you?

 

Our first sailing on Seaside had a first for us ... every evening at 10:30 there was a recital with piano, violin, tenor and soprano. While the quality was most definitely not *ahem* Toronto quality and most definitely not NYC, it was most certainly unique, much appreciated and extremely enjoyed by all those present!

 

Unfortunately, it was axed because of negative comments - likely by those who didn't attend, not by the 300+ who did!

 

They still do a weekly "cruise" version of Butterfly (!!!!) where all of the orchestra and chorus are on click track except for Pinkerton and Cio-Cio San. It's astoundingly appalling and wonderful at the same time and it's PACKED! Gotta' love an Italian crowd!

 

Among our favourite entertainments EVER on a ship was anchored off of Sorrento on a spectacular September evening on Azamara Quest. They brought in a terrific, good-natured young  local tenor for a poolside concert (with the house band) at around 10 pm where basically EVERYONE showed up. The repertoire was classic Italian cheese but with the magic  ingredients of alcohol, a starlit sky, Vesuvius and an extremely happy bunch of people! 

[Alsmez]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Now why weren't you on our sailing????!!!! (... of course if you were, they probably would have asked the four of us to leave wherever we happened to be .....)

 

I was extremely displeased that we didn't have the much hyped ABT on our sailing - did you?

 

Our first sailing on Seaside had a first for us ... every evening at 10:30 there was a recital with piano, violin, tenor and soprano. While the quality was most definitely not *ahem* Toronto quality and most definitely not NYC, it was most certainly unique, much appreciated and extremely enjoyed by all those present!

 

Unfortunately, it was axed because of negative comments - likely by those who didn't attend, not by the 300+ who did!

 

They still do a weekly "cruise" version of Butterfly (!!!!) where all of the orchestra and chorus are on click track except for Pinkerton and Cio-Cio San. It's astoundingly appalling and wonderful at the same time and it's PACKED! Gotta' love an Italian crowd!

 

Ha! We would have LOVED to hang with you...if only there were a sing-a-long piano bar on Celebrity ships!!!!! 

 

No ABT on our cruise. We popped our heads into the Not Quite Three Tenors concert and left almost immediately (my husband is also an opera singer...a tenor at that!). Now that I know Seaside does a cruise version of Butterfly I can't decide whether I should book immediately, run screaming the other direction, or try to get my husband a contract! LOL!!!!!!!!!!! If only I could sing Cio Cio San (at 6'0" I am WAY more valkyrie than geisha)!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

4 hours ago, Redtravel said:

 I cannot recall any Celebrity cruise that had local entertainment.  They also don’t have local food. It doesn’t matter where you sail, you get the same menus.  

 

Well, I have a few nights at sea as well.  On a B2B in the Med last spring on the Connie, local food was brought on board to the buffet for the evening meal.  It was great!

 

I really have no expectations for entertainment on cruise ships.  Best I have found so far is the entertainment in the Topsail Lounge on MSC in the Yacht Club.

 

And I don't care for glitz.

[Dr. Cocktail]

4 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

 

I really have no expectations for entertainment on cruise ships.  Best I have found so far is the entertainment in the Topsail Lounge on MSC in the Yacht Club.

 

And I don't care for glitz.

The Topsail nightly entertainment was a 100% pleasure on my three sailings this past year.

 

One of the THREE main reasons (seriously) that I returned to Celebrity was the promise of live entertainment in the Retreat. I love my evenings with a cocktail (or 5...) in the Topsail and was hoping for something similar on Celebrity. When I asked the Concierge about it,  they knew nothing about it and said that was most definitely never mentioned.

When I showed it to them on the website, they were positively dumbfounded.

 

It now appears that the promise of live entertainment in The Retreat has been removed from the website......

[Dr. Cocktail]

5 hours ago, Alsmez said:

 

Ha! We would have LOVED to hang with you...if only there were a sing-a-long piano bar on Celebrity ships!!!!! 

 

No ABT on our cruise. We popped our heads into the Not Quite Three Tenors concert and left almost immediately (my husband is also an opera singer...a tenor at that!). Now that I know Seaside does a cruise version of Butterfly I can't decide whether I should book immediately, run screaming the other direction, or try to get my husband a contract! LOL!!!!!!!!!!! If only I could sing Cio Cio San (at 6'0" I am WAY more valkyrie than geisha)!

Aside from his "day job", my partner has a degree in piano performance and has sung since he was a little kid.

 

About 20 years ago, he took over the piano one afternoon in the America's Cup Club (say that 20 times quickly...) on Celebrity Zenith and played through his as of then current Broadway songbook. After a particularly stirring rendition of "With One Look" from Sunset Boulevard, an older Gentleman sitting next to me turned to his wife and said: "I don't know what the hell that was but I liked it!"

[Fogfog]

7 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

The Topsail nightly entertainment was a 100% pleasure on my three sailings this past year.

 

One of the THREE main reasons (seriously) that I returned to Celebrity was the promise of live entertainment in the Retreat. I love my evenings with a cocktail (or 5...) in the Topsail and was hoping for something similar on Celebrity. When I asked the Concierge about it,  they knew nothing about it and said that was most definitely never mentioned.

When I showed it to them on the website, they were positively dumbfounded.

 

It now appears that the promise of live entertainment in The Retreat has been removed from the website......

This is disappointing

 

We have enjoyed jazz ensembles, string duets, etc when they played in the Ensemble Lounge... There was one group from Argentina and they did great jazz. The vocalist --she had a lovely voice and style.  They were very popular on that sailing.

 

On our recent TA there was a jazz group--one night they were slotted for the Sky Lounge and when we arrived-- there were maybe 6 others there and the bar wasn't open. The band was terrific and played many classics. When an Officer came through--I asked him WHY would Celebrity put such a great band in a venue --and yet the bar was closed... It was after 9. So Celebrity honestly did not support a great act/talent. It has to be disheartening to be a band that is expected to play to closed bar=an empty lounge 

 

On the  recent TA we saw several of the stage shows because the couple we met (and subsequently joined for dinner about 10 times) encouraged it... "Strings" was odd and we kept wondering what the plot was... The "Broadway" music one was good though we thought they could have chosen something really from the 60s era and not do 80s" Hairspray, and the show headlined by the one male lead where he sang a variety of pieces--he was strong/talented.

The issue on our B2B this fall--will be -- I believe--that  all of those shows are fleetwide so it will be deja-vous...   We walked out on the "pearl" in spring 2018...sigh. I believe it is still being performed. Maybe the second time is the charm.

 

We are headed for a B2B on MSC in Feb to see how we like YC. Honestly looking fwd to the experience of YC and are open minded to the entertainment. We hope to find a variety in music. As part of each sailing we do have tickets to the two different Cirque de Soleil shows on board--one for each sailing. I think we will find ourselves in TopSail and a single malt in hand

 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

On 6/1/2019 at 8:12 AM, Fogfog said:

What are the demographics Celebrity is chasing now?

Watching the video from "Sunday Morning"s story-- and I realize that RCCL is the parent company...

How do you think they are slicing/dicing the demographics?

If it is true that about 3% of north american res cruise annually, less than 1.5% in the EU and a fractional amount in Asia...and Fang (and RCCL) are bullish...

who are they chasing?

 

Just getting caught up here!

 

An extremely interesting question - Royal Caribbean now owns lines across the entire spectrum - Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara and Silversea as well as part ownership of some European lines.

 

Celebrity really appears to be pushing the design component whereas they used to primarily push the cuisine. I’m sure head office has lots of metrics that somehow attaches a certain value to the various components.

 

I’ve  never felt that they defined themselves as much as the competition.

 

So ..... an extremely long non-answer!

Edited June 2, 2019 by Dr. Cocktail

[Fogfog]

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

An extremely interesting question - Royal Caribbean now owns lines across the entire spectrum - Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara and Silversea as well as part ownership of some European lines.

 

Over the years the dining has changed. Not always for the better--- though we had more hits than misses in BLU.

And we really enjoy Murano.

Service has been consistently good/great.

 

We aren't shipboard rollercoaster types.

However motown sing along/dancing in the sky lounge during a baltics sailing was great fun HA!

Happy for a jazz trio and a single malt as well

 

The E class ships are certainly looking for a wider variety of pax.  

 

And the Retreat is Celebrity's response to Haven and YC

 

Very competitive market

 

 

[Cruise a holic]

13 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Over the years the dining has changed. Not always for the better--- though we had more hits than misses in BLU.

And we really enjoy Murano.

Service has been consistently good/great.

 

We aren't shipboard rollercoaster types.

However motown sing along/dancing in the sky lounge during a baltics sailing was great fun HA!

Happy for a jazz trio and a single malt as well

 

The E class ships are certainly looking for a wider variety of pax.  

 

And the Retreat is Celebrity's response to Haven and YC

 

Very competitive market

 

 

However a big difference.  With Celebrity you get the suite perks, even with entry level sky suites, which for some, can be affordable.  The Haven on NCL is very expensive.  So less people can afford it.  The YC I have no idea if it is affordable- but I do know you do not have to be in a suite to get the perks-  But thus far, that isn't the line for me

[PRH]

On MSC, if you are YC you are in a “suite” with the perks of premium beverage package throughout the ship, thecTSL which offers snacks, etc. all day into th3 evening as well as bar service—and cocktail hour entertainment of fine quality, a restaurant, and butler service.  We had internet included.  What are you missing on MSC?

[xznwfd]

On 5/23/2019 at 8:49 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

The “Fromagerie” is where cheddar, jack, and cheesoid substances go to die.

 

When did bologna become an hors’ d'oeuvre?  Many of the events featured rolled up baloney bits with a toothpick. NO.

 

 

Dr. Cocktail!  I sure do miss your sense of humor - love the quotes above.  😄  I was so interested to read your review of Celebrity - I've sailed them a few times but not in the past 10 years or so.  I always loved their food, sounds like that has gone downhill a bit.  Have to agree with you that the Yacht Club is the best value out there, and hope we meet up with you and D in another lovely YC lounge!!!

 

Cathy and Joe

[Dr. Cocktail]

2 hours ago, xznwfd said:

Dr. Cocktail!  I sure do miss your sense of humor - love the quotes above.  😄  I was so interested to read your review of Celebrity - I've sailed them a few times but not in the past 10 years or so.  I always loved their food, sounds like that has gone downhill a bit.  Have to agree with you that the Yacht Club is the best value out there, and hope we meet up with you and D in another lovely YC lounge!!!

 

Cathy and Joe

So nice to hear from you!!!!

 

We enjoyed our Summit cruise despite all of the negatives and will try Equinox again but no plans to return  to Celebrity after that.

 

Primarily back to the YC with some deviations. It’s getting more expensive but still superb value! 

[Covepointcruiser]

Sounds like you should cancel the Equinox.   You are not happy with Celebrity and there are other cruise lines.    I know the Equinox does not have an itinerary that can’t be duplicated on countless other lines.

[Dr. Cocktail]

38 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Sounds like you should cancel the Equinox.   You are not happy with Celebrity and there are other cruise lines.    I know the Equinox does not have an itinerary that can’t be duplicated on countless other lines.

I'm sorry .... I must have misunderstood the name of this website. I think it's still called "cruisecritic", not "Celebrity Sycophant".

 

I'm not here to make you happy by validating your choice to sail on Celebrity. 

 

I did NOT say that I was unhappy with Celebrity - if you took the time to read my full review,  I presented the pros and cons of my experience in what I hoped was a fair critique.  When I'm spending a lot of money for a Suite, I have certain expectations - many of which were not met. By presenting  my observations here, I am hopefully providing information for other cruisers.

 

Equinox (as you know) is a completely different class of ship but one that will also receive the new, albeit already diminished Suite Class. If everyone only wrote non-critical, effusive reviews, what would be the point of this site?

 

Unlike many on these boards, I became a "free agent" six years ago when I "broke" the bonds of loyalty and chose my sailings based on itinerary, amenities and needs for a particular voyage.

 

I'll let you know when you can make my decisions for me.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Dr. Cocktail

[Cruise a holic]

On ‎5‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 12:18 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

Hey TeeRick:

 

I wish it was Michael's Club with new furniture! They removed the main focal areas of the lounge, namely the piano and the bar. As I said, there's really no reason to spend time there unless your ego needs massaging with the knowledge that it's "exclusive".

 

The outside area could have been great with a canvas covering on the dining area and some pergolas or umbrellas.

Guess you haven't tried Michaels club- it is an oasis on the ship.   My Ego doesn't need any massaging- as I get that from my family, friends and satisfaction from my job.  But it is nice to have a quiet drink, cup of tea etc in the club environment.  Also the suite deck is a nice perk also.

[vulcan1971]

On 6/3/2019 at 6:07 AM, Cruise a holic said:

However a big difference.  With Celebrity you get the suite perks, even with entry level sky suites, which for some, can be affordable.  The Haven on NCL is very expensive.  So less people can afford it.  The YC I have no idea if it is affordable- but I do know you do not have to be in a suite to get the perks-  But thus far, that isn't the line for me

 

Hello Cruise a holic,

 

The range of suite benefits on Celebrity for all types of suite staterooms is varied as you go up in suite category compared to NCL.  On NCL, you are much more likely have to have very similar benefits and level of personal treatment regardless of which suite category you book.  At least that has been my experience, which can be different for different folks.  With regard to the price, you assert that "The Haven on NCL is very expensive."  Did you mean that in comparison to Celebrity (in general) or relative to other types of stateroom categories on NCL? I would disagree, but I would couch my remarks in that you have to be watching prices frequently enough, regardless of cruise line, and be ready and able to pull the trigger when you see a price you are willing to pay for the type of stateroom you are booking (and perceived benefit of included perks).  My suite experience rests mostly with NCL because Celebrity did not have a true "Retreat" experience like they do on the Edge Class ship now. At that time when I would book the Haven (2011 - 2016), I thought the cost I paid on NCL was cheap relative to what I would have gotten on Celebrity.  Today, I might have to reconsider that based on itinerary, etc.  I have not had a full  suite experience on Celebrity since all of the new benefits and perks have been implemented, but in all my reading of what folks have posted, I can speak for myself in saying that I most likely would be happier on NCL (Haven) or MSC (Yacht Club). I do have plans to try an E-Class ship in the next couple of years, but nothing booked or reserved.

 

I'm not a Celebrity cheerleader, but I do find myself cruising more on Celebrity, but not for their suite product.

[vulcan1971]

On 6/4/2019 at 4:17 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

So nice to hear from you!!!!

 

We enjoyed our Summit cruise despite all of the negatives and will try Equinox again but no plans to return  to Celebrity after that.

 

Primarily back to the YC with some deviations. It’s getting more expensive but still superb value! 

 

Hello Dr. Cocktail,

 

I was recently on the Summit for the Independence Day cruise (27June - 07July) in an Aqua Class Cabin on Deck 9. While the overall cruise was not perfect, it was not horrible, either. We generally had a good time. It was our first time back in Aqua Class in several years.  After several cruises in the MDR, I found that my partner and I were ordering more of our food from the MDR than from Blu. That combined with an extremely loud, obnoxious table of of 6 (i.e., drunk), we found the intimate venue to be not so desirable on this cruise.  While I have long been a big proponent of M-Class ships, I was not overly impressed with some of the refit changes, including many of the changes in our Aqua Class stateroom. My partner and I have been trying other cruise ship experiences in the past and are likely to continue to do so on cruise lines other than Celebrity.

 

I second that it would be great to cross paths with you on a  cruise some day.  Thank you for your review and sharing your thoughts.

[Dr. Cocktail]

9 hours ago, vulcan1971 said:

 

Hello Dr. Cocktail,

 

I was recently on the Summit for the Independence Day cruise (27June - 07July) in an Aqua Class Cabin on Deck 9. While the overall cruise was not perfect, it was not horrible, either. We generally had a good time. It was our first time back in Aqua Class in several years.  After several cruises in the MDR, I found that my partner and I were ordering more of our food from the MDR than from Blu. That combined with an extremely loud, obnoxious table of of 6 (i.e., drunk), we found the intimate venue to be not so desirable on this cruise.  While I have long been a big proponent of M-Class ships, I was not overly impressed with some of the refit changes, including many of the changes in our Aqua Class stateroom. My partner and I have been trying other cruise ship experiences in the past and are likely to continue to do so on cruise lines other than Celebrity.

 

I second that it would be great to cross paths with you on a  cruise some day.  Thank you for your review and sharing your thoughts.

Sorry to hear that Blu was such a disappointment as well as some of the cruise components in general.

 

While we were  supposed to sail on Equinox in August, we recently had to cancel. After having had two months to reflect on our May sailing, I don't think we will be booking any more cruises on Celebrity.

 

It is ultimately is no longer a good fit for us. We're returning to the YC and the Haven and will also try Regent. I am also returning to Oceania strictly for the itinerary.  I may see you one day on another line also jumping (most definitely figuratively, not literally!) ship!

Edited July 22, 2019 by Dr. Cocktail

[rattanchair]

On 5/23/2019 at 8:49 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

I am still returning to Equinox to see how an S-Class ship compares.

Dear Dr. C,  Thanks for the great review, and I thought I was a reviewer. You included so much more. I for sure will not book an M class from reading your review. In returning to the Equinox next summer sandwiched in between two Seasides, we will be asking for a waiter named Luis, tall, slender, young, from the Dominican Republic. Had him twice so far, very attentive and always  'God blessing' you.  If you do not mind being blessed with each encounter, he is your man.  Yours truly, RC

[Olive1950]

This thread was very informative for me.  I will be doing the NJ-Dublin_Boston in August 2020 on Summit, in a PH with two fellow cruisers.  I cannot wait to experience the Hoppinization of those once lovely penthouses.  I will try to reserve judgment until then; but I have already begun writing my post-cruise comments.

 

I'm getting ready for an Equinox cruise in October; then Antarctica in January.  When I set foot in Boston on August 30, 2020, I will be Zenith.  I probably should've kicked Celebrity to the curb years ago, but I have too much time invested in them to not reach Zenith with them, so I shall.

 

After that, I'll take my FREE cruise and ponder my options.  I will only have one other goal:  taking my 100th cruise.  I'll be at 91 next year, so some cruise line will have to deal with me for 9 sailings.  This is, of course, based on me still being alive and able to cruise....

 

I am hopeful that this Hoppinization crap will slow down, or even grind to a HALT.  This woman has NO SENSE OF STYLE OR TASTE.  She further doesn't grasp the fact that people willing to shell out vast sums of money want opulence rather than sparseness; cabinets and drawers rather than shelves; seating that is comfortable rather than stools.

 

I know that at times I need a filter; sadly, my filter last night was XO cognac, and this is the result....  But at least it is off my chest.  FLAME AWAY!!!!

 

 

[rattanchair]

Dear Olive, You are my kind of individual.  A word of advice on your trip to Antarctica: Make sure you are first off the ship if you have a port stop in McMurdo station. The other stops are not as important, a penquin is a penquin , and they are not going anywhere. But McMurdo has a kiosk loaded with souvenirs that will be wiped out by the first passengers off the ship. Similar to walking into an empty Soviet Vladivostok commissary in the 1990's.