The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is another from the 2016 Seabourn transatlantic:

 

 

Roy

[BWIVince]

@KenzSailing, Did I offend your sensibilities with the gas station sushi reference?  😀

 

Vince

[KenzSailing]

6 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

@KenzSailing, Did I offend your sensibilities with the gas station sushi reference?  😀

 

Vince

 

Ha!

 

Not at all.  In fact, I have a couple hundred word draft doc in Word replying to it.  Then I stepped back, reread it, and realized I didn't even understand what I was saying.  So I'm waiting for my mental fog to lift, and then I'll be prepared to discuss gas and raw fish.  

[BWIVince]

42 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Ha!

 

Not at all.  In fact, I have a couple hundred word draft doc in Word replying to it.  Then I stepped back, reread it, and realized I didn't even understand what I was saying.  So I'm waiting for my mental fog to lift, and then I'll be prepared to discuss gas and raw fish.  

 

Take your time -- I wasn't trying to rush you, just worried I offended the fellow foodies on the board.  🙂

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

Take your time -- I wasn't trying to rush you, just worried I offended the fellow foodies on the board.  🙂

 

We love sushi!! Never bought it in a gas station though!!!! 😁

 

[BEAV]

2 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 So I'm waiting for my mental fog to lift....

 

Will that be an event we’ll all be able to recognize? 

 

Or is OLoPP the only soul who can spot that phenomenon....? 🤷‍♂️

[BWIVince]

36 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

We love sushi!! Never bought it in a gas station though!!!! 😁

 

In my job, I’m not too ashamed to admit I’ve had it many times.  🤢 It’s usually some sort of pre-made roll made of cooked ingredients good for a couple of days...  Sometimes it’s not as bad as the other options in the case that you have to choose from, so it’s all relative.

 

Closer to home, out here in the sticks, I have to say our gas stations have actually elevated customizable fast food to an art form though.  😁 If it can be fried, griddled, blended, dressed or nuked, Sheetz has it available for order.

 

Vince

[MightyQuinn]

On 12/10/2020 at 6:52 PM, KenzSailing said:

I know this is a little fussy, I'd like to just toss the spuds in and say "do your thing," but the results are worth the effort.

 

Happy cooking!

 

 

Thanks to you @KenzSailingwe bought the Philips Compact Airfryer today, digital of course!  Also ordered America's Test Kitchen "Air Fryer Perfection" but just like @JunelovestocruiseI couldn't find the spiral bound edition in Canada.  So excited to have this stuff and can't wait to get cooking. Yam fries up first!

[KenzSailing]

16 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Thanks to you @KenzSailingwe bought the Philips Compact Airfryer today, digital of course!  Also ordered America's Test Kitchen "Air Fryer Perfection" but just like @JunelovestocruiseI couldn't find the spiral bound edition in Canada.  So excited to have this stuff and can't wait to get cooking. Yam fries up first!

 

Exciting!

 

Can't wait to hear how the yams turn out.

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, BEAV said:

 

Will that be an event we’ll all be able to recognize? 

 

Or is OLoPP the only soul who can spot that phenomenon....? 🤷‍♂️

 

Ooooh, feisty.

 

And just when I was putting together my chicken parm dinner invite list.

 

(I'm kidding of course.)

 

And OLoPP reads me like an x-ray.

[BEAV]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

Closer to home, out here in the sticks, I have to say our gas stations have actually elevated customizable fast food to an art form though.  😁 If it can be fried, griddled, blended, dressed or nuked, Sheetz has it available for order.

 

For a minute there I thought you were trying to camouflage a naughty four letter word. But after a second read, I googled Sheetz and read the very informative Wikipedia description. 

 

I well remember Stuckey’s on your coast, but have never heard of Sheetz. Sounds like a true slice of Americana! Can you comment on their Sheetz Pop or Sheetz Bros Coffeez? And are you a card carrying member of their Sheetz Freakz Club? 

 

I obviously need need to get out more. Post-Covid, of course. 

[BWIVince]

12 hours ago, BEAV said:

 

For a minute there I thought you were trying to camouflage a naughty four letter word. But after a second read, I googled Sheetz and read the very informative Wikipedia description. 

 

I well remember Stuckey’s on your coast, but have never heard of Sheetz. Sounds like a true slice of Americana! Can you comment on their Sheetz Pop or Sheetz Bros Coffeez? And are you a card carrying member of their Sheetz Freakz Club? 

 

I obviously need need to get out more. Post-Covid, of course. 

 

When you finally make it out this way, I know where we're stopping.  😉

 

The Coffeez aren't bad...  Their regular brewed coffee setup is something like you'd see at 7-11, but the coffee is pretty high quality and everything is timed/refreshed frequently.  The barista creations I'd equate to Dunkin' if I had to pick something...  It's not the same caliber as Starbucks (and generally cheaper) but better than McCafe.  I think the value proposition is the accessibility and the fact that you can pair it with almost any fast food item under the sun in the ordering system.  Also, since they've had a touch-screen ordering system for almost 20 years, they were the leaders in customization long before their competitors had online ordering and apps, so you could always get whatever kind of crazy ingredients you wanted in your food or beverage.

 

Our convenience store chains in my county have all been invading from the north.  Sheetz (PA), Rutter's (PA) and Wawa (NJ) are now the dominant companies in my neighborhood, and all of them arrived in the past 25-30 years or so.

Now I definitely need some coffee!

 

Vince

Edited December 13, 2020 by BWIVince

[rafinmd]

A subdued sunrise today from my 2013 Amazon cruise:

 

 

 

I'm pretty basic in my coffee desires.  My first choice is usually half light roast and half decaf at Panera, but I probably buy more McDonalds than anything else; it suits me just fine.  On the ship it's the coffee first thing in the lido, and later the basic brewed at the Bistro.

Roy

Edited December 13, 2020 by rafinmd
coffee

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I'm pretty basic in my coffee desires.  My first choice is usually half light roast and half decaf at Panera, but I probably buy more McDonalds than anything else; it suits me just fine.  On the ship it's the coffee first thing in the lido, and later the basic brewed at the Bistro.

Roy

 

I'm with you, Roy. The beauty of drinking coffee black is you can always get it the way you like it. Not a fan of Starbucks as I find it too bitter, and I dislike their ordering system. I went in one a few years back and asked for a plain, black coffee and the kid starts spewing a list of nonsense at me. I told him I didn't speak Starbuck's and could he give me a plain, black coffee?? Yes or no. 🙂

[BEAV]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

 

I'm with you, Roy. The beauty of drinking coffee black is you can always get it the way you like it. Not a fan of Starbucks as I find it too bitter, and I dislike their ordering system. I went in one a few years back and asked for a plain, black coffee and the kid starts spewing a list of nonsense at me. I told him I didn't speak Starbuck's and could he give me a plain, black coffee?? Yes or no. 🙂

 

Yeah, I don’t belong to the Starbucks cult, either. You know you’re in trouble when you want their smallest size pour, but it’s called a tall. 🙄 And I’m a freak in their view since I, too, just want black coffee without an added 50 ingredients. 

 

I find much more love at Peet’s, a local Bay Area company founded in Berkeley. 

 

4 hours ago, BWIVince said:

 Also, since they've had a touch-screen ordering system for almost 20 years, they were the leaders in customization long before their competitors had online ordering and apps, so you could always get whatever kind of crazy ingredients you wanted in your food or beverage.

 

I was impressed that they have their own kitchen and bakery pumping out their own brand of fast foods. I might be interested in trying their sushi, for the novelty alone. But my problem would be wanting to pair it with Nobu’s Chardonnay! 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by BEAV

[Noggins]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

A subdued sunrise today from my 2013 Amazon cruise:

 

 

 

I'm pretty basic in my coffee desires.  My first choice is usually half light roast and half decaf at Panera, but I probably buy more McDonalds than anything else; it suits me just fine.  On the ship it's the coffee first thing in the lido, and later the basic brewed at the Bistro.

Roy

Thanks to Roy I have been off cruising again!

Well, as near as you can get these days....

As many of you will know, Roy keeps a splendid log of every trip and as he has done so very many trips there is quite a back catalogue. Fortunately I had the foresight not to read every one when he first posted and I have quite a few unread ones to enjoy.

Roy, thank you - and as far as I am concerned you are about to board the MS Oosterdam in Vancouver. I am only just 'back' from your Blount cruise to Nantucket etc and with no re-packing or laundry necessary I'm all ready looking forward to this next trip! 

(with apologies if I have made you even more wistful for your next cruise..)

Edited December 13, 2020 by Noggins

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, Noggins said:

I am only just 'back' from your Blount cruise to Nantucket etc and with no re-packing or laundry necessary I'm all ready looking forward to this next trip! 

(with apologies if I have made you even more wistful for your next cruise..)

I'm really wistful for Blount since they were one of the earlier casualties of the Pandemic.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is the last from my 2012 Monarch of the Seas Cruise.  We had just docked in Port Canaveral and that day I flew to San Juan for my nephew's wedding and cruise on the Celebrity Summit:

 

 

Roy

[ChatKat in Ca.]

54 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is the last from my 2012 Monarch of the Seas Cruise.  We had just docked in Port Canaveral and that day I flew to San Juan for my nephew's wedding and cruise on the Celebrity Summit:

 

 

Roy

I took my twin granddaughter on Monarch on the California LA/Mexico itinerary.  I have several stories about that sailing not suitable for the Crystal Board complete with BellyFlop contests and drunk college students.   We named it "Monster of the Seas" 120 CF cabin was all that was available and I was able to get adjoining cabins. The time with the twins was priceless but it reminds me why I am not ever going on that kind of ship again.

[rafinmd]

34 minutes ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

I took my twin granddaughter on Monarch on the California LA/Mexico itinerary.  I have several stories about that sailing not suitable for the Crystal Board complete with BellyFlop contests and drunk college students.   We named it "Monster of the Seas" 120 CF cabin was all that was available and I was able to get adjoining cabins. The time with the twins was priceless but it reminds me why I am not ever going on that kind of ship again.

That class of ship has it's real diehard fans, although I never understood it and Monarch and at least one of her sisters have made it to the scrap yard,  I think every cruise line has some activities that most of us will never attend, and the Bellyflop is a Royal Caribbean standard.  The best think I can say about it is it's usually a nice uncrowded time for an early or late lunch.  The best thing about Royal for me is they sail from Baltimore.

 

Roy

[ChatKat in Ca.]

40 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

That class of ship has it's real diehard fans, although I never understood it and Monarch and at least one of her sisters have made it to the scrap yard,

 

Roy

I was on her sister, The  Viking Serenade which also did the LA/Mexico runs and the Splendor of the Seas as well when it was launched in the Caribbean.  Yes, fun for a first timer who did not know better and it fits for somethings.  Well, none fit for now.  I doubt we would sail any line until at least 2022...

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

That class of ship has it's real diehard fans, although I never understood it and Monarch and at least one of her sisters have made it to the scrap yard,  I think every cruise line has some activities that most of us will never attend, and the Bellyflop is a Royal Caribbean standard.  The best think I can say about it is it's usually a nice uncrowded time for an early or late lunch.  The best thing about Royal for me is they sail from Baltimore.

 

Roy

I believe the other one was Sovereign, the lead ship in the class, and the largest cruise ship in the world when she entered service in 1990.

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

I believe the other one was Sovereign, the lead ship in the class, and the largest cruise ship in the world when she entered service in 1990.

 

I think she entered service in January of 1988...  The only reason that stands out in my mind is because they launched Nordic Empress in 1990, with a lot of the brand standards set by Sovereign.  

 

I'll go out on a limb and say I was infatuated with Sovereign when she was built.  I was studying architecture at the time, and it fascinated me how to upscale every aspect of the cruise experience on a scale that large without causing inconveniences...  Not to mention all of the new features like the Centrum.  To a teenager, it was pretty cool -- though I had just sailed on the original Sun Princess (ex-Spirit of London from 1975) the prior year, so perspective is everything.  lol

 

Vince

Edited December 14, 2020 by BWIVince

[BWIVince]

RCCL released this video after Sovereign of the Seas was christened, and I watched it on VHS more times than I can count checking out the details of the design.  (Seriously, this is what ship geeks do.)  Anyway, anyone that wants to wander down memory lane, I find it kind of like a time capsule to how the ship was, how RCCL was, and how the industry was at the time.  It's always interesting to hear what they call out in the videos, sometimes funny in retrospect, sometimes sad.

 

 

Huge thanks to whomever converted or posted this to YouTube.

 

Vince

 

[BEAV]

15 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

I think she entered service in January of 1988...  The only reason that stands out in my mind is because they launched Nordic Empress in 1990, with a lot of the brand standards set by Sovereign.  

 

I'll go out on a limb and say I was infatuated with Sovereign when she was built.  I was studying architecture at the time, and it fascinated me how to upscale every aspect of the cruise experience on a scale that large without causing inconveniences...  Not to mention all of the new features like the Centrum.  To a teenager, it was pretty cool -- though I had just sailed on the original Sun Princess (ex-Spirit of London from 1975) the prior year, so perspective is everything.  lol

 

Vince

I was just in our maritime-themed bathroom (true confession!) snapping this photo as you were posting, Vince. 
 

Apologies for the poor photo quality. 
 

It’s an introductory poster of Sovereign announcing the maiden voyage as being January 16, 1988 from Miami. My hubby’s side hustle in that era was in outside sales for the Bay Area-based Emporium-Capwell department store’s travel service. No doubt that’s where/how he obtained the poster.