Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[bcscot]

Ross: Your story of the QE2 sounds just like an episode of 'Brideshead'!!!(oh no, not again!!!).:D

 

I was told that last winter on the Prinsendam's Antarctic voyage, the storm was so bad that they had to turn & head back to sheltered waters. All the tables & chairs on the Lido verandah were piled up in a heap in one corner. As the ship rocked violently, the old ladies who were having great difficulty staying on their feet, grabbed onto the heavy chairs in the lounges & dining room for support. Unfortunately for them, the chairs started to slide about the floor,the old ladies tottering along behind them, still holding on for all they were worth!

 

The story of the vertical legs reminded me of being upstairs on a BA jumbo jet some years ago. I was standing at the top of the stairs stretching my legs when a stewardess came by, tripped & took a headlong plunge down the stairs. Grabbing onto the rail with one hand, I lunged forwards & managed to catch her by the ankle with my other hand. For a moment, there we hung, me outstretched & her hanging upside down by the ankle, skirt over her head! I must say that she regained her composure very quickly!

 

The strange thing was that they had given me a bottle of champagne before this event & for no apparent reason. This has never happened to me on a plane before or since. I think that they must have had a premonition!

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

Back in the day, I used to unbuckle my seat belt on a plane as we approached the gate, the better to be able to be first in the line at the door when it opened. Many of the passengers did the same thing.

 

A "stewardess" came to the coach section to take two small children by the hands and lead them off the plane. Most of us were standing in the aisle as the plane rolled to the gate.

 

A hundred yards from the gate, the pilot suddenly jammed on the brakes. The stewardess was thrown up in the air, flew over two rows of seats, and fell in a heap between them. She was smart enough to drop the hands of the children when she felt herself becoming airborne so they were not injured, but it was an amazing, scary incident. We knew she was hurt although she tried to shake it off when she regained her feet.

 

Ever since then, I have remained in my seat "with your seat belt buckled, until the Captain turns off the seat belt light."

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Anybody got any ideas about which song should be played for the Kazoo Salute at the gangway of the Nostalgia Cruise? We need a olde but honourable tune of yesteryear. Ruby

 

How about 'The Entrance of the Queen of Sheeba'?

 

Graham.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI GRAHAM!!!

 

What an experience on the 747!!! I would have loved to have heard your comeback to the stewardess once she regained her equilibrium!!! Which reminds me of the story about the Englishman in the park on a windy day...LOL...later...LOL!!!:D

 

Ross

[bcscot]

I am totally uneducated in the field of martinis. Both Conte & Donald (not to mention 007) have professed their love for this famous form of beverage. Looking at the martini list on HAL ships, they seem to concoct all manner of sweet & dry mixtures that go by the name of martini, having only gin or vodka in common. The purists however (like Conte), seem to enjoy almost pure straight gin with a hint of dry vermouth & a green olive. Is this the case?

 

Conte: Does such a tiny addition of dry vermouth make much difference to the taste of neat gin, & does the olive add much in the way of flavour? Is it important for it to be cold? Shaking or stirring, does it matter which?

 

Donald: What is your idea of martini heaven? I am always trying to educate my palate as well as my mind & this seems to be an area in which I have much to learn.

 

Now on the subject of single malt whiskies, wines & quality beers, I am not such a neophyte.

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

Graham, my martini heaven is the 50/50. It's equal parts of vodka and gin, plus a splash of vermouth. It isn't a martini without the vermouth. I like mine shaken, as it gets cold from the ice, plus a bit of water from the ice gets mixed with the alcohol, so that I don't feel the effects too quickly.

 

On the Mercury last July, I mentioned the 50/50 to a couple from Florida at my dining room table. They told me the next day that they tried it in the Martini Bar, and they were impressed as to how much they liked it.

 

Olives are merely an embellishment to the martini, much like slices of apples to martinis with apple schnapps, or tiny umbrellas to cocktails. Martinis look "nude" without swizzle sticks. I don't care for sweet martinis (an opinon which seems to be shared by Conte), which is why I stick with the 50/50.

 

As for beer (which I don't have except at parties or on cruises), I drink Grolsch. On the Zaandam, in Crow's Nest during the cruise connections event I asked for Grolsch, but the server said that they only serve cans of beer, not bottles, so I opted for Heineken. It wasn't as satisfying as Grolsch.

 

D'maniac.

[Conte Di Savoia]

A true martini is gin and dry vermouth, the volume of the latter varying by the taste of the drinker. I prefer a capful, my partner a drop. The martini, however, has become a name attached to almost any drink which has gin or vodka as the primary ingredient and a variety of other ingredients. These are ersatz martinis. Vodka was substituted for the gin in mid-20th century possibly because of its odorless and milder ‘kick’. Shake, stir, swirl, strain or whatever…it’s a matter of taste. I would add that the addition of olive or twist of lemon zest is also a matter of taste as is up or on rocks. The addition of some other ingredients may change the name. A cocktail onion with gin and dry vermouth is a Gibson or a Gibson martini. But the use of lemon zest does not make a lemontini which has Cointreau lining the glass prior to the mixture of lemon vodka and dry vermouth. Dirty martinis have the addition of some of the olive brine. I prefer to remove the brine from our olive jar and replace it with dry vermouth. Currently I favor jalapeño stuffed olives. Yes, the martini should be cold! (the Bombay resides in the freezer at our house).

 

I credit friends of ours for ensuring that HAL serves a proper martini. HAL served their martinis in small wine glasses (gasp!!). Our friends resorted to brining their own proper martini stemware which they presented to the bartender with instructions on how to make a proper vodka martini. This attracted the attention of the bar denizens on board who also wanted their martinis in a proper glass. The rest is Holland America history.

 

As for your preference for malt liquors, it reminded me of a martini story (of which there are many). Purportedly Humphrey Bogart’s last words were “I should never have switched from Scotch to martinis.” So, Graham, be warned!!

[Druke I]

Hello one and all. Nice to see that this thread continues, and has not been banished to the Floataway Lounge.

 

We had an enjoyable float down the Danube, Budapest Hungary to Constanta Romania. All-in-all, a good trip, but I do prefer ocean cruising. Interesting to see life behind the former Iron Curtain, and see how the people are adjusting to their new governments and social systems. Not unexpectedly, many of the older generation are not sure they like the new system, as they now have to perform and produce, whereas under the Communists the State provided the basics (and damn little of that).

 

Food was good, but there was not enough red meat to satisfy this beef lover.

I for one do not want fish or fowl every night!

 

We stayed a week in Woking Surrey for a week pre-cruise, and the mighty dollar sure is weak in London now! My daughter says that London is now the most expensive city, leaving Tokyo behind in the lurch. She was happy that we brought sunshine with us - England and most of the Continent have had a wet summer!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

WELCOME HOME DRUKE!!!

Glad to hear your adventure was stimulating. I know what you mean about the red meat. I had some Canadian Friends emailing me yesterday to celebrate the ascending Canadian dollar...until I reminded them that our American dollars were now as low as the Canadian dollars...LOL. London can be outrageous but my group found a really nice deal for a hotel...so I guess you can still go to London...but you just have to look harder for the deals. The falling dollar will not stop us from heading to Europe. I hope it ignites a flurry of tourism in America...this has to be the biggest bargain destination in the world right now. We are still selling gas for $2.76 a gallon folks!!! Some of our best hotels can be had for less than 150 Euros!!! A great dinner at a great restaurant for 60 Euros!!!

 

Ross

[bcscot]

Welcome back Michael. I am glad that you had a good trip & I look forward to hearing more about it in due course. I hope that you are now enjoying a big juicy steak!

 

Thank you Conte & Donald for shedding some light on the complex world of the martini. The world of single malts is certainly a lot less complicated, especially when you do not put anything in them. I will have to try putting my Bombay Sapphire in the freezer though, as I like a good G&T.

 

I agree Ross, that the UK, even London, is still an affordable destination. You just have to do things a little differently. As discussed before, try B&Bs, self catering & hotels on the outskirts of London & commute in on the train. At least everyone that you come into contact with does not expect a tip!

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

[kazoo salute to embarking passenger]

 

Admiral Ma'am is pleased to have you back onboard and, as a native Texan, relates to you enjoying red beef. Remember on Nautica when you taught me to ask for a "charred" chop?

 

 

I looked up the origin of the word "martini" on dictionary.com:

[Origin: 1885–90; perh. alter. of Martinez (an earlier alternate name of the drink, of disputed orig.), by back formation (taking it as pl.), or by assoc. with the vermouth manufacturer Martini, Sola & Co. (later Martini & Rossi)] and defined as "a cocktail made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth, usually served with a green olive or a twist of lemon peel

."

Interesting, no?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Michael, welcome back!

 

Conte, I also prefer jalapeño olives in my martinis. This was served on the Mercury, to my delight. However, on the Zaandam, I received queen-sized pimiento olives which took quite a bit of time to chew, was rather oily and was not as satisfying.

 

I sent my Zaandam post-cruise report to my cruise agent. Among the pluses vs. Mercury which I mentioned were:

- armchairs in the dining room

- delivery of daily newspapers to the cabins

- plenty of forward open deck areas for passengers to enjoy the scenery

- coffee was tastier and drinkable, especially in the buffet

 

Some of the minuses on the Zaandam:

- less choices on the wine menu

- martinis not as good

- cabin safes must be opened and locked with the swipe of a credit card. Aren't credit cards exactly among the items that should be in a safe?

 

Donald D'maniac.

[Saga Ruby]

D'maniac - Gosh, I'm so envious. You got a daily newspaper on HAL. Is it a "real" newspaper or one of those "brochure" thingies printed in the Print Shop? Does everybody on HAL get a newspaper or just the Suite People?

 

After begging at the Purser's Desk and the intervention of my Computer Center dude on Saga Rose, I received two US papers in my cabin in the almost 3 weeks I was gone. And they rarely had CNN in cabins so the concept of "keeping up" with US news was bleak. After all, what if OJ had done something incredibly stupid when I was gone? Oh wait! He did!

 

That "swipe card for the safe" is a puzzler. Are you saying pax are using their cabin key swipe card or a real credit card?

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Donald: The newer HAL ships have safes that use your own code, which is better. The older ships still have the credit card activated safes which is not only a nuisance because you have to carry your credit card around (& your spouse cannot open it), but if the last person to use the safe on the previous cruise locks it, you have to get someone to open it for you before you can start to use it.

 

Ruby: HAL deliver a daily American newspaper 'brochure thingy', which is a condensed version of, I think it is the New York Times. On request (or according to your passport), they will also deliver a British or Canadian brochure thingy (but not every day). They now have a system where you can get a more complete version of the newspaper for a charge, if you order it.

 

They also have CNN on the cabin telly (TV), however we regard this as a popular sensationalist entertainment medium rather than a serious news programme.

 

Maybe you should try Prinsendam!

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

Last winter, when I shared a cabin with a friend on the Oosterdam, we used his credit card for the safe. It was a nuisance because I had to ask him to open it for me whenever I needed anything from it. I'm pleased to hear that safes on the newer HAL ships use our own codes.

 

On the Mercury, the codes used to be four digits long, but have been recently changed to six digits. Oh, gosh, how can I remember six digits???

 

Graham, I agree about CNN television news. While it is sometimes entertaining, it does go on and on about trivial things, and devotes 20 minutes to news items that can be done in five minutes. However, that's the nature of a 24-hour news channel - they need to fill in the dead time.

 

Yes, indeed, it's a condensed version of the New York Times which is distributed on HAL and Celebrity. When I last cruised on Carnival, two years ago, there were no newspapers at all. I felt cut off from the rest of the world! Fortunately I was able to follow some of the events on CNN on my cabin television.

 

D'maniac.

[bcscot]

I remember when we were on the Big Island of Hawaii, reading on the CNN tickertape that the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island had just erupted. We had just been there. It has been flowing with lava for many years & was no different from usual. If there is no news to report then why not just make it up?

Graham.

[bcscot]

Why is it that when I type CNN in capitals for the heading, it prints it as Cnn?

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

Why is it that when I type CNN in capitals for the heading, it prints it as Cnn? Graham.

 

I finally figured out that the CCritic software is programmed to make only the first letter in the title a capital. I titled one post "SOLAS" and it came out "Solas." I fought with it for awhile then developed ennui and vagued out.

 

Sometimes I suffer from e-fatigue. The electronic engineers in the R&D departments get carried away with what is technically possible to what is wanted by 93% of their customers - including me. I'm a great believer in KISS software.

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Will this work?

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

Yep, indeedy, this will work!

 

D'maniac.

[bcscot]

While sailing into Juneau the other week, on the Ryndam, we met Volendam already at the dock. Through binoculars, we could clearly see Mr Ouzo the bridge mascot, with his friend, at their post. It was good to know that they were still in the employ of Holland America.

 

We also noticed that Ryndam has a pair of bridge mascots. I have updated my thread on the HAL board.

 

Has anyone else ever come across bridge mascots on a ship?

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

Has anyone else ever come across bridge mascots on a ship?

Graham.

 

Last week on the Zaandam, I was on the bow a few times and had looked up at the bridge, but did not see anything out of the ordinary in its windows. However, I was not checking for mascots, as I did not know about them until now.

 

So, the Ryndam has a mascot! I'll have to look for it next April.

 

D'maniac.

[bcscot]

If you check my thread on the HAL board, someone put in some great photos of Mr Ouzo on the Volendam.

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

If you check my thread on the HAL board, someone put in some great photos of Mr Ouzo on the Volendam.

 

Graham.

 

I noticed 'em. I wonder who ever thought up of Mr. Ouzo as the mascot? Certainly not the Captain, who is much too busy for such diversions. Perhaps one of his officers, and from that point on it became tradition to have Mr. Ouzo on the different windows on the bridge.

 

D'maniac.

[bcscot]

I am quite red in the eyes after reading about the QE2's 40th anniversary UK cruise & seeing the pictures on the Cunard board. It sounded like an amazing experience & very emotional (especially for a Scotsman). I hope the final UK cruise next year is as good.

 

It is incredible how much emotion a ship can arouse. Although ships are but things of steel, I think that it is the way in which they touch so many lives & impact people in so many ways over so many years that gives them life.

 

Graham.