Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Druke I]

My late father, a Brit who never lost his accent, pronounced it More, rhymes with bore.

 

That should not be considered the last word: there are more regional accents/dialects on that small island than there is the whole USA.

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby, I've never heard the expression, "No soup for you." What does it mean? Dorian (aka Donald).

 

Dear Dorian - love your oil painting!

 

The "no soup for you!" is a famous phrase from the Seinfeld sitcoms. This particular episode was inspired by an actual street-front cafe in New York City which was run by a man everyone called the Soup N**i (from WWII).

 

Evidently the chef/owner was a stringently strict seller of soups which were delicious - if you were allowed to buy it. The chef never allowed chitchat in his tiny shop, no customers dallying along the buffet line. Customers lined up on the street, waiting outside the door to buy his wonderful, flavourful soups, then a customer was supposed to step into the tiny buffet-style shop, order, move a few steps down the line, pay, leave. Anyone who tried to chat or complain was banned from the shop with the phrase, "No soup for you!"

 

And don't get me started on the Seinfeld episode that was about a library cop. I keel over laughing every time it airs. Funny is as funny does.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Gail, thank you very much for the explanation of the "no soup for you!" expression. I was not a regular viewer of Seinfeld, so did not see these two episodes which you mentioned. The one which I most recall is when they went to a restaurant and were told by the maitre d' to sit in the lobby and wait for a table, while those who arrived afterwards were courteously escorted into the dining room. The maitre d' had a variety of explanations to the Seinfeld gang as to why they were not seated first. It was interesting how the script writers were able to stretch the whole thing to half-an-hour (or was it an hour?).

 

Donald.

[Druke I]

Reference Seinfeld, I've never watched a full 30 minute show - I am completely turned off in the first 5 minutes.

 

I guess I just don't get it - I don't think he is funny!

[Druke I]

delete - duplicated post.

[Druke I]

Reference Seinfeld, I've never been able to watch a full 30 minute show - I am completely turned off in the first 5 minutes.

 

I guess I just don't get it - I don't think he is funny!

[Druke I]

Reference Seinfeld, I've never watched a full 30 minute show of his - I am completely turned off in the first 5 minutes.

 

I guess I just don't get it - I don't think he is funny!

[franu]

Reference Seinfeld, I've never watched a full 30 minute show of his - I am completely turned off in the first 5 minutes.

 

I guess I just don't get it - I don't think he is funny!

 

Ditto! As a native New Yorker living in Toronto for over 35 years, I find it so New York. Not funny , just NY. Ho hum!

 

BTW I have never made it over the 10 minute mark

Fran

[Saga Ruby]

Today Queen Elizabeth, QEII, has marked a royal farewell to QE2 by attending a reception onboard as the QE2 sails in her final year on the way to hotel service in Dubai. One wishes to have been a fly on the Grill wall.

 

One hopes that QE2 has a better retirement in Dubai than the QE did in Hong Kong harbour.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

That was considerate of Queen Elizabeth II to honour QE2 on its final voyage. This was not mentioned in our newspapers.

 

Donald.

[Druke I]

There is a 2 page thread, including a press release, about the Queen visiting QE2, over on the Cunard forum. Sorry, I won't attempt to provide a link - I am notoriously bad doing links.

 

Differences in language between Brits and Yanks continues to amuse me.

There are a couple of references to hooters - I know they are talking about the ships' whistles (horns), but being a virile male, I think of women's breasts or that other food chain.

[Host Sharon]

Yes - well we have had had to put up with wet paint everywhere for the last 12 days! Still, I have to say QE2 was looking absolutely magnificent. She may be old but she can still turn heads everywhere she goes. We had a wonderful sailaway from Barcelona a few days ago as we steamed past two RCI ships, Grand Princess and Aida Diva.

 

It has been a great cruise on a beautiful ship and boy, as I going to miss her!

[Host Sharon]

 

Differences in language between Brits and Yanks continues to amuse me.

There are a couple of references to hooters - I know they are talking about the ships' whistles (horns), but being a virile male, I think of women's breasts or that other food chain.

 

In the UK a hooter is slang for a nose!

[Saga Ruby]

Yes - well we have had had to put up with wet paint everywhere for the last 12 days! Still, I have to say QE2 was looking absolutely magnificent. She may be old but she can still turn heads everywhere she goes. It has been a great cruise on a beautiful ship and boy, as I going to miss her!

 

Welcome back, Ships cat. Was the QE2 given salutes by the other ships as she passed by? What a wonderful grande dame sailing out her last year with great dignity. I'm puzzled about the wet paint - was that for QEII's farewell visit?

 

Tell us about your voyage - was the atmosphere onboard somber or a party feeling about being one of the privileged few to sail on her the last year of her life under the Cunard flag? Did the onboard staff make references to leaving her in Dubai or do they just "go with it?" Where will the staff be disbursed to?

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

I'll post a full report late Ruby. Only got back this morning and going through the usual post-cruise boring stuff like unpacking, laundry etc, and have to go back to work tomorrow too. Urghh!"

 

But, yes the wet paint was to spruce her up for the Queen's visit, yes we did get the usual exchange of siren salutes as we passed the other ships - it still gives me shivers down the spine to hear a ship's siren! And, yes there is a great happy atmosphere on board generally. I think most of the staff will be dispersed to QM2 and QV and also in 2010 the new Queen Elizabeth will be launched as well. The service was excellent as always though. I loved hearing the crew refer to the Grand Princess as a !shopping trolley (cart) as we passed her on a couple of occasions. And I have to say steaming through the Bay of Biscay at 30 knots is a fabulous feeling. The weather was lovely - in the mid 80s most of the time and the seas calm, although a swell in the bay off Cannes caused some problems tendering.

 

I'll gather my thoughts and distill my journal in a couple of days or so.

[franu]

We saw the Queen's visit on the QE2 on the television here in the big TO. They made reference to the time that it carried troops too. Where is she going now before going to Dubai?

 

ships cat I am really looking forward to your review. I hope that some of your wonderful photography will accompany it.

Fran

[Host Sharon]

She still has a good few cruises left to do Franu. She is currently sailing to Norway for 12 days and I am booked on a 5 night cruise in October to France, Spain and Guernsey. I believe she has two last transatlantic crossings in October as well as a New England/Canada cruise in Sept. I'll try and get my review sorted - it may be long!! perhaps I should post it somewhere else and just put a link to here? And yes - I took lots (and lots) of photos, since aside from Gibraltar, I had never visited these ports before (Rome, Florence, Naples, Cannes and Barcelona).

[Kapricorn]

The future of air travel? LOL! This cartoon was in the editorial page of this morning's newspaper.

 

Donald.

[Host Sharon]

I knew there was a reason I don't fly!!

[Saga Ruby]

I knew there was a reason I don't fly!!

 

Hand raised here about being tired of flying. I think that's one of the big reasons I'll not be onboard Saga for the foreseeable future. When I flew to Dover, then cruised on Rose to Ireland and eventually the west coast of Greenland, I realized that I could put out my hand and touch Canada - where I just came from! Then back to Dover and back to Texas - it's almost more than the heart can bear with the "joy" of airplane travel nowadays.

 

Ships' cat, you write whatever suits you. I am confident that we will enjoy an in-depth review of your QE2 cruise. So type away and don't worry about length, or create a link - we'll look forward to reading all about it.

 

Ruby

[Alan2504]

The future of air travel? LOL! This cartoon was in the editorial page of this morning's newspaper.

 

Donald.

 

Look what the future of Cruising has in store now ?????

 

http://shiphappenzz.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/cruise-mother-ships-are-the-future/

 

and there was me thinking the Independence of the Sea was a monster!!!!

 

:)

[Druke I]

That is one ugly ship!

 

It does remind me a bit of that Washington State Ferry, Kalakala, which was rebuilt on the hull of a former Key System or Southern Pacific ferry boat, from the San Francisco Bay Area.

[Saga Ruby]

Look what the future of Cruising has in store now ?????

 

Egad! I'm speechless! [applause, applause]

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

Oh no, no , please let me get all my cruising in before these monsters hit the oceans!

[Kapricorn]

That ship's design is more or less what I sadly expect in the near future - more enclosed hulls and less open decks. Cruisers will be insulated from the sea and weather. I might as well be wandering through underground shopping malls. That'll be when my cruising days will be over.

 

Donald.