XBGuy

We have done the Chef's Table twice. The first one was on a port day in the middle of a 7-day cruise. The second was on a sea day towards the end of a 15-day cruise; One thing I might mention is that there is some inconsistency in the Chef's Table regarding their willingness to accommodate special diets. I have read reports here on Cruise Critic that food allergies have been accommodated. For our first Chef's Table we had to sign a waiver avowing that we had no food allergies. There was no such requirement for our second experience. I enjoy eating, and, I have to say, the Chef's Table meal is outstanding. I would not say that it is too much food. However, I never eat lunch--including when I am on a cruise. To anybody who is afraid that the Chef's Table will be too much food for them, I would suggest that they skip lunch that day. Here is the menu for the first of the two CTs that we have attended. I guess I did not grab one for the second. From my readings here on Cruise Critic while the menus do change, those changes are pretty subtle. Red meat is usually the highlight of the entree dish. The fish course is often a risotto. Champagne is always served with the appetizers in the galley. A white wine and a red wine are always opened in the dining room, It looks lie a Prosecco was offered with dessert in the above menu. I did not remember that. In comparing with the menu posted by @J13C85 from the Sky Princess I am intrigued by a couple subtle differences in the wines. In both the CTs that I attended the red wine was a domestic (California) wine--CS in the menu and I do recall a PN for the second one which was on the Regal Princess. However, on the Sky Princess they opened a Brunello. I am wondering if they lean towards domestic reds for U.S. itineraries and "Old World" for European itineraries. Also, the Tokay with dessert probably appeals to the European palate more than the American palate. Americans are really not into dessert wines. So, another sparkler is a safer choice. These (not very good) pics are from our second CT on the Royal Princess. For completeness, I will report there was one thing that was, pretty much, a downer at our first one. You don't get to chose your table mates. We had several very competitive people at our table. They had been to the best restaurants, the best hotels, the best resorts. They could not wait for one to stop talking so that they could jump in and top it. It was a while before I was ready to try again, and, happily, the second group was much better.

Princess does seem to recycle ship names. I'm jumping on the Star Princess bandwagon.

In six AK cruises, we have taken two in mid/late September and one in early September. Like @Rick&Jeannie says, there are no bad Alaska cruises, I am going to repeat a few comments that have already been made. The ports will be less crowded. So, instead of five cruise ships visit Juneau, there might only be two. If you are shopping you will find that many stores are having sales in order to clear out inventory. Of course the flip side of that is that their inventory might be low, limiting your choices. I remember walking into the Alaska Fudge Company in Skagway and finding that their inventory of mint fudge was exhausted. Happily, they still had many other choices for us. In small towns that heavily rely on the cruise industry you might find that some businesses have already closed for the season. The weather will be cool. So, be prepared and dress warmly. The standard advice to Alaska cruisers is to dress in layers. but that is less applicable in late September. Fog or rain are not uncommon, at all. One of our most memorable AK excursions we have enjoyed was the Bear Search in Icy Strait Point. It does require some walking, though. So, you must be mobile. You should be able to see wildlife from the ship. Whales will probably have started their southward migration, but you should still see some. I love showing these pictures of a bubble feeding whale. As we were pulling away from the dock in Ketchikan on a late September cruise, I spotted this ring of bubbles just outside our balcony. He didn't pop up until we were well past. So, my pic is not that great. Bon Voyage. I am envious.

I agree that the Barnett Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay is excellent; @scubacruiserx2 Good call on the Dom. 👍

In January we discovered a leak in the garage. We could have had a roofer just patch that part and moved on, but my thinking is that there was no guarantee that next year there won't be a leak (or leaks) in the living area. Also, I am giving consideration to installing solar panels. To do so on a 20-year old roof seemed silly, So, I just went for the whole thing. I signed the agreement on January 31. The guy told me it would be four to six weeks before they could get to us. Well. you know how those atmospheric rivers kept hitting us. As you might guess, the garage leak did not fix itself. Last week the guy, called and we scheduled it. So, it was closer to eight weeks from the time I signed the agreement. He estimated four days for the project. Since they started on Saturday, I make four days to be Wednesday. One day to spare before the possible rain,

🤣🤣🤣 I apologize for all, my pontificating , @scubacruiserx2, but I am, in fact, very much enjoying your reports. Thank you. Let me speak to that $2400 Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon. First of all, the most expensive place to buy wine is at the winery. This is due to agreements that they have with their distributors that they will not sell it at the winery for less than retailers are charging. Also, note that this is for a six liter bottle. That is the equivalent of eight "standard" 750 ml bottles. Large format bottles are always more expensive than the equivalent of 750 ml bottles. As you might imagine, generally, it is collectors--and well-heeled ones, at that--who seek out the larger bottles. Also, the Rattlesnake bottling is Barnett's premium bottling. So, it gets a premium price. It seems to go for about twice the price of Barnett's "Spring Mountain District" Cabernet Sauvignon bottling. I did some quick online research and it appears that the "street price" for a 750 ml bottle of 2019 Barnett Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon is about $200. So, if you don't want to spend $2400 for the six liter bottle at the winery, you might be able to find eight 750 ml bottles for about $1600.

Probably not as significant to many, but it is also Get a New Roof Day. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday. So, we have a deadline.

Barnett is a terrific maker, but aren't they on Spring Mountain? Then, I reread your sentence and I guess you meant that prior to visiting your next vineyard you stopped for lunch at Bouchon Bistro which is in Yountville.

@Momma Rene, I might suggest that you just show your daughter the Crown Grill Menu that is posted on the Princess web site. Let her decide whether she can make it work. If she is pescatarian I (a regular red meat eater) will vouch for the Chilean Sea Bass. The Mussel Pot, which is Mrs. XBGuy's Crown Grill "go to" dish, usually has sausage. So, that is a definite "No,"

We always wave. It never gets old. On Princess Grand Class ships passengers can walk around on the roof of the bridge. I discovered this on our very first Princess cruise and could not resist taking a pic of Mrs. XBGuy studying the Princess Patter on our balcony.

Expiring minds want to know. What vineyard in Yountville did you visit? So far, your meals and noshes look great. I wish I was there.

@justafem I agree that you had a VERY disappointing experience. As a person who likes his steaks prepared "blood rare" I am familiar with your frustration in getting the preparation that you requested. My steaks often come medium rare. Generally, I just shrug and eat what is on my plate. The water dripping on your head, however, is just inexcusable. I have to assume that the staff did not notice the drip before you were seated. I don't know how they could not have known, but I suppose that stranger things have happened/

Yes, while I indicated that I would be willing to pony up the tariff for this event, I have to agree that the wines are quite pedestrian although the sparkler gets a little bit of love over on CellarTracker. I still really like the menu. I wonder if they would let me bring my own wines. Not gonna happen. I don't have anything near that level of chutzpah.

I would probably try it, if, for no other reason, to do something a little different one evening. The menu does look attractive. I would like to thank @FrankieJayIII for posting this and bringing it to our attention. I found the announcement at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/princess-cruises-announces-new-winemaker-dinner-with-caymus-vineyards-301788591.html I took some screen shots of the menu and am attaching them, here. I was hoping that I think this makes the menu a tad more readable.

They certainly could. There is no published pre-cruise schedule. You have to inquire once you board,

On half of your sea days your balcony will get afternoon sun. On half of your sea days your balcony will get afternoon shade. I have seen recommendations that being on the starboard side provides an nice island view as you are cruising into Hilo. Hilo is usually (not always) the first island stop after four sea days and arrival is well well after sunrise and there is plenty of light. I can report that from our starboard side cabin on our first Los Angeles-Hawaii cruise I did spot a very pretty rainbow as we approached the Hilo berth. On the other hand, cruising out of Hilo provides those on the port side with a nice island view. Some may want a view of Diamond Head while docked in Honolulu. The problem is that there are two cruise ship berths in Honolulu. On one of them, the one next to Aloha Tower, the ships always dock with the bow towards the city. On the other one, the ships always dock with the bow facing the sea. So, Diamond Head will be on the starboard side of one of them and on the port side of the other one. You're going to have a great cruise @rcprncss. I am envious. Bon Voyage.

Are there any Elks here? If you never have done so, then when you next visit todays port, Honolulu, you really should visit the Waikiki Elks Club and enjoy cocktails and pupus. In my working days I would visit Honolulu somewhat regularly. Charles, the local rep was just a terrific guy. We first met when I first started with the company in 1971 as a junior chipmunk tech, and he was a rep in Los Angeles. Trips to Honolulu were always busy. Because of time zones, after driving for an hour to the airport, parking in a remote lot, taking a shuttle to the terminal, checking in, taking off my shoes and putting my shoes back on, grabbing some breakfast, boarding the plane, flying for 5 hours, I would arrive in Honolulu at about 1:00 pm. So, there was plenty of time to make a call on First Hawaiian Bank or Hawaii National Bank (which, by the way, is about a 10-minut walk from the cruise ship pier at Aloha Tower). My point is that Charles made sure that he maximized my time in Hawaii. He always had multiple calls lined up. On the other hand, Charles was also an incredibly gracious host. At the end of the day, we would often stop for drinks and pupus. Gordon Biersch, sadly no longer there, was a favorite. On one of my last trips Charles told me that he'd join the Elks Club and suggested that we drop by. I was fine with this. It was amazing. Picture a 1940s/50s open air cocktail lounge right on the beach. So pleasant. So comfortable. After I was retired we decided to take a Los Angeles-Hawaii round trip cruise. I contacted Charles and suggested that we meet in Honolulu. He contacted the local field engineers, Danny and Stacy, and we all met at a Dum Sum restaurant in Chinatown. Afterwards Charles took Mrs. XBGuy and me to the Elks Club. Here are a couple pics of Mrs, XBGuy and me. I still have a fair collection of aloha shirts that I accumulated for Hawaii trips in my working days.

This caused me to wonder about the original quotation. According to the Google translator, it is "Cogito ergo ham." I guess my day is complete.

@chefchick On embarkation day the Director of Restaurant Operations (formerly called the Maitre d') generally can be found in one of the dining rooms to assist with dinner planning. That would be a great place to start. His time there is limited to one or two hours, and, so, it is possible that you may miss him. In that case, here are some backup ideas. The same Director of Restaurant Operations will be orbiting the various dining rooms during the dinner hours. Of course he may not be in whatever dining room that you are in. In that case, speak to the Headwaiter for that room. He will be easy to spot. If there is a Super Tuscan Dinner, it will be offered in the Sabatini's restaurant. Visit Sabatini's and speak to the Headwaiter, there. If you are in a suite on a Royal Class ship, and, incidentally, the Winemaker Dinner and the Super Tuscan Dinner are offered only on Royal Class ships, the concierge in the Suite Lounge can help you. Finally, I'm not sure this will work, but there is no harm in calling the DINE line and requesting there

This may or may not be useful to more Dailyites than @TiogaCruiser, but it is getting to be spring planting season in the Northern Hemisphere. We drove over to the Cal Poly Farm Store where Mrs. XBGuy stocked up on tomato plants. Tomatozania was actually March 18, but there were still plenty of choices for Mrs. XBGuy. She picked out 11 plants. Also, for a little crop variety she picked up a Blackberry bush, Cilantro, Cucumber and Spinach. She planted a few of them, yesterday, and wants to get the rest of them planted before the next rain hits tonight. Upcoming "new releases" at the Farm Store include: Fruit Trees -- Apr. 1 Sweet and Hot Peppers -- Apr. 15 Super Hot Peppers -- Jun. 10 To those who live in Georgia or North Carolina (or maybe some other Southern U.S. state), have you ever tried a local wine made from the Muscadine grape? You may be surprised to hear that I have never seen Muscadine wine for sale here in California. (OK, maybe it is not that surprising.) However, I did find Muscadine Jelly in the store. No, I didn't buy any jelly.

In a handful of cruises in suites on Grand Class ships, we were never advised of the availability of a suite concierge. My experience is somewhat dated, though.

Royal Class ships have the suite concierge lounge: Royal Princess Regal Princess Majestic Princess Sky Princess Enchanted Princess Discovery Princess I know that the yet to debut Sun Princess is a new class, but I would be surprised if it did not have a suite concierge lounge.

Lots of cabin space--living area, storage area. Concierge Lounge--makes my list even though it is not available on all ships. Complimentary first night specialty restaurant dining. Glass of Champagne on embarkation--provides us with glasses that we fill with the Sparkling Wine that we brought onboard to enjoy during sailaway. Fruit Bowl. (Biggie for me.) Bottled water refresh. (Biggie for Mrs. XBGuy.) Laundry service--we send it out in the evening and it always has been returned the next evening. Expanded room service menu. Floral arrangement in the cabin--usually orchids. Chocolate-dipped strawberries that seem to appear irregularly.

I might have an explanation as to why tax is not added when corkage is paid at the pier--at least for California ports. California sales tax is applied to goods that are sold. I is not applied to services provided. So, when I get a $15 haircut, the barber does not charge an additional 8.75% to that $15. A restaurant corkage charge is considered to be a fee for services-opening the bottle and providing clean glasses are the services provided. So, California sales tax (along with any additional municipal tax) should not be charged for the corkage fee that is paid at the pier. I am perplexed, however, as to why tax would be charged if the corkage fee is incurred on the ship. If the ship is still in port in California when the bottle is opened, the same rationale should apply--the restaurant is providing a service, not selling something. If tax was, in fact, charge for a corkage service that was offered while docked at a California port, I would think that was a mistake made by the ship's restaurant management. If the ship is at sea in international waters when the bottle is opened, then there is no taxing authority would have jurisdiction to collect any tax. However, if at the time the bottle is opened, the ship is in a port where services are taxed, then I can understand that the tax should be rightfully charged. Is there anybody out there who knows more about this?

@jwattle I would definitely have @JimmyVWine on my team. @wendellman I would say that I have felt more stuffed after the UBD than after the Chef's Table. I don't necessarily feel that it is more food, but the more social environment of the Chef's Table either distracts me or enhances the digestive process. Now, if you ask which one I prefer, there would be no debate in my mind that it would be the UBD. Now, if you are cruising on a Royal Class ship, see if they are offering the Super Tuscan Dinner in Sabatini's. In my view, this was better than the Chef's Table, but it is still behind the UBD. @TN-Mountains The room service menu is very limited--think burgers, sandwiches, fries, salads, cookies, cake, various drinks. . There will be a complete menu in your cabin, but I would not be surprised if you could find it if you invested some time in an internet search. We have made dinner out of room service many times. As much as we like dining, we prefer not to indulge ourselves every night. So, I may order a burger and fries, Mrs; XBGuy might order a salad and a roast beef sandwich with a piece of chocolate cake, and we will drink wines that we have in our cabin. You can see from the menu I posted previously, the UBD is a very complete dining event. As much as I enjoy the meal, it is the service that makes it an over-the-top event. Two servers are dedicated to you. Before my first experience I was a bit nervous about having servers hovering over us while we ate. However, these people are very well trained. Once you are settled in with a course, they disappear. We like to linger over our meals and not rush through them. Somehow, the servers know that we like to relax for a few minutes between courses before they sweep away finished dishes and present the next course. I think think the tariff for the UBD is $100 The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast is a bit different. It is a very robust breakfast--from memory I recall orange juice, coffee/tea, a half-bottle of Champagne (?), slices of fruit, danish, quiche, rolls, lox and I have probably forgotten something. However, this entire package is delivered to your cabin all at once. You serve yourself and enjoy it at your own pace. My recollection is that the UBB costs $45. Regarding the timing of your event, call room service as soon as you arrive at your cabin on embarkation day.