Harters

I'm having that as today's "learn something new every day". I've been to Borough Market more than once and just assumed its name was that it was the "market of the borough" it was in (Southwark?), rather than an actual place.

I'd not heard of it till this post. I doubt I'd see much point of it. It's not going to add much to the bacon and eggs I had for breakfast this morning. Whereas a big dollop of ketchup was fine. Yes, in the unending dilemma between brown sauce and red sauce for breakfast, I'm always a red sauce man.

I presume those two facts are very connected. We live in a capitalist society. 😃

We do a version with blue cheese from time to time. But only when Mr Bourne has his Blue Cheshire on sale at the farmers market. It's one of the best blues I know - rich, creamy and tangy - and probably unknown outside the county.

Hartess is cooking dinner tonight. I didnt know till just now that beetroot is featuring in a salad starter, along with watercress and chopped walnuts, with vinaigrette dressing.

So true. And, as I've mentioned on previous threads, I suspect our time cruising may be drawing to a close, in favour of much cheaper land-based high end resorts. We'll know within the next 12 months, as we have one of each type of holiday booked and will make the decision based after that. As for the main evening show, much depends on the cast. For example, we found Nautica's performers last autumn were very talented and engaging. On the other side of that coin, Vista's earlier this year felt noticeably less good.

I'm sure I have a photo of that, circa 1965, when I went on a two week school trip to Italy.

Love beetroot in its various forms. Grated into a mixed salad. Pickled beetroot on a corned beef sandwich or with a beef stew. Or, as served in a local restaurant only last week - chunks of cooked beetroot, served with very tangy goats cheese curds.

There will be several reasons - breed, how it's raised, age at slaughter, how its aged, etc. I play on a food forum and have read Americans say they often find lamb "gamey". Never really made that comparison - but then I eat a fair amount of game - venison, rabbit, pigeon, pheasant - and find some can be very mild. Rabbit is the prime example. I always need to cook it in a way that really adds flavour, otherwise its much blander than a free range chicken.

I don't know from which country they source the lamb. It is mild in flavour, so possibly New Zealand. It's certainly not as full flavoured as most British lamb (or Colorado lamb).

On our last two cruises, we havent gone to the Captain's actual party. 5.30 is still afternoon for us and we don't want to be in our smarter clothes so early simply to get a free drink. Not least as we wouldnt be dining till 8. Of course, we do take advantage of the free drink available in the bars. We've been to the "Returners" party once but not last time. Similar reasoning.

Yes, you want to be careful around a haggis. Dangerous beast that'll have your arm off soon as look at you. It's not surprising that, at a Burns Night supper, the haggis is stabbed with a knife and cut open. Scots know that you really do want to make sure it's dead and not going to attack your guests.

If he wears a jacket, he will be in a smallish minority. I generally wear a polo shirt and chinos which is entirely appropriate for the dress code. I did take a sweater with me on the last cruise, just in case,the restaurants were overly cold. They werent and it came home unworn

That's not my recollection from our transatlantic earlier this year. It actually seemed to be quite a rare occurrence and I never ordered it and my partner only twice. If it had been on the menu most nights, I'm sure we would have ordered it more often as it's probably the meat most often eaten at home. A look through the menus posted on the Priesmans website is always a good bit of food porn. Their last on O https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_24_menus.htm#grand

I wouldnt worry at all. There is nothing Indian, or broader South Asian, on the menu. Everything is their take on East Asian food. We've had two meals in RG (Marina & Vista) and found the food underwhelming on both occasions. It is very disappointing compared to what I would expect in a land based restaurant - not just a lack of chilli heat in dishes that should have it, but a lack of the other vibrant spices that make East Asian food a joy (and, last trip, just very poor cooking of one dish). We've pretty much decided that we won't book RG on the next cruise. Of course, that's just us and you'll find many posts on the forum from folk who just love RG - we all have our own experiences and expectations with food.

I'm assuming that O will be compliant with UK law (in its dealings with UK customers) defining what is a sale. This helpful bit of legislation was enacted to protect customers from bogus or misleading sales promotions, often by sofa companies, but I believe it also covers the sale of services as well as products.

I agree. It is totally irrelevant to me what a price may have been in a past sale or under the arrangements before Simply More. History is in the past. If someone wants to make a comparison for themselves and conclude that O is now too expensive, then that's a matter for them. It's a judgement we all make whenever we consider travel - I'll never be able to afford to fly business class, book one of O's top suites or, indeed, book one of their long cruises.

Not that I've noticed. And I'm sure I would have noticed. The first time we came across the expression "French Press" was in a restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, some years back. So, not knowing what it was, we ordered it, hoping it might be an interesting discovery. Of course, when it arrived, we looked at each other and, chuckling, said to each other "Oh, it's only a cafetiere".

Suggest you check out the sticky thread for an extensive discussion on Barca's hotels https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2902493-barcelona-hotels/page/13/#comment-67428538

There is absolutely no need to get all defensive - not least as you were not being attacked. Chill out and have a great day.

I also have the discs. But knowing where they are doesnt alleviate the fact they are lost. Bearing that possibility in mind, we added in an extra day in Miami, pre-cruise, just in case the bags didnt arrive with us. And, by co-incidence, in the last few hours, my nephew has arrived in Riyadh, where he's working for the next couple of weeks. His luggage is still in Paris.

That may be why they seem so adept at remembering names. Although I wonder if, on a ship full of North Americans, our British accents make us more memorable. As for the photo, for the last two cruises, we've tried to upload from the PC without success (and with much annoyance about the faff in trying). But there has been no problem at the cruise terminal - they just take your photo there.

Is this an fact or a factoid? Although I suppose the significant question is not the thickness of the walls but whether the soundproofing is inadequate throughout the ship. The number of reports, of which mine was one, that no noise problems were experienced suggests that there may be differences. Of course, CC contributors make up only a tiny proportion of Vista's guests and there's insufficient reports, quoting cabin numbers, to draw any conclusions about their geography and whether or not there were noise issues. On the basis that 9063 might have had good soundproofing, we've booked that cabin for next years cruise. Fingers crossed........

I agree. I enjoy the GDR. Yes, the specialities are generally somewhat better but only Toscana would meet my "holiday restaurant challenge" - if this was a restaurant near home, would I become a regular. And it really only meets it because we're becoming a bit disenchanted with the Italian place we go to regularly. But, on the other side of that coin, I don't think we'll make a reservation for Red Ginger on the next trip. We've found it quite disappointing both times we've eaten there (Marina & Vista).

Much as I like Vista's take on Baristas (including the Bakery), I do miss the coffee machine and cookies in Horizons. Good for a quickly grabbed breakfast and good for a mid morning coffee and snack without moving away from Horizons comfort and views. Yes, I do want it all - the best of everything.