navybankerteacher

Just picked up a one pound Block Island swordfish steak for the grill this evening.

Up to $1000 gives a lot of options. Would you want a hotel with good food service, or perhaps one near several interesting restaurants. No real point in wanting to be “close to cruise terminal” - unless you want to be within easy walking distance, what real difference would there be between a ten minute taxi ride and a twenty minute one?

Perhaps it’s the global warming - this year’s Block Island swordfish season, usually July-December, has started: a marked increase of availability and slight decrease in prices. Our local fish market gets daily delivery fresh from the New London piers —- outstanding!

Also, the last thing cruise lines want to do is to encourage people to hold out to the last minute in hopes of grabbing fire-sale fares. They will prefer to sail with a few empty cabins than to risk creating a last minute market - so they will not seriously discount late beekings. If you really want a low fare, book early - and rebook if fares do happen to drop.

What it boils down to is the fact that the “success” of the cruising business is leading to its failing in many ways. Ports which accept too many cruisers are not worth visiting, and more ports will start restricting numbers — not many places want to accept day trippers who come with one shirt and one $20 bill, and don’t change either. I expect that the industry will start to split: ultra large, low cost ships which offer boundless activities will continue to attract low budget cruisers and limit port calls to private islands; while smaller ships will cater to travelers interested in ports (which will become less welcoming to large ships, or even large passenger loads) - essentially returning to the way cruising was 20+ years and more ago.

We both renewed our Global Entry in early May when we suddenly noticed the June expiration date. We both did it on line - a somewhat complex process as you needed cell phone to receive confirming text while on line, but we did it in less than an hour and had new cards in about ten days. I am not certain about doing it after expiration, but you certainly should give it a try.

Of course the term FIDI, which seems to be coming into very limited use, and which might have been applicable decades ago, is rather pointless now- with the current geographic spreading of New York’s finance industry: to Brooklyn (Metrotech Center), New Jersey (largely Weehawken) and midtown Manhattan (as along Sixth Avenue). There is no point in trying to rename the old financial district from “Wall Street”, which retains geographic reference, to a meaningless trendy-sounding bi-syllable.

I think this attitude is likely to spread - as more ports come to realize that cruise passengers bring very little real value to the communities they impact - while actually damaging much of what makes those places worth visiting in the first place.

Thunderbird comes to mind.

Also, you could pick a better area to cruise-the Western Caribbean is the pits.

Originally New York, but Connecticut since the 1970’s.

And in the old days Packards always came with a monogrammed lap robe.

Only butter. I suppose if you had a bit of left-over rubbery, overcooked lobster you might drench it in mayonnaise in an attempt to salvage it, otherwise…….

When that part (Pier 12) of the waterfront was converted from a cargo handling facility to a cruise passenger terminal it was renamed: Brooklyn Cruise Terminal — without any proximity to a Pier 11 or a Pier 13, it is a bit silly to retain an obsolete (and possibly confusing) designating number.

Also, what’s with the “Pier 12” - terminology? There is ONE berth at BCT.

QM 2 from Brooklyn to Southampton sure beats flying from JFK to LHR (other than time expended if you are in a hurry), but for pulling out of New York, sailing down the Hudson from MCT is the better way.

While “homarus americanus” is the formal name, “Atlantic lobster” is probably the most useful — not being nationalistic as in “Canadian” and “Maine” - and most appropriate, as they come from the Atlantic coast of Canada and the US as far south (rarely now) as New Jersey. Sadly, the waters of Long Island Sound have become too warm, with the result that the local low cost “lobster pounds” in coastal Connecticut towns have vanished over the past ten years. The spiny (Caribbean) lobsters, whose tails are most often served on cruise ships, are poor substitutes for the real things.

If you are thinking about anything much more substantial than an inflatable chair (carried aboard uninflated, of course, so you can slip it under your bed or on the top shelf of your closet) you are out of luck.

If the ship you are referring to is one of NCL’s fleet, and the MDR food is better than what you eat at home, I strongly suggest that you invest in a cookbook.

Scallops and oysters (in particular) are best from cooler waters. I think Chesapeake Bay is southern limit for oysters - and the best, in my view, are Wellfleet, from the bay side oh Cape Cod.

In coastal New England lobster is not that special - there have been times when catches are so great that prices seriously drop. We have it at least a couple of times a month at home. It’s important to put the lobsters 🦞 to sleep by rubbing them on the back with a pencil for a couple of minutes. They do not feel it when they go in the boiling water, don’t thrash about, and come out more tender. Attached picture (sadly upside down) shows hyptonized lobster ready for his hot bath - good way to win a side bet with dinner guests who do not believe you can make a lobster stand on his head.

It looks as though there is someone saying “bigger is better”.

It would be interesting to sit in on an actual audit while a creative deducter SUCCESSFULLY convinces the IRS examiner that his cruise fare represented legitimate business expenses which are accepted. Some of these posts are reminiscent of posts by folks who ALWAYS come out ahead in the casino.

I maintain that anyone who believes, without qualification, that “bigger is better” is unthinking.

I do not know who would, but I would prefer an Airbus 320 over a 747.