shepherd really

49 cruises listed on the R ships, 51 on the O and A ships, so far for January-June '26. All four R's have cruises listed, but Nautica has only 4.

Is the mold an ingredient or the form it is made in?

Excellent question, a 15% increase in the size of the dining venues would address that. It will be interesting to see how or if this is addressed.

I half agree with you, she's certainly a celebrity. The chef part is what I question. If she had a different last name could her resume get her a job as an executive chef in a Michelin starred restaurant?

And now my earworm is Delta Dawn Delta Dawn Who's that jacket you have on? Could it be from ELJ's missing bag

She's not even a celebrity chef. She's just a person with a famous last name who pretends to be a cook on tv.

If everyone is done with the highjack, perhaps we can return to the subject of this thread? Anyone remember what that was? Me neither 😁

I ate at Jacques on Marina about five weeks ago. I also ate at my favorite local French restaurant last week. There was no comparison. Jacques was underwhelming, it just seemed tired. My local place was superior in all the categories that matter to me. The only thing I liked better about Jacques was when the meal ended, I was not presented with a bill.

or the CDC

I googled it, I thought it was Hebrew. It's been 50 years since my Bar Mitzvah. Shoelom.

"De Laurentiis had a range of products made exclusively for Target. In 2013, ceramic lasagna pans under the Giada De Laurentiis brand were recalled after they cracked and at least six people were injured.[20] In 2022, Target only seems to carry her books, including a Target edition of Eat Better, Feel Better.[21]" Whoops, missed her target. and this "On February 10, 2023, De Laurentiis has signed a multi-year deal to create and produce unscripted programming with Amazon Studios." Her connection to Amazon does not make her ready for PRIME time. It seems to me she just doesn't have the gravitas for "the finest cuisine at sea". Wiki also says that she "studied" at Le Cordon Bleu, but not what program she completed. They have lots of short courses that won't make you a professional chef by any stretch of the resume. She just doesn't seem like the heavy hitter they should have courted to maintain, much less advance, their cuisine.

The Yves Hotel in Miami worked for us last year. It was reasonably priced, in a nice area, 10 minutes by car from the Port of Miami, which can be seen from half the rooms, and near plenty of restaurants. I'd stay there again.

I've traveled to Italy for "mere pizza" and "mere pasta", it was well worth the price (which I will not bore anyone with). I also won't comment on expensive mediocre wine and beer on Oceania, since I haven't actually seen any that would retail for $2.00/ bottle for wine or $.65 for beer. I enjoyed many of the selections offered on my recent cruise under Simply More. but what is actual firsthand experience worth unless you repeat it 200 times?

correct

Oceania just announced her as co-chair (with Jacques Pepin) of the Oceania Culinary board as well as Brand and Culinary Ambassador. Oh well. Pretty thin credentials.

Just bring me the wheat toast.

You literally asked experienced people for their advice based on actual experience and then, after receiving said advice reply like this ^. Good luck and please tell us after your trip how you packed and how that worked out for you. Oh, and you're welcome, happy to help.

But that pesky 50 Lb weight limit will rear its ugly head if you really fill that 28"er up. Your point about the Regatta (all the R class ships) only having one laundry is right on. That changes the packing strategery.

Unless you are 90 years old wearing an overcoat on the beach in Miami, then you are good to go.

Will a 28" check in size suitcase fit under the bed? yes That said, my wife and I both use 25" Travelpro soft sided luggage. They also easily fit under the bed, and they were more than adequate for a recent 20-day cruise + 3 days on each end. Packing cubes are your friend.

So, you kept hearing "Hello, this is Andy from the bridge" on the loudspeaker, offering interesting tidbits? Andy was very engaging as were the other lecturers.

Which is why I was pleasantly surprised that we had any service at all on Marina.

If a TA wants to charge you a fee the correct response is "no, thank you" followed by hanging up and blocking their phone number.

I know one person who ditched their Oceania "elite vacation consultant" when they ghosted her for a week after a cruise she was on was cancelled. They are employees of Oceania, you can "fire" them at will if they aren't serving your needs.

Don't forget that many people had credits that expired by the end of 2022, so there were lots of folks riding on FCC's from cruises cancelled when covid shut the industry down.