KLLund

I would google the designer to see where it can be purchased.

I have heard that Rumor Willis was seen rehearsing with Val and then I saw somewhere today that Michael Sams will be dancing this season. The big question is will his partner be a man or a woman? It will be interesting to see how much guts DWTS has

Yes .. it starts October 30th I think. Michelle Lesniak is one of the all stars. She has done some really nice things since she won in season 11. I am not sure who else is on this one.

I just caught up on the last three weeks after returning from our cruise and I have to agree that this is a pretty lackluster group. It seems that they don't actually understand the challenges and if they do, they just don't have the best instincts. It almost seems that they are getting worse instead of better.

 

I hope the All Stars that will follow this season is better, but All Stars at least get what they are supposed to do for a challenge.

We've never tried the Crab Shack...how was that?

 

Leslie

 

The crab shack was a part of the Horizen Court table which were covered with paper table "clothes". Each couple was allowed a bucket so you and whoever is eating with you had to decide which bucket to order. They were various combinations of Alaska King Crab, Snow Crab, Clams, Mussels and Crawfish with corn on the cob in each bucket. There was a manhatten clam chowder that was one of the best things we ate on the ship and I usually don't like that variety. It was good, about what you would expect of a Crab Shack.. and I would assume that the shell fish variety would vary by region. I would hope that when in season Dungeness would be served for example.

Hi Kathy,

I'm taking you up on your offer and appreciate you taking the time :) I hope you had a wonderful time on the cruise. Questions:

 

The Sapphire- did you do anytime dining and if so how did reservations work? Favorite dining room? Any info on dining or general info about the ship as we've never sailed on the Diamond or Sapphire.

 

Hong Kong- info on transportation to and from the port. Any tips on HK

 

Saigon- how was ship's shuttle and cost? Tips? (We're sightseeing on our own)

 

Thanks again,

Leslie

 

 

First .. yes we had a wonderful time. The Sapphire is our favorite ship, think Carribean Princess or Grand Princess with one less deck of cabins so there is more public area to cabin space. Since we were on it last, they have added the piazza which is always a fun place. It does have two pizza parlors, one on deck and one right by the Interenational Cafe and Vines in the Piazza.

 

As far as dining, we had traditional, and for the first time this didn't work out. There were only two other people at our table for eight and sometimes only two of us were there. I think Anytime would have worked better. That said, I was pretty disappointed in the food for the first time ever on Princess. There is a Spring Roll dish and Won Ton Soup every menu as well as an Asian dish. That has replaced the left side and the always there menu. The spring rolls were not that great, but the won ton soup was great. As far as reservations for some of the premium restaurants, we had no trouble with same day reservations for Sabbatini's and for the Crab Shack.

 

We joined this ship in Hong Kong but we spent the night before at a hotel and I just had the hotel towncar take us to the ship. There weren't many joining mid cruise so obviously this was quite quick and easy.

 

Hong Kong is pretty easy to get around depending on where you want to go. The subway system is great, you can take the star ferry easily from Hong Kong to Kowloon or reverse. We actually took a taxi to Victoria Peak for dinner because it was night and we didn't want to make a mistake.

 

As far as Saigon, wow. I would say of the 5 points (Hong Kong, DaNang, Saigon, Bangkok and Singapore) that is the one I was happiest that we had a tour. There are motorbikes everywhere and they weave in and out of traffic and it makes it very confusing. I do know there were shuttles at some ports but I don't remember specifically at Saigon and we were only doing on our own at Bangkok.

 

A big tip I would give you is in Da Nang if you haven't planned to go to HoiAn you might want to consider a change of plans. It is quite charming. We ate at Miss Lys and the food was to die for!

We sail October 7th and would appreciate any information about the ship and ports.

 

Hope it was a great cruise!

 

We didn't join the cruise until Sept 11 in Hong Kong so our ports were Hong Kong, Da Nang, Saigon, Bangkok and Singapore. We thought they were all very interesting and awesome in different ways.

 

Not sure what you want to know, but I will answer questions about that part if you just ask.

We only live 25-30 minutes from the airport and it didn't seem sensible to stay for 24 hours when we live that close. We only ordered a town car because it is cheaper than the parking costs at the airport.

We have always flown into foreign ports at least a day and usually two ahead but it is because I want to see more of the ports than the few hours allotted by the cruise line at most ports. Today that cushion became vital.

 

We hired a towncar service to take us to the airport this morning. They didn't show up and had us down for the next day so we scrambled for a taxi. The taxi arrived and there was just enough time to get to the airport and make the plane between Portland and Vancouver, so that we could catch the plane to Hong Kong. We were ok until the cab driver backed out of our driveway and into our neighbor's car.

 

Got to the airport about 10 minutes too late to check in for the flight and there was no appealing the cut off. Air Canada only has one flight a day to Hong Kong .. so after rebooking and paying the high Alaska Air change fees and the reasonable Air Canada change fees, we rented a car and came home secure in the knowledge that we don't have to depend on anyone else in the morning.

 

A good lesson to us about that cushion of a couple of days is really more than just insurance.. sometimes it is necessary. The good news is two fold .. 1 I didn't cry once during the process and 2 We will make the cruise !!

I have just one in and selected all on the page that showed the holdings as of today and printed it and sent it in. I may have had to pint something that shows the name and account number because I think only the account number shows on the current positions page. Princess has always taken it and provided the credit.

I have fallen in love with a fairly new brand called Ahnu. They have all kinds of styles, but the flats with actual arch support are incredibly comfortable and light weight. It seems almost like ballet shoes with good support in them.

I can't wear most athletic shoes because of how the bones on the top of my feet are structured, so I wear Clarks, Keen and Ahnu shoes to work out. all of them have rubber soles just like athletic shoes but are much lighter and fit me better which makes them safer for me to work out in them. They don't look like heavy walking shoes but they serve the purpose admirably and that is from a woman who has had 5 foot surgeries and is happy to have something comfortable to walk and work out in.

 

The judges' reaction to Amanda's I found surprising.

 

My jaw almost fell on the floor ... I was expecting her to go home immediately do not pass go .. with that lingerie!! And they like Kini's dress and I thought it looked like Lingerie too .. not his finest moment.

 

On the other hand .. I am absolutely in love with Korinna's winning look. Elegance personified, but not for a cruise unless it was a winter cruise to the Fjords or the like. An the jewelry she picked was heavenly.

I have always been sorry that they added the noise of MUTS to Sapphire Princess. It pretty much ruined the pool deck for us .. thank heavens for the Terrace Pool !

We love the Sapphire Princess also that and HAL Oosterdam are our favorite ships .. but although we live in Oregon we have only had one west coast cruise on Sapphire. After that it was in the Orient in 2006 and on Sept 11 we will be back on her leaving from Hong Kong. Somehow it seems fitting that the Sapphire and Diamond are cruising in Asia since they were built in Nagasaki.

Those of you that have taken the short coastal cruises LA to YVR or YVR to LA . what type of weather did you experience .. I know they are only at the beginning/end of Alaska season so usually May and Sept. It would be a convenient cruise but I always worry that it would be quite cold especially around the Bay area.

 

Very curious!

While I agree with everyone who said costume jewelry, I notice you did not say whether you were looking for gemstones or metals. Metals can be tricky if you are looking at something a little heavier, it needs to be really good costume jewelry and I find that if it is gemstones I want Swarovski crystals.

 

In answer to your original question though, the only place that I know of that rents accessories like jewelry is Rent the Runway. Google it and read their terms.

 

Have a great cruise!

My husband swear the tuna sandwiches are second to none and I was thrilled the day I found really good pavlova's at the IC. That is a favorite place of ours and it is the first time we will enjoy it on our favorite Sapphire Princess.. in just a few days now!!!

Why require titles at all?

 

Indeed!!!

We leave on our SE Asia cruise On Sapphire Princess on Sept 11 and last week we finally got a copy of my husbands DD214 from the Army for his discharge during the Vietnam War.

 

I emailed it to my TA and she sent me a link to a form to fill out which I did ane emailed that to her also.

 

It was about 20 minutes later that I got an email from her telling me that I had the Military OBC as well as the Stockholdr OBC that had already been posted. I looked at my Personalizer and there it was.

 

I am pretty impressed with both my TA and Princess .. we need more of that kind of efficiency in todays world and it is certainly possible with the whole world intertwined with computers.

 

Just thought I would share nice news.

Oh and the Sanctuary .. and Cabanas. We did have a private cabana on Princess Key one time and we invited people and had a fabulous time. On the Sanctuary everything I read makes me feel like you have to get up before the break of dawn and wait in line and hope .. and that just sounds like a lot of work. I suppose it is a fair system, but it is too bad they can't come up with something better. I have never yet been to the sanctuary .. but then I can always take sanctuary on our balcony!

It is great that we all have different tastes and interests ..

 

It depends on the Alternate Dining .. there always seems to be one night in the MDR that has a real clunker of a menu and that is the Sabatini's night for sure .. and we usually find a night for which ever steak restaurant is on the ship .. I always want the sides and soups more than the steak but it is usually elegant.

 

On the Spa . I am not one for most of the massages at the spa, but after a day on my feet walking around a foreign port I want nothing more than a foot soak and massage between excursion and putting on dinner shoes !!! Some days I just want a shoulder massage .. I find that neither of those are break the bank services and no one wants to sell you anything.

 

Our next cruise is the perfect blend of port every other day and sea day every other day . so we will use the internet to upload web pages and pictures to our cruise site for our families and friends to keep track of us. We also both work over the internet so we will both need to check emails.

 

And then there is the shore excursion .. it always amazes me how many people just want to cruise to Mexico or the Caribbean and lay on a beach at a resort all day. When I go somewhere I want to see everything and we all know there isn't time so I do a ton of research ahead of time. Then I join a roll call and often that results in joining groups for a private tour instead of the ship excursions and sometimes the easiest way to go is the ship excursion (I remember Cairo to the Pyramids being escorted by armed guards but feeling very safe!), For a lot of people, the cruise is the destination and honestly we have done that too, but mostly the cruise is a means to see the world and there is such a lot of world to see!

Wow .. I think winter white wool slacks and a heavy cable knit whit tunic is a stunning out fit at Christmas... add a long strand of pearls and perhaps a strand of crystal to mix with it and yummy white leather boots and how can that be wrong?

 

I think that rule probably went away about the time women quit wearing gloves and hat to go downtown to shop or lunch !!

My husband buys his at Sears and they are really nice quality .. I don't remember the brand, but I think it is the only boat shoes that they have. I know they look nice and wear well.

 

I wish I could wear them too .. but even sperry don't fit me.

I am with the rest of the Vera Bradley people .. I have never had one fall apart .. they are so well made and I find that they make the best laptop or computer bags ( Just the appropriate size tote) and are so much more lightweight than leather laptop bags. I do have some for handbags and as I get older I find that I like the look of leather bags, but they get too heavy too fast. Vera to the rescue!

The only two looks I liked tonight were Sean's pants and cape/top and I think it was Fade's dress with the lace and paint neckline echoed in the hemline. I actually liked the dress far better (I really hate pants that length) but his partner's look was ghastly. Oh and I forgot about Amanda's dress .. very 60s and I really liked it too.